Overcoming Challenges
Writers must give the problem presence. Authors can get readers to see and feel the problem by using anecdotes, startling quotes, stats, photographs and emotional appeals (pathos).
Writers must appeal to the values and interests of decision makers. Appeal to idealism or how your solution will benefit the decision maker. Appeal to the values of the audience. Show how the benefits outweigh the costs - especially if it's free. What have you got to lose?
Writers must overcome people's resistance to change. In order to do that, sometimes you have to emphasize the seriousness of the problem (give it presence). Stress the benefits of solving the problem and the lost potential if no action is taken. Show that risks are minimal and negative consequences unlikely.
Writers must predict consequences. Do not over promise. You must persuade your readers that your predictions are realistic and not over exaggerated. If you can, cite instances where a similar proposal led to benefits.
Writers must evaluate consequences. Any solution that brings one group benefits may bring costs to another. In a solution that doesn't cost anything emphasize the benefits of increased happiness or the greatest good for the greatest number. Appeal to idealism and why your solution is the right thing to do.
When looking at what writers must do when writing a problem solution essay, what do you think you need to work on as you go forward with your essay? How will you accomplish your task?
As I go forward with my problem solution essay I really need to work on how to gather my and state my ideas in a way that doesn't come off to the reader as corny and predictable. My solution is a pretty broad and simple idea so I need to implement it in my writing in a way that makes the readers want to take action rather than just reading through it without thinking. I think in order to accomplish this it will be a necessity to appeal to the readers emotions and make the solution as accessible and applicable as possible. I also need to get in the mindset what I am writing could be a reality and my essay will be read by a lot of readers. That way I will take it more seriously and put myself in others shoes as to how they will be affected and moved by my proposals.
ReplyDeleteI need to work on forming a well rounded solution and provide attractive enough incentives so that one would actually want to engage in the solution. However I should make sure the incentives aren't unrealistic and the results would actually prove to be true. I suppose there can be some risk involved but it should be minimal with light unlikely consequences.
ReplyDeleteComing into this assignment, I thought it would be easy to think of a viable solution, but after looking at all the tasks at hand, I think it will be a lot harder than I had imagined. I believe the hardest part will be convincing the reader that my solution is more viable than the ones given. Even if I were to think of the best possible solution, the task of convincing the reader to take action is no simple one. Personally, when someone is trying to persuade me to do something, it takes a lot to get me to get off my butt and take action, unless the solution requires little to no effort or can be done in an instant. I think in order to effectively convince the reader, I will have to stress how the problem at hand is here to stay unless we do take action
ReplyDeleteI know how to write that their is a problem, and have the evidence to support it. However after reading this I can think of how to make my solution more accessible to the audience. The solution I came up with is a lifestyle adjustment that is free and only takes a small amount of effort to enforce in your life. These are strong qualities that I can address more and use to appeal to my audience. I will keep these main points in mind as I go forward with writing my essay.
ReplyDeleteI need to work on justifying my proposal, predicting the results and demonstrating there is little risk in doing so. I don’t think I cover the risks and rewards part enough when I was writing my outline, so I need to think about it and put it in somewhere in my justification part. I need to explain how my proposal would affect the current problem, bring up the possible negative effects while not emphasizing them too much.
ReplyDeleteAs I continue to work on my problem solution essay I have realized that my solution to the problem is a little too vague and doesn't provide enough background evidence to really make it a strong solution. The benefit to my solution however is that there aren't many consequences to it which will be a big focus in my essay and is something I will continue to improve upon. I have also realized that some of the consequences stated in my outline are a little too drastic and can be toned down a tad in order to keep it from sounding cheesy. In order to accomplish these goals I will be providing much more evidence from the articles we read in class, I also plan on using personal examples to further strengthen my arguments.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading this, I found out that I have problem on stating a persuasive solution. this is a very important step in justification essay because if I can't form a good solution, this following justification would also be meaningless. So finding a good solution would be very helpful for my argument. In addition, I always make my essay like a tedious outline, so I should also work on how to make connections between different parts in an essay.
