Frame the problem for your readers.

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To learn more about conducting surveys and interviews, consult Chapter 24, pp. 684–88. For advice on listing, cubing, and freewriting, see Chapter 11, 514–15.

Once you have made a preliminary choice of a problem, consider what you know about it, what research will help you explore what others think about it, and how you can interest your readers in solving it. Then determine how you can frame or reframe it in a way that appeals to readers’ values and concerns. Use the questions and sentence strategies that follow as a jumping-off point; you can make them your own as you revise later.

Ways In

WHAT IS THE PROBLEM?

WHY SHOULD READERS CARE?
What do I already know about the problem?Brainstorm a list: Spend 10 minutes listing everything you know about the problem. Write quickly, leaving judgment aside for the moment. After the 10 minutes are up, you can review your list and highlight or star the most promising information.Use cubing: Probe the problem from a variety of perspectives:
  • Describe the problem.
  • Compare the problem to other, similar problems, or contrast it with other, related problems.
  • Connect the problem to other problems in your experience.
  • Analyze the problem to identify its parts, its causes, or its effects.
  • Apply the problem to a real-life situation.
Freewrite: Write without stopping for 5 or 10 minutes about the problem. Don’t stop to reflect or consider; if you hit a roadblock, just keep coming back to the problem. At the end of the specified time, review your writing and highlight or underline promising ideas.What do others think about the problem?Conduct surveys:
  • Talk to a variety of students at your school (your friends and others).
  • Discuss the problem with neighbors or survey shoppers at a local mall.
  • Discuss the problem with coworkers or people who work at similar jobs.
Conduct interviews:
  • Interview faculty experts.
  • Discuss the issue with businesspeople in the community.
  • Interview local officials (members of the city council, the fire chief, the local labor union representative).
What do most of my readers already think about the problem?
  • Many complain about but do nothing because solving it seems [too hard/too costly].
  • Some think is [someone else’s responsibility/not that big of a problem].
  • Others see as a matter of [fairness/human decency].
Who suffers from the problem?
  • Studies have shown that mostly affects [name group(s)].
Example:

Research has shown that . . . parents with young children and working welfare recipients—the workers who need access to paid leave the most—are the least likely to have these benefits. . . . Children, in particular, pay a heavy price. (Kornbluh, pars. 10, 13)
 Give an example to make the problem specific:
  • Recently, has been [in the news/in movies/a political issue] because of [name event].
Example:

Lately, the issue of bullying has been in the news, sparked by the suicide of Tyler Clementi . . . , a gay college student who was a victim of cyber-bullying. (Bornstein, par. 1)
Use a scenario or anecdote to dramatize the problem:
  • [Describe time and place.] [Describe problem related to time or place.]
Example:

It’s late at night. The final’s tomorrow. You got a C on the midterm, so this one will make or break you. (O’Malley, par. 1)
Cite statistics to show the severity of the problem:
  • It has recently been reported that percent of [name group] are [specify problem].
Example:

Today fully 70 percent of families with children . . . are working 10 more hours a week than in 1979 (Bernstein and Kornbluh). (Kornbluh, par. 1)
Describe the problem’s negative consequences:
  • According to [name expert/study], [state problem] is affecting [name affected group]: [insert quote from expert.]
Example:

Sian Beilock, a psychology professor at the University of Chicago, points out that “stressing about doing well on an important exam can backfire, leading students to ‘choke under pressure’ or to score less well than they might otherwise score if the stakes weren’t so high.” (O’Malley, par. 2)
Why should readers care about solving the problem?
  • We’re all in this together. is not a win-lose proposition. If [name group] loses, we all lose.
  • If we don’t try to solve , no one else will.
  • Doing nothing will only make worse.
  • We have a moral responsibility to do something about .

TEST YOUR CHOICE

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Ask two or three other students to help you develop your plan to define the problem.

Presenters. Briefly explain how you are thinking of framing or reframing the problem for your audience. Use the following language as a model for presenting your problem, or use language of your own.

  • I plan to define the problem [not as but as /in terms of ] because I think my readers [describe briefly] will share my [concerns, values, or priorities].

Listeners. Tell the presenter what response this way of framing the problem elicits from you and why. You may also explain how you think other readers might respond. Use the following language as a model for structuring your response, or use your own words.

  • I’m [also/not] concerned about because [state reasons].
  • I [agree/disagree] that because [state reasons].