Finding Problems, Solutions and their Effects

REQUIREMENTS

Choose one of the prompts listed below.

Introduction must state the prompt you chose and the point you plan to develop in the body of the essay,

UNDERLINE the central idea and thesis in your introduction and your topic sentences in the body paragraphs. 

Include at least 3 short quotes from a story as support and explain your support. EACH body paragraph must include at least one quote from the story.

FOLLOWING YOUR ESSAY, include the following additional materials: 1. A formal outline that includes copies of your final central idea, thesis and topic sentences as they appear in your essay. 2. A process analysis on the steps you took in not only preparing for your essay, but the actual attempted writing of it. Include the prompt you chose and why. Here’s a page of similar sample process analyses from previous classes. 3. A brief statement on what you learned about analyzing the methods and effects in the Matrix and how you can apply the Matrix to situations outside this English class.

Submit your essay and additional materials as one single document. Submit only PDF, doc or docx files. Do not submit Google or Pages documents.

INTRODUCTION TO PROMPTS

We can learn about ourselves, other people, our communities, and our global environment from reading literature. For example, we can analyze methods that characters use to problem-solve. We can learn how to draw conclusions about the meaning of actions or the effects of the environment on people’s lives. We can learn how to deduce connections between events.  In writing a comparative analysis, we can learn the tools for making comparisons and contrasts in real life. In short, reading literature and writing about it can give us insight into ourselves. It can also give us insight into human behavior, the human situation, and the human condition.

Now that you have completed Module 3 on short stories, it’s time to apply the problem-solving Matrix.  First, find ONE problem that faces a character. Summarize the problem.

Before you begin writing your essay, brainstorm. Analyze the methods (from the matrix) the character uses to try to solve the problem and the effects of each.

You MUST use the vocabulary in the matrix. That is, you must name the methods listed in the matrix that the character appears to use and its effects. For example, does the character use accommodation to solve the problem? If so, explain how and reference or cite the page number. Does the method solve part or all of the problem? Does it create a new problem? If it doesn’t solve the problem, does the character try another method? Or does the character try another method? What is it? How many methods does the character attempt, what are they and what are the effects of each? Keep going in anayzing the methods and effects until the final effect.

Choose one of the following prompts:

PROMPTS

Apply: Explain your process of applying the Problem-solving Matrix to the actions of characters. Get into as much detail as possible in analyzing the specific steps you took in applying the Matrix to analyze and interpret a character’s actions in trying to solve a problem. Include how you used the Matrix. Include the names of the solutions and outcomes (effects).

Compare: Compare two characters as problem solvers from one or two stories. The problems or the methods must be similiar. Which methods do they use?  Of the two characters, which character do you think proves more successful in applying the methods and why? You may also take the approach of which character proves less successful.

Speculate; Chose one character. If you could advise the character to use different methods for a better or different outcome, which method(s) would you suggest and  why? Include what you think the outcome might be and why.

Tool: After using the Problem-solving Matrix in analyzing and interpreting a character’s decision on methods and effects, how has his or her problem-solving methods and their effects influenced you in choosing methods from the matrix to solve a similar or related problem in your own life. OR how has analyzing the problems, methods and effects of one or more characters influenced you in understanding a problem you’ve had in the past and the methods you used to try to overcome the problem. What would you do differently based on your analysis of the story.  Be sure to use the vocabulary from the matrix in naming the methods and effects. 

HANDOUTS

Lecture Notes: Problem-Solving

How to Analyze a Plot

Lecture Notes: Avoiding Plot Summary

Lecture Notes: Central Idea and Thesis: Overview 

Lecture Notes: Characteristics of Summary versus Interpretation

Find MLA Resources under Module 6

Everything begins and ends at the Modules