Critical Response
A critical response asks you to examine why, in your opinion, a specific text is effective or ineffective.
What Does “Effective” Mean?
“Effective”means successful in achieving its purpose. Thus, if the purpose of a text is to persuade, it will only be effective if it is actually persuasive. If a text’s purpose is to entertain, it will only be effective if it is actually entertaining.
Developing Your Critical Response
Once you’ve decided whether or not the text is effective, you must examine why. The mainfactors that contribute to the effectiveness of a persuasive text are:
§ The argument itself (logos) – Is it clear what the author’s argument is? Is the argument sound? Is there enough evidence and is the evidence credible?
§ Engagement of the audience (pathos) – Does the author make readers care about the issue by engaging their emotions? Does the author develop a rapport with the audience?
§ Credibility of the author (ethos) – Does the author have the credentials to speak about the subject at hand? Does the author present the evidence fairly? Does the author come across as a reasonable person?
§ Organization of the text – Is the text organized in a way that allows the reader to easily follow the author’s argument? Does the author draw clear, logical connections among his or her points?
ASSIGNMENT DESCRIPTION SHEET:
Summarize it and write a fully developed essay, which shows your overall evaluation of it. Your response paper should demonstrate a thorough understanding of the text and contain an in-depth critical analysis.
Article:
Use APA style to prepare your reference listand in-text citations. Please refer to Writing Matters or http://library.aus.edu/ResearchHelp/CitingSources.htm for further information on APA.
Word count: 500-600 words.
Make sure your essay contains a thesis statement in the introduction, that the body paragraphs follow logically from the thesis statement and from one another.
As always, take care with spelling, grammar, other mechanics, organization, and tone.
Choose your words carefully, making sure that you seem credible, thoughtful, and reasonable.
Give your assignment an imaginative, attractive title. Summarize the article in no more than 100 words and write your critical response in about 500 words.
Identify the author, and the context of the article.
Comment on the author’s assumptions, methods, tone, and conclusions. What wasthe author trying to accomplish? Did the author acknowledge and respond toopposing points of view? How objective was he or she? What new ideas werepresented? How do the author’s ideas compare with prevailing views on thetopic? What strengths or weaknesses did you notice in the author’s methodsand reporting?
Comment on the author’s work in terms of your own knowledge and experiences with the topic. If you disagree with the author, say why.
