Critical Responses

Structure

Your critical responses should be well-focused, nicely organized, and carefully written. What comes off the top of your head might be fine for a rough draft, but then revise it, paying deliberate attention to the STRUCTURE of your argument. Here is a checklist of what MUST be in your paper for it to meet the minimum requirements of the assignment:

- Your name, my name, date, course (in upper left-hand corner of 1^st page)

- Clear introduction that begins with the topic at hand (NOT: “The 1920s were an interesting decade”--as true a statement as that might be)

- Concise, specific thesis statement at the end of the intro. Your thesis statement should articulate your ARGUMENT.

For each paragraph:

- Topic sentence that advances your argument. It is a mini-thesis statement for the paragraph and should express an IDEA that is part of your argument (NOT a fact, such as Machinal was written by Sophie Treadwell, as true a statement as that might be)

- Specific examples that support your argument (ie: direct quotations with page numbers* or specific examples from primary sources)

- Analysis & interpretation of why the example supports your argument

- Transition between ideas within and between paragraphs

- Conclusion that provides a synthesis of the argument

- List of works cited.i This is IMPORTANT because using other people’s work without proper attribution and citation is academic dishonesty in the form of plagiarism.

* USING QUOTATIONS IN YOUR PAPER:

The author's last name and the page number(s) from which the quotation is taken must appear in the text, and a complete reference should appear in your works-cited list (see Your Works Cited Page, below). The author's name may appear either in the sentence itself or in parentheses following the quotation, but the page number(s) should always appear in the parentheses, not in the text of your sentence.

Short Quotations

To indicate short quotations (fewer than four typed lines of prose or three lines of verse) in your text, enclose the quotation within double quotation marks and incorporate it into your text. Provide the author and specific page citation (in the case of verse, provide line numbers) in the text, and include a complete reference in the works-cited list. Punctuation marks such as periods, commas, and semicolons should appear after the parenthetical citation. Question marks and exclamation points should appear within the quotation marks if they are a part of the quoted passage but after the parenthetical citation if they are a part of your text.

Examples:

According to some, dreams express "profound aspects of personality" (Foulkes 184), though others disagree.

According to Foulkes's study, dreams may express "profound aspects of personality" (184).

Is it possible that dreams may express "profound aspects of personality" (Foulkes 184)?

Cullen concludes, "Of all the things that happened there/ That's all I remember" (11-12).

Romantic poetry is characterized by the "spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings@ (Wordsworth 263).

Wordsworth extensively explored the role of emotion in the creative process (263).

For nonprint (films, TV series, etc.) or electronic sources, try to include the name that begins the entry in the Works Cited page.

Long Quotations

Place quotations longer than four typed lines in a free-standing block of typewritten lines, and omit quotation marks. Start the quotation on a new line, indented one inch from the left margin, and maintain double-spacing. Your parenthetical citation should come after the closing punctuation mark. When quoting verse, maintain original line breaks. (You should maintain double-spacing throughout your essay.)

Adding or Omitting Words In Quotations

If you add a word or words in a quotation, you should put brackets around the words to indicate that they are not part of the original text.

For example:

Jan Harold Brunvand, in an essay on urban legends, states: "some individuals [who retell urban legends] make a point of learning every rumor or tale" (78).

If you omit a word or words from a quotation, you should indicate the deleted word or word by using ellipsis marks surrounded by brackets. For example:

In an essay on urban legends, Jan Harold Brunvand notes that "some individuals make a point of learning every recent rumor or tale [...] and in a short time a lively exchange of details occurs" (78).

Note: If there are ellipsis marks in the quoted author's work, do not put brackets around them; only use brackets around ellipsis marks to distinguish them from ellipsis marks in the quoted author's work.

iLIST OF WORKS CITED (include at end of paper, even if there is only 1 work)A book

Author(s). Title of Book. Place of Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication.

Book with one author

Henley, Patricia. The Hummingbird House. Denver: MacMurray and Beck, 1999.

Two books by the same author (After the first listing of the author's name, use three hyphens and a period for the author's name. List books alphabetically.)

Palmer, William J. Dickens and New Historicism. New York: St. Martin's,

1997.

---. The Films of the Eighties: A Social History. Carbondale:

Southern Illinois UP, 1993.

An article in a periodical (such as a newspaper or magazine)

Author(s). "Title of Article." Title of Source Day Month Year: pages.

Magazine or newspaper article

Poniewozik, James. "TV Makes a Too-Close Call." Time 20 Nov. 2000: 70-71.

A web site

Note: It is necessary to list your date of access because web postings are often updated, and information available at one date may no longer be available later. Be sure to include the complete address for the site. Also, note the use of angled brackets around the electronic address.

Author(s). Name of Page. Date of Posting/Revision. Name of institution/organization affiliated with the site. Date of Access <electronic address>.

Web site example

Felluga, Dino. Undergraduate Guide to Literary Theory. 17 Dec. 1999. Purdue University. 15 November 2000 <http://omni.cc.purdue.edu%7Efelluga/theory2.html>.

