1. Read this Sample Critical Response
. This is an example of what you will be writing
when you submit a critical response for this class. Note that the
critical response has two citations, but your critical response will need to include at least two citations, as discussed in class.
2. Read this Annotated Sample Critical Response
. This is the same critical response you read in
Step 1, but it has my notes. When you open the document, click on the
comments on the right to walk through my breakdown of the key elements
that make up the critical response. Note that the critical response has
two citations, but your critical response will need to include at least three citations, as discussed in class.
3. Note the key elements you will need to include in each paragraph
of your critical response. When you write your critical response, you
must include ALL of these key elements. Leaving out any of the elements
will hurt your grade for the assignment. Below is a summary of the key
elements:
A. Heading & Title: Please head your paper and
title it according to MLA. If you need a refresher on how to head your
paper correctly, please review the previous section in the module.
B. Paragraph 1: In the first paragraph, you must summarize the story and introduce your thesis.
Introduce Story: Start the paragraph by introducing the story. Include the full name of the writer and the full title of the story.
Summarize: Then, you must briefly summarize the
story. The summary should be brief. It should focus on the main events
of the story. The summary should not be more than three sentences.
Thesis: The thesis is the last sentence of your
first paragraph. It needs to answer the prompt question you selected. It
should not just tell me what happened in the story.
C. Paragraph 2: In the second paragraph, you will analyze your thesis. There are six
key elements to include in this paragraph. (Note that the sample
critical response above has just two citations. But your critical
response must have at least three citations,
Topic Sentence: The topic sentence is the first sentence. It connects to or repeats the idea in your thesis from paragraph 1.
Citation 1: This is a supporting detail from the
text that supports your thesis. Go back to your story and find a
citation that supports the argument you are making in your thesis. What
is a citation? Click here.
Links to an external site.
Explanation/Analysis of Citation 1: Explain how citation 1 supports your thesis. Write at least three sentences to analyze the citation.
Citation 2: Go back to your story and find another citation that supports the argument you are making in your thesis.
Explanation/Analysis of Citation 2: Explain how citation 2 supports your thesis. Write at least three sentences to analyze the citation.
Restate Topic Sentence: Restate the topic sentence to remind the reader about the main idea of the paragraph.
3. Now, you will write your own two-paragraph critical response,
making sure to include all the key elements for each paragraph.
Select one of the questions and write a two-paragraph critical response to answer the question. Remember to format and head your paper correctly by following MLA standards.
Describe the central setting of the story. Is the setting of the
story symbolic? What does the setting symbolize? Write a two-paragraph
critical response.
What is an important symbol in the story? What does the symbol represent?
What is an important symbol in the story? How does the symbol help
reveal the theme (In other words, how does the symbol reveal the moral
of the story)?
