"

Chapter 5.3 Illustration

Illustration

When trying to explain something, have you ever found yourself saying: “Here’s an example” or “For instance”? We often use examples to help explain complex or abstract ideas, or even to make our writing more vivid and memorable. These examples may be stories, facts, lists, or samples. This is a writing tool known as illustration or exemplification.
We use examples to help us understand by giving us a piece of information that is representative of the whole. In other words, the example you chose must be typical of the entire idea. 

For example, you’ve been asked to write an essay about pop culture and social influence. You chose to write about how the music industry has influenced American culture. To do this, you decided to use examples. You reference Billboard’s “Greatest Artists of All Time” list 15 and select the top five artists: 

1. The Beatles, 

2. Madonna,

3. Elton John,

4. Elvis Presley, and

5. Mariah Carey. 

Then, you illustrate how these five artists have influenced American culture. You chose to use these five artists as a representative slice of the entire music industry. 

Illustration is a helpful writing strategy that can be used in almost any type of writing.

Here are a few examples (see, I’m using the strategy right here!) of illustration in action:

  • History Essay: List of most significant documents in U.S. history.
  • Cover Letter: Examples of relevant work experiences.
  • Twitter: A fact about lefties on Left Handers Day.
  • Magazine Article: A compelling personal story of abuse is used to illustrate the dangers of domestic violence.
Remember, one good example is often worth more than a list of lengthy explanations. 

Types of Illustrations

An illustration is, by definition, an “example or instance that helps make something clear.” For example, when you want to sell something, you might use an illustration to show potential customers how attractive the product is—in this case, a photograph demonstrating that “Our private beach is clean and peaceful.”

A photo of a beach with umbrellas and people

 An illustration can help a reader to see what something looks like—for example, “She was wearing a garment made from a strange, hairy fabric.”  It’s a lot easier to allow a reader to imagine that fabric if she can see a picture of it.  An illustration can help to clarify a difficult concept. 

These illustrations can be short, like facts or examples.  If your point is, “The human body harbors a great variety of other organisms,” your illustrations might be “Millions of bacteria live in one milliliter of a healthy person’s saliva” and “Tiny mites of the species D. follicusium and D. brevis inhabit the hair follicles of healthy human skin.”  If your point is “Many automobile accidents are caused by carelessness,” you might use examples to illustrate it, like “My best friend Al hit a mailbox while he was eating French fries from a drive-through” or “For example, a Nashville woman caused a pile-up when she dropped cigarette ash in her lap.” In the first example above, the author uses scientific facts as examples. In the second example, the author uses anecdotes, or individual stories, to illustrate the point.

Using scientific studies, experts in a particular field, statistics, historical events, current events, analogies, and personal anecdotes are all ways in which a writer can illustrate a thesis. Ultimately, you want the evidence to help the reader “see” your point, as one would see a good illustration in a magazine or on a website. The stronger your evidence is, the more clearly the reader will consider your point.

Using evidence effectively can be challenging, though. The evidence you choose will usually depend on your subject and who your reader is (your audience). When writing an illustration essay, keep in mind the following: 

  • Use evidence that is appropriate to your topic as well as appropriate for your audience.
  • Assess how much evidence you need to adequately explain your point depending on the complexity of the subject and the knowledge of your audience regarding that subject.
For example, if you are writing about a new communication software and your audience is a group of English-major undergrads, you might want to use an analogy or a personal story to illustrate how the software works. However, if you are writing about the same subject and your audience members are information technology (IT) specialists, your personal experience is less likely to be an effective illustration. Instead, you need to use more technical evidence because your audience has more familiarity with and greater knowledge of the subject. 
Keeping your subject matter in mind in relation to your audience will increase your chances of effectively illustrating your point. Be careful not to overexplain simple concepts that your readers are already familiar with—you don’t want to insult their intelligence! Instead of more explanation, consider using an example. 

Considerations for Illustration

Once you have gathered enough examples to support your main idea, keep the following in mind:

  • You should only choose examples that are relevant to your main idea.

If you stray from your main focus by using examples that aren’t connected to your essay, you’ll lose your reader. Therefore, if the connection isn’t immediately clear, be sure to point that out to your reader before you go on a tangent.

  • You may arrange your examples chronologically.

When you list your examples, you may list what occurs first in a time sequence. This helps to keep your essay organized and gives the reader a preset pattern to follow.

  • You may arrange your examples by order of importance.

Essentially, it’s up to you how you arrange your examples in regard to importance. You may begin with the most important to catch the reader’s interest immediately. However, if your technique is to leave the reader with a lasting impression, you may leave the most important example for last.

  • You should start with simple examples and build up to more complex examples.

It’s important to start with simple examples. This way, you provide the reader with a foundation of examples, which helps him or her comprehend the more complex examples.

