Job of the Context  The job of context is to establish WHERE YOUR EVIDENCE FITS INTO THE BIGGER PICTURE.  Context can shape the success of your Q evidence!  You must know your Q before you can offer Cx.  Without Cx, your Q might not make sense.  It is a difficult balance between being too general and too specific.

A Good Context will “Set The Scene” Consider what has happened in the plot of the story to cause your Q to take place.  Give enough of the “who,” “what,” “when,” and “where” that your reader can understand how your Q evidence fits into the puzzle.  If a character is saying something in the Q, consider what was said right before the Q so that your reader will understand—don’t drop them in the middle of a conversation; they’ll be confused!

A Good Context Will Strike A Balance Sometimes the hardest part is knowing “how much” context to give…You don’t want to over-explain, but you don’t want to under-explain  Think about the story as a timeline, and briefly (one sentence!)summarize the plot points right before the moment where your Q happens.  Do not summarize the whole story!

Example Context POOR EXAMPLE [topic sentence] This is when Miss Maudie’s house burns down. Miss Maudie said “Why, I hated that old cow barn. Thought of settin’ fire to it a hundred times myself ” (73). [commentary] STRONG EXAMPLE [topic sentence] After the cold winter night when Miss Maudie’s house burned to the ground, Scout noticed that Maudie was not upset, but was actually maintaining her sense of humor. Miss Maudie said “Why, I hated that old cow barn. Thought of settin’ fire to it a hundred times myself ” (73). [commentary]

Example Content POOR EXAMPLE [topic sentence] In chapter 8, it snows in Maycomb, Alabama for the first time in many years. Scout and Jem spend all day playing in the snow, and that night when they are sleeping, Atticus comes in to wake them up. Miss Maudie’s house is on fire. Atticus takes the kids outside and they stand in front of the Radley house while all the neighbors try to help Maudie get all her possessions out of the house. Then next morning the kids talk to Miss Maudie. Miss Maudie said “Why, I hated that old cow barn. Thought of settin’ fire to it a hundred times myself ” (73). [commentary] STRONG EXAMPLE [topic sentence] After the cold winter night when Miss Maudie’s house burned to the ground, Scout noticed that Maudie was not upset, but was actually maintaining her sense of humor. Miss Maudie said “Why, I hated that old cow barn. Thought of settin’ fire to it a hundred times myself ” (73). [commentary]

Your Job There is a lot of information presented to the reader in Chapter 1 of Anthem. Using the text to support your answer, craft an analysis paragraph that discusses what you believe to be the most important piece of information given in Chapter 1. Remember to focus on your context this time! Try to apply the techniques you just learned to craft a clear and concise context. This will improve your whole paragraph!