{"id":177,"date":"2015-03-19T20:58:42","date_gmt":"2015-03-19T20:58:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.candelalearning.com\/introductiontocollegewriting\/?post_type=chapter&p=177"},"modified":"2015-03-25T21:16:21","modified_gmt":"2015-03-25T21:16:21","slug":"writing-a-reading-response","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/everettcc-introductiontocollegewriting\/chapter\/writing-a-reading-response\/","title":{"raw":"Writing a Reading Response","rendered":"Writing a Reading Response"},"content":{"raw":"
A reading response asks the reader [you] to examine, explain and defend your personal reaction to a reading.<\/div>\r\n
<\/div>\r\n
You will be asked to explore:<\/div>\r\n
\r\n
    \r\n\t
  • why you like or dislike the reading,<\/li>\r\n\t
  • explain whether you agree or disagree with the author,<\/li>\r\n\t
  • identify the reading\u2019s purpose, and<\/li>\r\n\t
  • critique the text.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/div>\r\n
    There is no right or wrong answer to a reading response. Nonetheless, it is important that you demonstrate an understanding of the reading and clearly explain and support your reactions.<\/div>\r\n\r\n \r\n

    Write as an Educated Adult<\/h3>\r\n
    When writing a reader response\u00a0write as an educated adult\u00a0addressing other adults or fellow scholars.\u00a0 As a beginning scholar, if you write that something has nothing to do with you or does not pass\u00a0your<\/em>\u00a0\u201cWho cares?\u201d test, but many other people think that it is important and great, readers will probably\u00a0not<\/em>\u00a0agree with you that the\u00a0text<\/em>\u00a0is dull or boring, but they may conclude instead that\u00a0you<\/em>\u00a0are dull and boring, that you are too immature or uneducated to understand what important things the author wrote.<\/div>\r\n\r\n \r\n

    Criticize with Examples<\/h3>\r\n
    If you did not like a text, that is fine, but criticize it either from principle (it is racist, or it unreasonably puts down religion or women or working people or young people or gays or Texans or plumbers, it includes factual errors or outright lies, it is too dark and despairing, or it is falsely positive) or from form (it is poorly written, it contains too much verbal \u201cfat,\u201d it is too emotional or too childish, has too many facts and figures or has many typos in the text, or wanders around without making a point).\u00a0 In each of these cases,\u00a0do not<\/em>\u00a0simply criticize, but\u00a0give examples. But, always beware, as a beginning scholar, of criticizing any text as \u201cconfusing\u201d or \u201ccrazy,\u201d since readers might simply conclude that\u00a0you\u00a0<\/em>are too ignorant or slow to understand and appreciate it!<\/div>\r\n\r\n \r\n

    Mention the Title, Author, Main Thesis<\/h3>\r\n
    First of all, be sure to mention the\u00a0title\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>of the work to which you are responding, the\u00a0author,<\/em>\u00a0and the\u00a0main thesis<\/em>\u00a0of the text, using\u00a0correct English<\/em>\u00a0for the first paragraph of your paper.<\/div>\r\n\r\n \r\n

    Connect to the Text<\/h3>\r\n
    Then, try to answer ALL of the questions below. Remember, however, that you are writing an essay, not filling out a short-answer worksheet. You do not need to work through these questions in order, one by one, in your essay. Rather, your paper as a whole should be sure to address these questions in some way.\r\n<\/strong><\/div>\r\n \r\n