EXPOSITION

Exposition is a literary device used to introduce background information about events, settings, characters, or other elements of a work to the audience or readers. The word comes from the Latin language, and its literal meaning is “a showing forth.” Exposition is crucial to any story, for without it nothing makes sense.

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Exposition can be seen in music, films, television shows, plays, and written text. It is the writer's opportunity to give background information to the reader or listener about the setting, establish the theme, and introduce the characters. ​

Description exposition - The writer explains the characteristics of a topic, shows examples, and describes features.

Example:

      The U.S. flag consists of thirteen alternating stripes of red and blue, representing the 13 original states. In the top left of the flag, there is a field of blue with fifty stars, one for each state.

Comparison exposition - The writer shows how two topics are alike or different.

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Example:

       The alligator has a u-shaped, round snout and tends to live in freshwater swamps and streams. The crocodile has a long, v-shaped nose and can live in saltier waters as well as freshwater habitats.​

Cause and effect exposition - The writer explains the cause of an event and thoroughly investigates the effects.

Example:

       The Civil War was caused because of conflicts between states on the subjects of states' rights and slavery. Before the war, the southern states relied on slaves to plant and harvest the crops. These southern states wanted to make decisions separate from the northern states and banded together as The Confederates, threatening to leave the U.S. The northern soldiers were victorious in the Civil War, reestablishing that states in the South had to confirm to U.S. laws, including the abolishment of slavery.​

Problem and solution exposition - The author sets forth a problem, and then explains possible solutions to it.

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Example from Mark Brake from Newsweek:

       “We buried my cousin last summer. He was 32 when he hanged himself from a closet coat rack in the throes of alcoholism, the fourth of my blood relatives to die prematurely from this deadly disease. If America issued drinking licenses, those four men—including my father, who died at 54 of liver failure—might be alive today."​

Sequence exposition - The writer shows events in either chronological or numbered order.

Example:

       The timeline of the Civil War included these key timeframes:

1600s - States begin to adopt laws regarding slavery that are appropriate for their individual states.

1700s - Some states are beginning to express thoughts that slavery should be abolished.

1800s - Rebellion starts against slavery with seven states threatening to secede from the U.S. Lincoln was inaugurated. The Civil War began, which the North eventually won.​