20 Response Essay

Write a closed-form essay of about 1000-1200 words responding to a text. The text may be provided by your instructor or may be one you find yourself.

Introduction

You’ll likely want to follow the conventional closed-form introduction structure for this essay:

• Open by establishing the issue that the text addresses, and why that issue is important
• Provide background that the reader needs to understand your response – this will consist of a brief summary of the text to which you are responding.
• Close with your thesis statement

Thesis Statement and Topic Sentences

The topic sentences (main points) in a response essay should focus on identifying your reactions to and opinions of the text. The thesis statement should sum up and forecast these specific reactions/opinions.

Be careful not to spend time in the body of the essay just summarizing the text; you’ll have already done that in your introduction. Instead, focus on answering questions like:

• Where did you agree or disagree with the text, and why?
• What did you like or dislike about the text, and why?
• What do you think was done well or done poorly in the text, and why?

Refer back to the chapter on Reading Well for a more detailed list of questions to consider.

Conclusion

Consider the following options for writing your conclusion paragraph:

• Reiterate your thesis statement (briefly, using different words)
• Summarize how the text did or did not change your views on the issue
• Hypothesize about what might have led you to respond differently to the text (for example, if it were easier to read, or if they had better evidence)

Work Cited

Don’t forget to provide a full citation for the text you’re responding to! When you just have one source, you’ll call this your “Work Cited.”