Reaction Paper Format

A. PREPARATION: When reading a Literary work, it is advisable for you to keep a journal. Write your reaction to each chapter as you read it. If you see a quote that you may want use in your paper, be sure to write the page number of the quote in your journal. This will save you a ton of time when it comes to writing your paper.

B. WRITING: Your paper should consist of the following: 1. For our purposes, we will use MLA format for the first semester and APA format for the second semester. Use the guidelines found on the MLA page of this web site. 2. Content: Your 4-6 pages of writing should contain the following five sections. Address the questions in essay style, don’t just answer questions.

a. Summary: In two to three paragraphs, you are to summarize the material to which you are reacting. Do not merely repeat the text. Should you feel the need to selectively use quotations from the material, put them in quotes and follow the end of the sentence with a parenthetical citation (e.g., Bishop 24). Failure to cite your material constitutes plagiarism and may result in having your paper returned to you with a grade of zero. b. Critique: In two paragraphs or more, you are to critically analyze the material you to which you are reacting. Note, critique does not mean simply saying something negative about the text. Your analysis should address issues such as one or more of the following: * Does the writer present these ideas fairly or are they slanted? How so? * What are the strengths of the content of this Literary work? Weaknesses? * What could be added to this material to make it better or more complete? c. Meaning: All papers will devote several paragraphs to this question: This is a major part of your paper. Choose a major theme from the work and show how the author develops the theme. Give specific examples (be sure to cite them). Show how the theme is presented in various parts of the work.

d. Reaction: In two or more paragraphs, give your personal reaction to this material. Your reactions could include any or all of these points: * Why do you think this work was a good/bad choice for you to read? * Did you like the reading? Dislike it? Explain. * What did you find surprising about the reading? What angered or

delighted you? Explain. e. Application: All papers should conclude with two or more paragraphs addressing this question: How does this material relate to your own life experience ? Explain. This may seem like much work but if you follow this format you will have a well organized, coherent paper. Believe it or not, it will actually save you time as well.