Response to the topic of your choice

Paper Topics/Due Dates
Paper 5: Response to the topic of your choice

Length/Format
1-2 pages
Double-spaced
12 point font
One inch margins (top, bottom, and sides)

A response or reaction paper is a bit of a twist on a formal review of a book, artwork, or article, because response papers are written from the first person point of view, which simply means that you can and should use phrases like “I thought” and “I believe” when reviewing.

Read/View/Experience and Respond
In a response paper, you do assess the item you’ve been assigned to observe, but you add your personal reaction and impressions to the report.

The steps for completing a reaction or response paper are:

Read/view/experience your topic.
Reflect on your understanding. A second viewing or reading may be necessary.
Record your thoughts and impressions in notes.
Develop a thesis
Construct your essay

The First Paragraph

In the case of a reaction paper, the first sentence should contain the title of the object to which you are responding, and the name of the author/director/key character.

The last sentence of your introductory paragraph should contain a thesis statement.

Stating Your Opinion

There’s no need to feel shy about expressing your own opinion in a position paper, even though it may seem strange to write “I feel” or “I believe” in an essay. The instructor is actually looking for this. NOTE: it is repetitive if every sentence begins with an “I” statement.

Sample Statements
A response paper could address any type of work, from a piece of art or a film to a book. When writing a response paper, you can include statements like the following:

I felt that
In my opinion
The reader can conclude that
The author seems to
I did not like
The images seemed to
The author was [was not] successful in making me feel
I was especially moved by
I didn’t get the connection between
It was clear that the artist was trying to
The sound track seemed too
My favorite part was…because
You can think of a response paper as a review that is part analysis and part opinion.

Ideas for response papers:

A book you have recently read/are reading.
A documentary film/television show that you watch and take notes on.
A movie that you watch and take notes on.
An event you attend.
I recommend that you choose to write your responses to works that are meaningful to you or that you have a strong response to (positive or negative).