Writing Illustration Paragraphs

Step 1. Decide on a controlling idea and create a topic sentence

Paragraph development begins with the formulation of the controlling idea. This idea directs the paragraph’s development. Often, the controlling idea of a paragraph will appear in the form of a topic sentence. In some cases, you may need more than one sentence to express a paragraph’s controlling idea. 
Controlling idea and topic sentence — Despite the fact that piranhas are relatively harmless, many people continue to believe the pervasive myth that piranhas are dangerous to humans. 

Step 2. Elaborate on the controlling idea

Paragraph development continues with an elaboration on the controlling idea, perhaps with an explanation, implication, or statement about significance. Our example offers a possible explanation for the pervasiveness of the myth. 
Elaboration — This impression of piranhas is exacerbated by their mischaracterization in popular media. 

Step 3. Give an example (or multiple examples)

Paragraph development progresses with an example (or more) that illustrates the claims made in the previous sentences. 
Example — For example, the promotional poster for the 1978 horror film Piranha features an oversized piranha poised to bite the leg of an unsuspecting woman. 

Step 4. Explain the example(s) 

The next movement in paragraph development is an explanation of each example and its relevance to the topic sentence. The explanation should demonstrate the value of the example as evidence to support the major claim, or focus, in your paragraph. 

Continue the pattern of giving examples and explaining them until all points/examples that the writer deems necessary have been made and explained. NONE of your examples should be left unexplained. You might be able to explain the relationship between the example and the topic sentence in the same sentence which introduced the example. More often, however, you will need to explain that relationship in a separate sentence.

Explanation for example — Such a terrifying representation easily captures the imagination and promotes unnecessary fear.

Notice that the example and explanation steps of this 5-step process (steps 3 and 4) can be repeated as needed. The idea is that you continue to use this pattern until you have completely developed the main idea of the paragraph. 

Step 5. Complete the paragraph’s idea or transition into the next paragraph

The final movement in paragraph development involves tying up the loose ends of the paragraph. At this point, you can remind your reader about the relevance of the information to the larger paper, or you can make a concluding point for this example. You might, however, simply transition to the next paragraph. 
Sentences for completing a paragraph — While the trope of the man-eating piranhas lends excitement to the adventure stories, it bears little resemblance to the real-life piranha. By paying more attention to fact than fiction, humans may finally be able to let go of this inaccurate belief. 

Example

Finished paragraph

Despite the fact that piranhas are relatively harmless, many people continue to believe the pervasive myth that piranhas are dangerous to humans. This impression of piranhas is exacerbated by their mischaracterization in popular media. For example, the promotional poster for the 1978 horror film Piranha features an oversized piranha poised to bite the leg of an unsuspecting woman. Such a terrifying representation easily captures the imagination and promotes unnecessary fear. While the trope of the man-eating piranhas lends excitement to the adventure stories, it bears little resemblance to the real-life piranha. By paying more attention to fact than fiction, humans may finally be able to let go of this inaccurate belief.

Writing Illustration Essays

The key to organizing the overall essay is to decide on categories of main ideas that are needed to provide a comprehensive overview of the topic. The Thesis Statement The thesis statement for an illustration essay should convey the main point for why clarification or development of a deeper understanding of the topic is necessary or important.

 

Examples

  • The over-reliance on social media and texting has created an environment where people feel comfortable sharing critical feelings they would have previously kept to themselves.
  • Many of today’s popular movies rely on excessive gore and violence to entertain audiences which could explain why book adaptations are more violent than the original text.
  • If money is not object, then a vacation to the Kanaapali Shores Beach Resort will satisfy a tourist’s paradise dream.

 

Basic Structure

The organization of the essay depends on the purpose of the essay and requires a clear rationale for why the examples apply as an illustration of a concept. As a single supporting paragraph, a writer uses a topic sentence to designate the main idea followed by primary and secondary support structure. Primary supports are the main ideas to support a topic sentence, and secondary supports are the examples and details to provide the concrete information to complete the writer’s point.

Example Outline

Purpose of Illustration: To demonstrate how a vacation at the Kanaapali Shores Beach Club Resort is enjoyable and affordable.  

Primary support 1: The hotel amenities

  • Secondary supporting details: the room, the bed, the bathroom, the kitchenette, the view, the concierge services

Primary support 2: The restaurants

  • Secondary supporting details: the variety of food, the quality of food, the service, the ambiance

Primary support 3: The beach and activities

  • Secondary supporting details: the beauty of the sand, sky, and water; sunbathing, snorkeling, windsurfing

Primary support 4: The cost

  • Secondary supporting details: the price of the room per night, the prices of meals, the price of activities/entertainment

In an illustration essay, each of the supporting body paragraphs will follow the same basic structure. Writers should use flexibility with that structure, though. The design is not meant to be a single sentence of primary support followed by a single sentence for secondary support. Often, a writer may have several concrete secondary examples or details to use to fully develop the primary point. However, only use as many examples as necessary without being redundant or becoming tedious for the audience.  

