For your Second essay, you will write an 850 – 1,000 word (heading and works cited page do not count as part of the word count) critical response to at least one of the texts we read in class.
Why are you writing this essay? Imagine that one of your goals as a student is to read widely and to think critically about the arguments you encounter in books, on-line articles, opinion pieces, etc.. You may have read essays, plays, poems, stories, letters, and other genres before, but now you want to take the next steps toward a college level experience with critical approaches to ideas and issues in writing. Remember that everything is an argument, even the fiction, poems, and opinions we read in class.
This assignment aims to develop your critical thinking skills and ability to analyze and respond to ideas in writing.
Assignment Instructions
Write a critical response essay of 850 – 1,000 words that includes: (a) a short summary of an identified and selected text; (b) a strong response to the text (is the text well written and convincing? Why or why not?) in which you respond with your own critical thinking, personal experience, other texts, and values. As you formulate your response, consider both the author’s rhetorical strategies and rhetorical situation and the author’s ideas. Think of your response as your analysis of how the text tries to influence its readers rhetorically and how your wrestling with the text has expanded and deepened your thinking. Additionally, if you feel it fruitful, you can use one of the other readings we did in class or one that you picked in order to elucidate your views on the primary text.
Key Components
Summarize at least one of the texts we have read so far.
Provide a concise summary of the selected text, including the text’s main lines of arguments or claims or points it is making.
Analyze that text and Respond to it critically.
Formulate a strong response that lets your reader know whether you think the writing is well done or not.
Use critical thinking, personal experience, other texts, and values in your response.
Note: your response should not be an argument for or against what the text say; rather, you are analyzing if the writing is good. You are looking at HOW the argument is constructed and how the writer uses rhetorical appeals considering the rhetorical situation of the writer.
Provide a thesis statement. [Understanding and Crafting a Thesis Statement for a Critical Response to a Nonfiction Essay]Download Understanding and Crafting a Thesis Statement for a Critical Response to a Nonfiction Essay]
Clearly state your opinion on the text and why you hold that view, considering how well the writer presents their ideas considering the writer’s rhetorical situation and rhetorical appeals.
Provide support for your thesis using personal experience.
Incorporate personal experiences that strengthen your argument, as well as textual support and critical thinking.
Provide support for your thesis USING the primary text.
Reference specific points from the selected text to support your thesis. Your essay should include properly used quotes.
Organize paragraphs coherently.
Ensure a logical flow of ideas and coherent organization of paragraphs.
Show awareness of rhetorical situation and rhetorical strategies.
Analyze the author’s rhetorical strategies and their effect on readers.
Cite all sources using proper MLA citation style.
Use MLA format for in-text citations.
Format paper in proper MLA format.
Follow MLA style requirements for font, spacing, and other formatting issues. See HERELinks to an external site. and HERELinks to an external site.
Provide a properly cited works cited page.
List the selected text and one additional source on aworks cited pageLinks to an external site..
