Some ways to get started doing the first paper for English 4

In a different post, you will see the assignment for Paper #1 in English 4. (I will also be giving you a hard copy of the assignment.)

As you are getting started on paper 1 for Eng 4, you should ask yourself: What am I trying to argue, what am trying to explore?

The goal is to build a paper that has a number of moving parts. How many moving parts is not always certain, but you should consider working with 5-7 concepts to build your paper. (3 concepts isn’t enough, for example).

We talked in class about a number of different ways to go about shaping the paper.

Below is a list:

1.     Problem/Solution is a classic approach to building a paper. You can set it up by discussing 3-4 types of problems, and 2-3 possible solutions.

2.     Theory and Application: with this approach, you select a theory (often you can take it from it another discipline, like Psych, or Econ, etc.), then you apply the theory to the stories we are working with.

3.     Explore a metaphor: in this approach you take a metaphor (relationship as Dance, for example) and you apply it to the stories we are working with.

4.     Explode a concept: in this approach you take one (maybe 2) concept and look at it from a LOT of different angles to help build your paper.

5.     Stringing Concepts: in this approach you take 5-7 different concepts and you string them together to develop an argument.

6.     Who, What, Where, etc.: in this approach you develop questions that are based on the classic WWWWHW set of questions.

As you develop your paper, it is probably a good idea to know which of these approaches you are using. What you don’t want to do is to combine a little of each of these without knowing that is the case. It will mess up your logic. It is OK to perhaps combine a couple of these as you develop the paper.

Good luck  with the paper.

A last trick to keep in mind. As you are using any of these approaching, what you are really doing is trying to demonstrate the WAY things relate. How does this lead to that? What causes this? What happens if I do this, and also do that? Etc.

So you want to keep in mind logic transitions: they are actually pretty simple transition words like: BUT, IF, ON THE OTHER HAND, THUS, HOWEVER, THEREFORE, WHEN, -------etc. (there are a lot more)

The point here is that you should keep an eye out in your paper for these kinds of words. You WANT them in the paper, bc it tells you that you are finding and demonstrating relationships among and between concepts.