I will always start out a "How I Would Do It" post with a breakdown of the steps I intend to take and then include a finished product.
My Steps
Break down the prompt to ensure I know what is expected of me
Choose an abstract concept (an abstract noun) that I can focus on
Select an image of something or someone that represents the abstract concept, carefully considering why I think it is a strong example
Select and detail another definition strategy
Identify the simple and complete subjects and predicates in a sentence of my choosing. (may not be present in current version of assignment)
Step One: The Prompt
A prompt always tells you three things: what you can do, what you must do, and what you cannot do.
CAN: Choose the image (from any source), choose the concept to define, choose a strategy of definition to use.
MUST: Select an abstract concept (something that represents an idea or quality, not a physical thing), choose a picture that is a physical example of the concept, use exemplification in addition to another definition strategy.
CANNOT: Select a concrete concept (something that physically exists in the world), choose an image that is just words or similar, only use exemplification
STEP TWO
I need to choose an abstract noun, and to make that easier for you I've found a pretty great list of abstract nouns that begin with a-i. Click to expand.
I think I'm going to use an example similar to the one I used in the homework description: Law.
STEP THREE
I need to choose an image and describe what makes it an excellent example of my concept, Law. I've done this below.
My Exemplification Paragraph:
Law is the police officer in uniform. In their uniform they are a figure of public service to support their community and ensure that criminal acts are kept in check. In doing so, they ensure that lawful acts and unlawful acts are identified and those involved receive the appropriate response; the criminal receives handcuffs that show the law has the capacity to stop acts that abuse others, while the victim (or potential victim) receives a sense of security from further action and the promise of just punishment to those who do wrong. The police officer knows the ins and outs of the law and sees it in practice, preserving it with their own hands, sweat, and blood. In their enforcement of the code of conduct that connects our society, the police officer is the definition of law.
STEP FOUR
I need to choose one other definition strategy and use it to define justice. I can choose classification (what kinds of law there are), function (what law does), or negation (what is not law). I think I'll choose classification, mostly because it sounds challenging.
My Classification Paragraph:
There are many kinds of law. The most common, of course, is the Law of the Land, the agreed upon laws that govern the behaviors of the people of a society. These are the laws we must follow. But there are other laws, as well. International Laws govern how two ships interact in when in waters not owned by any country, and they tell us how to treat prisoners in times of war. There are Laws of Nature that define how organisms and environments of all kinds must interact, from the smallest bacteria to the largest celestial body (although at this point we may consider them just Laws of Physics). Less formally, we have Laws among Men, those laws that we use to define our personal friendships and behaviors. In these laws we can decide that it is ok not to date the girls our friends are interested in, but absolutely fine to call them disgusting, offensive names. Laws exist in many spaces of our lives and can be categorized by these spaces. Understanding how laws are classified helps everyone in society act effectively within our world.
STEP FIVE
(not present in all versions of assignment)
The last step is just to choose a sentence and break down what the simple and complete subjects and predicates are. It is difficult for me to highlight things in my blogging platform, so I'll just choose a sentence and break it down.
Understanding how laws are classified helps everyone in society act effectively within our world.
Simple Subject: understanding (this is the specific thing that helps)
Complete Subject: understanding how laws are classified (this is the specific thing that helps and everything that describes it or gives us an idea of which it is)
Simple Predicate: helps (this is the basic verb; sometimes in two parts, like "has helped")
Complete Predicate: helps everyone in society act effectively within our world. (everything that is not the complete subject)
OKAY. That's everything. What I would turn in would be the details in steps three through five, probably with a title that says "LAW" at the top. Good luck!
(Originally Posted August 30, 2016)