An article on a web site

Author(s)."Article Title." Name of web site. Date of posting/revision. Name of

institution/organization affiliated with site. Date of access <electronic address>.

Article on a web site

Poland, Dave. "The Hot Button." Roughcut. 26 Oct. 1998. Turner Network Television. 28 Oct. 1998 <http://www.roughcut.com>.

An article in an online journal or magazine

Author(s). "Title of Article." Title of Journal Volume. Issue (Year): Pages/Paragraphs. Date of Access <electronic address>.

Online journal article

Wheelis, Mark. "Investigating Disease Outbreaks Under a Protocol to the Biological

and Toxin Weapons Convention." Emerging Infectious Diseases 6.6 (2000):

33 pars. 5 Dec. 2000 <http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/eid/vol6no6/wheelis.htm>

Print Advertisement

Lufthansa. Advertisement. Time 20 Nov. 2000: 151.

Television or radio program

"The Blessing Way." The X-Files. Fox. WXIA, Atlanta. 19 Jul. 1998.

Sound recording

U2. All That You Can't Leave Behind. Interscope, 2000.

Film

The Usual Suspects. Dir. Bryan Singer. Perf. Kevin Spacey, Gabriel Byrne, Chazz Palminteri, Stephen Baldwin, and Benecio del Toro. Polygram, 1995.

TV Advertisement

Staples. Advertisement. CBS. 3 Dec. 2000.

		Dr. Lori Landay llanday@berklee.edu


	Whether the text is a piece of writing, an advertisement, a painting, a performance, or a film, it can convey information to us, but usually when we read a text we respond not to the information (or facts) but to the ideas (interpretations, conclusions, assertions) that the author, artist, musician, filmmaker, or performer presents. When we respond to a text critically we are engaging the ideas, methodology, metaphors, assumptions, techniques, strategies, or choices. *A critical response means interacting with ideas.* A critical response is not a plot summary, or your superficial or emotional reaction to the reading. You have more to say than that! *A critical response to a literary or other artistic work means using the skills of close textual analysis.* Read the text carefully, paying close attention to HOW the text makes meaning. How is characterization created? How is the story structured? What metaphors or images repeat? When? Why? What is the significance of the images, language, and ideas chosen? Is the text ambiguous (open to more than one meaning)? How is ambiguity achieved? *A critical response means understanding the text in a context.* How does the text stand in relation to the artistic traditions that it inherits? Does it reinforce, challenge, or reject tradition? How does the text fit into an artistic movement (for example, expressionism)? How does the text echo, comment on, or revise texts that have gone before it? How does the text reflect and/or shape the historical context in which it was created? How does the text compare with texts in other mediums from the same time period? Here are some general questions that you can ask yourself when thinking about a text: ! What is the problem or question that motivates the author/artist? ! What is the context of the piece? ! What assumptions does the author bring to the text? ! What argument or perspective does the text put forth? ! What contradictions do you find in this text? Why are they there? How do they affect your understanding of the argument? ! What evidence or details support the assertions of the text? What are the controlling metaphors? ! How is the text structured? How does the structure affect your understanding of the text’s meaning? ! What rhetorical choices (style, diction, tone) does the writer make? Or what cinematic choices (mise-en-scčne, editing, narrative) does the filmmaker make? How do these choices affect your experience of the text? Or what artistic choices does the painter or photographer make? ! What do you see as the key moments in this text? Why are they important? How do they work with the rest of the text to create meaning? ! How does this reading illuminate other readings, films, and ideas we have encountered? ! What contemporary examples might illustrate the ideas of the text? Contradict them? These are general questions to get you started. Depending on the medium (literature, film, visual art, music), and genre (poem, novel, play, portrait, electronic music,), other more specific questions will arise. Writing the Critical Response

