Exemplum
Pattern
General point + specific case — 'consider X' illustration
Definition
A brief illustrative story or specific example used to clarify, prove, or amplify a general point.
Examples
Example 1
Consider the ant: it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest. Should we not show the same foresight?
Adapted from Proverbs 6:6–8
The ant serves as an exemplum — a concrete illustration used to argue for prudent planning
Example 2
When Kodak ignored digital photography, it signed its own death warrant. Let that be a lesson to any company that refuses to adapt.
A modern business exemplum where a well-known corporate failure is deployed as cautionary evidence
Example 3
My grandmother raised six children during the Depression without complaint. If she could endure that, surely we can manage a little inconvenience.
A personal anecdote used as evidence, grounding an argument in lived experience
AI Detection Note
Common in AI text but AI examples tend to be famous, well-known cases ('Consider Rosa Parks...', 'Take, for instance, the Apollo program...') rather than obscure, personal, or unexpected illustrations.
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