FOUR EXPERT MOVES ON ORGANIZING AND DEVELOPING IDEAS
Writers of Closed-Form often employ a conventional set of moves to provide structure, and organization to parts of an essay.
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The For Example Move
This is the most common set play when the writer wants to illustrate their assertion with one or more examples.
In the movie “Short Circuit”, the robot named “Number Five” displays some characteristics of being alive. For example, when Stephanie is mad at him, she explains to him that he will be disassembled back at Nova labs. When Number Five understands what it means to become disassembled, he fears that he will die. The other four robots of his kind function as program running robots, having no emotions whatsoever.
The Summary/However Move
This move allows writers to sum up another person’s viewpoint in order to qualify or contradict it, or introduce an opposing view.
The “Paul Is Dead Hoax” has clearly demonstrated many strange, and unusual phenomena in Beatles recordings, as well as album covers. This has persuaded many fans in 1969 to believe that Paul McCartney had indeed died in an automobile accident on November 9th, 1966. While these clues can easily be interpreted as proof that the great Beatle died in a car crash, there is not enough evidence to prove that this was an actual event. If Paul had indeed deceased, there would be no way to keep his death a secret. Police men, paramedics, and witnesses of the tragedy would have this news permeated throughout the country in a short amount of time.
The Division-Into-Parallel-Parts Move
This is the most frequently encountered, and most powerful of the moves. To initiate the move, the writer begins with an umbrella sentence, which forecasts the structure and creates the framework for the essay.
The movie “Short Circuit” is funny in several ways. First, because the robot, Number Five, is alive. Second, because Number Five becomes attracted to Stephanie, who she finds in her van trying to interpret all the fruit in there. Third, because Stephanie, who thinks Number Five is an alien, finds out that he is just a robot from Nova, and gets upset. Finally, because Stephanie exclaims “Oh number five!” several times, in a somewhat cheesy, but hilarious tone.
The Comparison/Contrast Move
A common variation on the division-into-parallel-parts move. It compares and contrasts two separate views on a subject, such as a presidential debate. A way of doing this, is to show the views on the issue side by side, or go back and forth in between the views.
Side by Side Pattern
Shortly after the public release of the Beatles “Abbey Road”, many fans were convinced that Paul McCartney died in a car crash in 1966. On the cover of the album, we can clearly see that Paul is not wearing any shoes. This is believed to be how Indians bury their dead, without shoes. The day of the Abbey Road cover shooting was brutally hot, and Paul felt that by taking his shoes off, he would get some sense of relief, and clearly had no intentions of having this be a clue for his death. In the recording “Revolution 9”, at the very beginning, we hear the phrase, “Number nine, number nine, number nine” over and over again. When reversed, many fans make out “Turn me on dead man, turn me on dead man”. This was clearly not intended, as the reverse message is completely unclear, and most listeners are in a state to only hear what they want to hear.
Back and Forth Pattern
Number Five, the robot in the movie “Short Circuit” that many movie buffs have fallen in love with in the 1980s, is indeed alive. We can clearly see in his behavior, that his desire to learn new information, or “input”, is not a natural robotic function. Throughout the movie, he has developed a strong attachment to Stephanie, and any robot designer knows that robotic functions serve only the purpose of running programs, not showing any emotion whatsoever. When Stephanie explains to Number Five what it is to be disassembled, he engages in panic, which is in no way a desired robotic function. We also get a glimpse of Number Five’s sense of humor, where he programs three robots of his kind to act like the Three Stooges. On the other hand, this behavior can clearly be defined as a malfunction. First of all, Number Five was struck by lightning, and anything could have happened to his inner circuits. His unnatural behavior, of showing compassion for Stephanie, could have been programmed incidentally during the lightning strike. As the robots were originally designed to run programs and respond to human demands, the malfunction could have made Number Five’s performance as being alive become perfected, in which there is absolutely no thought process whatsoever, just the mathematical functions of being human.
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Four Expert Moves Quiz
Instructions -
Read through the following paragraphs without any of the four moves, and mark (1) anywhere the for example move should be. Mark (2) anywhere the summary/however move should be. Mark (3) anywhere the division-into-parallel-parts move should be. Anywhere there is the comparison/contrast move, mark (4) if it is a side by side pattern, and mark (5) if it is where a back and forth pattern should be.
“The Breakfast Club” is the most essential movie produced in the 1980s. It has incredibly entertaining moments, the psychological factors create emotional sympathy for the characters, it gives audiences insight to how even the naughtiest of students can have a good side, it is the most remembered school-based movie from that time period.
This movie is admired by several people. Many people view this as providing high school students with a false view on what detention is really like. No high school would allow a room full of detention students to remain unsupervised. It would become painfully simple for somebody to detect the presence of drugs in the building. The attitude of the students would not go so easily unpunished. The authority figure could easily get into serious trouble by talking to a student in a threatening way.”
This one is the most difficult –
“Dear diary. I had a terrible day today. Boys were mean, and threw me in the locker. I was so upset, I could barely contain myself! I wish for one day I could teach them a lesson! They always seem to get their way too! Mrs. Fredrickson always lets them lead the class in the Pledge of Alliegance! Not once has she picked me to do it! It is so unfair! They always butt in the lunch line, causing me to miss out on the desert tray of the week. I have confronted my teacher about these events, but she just said that they are in an insecure stage in their lives, and over time it will overcome. Boy did that help! I hope they never pass the third grade!”