Structure Your critical responses should be well-focused, nicely organized, and carefully written. What comes off the top of your head might be fine for a rough draft, but then revise it, paying deliberate attention to the STRUCTURE of your argument. Here is a checklist of what MUST be in your paper for it to meet the minimum requirements of the assignment: - Your name, my name, date, course (in upper left-hand corner of 1^st page) - Clear introduction that begins with the topic at hand (NOT: “The 1920s were an interesting decade”--as true a statement as that might be) - Concise, specific thesis statement at the end of the intro. Your thesis statement should articulate your ARGUMENT. For each paragraph: - Topic sentence that advances your argument. It is a mini-thesis statement for the paragraph and should express an IDEA that is part of your argument (NOT a fact, such as Machinal was written by Sophie Treadwell, as true a statement as that might be) - Specific examples that support your argument (ie: direct quotations with page numbers* or specific examples from primary sources) - Analysis & interpretation of why the example supports your argument - Transition between ideas within and between paragraphs - Conclusion that provides a synthesis of the argument - List of works cited.i This is IMPORTANT because using other people’s work without proper attribution and citation is academic dishonesty in the form of plagiarism. * USING QUOTATIONS IN YOUR PAPER: The author's last name and the page number(s) from which the quotation is taken must appear in the text, and a complete reference should appear in your works-cited list (see Your Works Cited Page, below). The author's name may appear either in the sentence itself or in parentheses following the quotation, but the page number(s) should always appear in the parentheses, not in the text of your sentence. Short Quotations To indicate short quotations (fewer than four typed lines of prose or three lines of verse) in your text, enclose the quotation within double quotation marks and incorporate it into your text. Provide the author and specific page citation (in the case of verse, provide line numbers) in the text, and include a complete reference in the works-cited list. Punctuation marks such as periods, commas, and semicolons should appear after the parenthetical citation. Question marks and exclamation points should appear within the quotation marks if they are a part of the quoted passage but after the parenthetical citation if they are a part of your text. Examples: According to some, dreams express "profound aspects of personality" (Foulkes 184), though others disagree. According to Foulkes's study, dreams may express "profound aspects of personality" (184). Is it possible that dreams may express "profound aspects of personality" (Foulkes 184)? Cullen concludes, "Of all the things that happened there/ That's all I remember" (11-12). Romantic poetry is characterized by the "spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings@ (Wordsworth 263). Wordsworth extensively explored the role of emotion in the creative process (263). For nonprint (films, TV series, etc.) or electronic sources, try to include the name that begins the entry in the Works Cited page. Long Quotations Place quotations longer than four typed lines in a free-standing block of typewritten lines, and omit quotation marks. Start the quotation on a new line, indented one inch from the left margin, and maintain double-spacing. Your parenthetical citation should come after the closing punctuation mark. When quoting verse, maintain original line breaks. (You should maintain double-spacing throughout your essay.) Adding or Omitting Words In Quotations If you add a word or words in a quotation, you should put brackets around the words to indicate that they are not part of the original text. For example: Jan Harold Brunvand, in an essay on urban legends, states: "some individuals [who retell urban legends] make a point of learning every rumor or tale" (78). If you omit a word or words from a quotation, you should indicate the deleted word or word by using ellipsis marks surrounded by brackets. For example: In an essay on urban legends, Jan Harold Brunvand notes that "some individuals make a point of learning every recent rumor or tale [...] and in a short time a lively exchange of details occurs" (78). Note: If there are ellipsis marks in the quoted author's work, do not put brackets around them; only use brackets around ellipsis marks to distinguish them from ellipsis marks in the quoted author's work. iLIST OF WORKS CITED (include at end of paper, even if there is only 1 work)A book Author(s). Title of Book. Place of Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication. Book with one author Henley, Patricia. The Hummingbird House. Denver: MacMurray and Beck, 1999. Two books by the same author (After the first listing of the author's name, use three hyphens and a period for the author's name. List books alphabetically.) Palmer, William J. Dickens and New Historicism. New York: St. Martin's, 1997. ---. The Films of the Eighties: A Social History. Carbondale: Southern Illinois UP, 1993. An article in a periodical (such as a newspaper or magazine) Author(s). "Title of Article." Title of Source Day Month Year: pages. Magazine or newspaper article Poniewozik, James. "TV Makes a Too-Close Call." Time 20 Nov. 2000: 70-71. A web site Note: It is necessary to list your date of access because web postings are often updated, and information available at one date may no longer be available later. Be sure to include the complete address for the site. Also, note the use of angled brackets around the electronic address. Author(s). Name of Page. Date of Posting/Revision. Name of institution/organization affiliated with the site. Date of Access <electronic address>. Web site example Felluga, Dino. Undergraduate Guide to Literary Theory. 17 Dec. 1999. Purdue University. 15 November 2000 <http://omni.cc.purdue.edu%7Efelluga/theory2.html>. An article on a web site Author(s)."Article Title." Name of web site. Date of posting/revision. Name of institution/organization affiliated with site. Date of access <electronic address>. Article on a web site Poland, Dave. "The Hot Button." Roughcut. 26 Oct. 1998. Turner Network Television. 28 Oct. 1998 <http://www.roughcut.com>. An article in an online journal or magazine Author(s). "Title of Article." Title of Journal Volume. Issue (Year): Pages/Paragraphs. Date of Access <electronic address>. Online journal article Wheelis, Mark. "Investigating Disease Outbreaks Under a Protocol to the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention." Emerging Infectious Diseases 6.6 (2000): 33 pars. 5 Dec. 2000 <http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/eid/vol6no6/wheelis.htm> Print Advertisement Lufthansa. Advertisement. Time 20 Nov. 2000: 151. Television or radio program "The Blessing Way." The X-Files. Fox. WXIA, Atlanta. 19 Jul. 1998. Sound recording U2. All That You Can't Leave Behind. Interscope, 2000. Film The Usual Suspects. Dir. Bryan Singer. Perf. Kevin Spacey, Gabriel Byrne, Chazz Palminteri, Stephen Baldwin, and Benecio del Toro. Polygram, 1995. TV Advertisement Staples. Advertisement. CBS. 3 Dec. 2000.