ReplyDeleteI feel I am able to state the problem and state the consequences well, however I think I need to work on my ability to combat people's resistance to change or even consider the change. At first, this essay seemed straightforward, but as I look closer into what kind of things must be said, I realize it is a lot harder that I thought it would be. Stating the problem and finding a solution isn't too hard, but it's making people go to action that is hard. To fix this problem, I think I should look into various methods of writing in a more charismatic way, which would catch the attention of the reader more.
ReplyDeleteTo motivate readers to take action, I’ll probably emphasize health benefits and improved relationships, which will lead to lowered levels of stress. I’ll also emphasize increased levels of happiness, which will lead to increased productivity. I think I need to work on coming up with a solution that appeases people on both sides of the issue - a solution that provides benefits that are greater than the cost. To do this, I can look through the three articles again for any suggested solutions I may have missed and then think of newer, different ideas for the sections in our “Overcoming Challenges” assignment that provide appeals to the values and interests of decision makers and give reasons to overcome people's resistance to change. To help myself start thinking of how-to’s rather than just what different people might want, I could go back to the sections that predict and evaluate consequences, and then work backwards. I may also want to concede to how technology has benefited or spurred face-to-face conversation, in order to reach some level of agreement with the reader, before explaining how this good thing has also caused some loss.
ReplyDeleteI think the hardest part of writing for problem/solution is getting your readers motivated enough to act on their feelings. Many of us have feelings on many topics, but a lot of times it is only the people who feel the strongest about those feelings that act on them. As a writer we must provide enough evidence that the consequences will be far worse without our solution.
ReplyDeleteWhen writing a problem/solution essay i believe its most important that you persuade the readers to belive that your solution may just work. If i work on using good evidence that will get my readers locked in my solution just might cross their mind as being effective.
ReplyDeleteWhen writing a problem/solution essay, I can show what the problem is; however, I don't know how can I show the solution effectively and persuade the reader take action from my solution. It is the hard step in writing this type of essay. I think I should spend much time on this essay.
ReplyDeleteFor me when I write a problem and solution essay the easiest part is to introduce the problem. This comes natural to me I can write about the history of the problem, how it is affecting me or the community around me, and what is being done to solve the problem. I can literally write an essay just talking about the problem. However, I have more of a challenge when it comes to explaining why people should listen to my solution and how my solution can be beneficial to everyone. Its hard to connect my solution to peoples beliefs, I tend to feel like my ideas would be ignored and seem stupid to people. So for me, I need to focus more on connecting my ideas to the audience and showing them why I am right.
ReplyDeleteThis helps a lot because I was having problems writing the presence for my problem solution essay. i was stuck and this helped to make it better. I know have an idea on how to fix my presence
ReplyDeleteWhen I am working in the problem and solution essay, as a writer I have to work in many different things in order for it to be a great paper. In my opinion, the first thing you have to do as a writer is gather your audience attention, so you can present the conflict and state why it is a huge problem, then you can offer several solutions, however; as a writer you have to state a specific solution to the problem. By doing these three simple steps, your paper has to persuade the readers to take action in the problem. I think I am going to accomplish this task by putting enough effort on it. By stating pros and cons about “use of plastic”, and related to our everyday lives, so the audience can be identify with the problem. – Miguel Vasquez
ReplyDeleteIn the first paragraph the author asked the question how do we get readers to take action. We are now aware of how to do this, which is to use pathos. If I remember correctly, our professor said that Aristotle hated the use of this persuasive method, but saw this method as a necessity. I think that the use of pathos is fine unless it is misleading information and the intentions are misleading as well. For example, if a soliciting homeless person asked people to help them buy food by giving the homeless person money. Then if the homeless person got the money but no food, then this is pathos gone wrong. This situation is using pathos in a sort of misleading way because the homeless person stated that they wanted food, but did not get food. The intentions from the start was misleading too. If the situation was used in a completely honest way, where the homeless person actually bought food then the use of pathos is legitimate. We are probably well aware of the misuse and abuse of pathos. I think that the author covered this topic of persuading very well because it was short and to the point. We see a lot of what the author talks about in politics. The writer wrote that people must not over promise, but over promising is occurring all the time in politics, and is easier to do once you have the public's support. I am glad that I chose to read this article because in the weeks to come, I will be writing this type of essay.