For example, if you want to illustrate the qualities of an effective professor, then you must first establish what attributes would be shared among many quality professors. Your illustration could then be based on instructional delivery methods, grading, interpersonal communication, availability outside of class. Each of these traits would be the main ideas supporting the thesis, and the examples of each trait could include descriptions of each trait or examples of known individuals who demonstrate it. Using this strategy helps the writer focus on illustrating how all professors could be amazing rather than just making the essay present like a tribute to one amazing teacher.

What if you are trying to illustrate the bad habits associated with social media use? You have choices for how you organize the essay. You could handle the examples as associated by device, or you could handle the development of the essay according to each different “bad” habit or behavior and discuss each device in the context of that behavior. For example, you could talk about all of the annoying habits a person might display when on their cell phone and then all of the annoying habits people show when on Facebook. Alternately, you could talk about “rudeness” as your distinguishing category and then use the examples of rude behavior associated with all of the devices or social media applications.  

Example Essay

Fads That Never Went Out of Style

Fads, by definition, are short-lived trends that garner the attention of a lot of people. One day it’s in; the next day it’s out. Fads prevail temporarily, but certain clothing items, hairstyles, and even traditional toys and games that began as fleeting fads are considered classics.

Each season, fashion designers establish trends, while retailers cash in on wildly popular fads. As seasons change, so do the trends. The “it” item fades away, forgotten. However, classic clothing essentials like the basic black tee, the perfect pair of jeans, and the little black dress stand the test of time. Each began as a fad but have transformed into chic wardrobe staples.

Much like fashion, trends in hairstyles are cyclical. Hair stylists aim to create modern and fashionable looks, often resulting in hairstyle fads. The Mohawk, mullet, perm, and bowl cut are hairstyle fads that many hope will never be in vogue again. But the ponytail, sleek bob, and the classic taper are trend-proof hairstyles that will never go out of style.

Fads can also be found in the toy and gaming industry. Each year, toy and game manufacturers vie to be the top Christmas toy. This once-a-year bonanza has fueled outrageous sales of toys such as Teddy Ruxpin, Tomagochi, and Furby. After the holiday hype, many of these toys are forgotten. There are toys, however, that experienced breakout sales one holiday season and continue to be hot sellers. The Rubik’s Cube and Barbie doll began as hot Christmas toys and can still be found in toy stores today. 

With new garments, hairstyles, and toys and games being made every day, trends and fads will come and go. But much like the little black dress, the ponytail, and Barbie doll, a few select fads will transition from fad to classic.

Exercise 5.3.1

Illustration Essay Prompt

Choose one of the following statements and agree or disagree with it in an essay developed by using multiple and extended examples. The statement you decide on should concern a topic you care about so that the examples are a means of communicating an idea; not an end in themselves.

Family

  • In happy families, talk is the main activity.
  • Grandparents relate more closely to grandchildren than to their children.
  • Sooner or later, children take on the personalities of their parents.

Behavior and Personality

  • Rudeness is on the rise.
  • Gestures and facial expressions often communicate what words cannot say.
  • Our natural surroundings when we are growing up contribute to our happiness or unhappiness as adults.

Education

  • The best courses are the difficult ones.
  • Students at schools with enforced dress codes behave better than students at schools without such codes.

Politics and Social Issues

  • Drug and alcohol addiction does not happen just to “bad” people.

Media and Culture

  • The Internet divides people instead of connecting them.
  • Good art can be ugly.
  • A craze or fad reveals something about the culture it arises in.
  • The best rock musicians treat social and political issues in their songs.

Rules for Living

  • Lying may be justified by the circumstances.
  • Friends are people you can’t always trust.

Key Takeaways

Type your key takeaways here.

  • Illustration is also known as exemplification. For this format, use examples to help explain complex or abstract ideas, or even to make writing more vivid and memorable.
  • These examples may be stories, facts, lists, or samples. 
  • Use examples that are appropriate for your chosen audience and relevant to the main idea.

Attributions

Video: Illustration–the basics by Emilie Ganter is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

4.10: Illustration was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Lumen Learning and is shared under a CC BY 4.0 license

Techniques by Excelsior Online Writing Lab (OWL) is licensed under a CC BY 4.0.

Paragraphs by The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Horse of a Different Color: English Composition and Rhetoric | 1st Edition by Marianne Botos, Lynn McClelland, Stephanie Polliard, Pamela Osback is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

Media Attributions

License

Icon for the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License

Introduction to Composition Copyright © by Shelley Decker; Mary Kieser; Heather Moulton; and Peter Shipman is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

Share This Book