CHAPTER XI
THE WHOLE COMPOSITION
177. By the term Whole Composition or Theme is meant a composition consisting of a number of related paragraphs all dealing with one general subject, whether the composition be a narration, a description, or an exposition.
The following general principles applying to the construction of the whole composition are stated for the guidance of the inexperienced writer.
178. Statement of Subject. Care should be used in the statement of the subject. It should not be so stated as to be more comprehensive than the composition, but should be limited to cover only what is discussed. For a small essay, instead of a big subject, take some limited phase of that subject:
Too broad: College, Photography, Picnics.
Properly limited: A College Education as an Aid to Earning Power, Does College Life Make Loafers? Photography as a Recreation, How Picnics Help the Doctor.
179. The Outline. Just as in the building of a house or of a machine, if anything creditable is to be attained, a carefully made plan is necessary before entering on the construction; so in the writing of an essay or theme, there should be made some plan or outline, which will determine what different things are to be discussed, and what is to be the method of developing the discussion. By the inexperienced writer, at least, a composition should never be begun until an outline has been formed for its development. As soon as the material for the composition is in hand, the outline should be made. It should be an aid in the construction of the composition, not a thing to be derived after the composition is completed. Only by the previous making of an outline can a logical arrangement be gained, topics properly subordinated, and a suitable proportion secured in their discussion.
In the previous chapter on the paragraph the following different subtopics, were discussed:
| Definition of Paragraph. | How to Secure Unity. |
| Length of Paragraph. | How to Secure Coherence. |
| The Topic Sentence. | Too Frequent Paragraphing. |
| Unity in the Paragraph. | Paragraphing of Speech. |
| Coherence in the Paragraph. | Paragraphing for Emphasis. |
| Examples of Unity. | Examples showing how Unity is Destroyed. |
| Purpose of the Paragraph. | |
| Emphasis in the Paragraph. | The Paragraph Theme. |