CRITICAL  RESPONSE

In this essay, you wi ll  perform a sustained close reading of a n aspect of a  single text.
Identify an intellectual problem – an  ambiguity, contradiction, tension, or site of possible
misunderstanding – you  wish to explore via analysis of a specific passage  or series of
passages from the essay .  Make a claim about  how the writer ’s choices of language and form
affect the essay’s argument.

Strive to dra w  your reader’s attention to details  of the  essay  that  are more significant or
meaningful than they initially appear to be ; this process should lead you to generate new
interpretations about the essay  as a whole. Yo ur goal  is  to recognize  what the  essay is
doing, identify precisely  how  the  essay  is  crafted to accomplish that, and then think about
why the author might have made those particular choices .  You are seeking to illuminate
your text for your readers, not simply to say that it is bad or good, likeable or unlikeable, or
right or wrong .

Essay projects of this kind generally accomplish one or more of the following aims:
• extend readers’ understanding of a text (“the text is about X, but it’s also about Y”)
•  explain the  purpose of an unusual, unexpected, or perplexing moment in the tex t (“this
passage might seem out of place or unnecessary , but it accomplishes X”)
• correct a possible misreading (“we may think it’s X, but actually it is Y”)
• demonstrate the relationship of parts to the whole (“we can’t understand X until we
can see Y ”)

Goals:
•  Identify a  problem that is worth addressing, using a passage that will reward  close
reading.
•  Formulate a claim  that makes a strong argument and is not obvious.
•  Establish a motive for the essay in your introduction.  Here you will answer the “So
What?” question, suggesting why your essay is important and interes ting to an
intelligent reader. Draw out the implications of the argument in your conclusion.
•  Structure  the essay around your central claim, making sure that each paragraph is
adding an essent ial piece to your argument.
•  Use  evidence  persuasively, quoting from the text when necessary, summarizing or
paraphrasing accurately and responsibly when appropriate. Do not provide
evidence from other sources or make general assertions (e.g., claims about “human
nature”).
•  Adhere  to  all relevant formatti ng guidelines described in the course syllabus .

critical response

Write a brief critical response (2-3pp, double-spaced. Thoughtful titles, font size no larger than #12,uniform 1” margins around all four sides of the page please) to one of the cinematic antecedents to the Film Noir Genre — Little Caesar (1931) — that you have viewed. A solid response to a movie provides the writer’s critical assessment of a film and its cinematic techniques supported by evidence the writer gathers from the film. It is not a plot synopsis or the enthusiastic blurbs of publicity hype. Use the present tense when writing your response and avoid words such as “great’’, “excellent,” “bad,” and the all-encompassing “really good”. Instead, consider elements like setting, theme (main idea), mise-en-scene (what is before the camera), cinematography (lighting and camera use), sound, special, effects, or symbols/symbolism. Remember, you are drafting a very short paper, so it is better to discuss one single feature in depth rather than attempt to cover all possibilities.Focus your thoughts instead. Ready? Set? Discuss!

critical response

Write a brief critical response (2-3pp, double-spaced. Thoughtful titles, font size no larger than #12,uniform 1” margins around all four sides of the page please) to one of the cinematic antecedents to the Film Noir Genre — Little Caesar (1931) — that you have viewed. A solid response to a movie provides the writer’s critical assessment of a film and its cinematic techniques supported by evidence the writer gathers from the film. It is not a plot synopsis or the enthusiastic blurbs of publicity hype. Use the present tense when writing your response and avoid words such as “great’’, “excellent,” “bad,” and the all-encompassing “really good”. Instead, consider elements like setting, theme (main idea), mise-en-scene (what is before the camera), cinematography (lighting and camera use), sound, special, effects, or symbols/symbolism. Remember, you are drafting a very short paper, so it is better to discuss one single feature in depth rather than attempt to cover all possibilities.Focus your thoughts instead. Ready? Set? Discuss!