How to go from “Broad to specific.”
Broad to specific

Whassup.
I’m essay
bug!
 The essay bug’s head is shaped like
 Notice how the top of the head is “broad” and it gets
narrower until it finally gets to “a point.” (The
“point” of your essay is your thesis statement.)
 This is how your introductory paragraph for a
formal piece of writing should be set up.
How to go from broad to specific

 Food (how can we get more specific?)
 Choose a style of food: Chinese, Tex-Mex, Italian… (more
specific?)
 Choose a particular food: Pad Thai, Lasagne, Fajitas…
 Create a thesis based on the particular food.
 “Pad Thai is the best food ever (main claim) because it is
tasty, energy filled, and easy to make.” (3 body paragraphs)
 Using the above as an example, your intro paragraph
could start with a sentence or two on food, then a
sentence or 2 on Thai food, a sentence on Pad Thai, and
then the thesis.
…your intro paragraph could start with a sentence or two on food, then a sentence
or 2 on Thai food, a sentence on Pad Thai, and then the thesis.


Food is a source of energy and is necessary for survival, but for
many cultures it also serves an important social role and is a source
of artistic expression that brings people together to celebrate,
mourn, do business, and visit. But while the process of getting
together and eating is important, the food itself is equally
important and needs to be tasty if a meal is to be successful. (2
sentences on food) Every culture has its unique styles of cooking
and Thai food has recently become popular worldwide. From the
fragrant rice dishes, to spicy curries and sweet and sour soups,
Thai food presents a plethora of treats for the palate. (2 sentences
on Thai food) One of the signature Thai dishes is Pad Thai, which
consists of long and broad noodles cooked with bean sprouts,
garlic, chilies, cilantro, lime and peanuts, and topped with a
delicious tamarind sauce. (1 sentence on Pad Thai) Pad Thai is the
best food ever because it is tasty, energy filled, and easy to make.
(Thesis!)
Your turn…

 Take the following topic and decide how you could
gradually get more specific in at least 2 steps.
 Ex. We went from:




food (2 sentences)
to Thai food (2 sentences)
to Pad Thai (one sentence)
and then to the thesis.
 Your topic is “School.”
 School-High school-Reynolds High school
Specific to broad

 When you already have a thesis created, you may need to
reverse the process and go from “specific to broad.”
 If you are writing an essay on “The Lottery”
 “The Lottery”(the specific name of a story)
 short fiction (a genre of writing)
 Writing (a general form of communication)
 Your turn…take the following from “specific to broad”
 The Lego Movie
 The Lego Movie- animated films- kids shows
Your thesis is often the starting
point.

 In reality, your thesis could serve as an “intro
paragraph.”
 In the stories The Lottery, Just Lather, That’s All, and The
Guest, theme is created through the use of symbolism.
 But to just jump straight to the point is stylistically
weak. You want to “build up” to this…but how?
Use a part of your thesis as the
starting point.

In the short stories The Lottery, Just Lather, That’s All, and
The Guest, theme is created through the use of symbolism.
Option 1=Talk about the genre

 Short stories:
 talk about what a short story is. “A short story is a
prose narrative shorter than a novel and usually
dealing with a few characters that aims at unity of
effect and often concentrates on the creation of mood
rather than plot.”
 Talk generally about writing/writers of short fiction.
“Writers of short fiction use a variety of techniques
and devices that help them add impact to a story.”
Option 2= talk about theme or the element(s)
mentioned in the thesis.

 Sample thesis:
 In the short stories The Lottery, Just Lather, That’s All, and The
Guest, theme is created through the use of symbolism.
 In this thesis it says that THEME and SYMBOLISM will
be discussed. Let’s start with one of these.
 Symbolism!
In the stories The Lottery, Just Lather, That’s All, and The Guest,
theme is created through the use of symbolism.

 Let’s go specific to broad…
 Symbolism
 devices used in short stories
 Short Fiction
 So…we start with a sentence or two on short fiction.
 Then…we take a sentence or two to discuss devices
used in short fiction.
 Followed by…a sentence or two on symbolism.
 Finally…drop the thesis statement on the reader!

 A piece of short fiction is often described as a narrative shorter
than a novel, usually dealing with a few characters, that is
primarily concerned with a unity of effect and often
concentrates on the creation of mood rather than plot. There are
many techniques and devices that writers of short fiction utilize
to add impact to the story. These literary devices are used like
tools to help create the overall feel and meaning of a story.
Symbolism is a common device used by writers that helps bring
greater meaning to a piece of fiction. These symbols can
identify important ideas and qualities that are meant to be
expressed by the author. In the stories The Lottery, Just Lather,
That’s All, and The Guest, the authors use symbolism to establish
theme.
Your job…

 Create a thesis statement and then write an intro.
paragraph that would work for your 5 paragraph essay to
be completed on Friday.
 Show McD your paragraph before the end of class.
 Here are some options for a thesis statement:
 In the stories ________, ________, and ________, the authors
use _________ to help establish theme.
 In the short story __________, the author uses ________,
________, and ________ to establish the theme of _________.
 In the stories ________, ________, and ________, the authors
use different devices and elements to establish theme.