ReplyDeleteThis is almost the kind of challenges I face as a writer. Not only do I write my essay to prove a point, but also to show to my professors that i want an A on assignment. There will be a lot of challenges I will be facing as a writer and I need to overcome them. When they mention the "consequences", this is something I face that occurs when my teachers might give negative feedback. It is not to bring me down, but to help me learn from this experience.
ReplyDeleteFor me personally writing is hard because I want my essay to flow and be as great as possible which in some ways leads me to making mistakes. Although it is challenging, overcoming this challenge is my goal and is a motivation to continue working at trying to improve my skills as a writer. Something I got from this article that I liked was appealing to the reader, I think this is an important skill to have as a writer because it is what keeps the reader interested in the your writing. Overall great article and is helpful for someone like myself who wants to be a better writer.
ReplyDeleteWriters have a big responsibility on their hands, and what makes it even harder for writers is that their work is not always necessary in terms of survival. They don't provide food, water, clothing, and other necessities. Nonetheless, they are indeed necessary. There are evils in the world that needs to change and sometimes that change cannot happen if people don't know about them. That's why writers should write. They provide people with information and share their opinions so that others will share their thoughts. As a writer, what I need to do is appeal to my audience and make it clear that my idea is something important. I think I need to work on applying my audience more clearly because in most of my writing, I don't think I always add the reader to my writing. A writer's job is to connect themselves to the reader. To start this, I think I can try to "break the fourth wall" a little more. The way I write is always so formal and lacks personality, which might turn the reader away.
ReplyDeleteI think that in reality, writers do carry a lot on their plate especially because they are our sources when it comes to finding things out. They face a lot of challenges and have to reach a lot of requirements in order to be successful and fulfill the need of the readers. I think that a lot of people believe that they have a simple job, but really they have to be able to think the way that their readers do in order to have a good piece at the end of the day. Writers have a lot of purpose in life in different situations, they can teach new things and even just explain things differently in order for readers to have a better understanding. In order to be a good writer i think that i would have to be able to master the task of being able to think differently or to try to change the opinions of others.
ReplyDeleteI think that in reality, writers do carry a lot on their plate especially because they are our sources when it comes to finding things out. They face a lot of challenges and have to reach a lot of requirements in order to be successful and fulfill the need of the readers. I think that a lot of people believe that they have a simple job, but really they have to be able to think the way that their readers do in order to have a good piece at the end of the day. Writers have a lot of purpose in life in different situations, they can teach new things and even just explain things differently in order for readers to have a better understanding. In order to be a good writer i think that i would have to be able to master the task of being able to think differently or to try to change the opinions of others.
ReplyDeleteAccording to the piece, a good way to persuade the readers, let them start to make changes is to think for them. Thinking for their benefits and cost is the best way to tell the readers that your solution is doable and worth doing it. If the writer can give the readers a feeling that he is standing by them, his pathos can work much more effective. The reason to think for the readers is that it is the readers who are actually making the change, not the writer.
ReplyDeleteWhen I am writing a problem-solution essay in the future, I will imagine myself as a reader that does not know much about the topic and don't know why to make changes, so that I can think deeper and write a better piece.
I feel that when it comes to persuading my reader I struggle in proving why they should believe me. I have always struggled to explain my position and then add a source that can back up what I just said. However when it comes to the case of rhetoric it becomes harder to try and say "well the author said this" because it is important to then explain why the author chose to do that. The best way that I have found successful for me is to map out each form of persuasion the author uses in the essay. I feel that for longer pieces of writing it is best to go through it in chunks and group each form of ethos, pathos, or logos and explain them properly. While on the other hand if it is a much smaller form of writing then I will explain it chronologically and provide each rhetorical appeal in the way that I read them as well. I agree with this post because it is true that many of us including myself struggle in trying to prove something right.
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