A response paper requires you to read a text, understand the point of the text and figure out your own response to that point.The response paper is more analytical.Even though you need to write about your personal response, it must be credible and not emotional.Keep reading to learn how to write a response paper.
Step 1: Take detailed notes.
It's not enough to highlight the text as you read it.The notes you take on the material need to be written in your own words.Highlighting doesn't allow you to record your initial thoughts regarding the passages you found significant in the text.Take your notes on a different piece of paper.You should include quotes and paraphrases from the passage as well as your own thoughts about the information you write down.
Step 2: Asking questions will help you understand the reading.
You need to understand the work before you can make a subjective opinion of it.If you want to form a solid opinion, you need to have a basic understanding of the text, which is why a response paper requires you to focus on your own interpretation.What is the main issue that the author or creator is attempting to address?What stance does the author take?What is the main claim of the author?Does the author make any assumptions about his or her claim?Is the assumptions valid or biased?What kind of evidence does the author offer?What are the strongest points of the argument?What are the weak points of the argument?There are some possible counterarguments to the claims made by the author.What makes the main issue important?
Step 3: When appropriate, look at the work within a larger body of works.
If you are studying a work within a broader context of works that address the same topic,paring the object of your response to those other works can broaden.How does this work relate to others within a collection of works on the same topic, or with regards to another work on a similar topic written by a different author?Do the authors of similar works agree?Do the authors of similar works address the same issue or different parts of it?Do they think the matter is being discussed in a different way?Does the author of the piece you're responding to have previous works that address the same topic?How has the author's views changed over the years?Does the information from one text strengthen or weaken the text you're responding to?
Step 4: Do not move your feet.
The best time to start writing your response paper is after you finish reading the text, because the ideas are still fresh in your mind.Prewriting should be done as soon after as possible if you can't do it immediately.If you think your ideas would benefit from simmering for a little while before performing a thorough analysis, you should still take the time to write down your initial reaction.Your initial reaction is the most honest.As time goes on, you can talk yourself into another reaction, but your initial reaction to the text should be kept in mind.
Step 5: Do you have a reaction to it?
A response paper is about your reaction to the text.You can have a general idea of how the text made you feel, but you need to understand the underlying thoughts behind that feeling.How does the text relate to you personally, whether in the past, present, or future is one of the questions worth asking yourself.The text relates to the human experience as a whole.Does the text agree with you?Did the text help you understand the topic or not?Did your previous assumptions or opinions change?Does the text address topics that are important to you?Was the text good for its genre?Was the text enjoyable as entertainment or art?Was it admirable from a historian's perspective?Was it logical?What is your reaction?Would you recommend the work to someone else?Write your answers down as you progress through the questions.Provide evidence from the text to support your answers in addition to writing them down.Direct quotations and paraphrasing are evidence.
Step 6: Determine which reactions are the strongest.
While it is true that a response paper is personal and that there is no single right response to have, you must do more than simply state what you think about a work.Evidence from the text is needed to support your opinion.You can sort through your thoughts and reactions on your own.You can use a variety of techniques to come up with strong ideas.Recording new ideas as they come, using pro/con analysis, and comparing your reactions directly to your notes are some of the techniques considered.
Step 7: You can choose to focus or organize the argument.
A response paper is not a traditional thesis essay, but you still need to choose an area or argument to focus the majority of the paper around.Depending on the requirements of the assignment, you may need to come up with one organizing argument or multiple arguments to discuss.They should still be connected even if you bring up more than one point.The main difference between a traditional thesis and an organizing argument is that a thesis usually exists to prove a point.The writer has to analyze the reading in an ongoing manner.
Step 8: Write your introduction.
To identify the major themes or ideas of the work, you should use your introduction.The introduction can be as short as one or two paragraphs for a four to five page paper.Limit the paper to a short paragraph made up of three to five sentences.Explain how the work you are responding to fits in with the broader topic it addresses.Explaining your own beliefs or assumptions about the topic the work agrees with is a good way to introduce it.
Step 9: The work should be summarized.
A summary of the work should not be the focus of your response paper.There is a debate as to the length of a summary for this type of paper, but as a general rule, the summary should only be half of the body paragraphs.The section should only take up about two to three paragraphs for a four to five page paper.The author's main arguments should be presented as they affect your response.The summary needs to be more analytical in nature.As you present the details of the author's work, you should use an analytical tone and discuss how well he got his points across.
Step 10: Discuss your organizing argument.
This is where you need to explain how you react to the work you are responding to.You can either explain where you agree and disagree in separate paragraphs, or you can only write about your disagreement in a single paragraph.When you are focusing on a single major theme or argument in a work, you should use this response format.It doesn't work if you are discussing multiple ideas at the same time.Referring to quotes and quotes is a good way to back up your analysis.Make sure the examples are properly cited.This portion of your paper should be easy if you took the time to find evidence to support your responses during the prewriting stage.The only thing you need to do is arrange your argument in a way that makes sense and write in the details of the support you have already gathered.
Step 11: You should write your conclusion.
You need to defend the significance of your stance and restate it to the reader.You only need one standard paragraph to accomplish this in a four to five page paper.The paragraph should be three to five sentences long.Tell us how this work affects you and the community in which it is a part.
Step 12: An introduction is needed.
The major themes and ideas you plan to respond to should be introduced in a short paragraph.You can state or briefly indicate your reaction to these themes.If you are writing a one to two page paper, keep the introduction to a single short paragraph.You can either describe how the work fits into the topic it addresses as a whole or explain how it affects your own beliefs.You should have mentioned your argument by the end of the introduction.
Step 13: Do you agree or disagree with one point?
You should respond to each issue as it comes up in the mixed response format.Your summary of the theme and how the text represents it should not be more than a third of a paragraph.The mixed response format is a better option when you have many different themes or ideas that you want to react to.You can use this method to weave your summary and analysis together.When you mention a point or example from the text, address your own interpretation of it directly.
Step 14: Agreed or disagreed with a second point, and so on.
You should aim to have at least three points to summarize and respond to in single-paragraph form when using this format.Continue the same way you did with your first point.When you summarize a point or argument from the original text, immediately follow it with your own intellectual response.
Step 15: Wrap things up.
In a short paragraph, state your stance or reaction to the text.Explain why the matter is important.The conclusion of a four to five page paper should be a standard paragraph.Keep the paragraph to about three sentences.Explain how the work affects the genre or community it fits into.