SEMIOTIC ICEBERG FREEWRITE EXERCISE

The semiotic iceberg is a useful visual when one thinks about diving into a subject of research. For your literature review/research report, you will be investigating different perspectives and collecting information about a topic. You will develop 3-4 research questions to guide your inquiry. This writing exercise is meant to help you think about and discover how and why your topic is important. Please look at the terms in the iceberg and choose three of the terms to apply to your topic. For example, if I am writing a paper about funding for education, I can apply and consider the following three terms as they relate to my topic: “socio-economic forces,” “commonly held views,” and “shared hopes, dreams and desires.”

Once I have chosen the terms, I can apply each one to the topic of funding for education. I can consider how socio-economic forces determine who can afford an education and who can’t. I can examine the commonly held views about funding for education: some people might hold the perspective that it is a right for every person while others might people that individuals should be responsible for their own education costs. Finally, by examining shared hopes, dreams and desires, I can think about a common dream held by people that a good education can lead to success.

From this freewrite, hopefully you will have a better idea of what kind of questions you want to ask for your literature review.

This is a freewrite, which means that you can write without worrying about how you write. It is free. The only rule is that you keep on writing until the time is up.