Writing Project on Challenges

Your name:

WRITING PROJECT #4 – ANSWERING A QUESTION WITH THE HELP OF TWO SECONDARY SOURCES

PREWRITING

WP# 4 TOPIC AND SOURCES:
As a reminder, here are the sources to be used and the topic for Writing Project #4:
Your own ideas and experiences from your Writing Project #1 (“What-If” Narrative) and any experience you’ve had in “real life.”
Two outside sources: one credible Internet source and one source from the CSCC Library online databases. (Note: you cannot use two Internet sources!)
Return to your Writing Project #1 “What-If” Narrative. When you had only $56.00 and a pick-up truck, what was your biggest challenge and how did you face it? To face this challenge, what did you do based on your own initiative and what did you do with the help of others? In Writing Project #4, you will formulate a “main” question about a broader issue that these challenge raises, and you will answer that question in your essay, with the help of two secondary sources. Use source material to investigate: 1) the history behind the issue, and 2) contemporary perspectives/ information on the issue. Once you’ve answered the “main question” in your essay, consider how what you learned would help you to make different choices about the challenge you faced in your “What-If” Narrative.

Save this prewriting form as a Word or RTF document and write your answers directly after the questions below.

PART 1: Read the final revision of your Writing Project #1, the “What-If” Narrative in which you started out with only $56.00 and a pick-up truck. Answer the following questions about the challenges you faced. For instance, for question #1 below about the first day, you might have faced the challenge of finding a safe place to park your truck to sleep for the night. At the six month mark, you might have faced the challenge of saving enough money to put a deposit down on an apartment.

1. What were your challenges on the first day? How did you meet those challenges?

Developing a plan on where to go from here as well as the money and assets of mine I will be bringing along. I solved this by meeting a stranger who became my friend in constructing a plan as far as transportation; I brought all the money I had along with a bag full of stuff from my parent’s house.

2. What were your challenges at the three-week mark? How did you meet those challenges?

Not fitting in, getting down on myself, no consistent source of income as well as no motive to work to something because I had no plan. Time only made it better as far as fitting in I began meeting new people and meeting up with old buddies, my uncle was currently working on getting me a job at his golf course and I began getting help from a life coach.

3. What were your challenges at six months? How did you meet those challenges?
School was coming around and I wasn’t sure what to do until a plan was constructed by my parents and aunt and uncle financially to get me in the University of South Carolina.
PART 2: Choose one challenge that you listed. Think about broader issues that this challenge raises about life in contemporary America. For example, if one of your challenges was finding a safe, clean, affordable apartment at the six month mark, this could raise the broader issues of affordable housing, crime and safety, earning a living wage, rental laws, etc.

Your challenge: Describe the challenge, when you faced it (day one? Three weeks? Six months?) and how you faced it.

Financial freedom from day one to present I began with no money, no any source of income goes straight towards my personal expenses such as food, clothes, and occasionally rent. I have hardly any free time and working at a golf course is a career path.

Broader issues raised by the challenge: Think of at least three broader issues life in contemporary America that this challenge raises:

Issue #1: Financial independence (with my income the only place I can stay is with family)

Issue #2: Future as far as career path

Issue #3: Overall direct effect on lifestyle

Choose one issue from the list above as your focus for Writing Project #4. With that issue in mind, freewrite to find several questions about that issue. For example, if your issue was affordable housing, you could ask: Is affordable housing available close to centers of employment? Is affordable housing safe? Is affordable housing in good repair? If not, what are tenants’ rights having decent housing?

Freewrite to find questions here. Write lists or questions or a paragraph in which you explore different questions.

Questions about any of these topics I plan to tie all together and I want it to revolve around the theme “financial independence” because ultimately that is what we all want. We want to live a financially carefree life. At this point my character is far from that so we ask how an individual with nothing can grow from that point. I want to tie everything in that theme because I believe with this particular assignment our characters main goal is income, income to get back on their feet, afford living and start a life over. Yet none of this can be done without the money that is where we all need to start, all questions should be directed towards money and its scenarios and from that point on everything would fall into place.

Review your freewriting, and find one focused question that you can explore for Writing Project #4. For example, if your original issue was affordable housing, and your freewriting took you in the direction of tenants’ rights about safe and decent housing, your question could read: Should the laws about tenants’ rights to decent housing in the City of Columbus be more strongly enforced?

Write your question for WP#4 here:

Where do when turn and what steps are taken when we start with no money and have no choice but to accumulate and save money?