WA 3: Responding to Another Text Essay For this assignment, you are to write an argumentative essay in response to one of the following texts: Kurt Wiesenfelds Making the Grade; Jhumpa Lahiris “My Two Lives”; Nicholas Kristofs A Farm Boy Reflects; or John McWhorters “Why ‘Redskins’ Is a Bad Word”. A response essay provides an opportunity for you to express your view on some aspect of a published text. You will develop your argument, by responding to the ideas in the other text and reacting to what the author has to say about the topic and/or how the writer develops the argument. Here are six ways to respond to an essay: You can agree with what the author has to say about the issue and explain why you agree. You can disagree with what the author has to say about the issue and explain why you disagree. You can agree with some parts of the essay and disagree with other parts and explain why. You can analyze the rhetorical choices the author makes (style, tone, word choice, examples, etc.) and argue that the writers argument is effective and explain why. You can analyze the rhetorical choices the author makes (style, tone, word choice, examples, etc.) and argue that the writers argument is not effective and explain why. You can take one part of the essay, agreeing or disagreeing with it, and expand on that idea, giving reasons for your audience to agree with you. How you respond to the other text is up to you, but academic writing values responses that are both respectful of what an author has to say and reasonably presented. To this end, you should strive to write an essay which fairly summarizes and discusses an aspect of the other text. You will be writing for an academic audience–college professors and college-educated people–who have certain expectations about what makes a reasonable response to another text. Academic writing is more formal than personal writing, but you still want your voice and ideas to come through in your paper so that the discussion sounds as if a real person (you) is voicing an opinion on a topic. Your essay should have an introduction that establishes the basic issue under discussion, the name of the author, and the title of essay you are responding to. The introduction should also include a brief summary of the main idea of the other essay so that readers who have not read that essay understand the issue and the writers view on that issue. Last, the introduction should provide information that speaks to the aspect of the essay that you are going to respond to and should include a clear thesis that establishes the precise argument your essay will make. Body paragraphs should make distinct points that support the thesis. Develop your points in part by integrating examples, quotations, and details from the other text and reacting to that content. Do not merely summarize the ideas presented in the other essay. Your paper should demonstrate that you have given careful thought to some particular aspect of other text. The essay should have a conclusion. Consider carefully the audience, purpose, and tone you use to convey your view. The essay should be between 700 – 900 words and follow APA formatting guidelines established in the course. Other Requirements: Refer to the author and other text in most paragraphs and use a mix of paraphrase, summary, and direct quotation. Include APA in-text citations as appropriate and include a full citation on a separate References page at the end of the essay. Consult APA resources provided in the course. No research is required, so do not consult other sources. Use of first person is fine, but use it purposefully; use of second person should be avoided. Take your composition through several drafts before submitting for evaluation. The rubric used for evaluation is located in the dropbox for the assignment, and you are strongly encouraged to look at it carefully. Submit this essay following the submission guidelines established for the course: Name the file by your last name, course number, and section number (e.g., your last name EH 107 WA 3).
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