Unit TwoDescription

Description is the expression, in vivid language of what the five senses experience

“A richly rendered description freezes a subject in time, evoking sights, smells, sounds, textures, and tastes in such as way that readers become one with the writer’s world.”

Definition:

OBJECTIVE description – straightforward and literal; without attitude or feeling; absence of emotional bias; often unemotional; factual◦ Reporters, scientists

SUBJECTIVE description – highly personal with attitude; provocative; intended to elicit a strong emotional response from the reader; often reflective◦ Essayists, novelists

Types of Description

View the following fine art examples and write for 3 minutes describing any part or aspect of it.

Remember to write vividly of what your senses experience.

Descriptive Exercise

Fine Art Sample 1

Fine Art Sample 2

Read the sample essay “Death of a Moth” pp. 159-161 to note examples of descriptive writing.

On your own: Choose a favorite song or musical

composition and write one developed paragraph of description.

Explore description:

What is the difference between subjective and objective description?

Which kind of description would a journalist most likely use?

In what way is description different from narration?

Review