Good Essay About Use Of Examples In Bread’s Magic

Katherine Govier’s article, called Bread’s Magic (Heller 146), talks about what and why she considers bread and bread making magical. In her essay, she describes the wonderful feeling she experiences when making bread, including her failed attempts when baking bread at night. To describe what she calls her magical and thrilling moments on bread making, Govier uses examples to stress her points. Using examples are concrete and descriptive ways of illustrating ideas and general concepts.
Examples are a writer’s way of illustrating an abstract idea and giving the idea form and substance. With the use of examples, readers further get to understand and imagine what a writer attempts to convey. Typically, examples are introduced by lead-ins like “for example”, “such as”, “for instance”, or “e.g.”, among others. In Bread’s Magic, examples are not explicitly described or introduced. Instead, examples are carefully and effectively interwoven into the paragraphs and sentences that one has to read back the essay in order to spot where the examples are. For one, using the lead-ins or introductions for examples too many times will only bore the readers because of redundancy issues. It is also a clear indication that the writer has no imagination at all or lacks creativity.
In Bread’s Magic (Heller), Govier described how her baked loaves are a disappointment in Paragraph 1. She described this by simply stating the fact that sometimes the bread was “flat or hard or with a huge air bubble in the centre” (146). Using adjectives that clearly illustrate what the state of the bread was provides the reader with a picture in mind on how the bread looks like. In addition, the quoted phrase represents how she illustrates the different status of her bread, which means the result of her baking would be any of the three she described.
In paragraph 7, Govier enumerates the various hand-me-down recipes she received from her long-departed Yorkshire grandmother. In describing the contents of the recipes, she says they “include lemon curd and Irish potatoes, mostly delectables to satisfy the notorious sweet tooth of the English” (147). Again, Govier did not resort to any lead-ins or introductions to the examples. Instead, Govier went on and created a “list” of recipes contained in the recipe book she received. Although she only mentioned two examples of recipes, the reader gets an idea of what other types of food are included in the recipe. In addition, Govier mentions that the items in the recipe reminds her of her grandmother’s English background such that she imagines a breadman delivering bread and pastries directly to one’s doorstep, just like how it was in the 1920s (147). She goes on to say that she has vague memories of a milkman with milk glasses and sandwich loaves arriving every day. Using personal anecdotes, helped in developing further the examples above as it gave credence to the claims about the English breads and pastries.
In Paragraph 10, Govier describes why bread is like love and her answer is because bread is “sensual” (148). She goes on to describe why bread is sensual and says, “it smells yeasty and makes your mouth water in an indescribable way; its swollen gold crust looks beautiful; it fills, but doesn’t overload the stomach” (148). This paragraph shows a very effective method of describing an example because the sentences used “showed” or “illustrated” the abstract term “sensual” by describing it through bread. The sentences appeal to the senses of smell, sight, and taste by equating “sensual” to something that has a strong and wonderful aroma that cannot be described in a specific manner, looking so beautiful after the yeast turns gold after the baking procedure, and how it satiates hunger without making one feel full. Paragraph 10 is further supported by other examples why bread is “sensual” by equating it with something “sexual, the warm glow of home fires, the magical power of yeast to make things rise” (148), which are all insinuating feelings of desire. Through this example, Govier is able to express how bread can be a sensual object and not just something to be taken for granted. Govier adds that bread is like something one craves for daily, one that requires dedication and commitment, just like how it is when it comes to sensual relationships. It is a common food staple apart from rice and is sometimes taken for granted. However, when it goes missing, its absence is strongly felt by those who claim to have a deep affinity to it.
In Paragraph 11, Govier describes how bread making is no longer considered a leisure activity as women did in the olden days. She says the magic is lost in how bread is baked these days where the laid-back, nurturing way of kneading dough is replaced by hurried processes. She illustrates this through specific examples such as the use of modern tools, conveyer belts, and giant vats, among others. Gone are traditional pans, bowls, and trays that women used before. In addition, the previously women-dominated baking activity is now transformed into a man’s turf, with white “puffed hats, sweating and cursing over burgeoning quantities of stubborn dough” (148). The way Govier portrayed the scenario is also an effective way of showing examples as she used specifics in depicting the events and her ideas, instead of simply telling her opinions about the matter. With her imaginary description and play of words, the reader still ends up having specific pictures in mind about the scene she is trying to depict.
Among all the other paragraphs, Paragraph 13 is where Govier placed a hefty amount of examples as she tried to re-orient herself about her love for bread. This is where she described the various shapes, sizes, and colors of bread as she said, “The sheer geometry makes my eyes roll: one can go with the oval, long, circular (filled or hollow), square, in small, medium, or large. One can take one’s bread in black, white, yellow, brown, diagonally scored, raisin-pocked or marked with a cross” (148). The way Govier expresses her thoughts about the goodness of bread represents the examples despite not using any introductions within the paragraphs. All examples were cleverly hidden in the paragraphs that just by looking at the essay and taking it face value, the examples will be lost to the reader.
All essays, whether they are argumentative or informational articles need good material in order to illustrate the points; and examples are clear ways of presenting abstract ideas without having to constantly pepper an article or paper with “for example” and “for instance”. With the correct use of examples, ideas can be clearly understood by the intended readers even if no visuals are on hand. This can easily be handled by the examples used in an essay. Govier’s essay, despite having many instances where she resorted to using examples, has successfully blended both informational data and examples together in this essay without being obvious about it. She has successfully balanced out the examples with facts and anecdotes and was very creative in presenting all examples.

Works Cited

Ricki Heller. Respond in Writing. Nelson College Indigenous, 2002. Print.