Improving Your Reading Response

The following list discusses common problems in the reading responses turned in so far and provides corrective suggestions:

• Follow the directions. I cannot stress this enough. If your paper is in the incorrect format, falls far short of the word count, or does not contain three definitions from the OED you will automatically receive a check minus. 
• Proofread. It is unacceptable to turn in a response that you have not proofread. There should not be misspelled words, run-on sentences, comma splices, or other basic grammar mistakes. You cannot clearly communicate your ideas about the literature with excessive mistakes.
• Avoid the first person. Do not use the phrases I think, I believe, or I feel. I already know these are your ideas because you are the author. These phrases add word count without adding content and also make you seem unsure of your ideas.  
• Don't rely on material outside of the text to support your arguments and observations. The historical contexts of these plays is important for analyzing the work's original significance. However, your close reading is not the time to focus on historical context. Close reading asks you to consider the self-contained world of the text. Along the same lines, comparing the work to your modern beliefs, ideas, or experiences takes the focus off of the text and does not belong in a reading response. 
•  Avoid over-generalizing. Overly general claims are often incorrect, but also impossible to convincingly show in the 200-300 words. It is better to make a specific, more focused claim that you can provide evidence for. 
• Offer textual support. Whether you choose to incorporate a short quote or paraphrase a particular moment in a scene, you must provide evidence from the text in order to be convincing and show that you have performed a close reading. