THE FIVE-PARAGRAPH ESSAY IS RHETORICALLY SOUND by Quentin Vieregge
Quentin Vieregge points out that the bad idea is to believe that the five-paragraph essay writing method is rhetorically sound. Quentin argues that the five-paragraph essay writing method is grossly overrated by many educators and is overused in middle school and high school. Quentin Vieregge says this is a bad idea because he believes that by using this method, students spend more time trying to stick to rigid guidelines and crafting models than they do create in-depth, independently thought-out papers. In the article, he mentions how the five-paragraph essay writing method has worked for some people and who are being influenced by this method. The article also provides arguments for and against the five-paragraph essay writing method. It states that the arguments given by the proponents of the five-paragraph essay are that it can be used as a guide to provide structure for early writers. Once learned, they claim, it will later serve as a template for experienced writers. Opponents of the five-paragraph essay say that it binds writers to their characters and can even arbitrarily shape their ideas. I chose this article because I was curious as to why the five-paragraph theory was rhetorically sound since I read the title and I was intrigued by it. In my case, I am a proponent of the five-paragraph theory because English is my second language, as Quentin Vierge says in his article, “One such teacher, David Gugin, writes about how the five-paragraph model benefits students learning English as a second language.” I did find it helpful when I first wrote in English because it provided me with guidance on how to start and how to organize my words. So far, I do not have an example of a good idea to counter this bad idea, and I don’t think a good idea is needed because this article does illustrate the strengths and weaknesses of the method. The only thing I can think of is that teachers could try using other, less formulated methods of writing in the classroom, one that is less restrictive, or one that is also more widely used in college.
I believe that the 5 paragraph essay isn’t a bad idea when learning how to write such essays but I do agree with you on the fact that schools should also each different methods that are more college-appropriate or is what colleges are looking for. I think showing the only way method makes a student believe this is the only way to write. I can fall into this idea because for most of my school years whenever I would have to write an essay, I would always automatically make it a 5 paragraph essay. I am now trying to learn how to write differently that would sound better and for a bigger audience.
I was particularly interested in the section you selected because, in my experience, I was often taught to write essays in five-paragraph format. While it can be useful as a guide, I don’t believe students should adhere to it. I believe that eliminating the strict mold that surrounds it to allow for more innovation will be a good way to counteract this bad idea. I believe it all depends on the type of writing you do, but for the most part, sticking to an outline that includes an introduction, several body paragraphs, and a conclusion is sufficient to allow for creativity and structure.