Please write a critical response to the book, The Road. Your response needs to be analytical with a convincing thesis and proper paragraph breaks (such as an introductory paragraph, body paragraphs, and conclusion) as well as some textual evidence. For details, please refer to Grading Criteria.
Length: 1-2 pages double-spaced (500-700 words), Work Cited entry excluded.
Format: MLA. Use 12pt. Times New Roman font.

Grading Criteria: The paper has to be exactly like this:

A paper consists of 3 major sections for assessment: structure, critical thinking, and language use, and each section is broken down to multiple subsections.

Structure
Structure is an effective order in composing an analysis. While writing a paper, a student needs to consider how his/her argument can be delivered in the most effective manner.

Structure of a Paper as a Whole: A paper needs to have a single argument, and each paragraph must be consistent logically.

Structure of Introduction: An introductory paragraph needs to contain at least the followings: 1) An introduction of what a paper is about (a brief summary of a novel) and 2) a thesis statement.

1) A student needs to introduce his/her subject matter briefly, so that the audience can follow the discussion without reading a novel that the paper will analyze. In short, it is a brief summary of a novel; however, the summary needs to gear toward paper’s thesis. For example, if a thesis focuses on a specific character in a novel, a student needs to be selective about which information needs to be introduced. In a sense, a summary needs to be driven by a thesis.
2) A thesis statement is a summary of the rest of the paper. It comes after a brief summary of a novel as the last sentence(s) of an introductory paragraph. Here, a student needs to elucidate his/her argument as clearly as possible. A thesis statement also must be specific (see also “language use” section).

Structure of a Body Paragraph: A body paragraph needs to have three components: 1) a topic sentence, 2) examples from sources, and 3) an explanative analysis of the examples. After providing those components, it would be better to have a conclusive sentence that sums up the entire paragraph.

1) A body paragraph must begin with a topic sentence that briefly explains a point of the paragraph in a single sentence. The sentence must provide a grip for the audience to follow the proceeding discussion.
2) A topic sentence is followed by introducing examples from primary texts. However, be advised that an example needs to be introduced rather than thrown in as a single sentence. A student can use a quote, paraphrase, or summary, as a form of examples. It is also important that an example needs to be cited.
3) After providing an example from a primary source, a student needs to offer his/her own analysis. The analysis needs to be explained thoroughly (see also “Critical Thinking” section).

Structure of Conclusion: A conclusion is a place where a student reiterates his/her argument in a different wording. Make sure that no new idea is added in this section. A Conclusion can be elaborated in multiple ways. It is where one’s creativity is required.

Critical Thinking
Critical Thinking refers not only to the quality of an argument as a whole but also analyses in each body paragraph. An analysis needs to be specific, convincing, and clear. Take examples of a thesis statement since it is a place where an argument needs to be elucidated.
Example1: In this paper, I will argue that Haruki Murakami’s “All God’s Children Can Dance” deals with an issue of identity.
The problem of the thesis statement above is the ambiguity. It might be true that the story deals with an identity issue, but the sentence does not provide specific information about how and what kind of identity is about to be discussed.

Example2: In this paper, I will argue that Haruki Murakami’s “All God’s Children Can Dance” deals with the lack of cultural norm in 1990s Japan.
This thesis statement is better than the first one for the specificity about what cultural norm the author is about to discuss. However, it does not address how Murakami discusses the subject matter in what way.
Example3: In this paper, I will argue that Haruki Murakami’s “All God’s Children Can Dance” illustrates the loss of cultural norm in Japan after 1995 through depicting XYZ.
This is not the best thesis but better than the former two for it explicates Murakami’s writerly strategy to illustrate “the loss of cultural norm in Japan after 1995” (that is, “XYZ” part). It would be even better if the author can be more specific about “in what way” part about Murakami’s illustration.

Critical Thinking, therefore, partly means the specificity of one’s argument.

Another important aspect of this section is argument’s in-depth-ness. If one is to argue that Murakami’s short story is about the loss of origin, it is relatively an apparent theme. A good critical thinker can articulate what it implies. When referring to sources, a student is expected to explain the importance of the example thoroughly, such as 1) why it is important in relation to his/her thesis statement and 2) how the example works in the novel/story as a whole (what is the implication of the examples).

Language Use
This section can be divided into three subsections: 1) grammar, 2) word choices 3) citation.
1) There is no question for the importance of grammar. However, since the importance of the content exceeds that of student’s grammatical skill. Some grammatical mistakes won’t affect greatly on grades. Yet, it is often the case that grammatical errors make it difficult to understand the point. If grammatical errors cloud points a student tries to make, it will affect to his/her grade.
2) Aside from the importance of grammatical correctness, a strong paper deliberately uses concise words to make points most effectively and avoids hyperbolic or ambiguous words. In other words, a student is expected to show linguistic clarity.
3) A student is required to provide citations whenever he/she refers to outside sources. A student is expected to have citations as well as a Work(s) Cited entry.

Each of the three major sections will be assessed between 0-10 to make student’s strength and weakness more visible. However, the grading scale for an overall grade is 0-100.
Example: Structure= S7, Critical Thinking= CT 5, Language Use= LU 8
The overall grade 71.