Your essay should succinctly summarize the article you chose (about 200 words) b
Your essay should succinctly summarize the article you chose (about 200 words) before moving into your critical response where you analyze and respond to the article and topic based on your assertions and views (about 500 words). There should be only one source listed on the Work Cited page – the article you selected. Summary/Response Essay – Important Read!
When looking for a credible, relevant article, you have many options. Think about a social, cultural, political, or environmental issue relevant to our world that evokes (in you) passionate, strong views you can share with your audience. Most current topics are not “yes/no” issues; many have layers, like an onion, that can be discussed with varying opinions and views. Your article summary helps to introduce the topic and clearly explain the issue, including the author’s perspective. You are not persuading, to win an argument, in the response, but instead sharing your insightful views on a subject that is important to you. You own the response section and can steer the main points to suit you.
A few thoughts on your summary/response essays:
Op-eds or articles are in “quotes,” not italicized—only ONE article is used for this essay.
The 200-word (approx.) summary should stay objective and in third person—stay away from first or second person P.O.V. The summary is meant to prepare the reader for your response, which is the nucleus of the essay.
In your response, do not state the obvious or simply agree or disagree with the article. The article/topic/issue should have many layers (like an onion) for you to explore, interpret, and make connections. Don’t try to cover too many aspects of the topic, but find what is most important (to you) and synthesize, interpret, explain, and evaluate. Give your audience something interesting to ponder. (This doesn’t mean the topic must be scholarly; if you are fascinated by competitive online gaming, and believe it is a valuable sport, tell us about it.)
Connotative, active voice is still important to engage your reader.
Organization is vital for this essay, so decide your controlling point (topic sentence) in each response paragraph along with sufficient supporting details.