Essay #2 (Definition) Prompts
Choose one of the three prompts below for your essay of definition.
1. Write an essay modeled on Naylor’s in which you define “the meanings of a word” (or words). The word you choose might be a stereotype based on ethnicity, gender, appearance, or income.
2. Define the role of a wife or husband, mother or father, sister or brother, daughter or son. In your prewriting write down the responsibilities, activities, and relationships that define that role, and then in your essay elaborate your ideas on the topic. You could, if appropriate, follow Brady’s model by showing how the role is influenced by the expectations of another person (or people).
3. Using Gilb’s essay as a model, write an essay that defines a human feeling or characteristic—happiness, for example, or fear or courage—or some notion that you find important but that you think some (many?) frequently misunderstand. As Gilb does, present a wide range of examples to suggest various aspects of your subject.
