It's my contention, therefore, non-native speakers of English first need to focus on organization.  More, I believe the five paragraph essay is the most effective foundation for all writing skills because its organization makes it easy for the reader to understand what the writer is trying to say.

The Five-Paragraph Essay Verses the "Let Them Write What They Want" Approach

There is a debate, however, between using this "traditional" approach and another approach which I'll call the "let them write what they want" approach.  Some teachers believe that restricting the format to a five paragraph essay inhibits the student's free and creative expression.  Not all ideas lend themselves to full development in five paragraphs.  Some ideas may require four or six paragraphs they say.  A web page from the University of Southern California contains reasons why the five paragraph essay should be avoided, listing reasons that (1) the format is entirely artificial, (2) it depends on a categorical theme that merely divides any topic into three sections, and (3) it stifles the writing process and encourages poor writing habits.  It is interesting to note, however, that the above page presupposes the student's ability to write a five paragraph essay:  When the author writes "Because the five paragraph essay is so widely taught in American high schools," the reference is clearly not to non-native speakers of English who have never been introduced to the five paragraph essay format. 

The justification for teaching the five paragraph essay can be approached from two additional perspectives.  First, I insist that my composition students know how to write a five paragraph essay, and what they do with their writing after they leave the composition course is up to them.  But when I talk to former students about their academic writing, they say their writing is more sophisticated than just five paragraphs, but they still use the five paragraph essay as an organizational principle, even when writing in Spanish!  I am always surprised to hear this because I actually warn against it, but I think it shows that the five paragraph format is a very effective organizational tool.

The Five-Paragraph Essay's Equivalent in Art

Finally, another analogous situation occurs in the teaching of art.  I am not an art critic, and I don't remember the magazine or the author, but I recall reading about the differences between the modern art of Dali and Picasso and the modern art of many of today's young modern artists.  The gist of the article was that the modern art of Dali and Picasso is superior to that of many of today's artists because Dali and Picasso were trained in the classics while many of today's artists are not.  That is, Dali and Picasso could draw a realistic hand or a face or a body, and many of today's young artists cannot.  Thus, the quality of today's artists is inferior, a lamentable condition according to the author of the article I read. 

In terms of an English composition class, I believe the five paragraph essay is analogous to the "traditional" training of artists.  It is like a realistic drawing of a hand or a face or a body, and likewise, I believe the five paragraph essay is an excellent foundation to future creative writing.  Out of an interest in seeing whether my "theory" made any sense at all from the perspective of art, I wrote to Mark Harden, the owner of the web site, The Artchive.  In short, I asked, "Does this theory make sense?" and he responded:

Erlyn,

This makes PERFECT sense.  In fact, (a short time ago), I had drafted up a Juxtapositions essay on a similar theme.  I wanted to display the early, realistic, conventional art school artwork produced by Modernists such as Picasso.  The point was to show people that artists such as he COULD have easily produced realistic (academic) work, but found it an inadequate means of visual expression.  Dali of course is an even more plausible model, since his superb technique was displayed throughout his career, only the subject matter was "different" from academic works.

Again, one of the saddest facts of almost all contemporary artists is that precisely this background in formal training is sorely lacking.  It is quite likely that, just as there are no longer humans capable of doing the stonework which was done on Gothic Cathedrals, we will soon, given the abandonment of formal art training, reach a point where the skill to produce such works as were done by Michelangelo, Rubens, Rembrandt . . . will be lost forever.

Mark

As a result of Mark Harden's support from a theoretical perspective, I researched his web site to find representative works by Dali and Picasso to support these ideas, five works by each artist below.  The first row of slides shows Dali, from the "classical" to "modern" followed similarly by the works of Picasso in the second row.  (Click each to enlarge.)  Would Dali and Picasso have been able to distinguish themselves to the level they did had they not had their "traditional" or "realistic" training?  This is a pertinent question.

In practical terms, I believe the five paragraph essay structure is exactly where ESL composition students need to begin.  Many non-native speakers of English will write the ETS Test of Written English (TWE), which is what most US colleges require of non-native speakers of English before matriculation, and the ability to use the five paragraph structure will serve well for that. 

In addition, the effectiveness of "models" as a "focus of instruction" has already been supported by George Hillocks, Jr., here.

Finally, while there is an honest debate among teachers on both sides of this issue, I believe those most opposed to the five paragraph essay in reality presuppose that students already know its structure and merely reject the continuation of its use.  At least I would like to hope so. 

For further arguments, pro and con, about the five paragraph essay, check here.

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