Methods of Development: Example

“Good Old Us” Walter Stewart

            Examples are essential to any essay, and while many essays get by on just a few examples, some are constructed of nothing more than examples. Such is true in Good Old Us,and in many ways Stewart creates a perfect example for the method of writing examples.

            The reader is quickly introduced to an intensity, which continues throughout the piece of writing, and greatly succeeds in creating an emphasis on the content of the essay. This emphasis is important in that it keeps the reader involved and helps prove that “Canadians, as a people, are no better and no worse than anyone else.”  By grabbing the reader’s emotions Stewart is able to make assertions that, although true, may not have been accepted otherwise. Thus it can be proven that Canadians “are in fact looser and dumber” than is generally believed.

            The uses of examples in this essay are used very successfully by presenting ideas, relating to the topic, and creating direction.  Stewart explains that Canadians are not always “the gentle citizens” we tend to think of, but have a tendency to become “wild-eyed, gun toting” citizens of a “state bordering on anarchy.” The first example presented is that of a couple of boys “all of good families” looking for “a little free loving” but instead ended up leaving the victim “naked and dead by the roadside.” This hard-hitting example of the brutality that even the “patient man” can commit supports the thesis, and provides direction for the rest of the essay. Also, Stewart’s example of the “American sociologist” incited riot managed to not only demonstrate Canada’s lack of free speech, but also its blindness to racism. Additionally, the use of perhaps more relatable examples, such as the aforementioned “minor riot”, helps create a connection with reader, while still relating to the topic. Thus, by solely using example in prose, one can still successfully create a well developed, “good” piece of prose.