Response Papers - Vade Mecum
-
-
Writing a Reaction or Response Essay (Please scroll down.)
Read the assigned excerpt(s) trying to reflect upon the following questions along the way.
- How do you feel about what you are reading ?
- What are the most striking features of the text ?
- What are the techniques used by the author to produce such effects ?
- What is the main problem or issue that the author is addressing ?
- What would be the best way/angle to evaluate the story ?
- Does this story remind you of other texts ? How do they relate to one another ?
Prewriting for Your Reaction Paper
The following statements could be used in a reaction/response paper. Complete as many statements as possible, from the list below, about what you have just read.
My Reaction to What I Just Read Is That . . . I think that
I see that
I feel that
It seems that
In my opinion,
Because
A good quote is
In addition,
For example,
Moreover,
However,
Consequently,
Finally,
In conclusion,
You now have a very rough reaction/response paper which needs to be organized as follows.
Organizing Your Reaction Paper
A reaction/response paper has an introduction, a body, and a conclusion.
- The introduction should contain all the basic information in one or two paragraphs.
Sentence 1 : This sentence should give the title, author, and publication you read. Sentence 2, 3, and sometimes 4 :
These sentences give a brief summary of what you read (nutshell) Sentence 5 : This sentence is your thesis statement. You agree, disagree, identify, or evaluate.
- Your introduction should include a concise, one sentence, focused thesis. This is the focused statement of your reaction/response.
- The body should contain paragraphs that provide support for your thesis. Each paragraph should contain one idea. Topic sentences should support the thesis, and the final sentence of each paragraph should lead into the next paragraph.
Topic Sentence detail — example —quotation —detail — example — quotation — detail — example — quotation — detail — example —quotation Summary Sentence
- The conclusion can be a restatement of what you said in your paper. It also be a comment which focuses your overall reaction. Finally, it can be a prediction of the effects of what you’re reacting to. Note : your conclusion should include no new information.
This handout was written by Kathleen Cahill and adapted by Arnaud Regnauld in October 2008.
URL : http://leo.stcloudstate.edu/acadwri... ;
-
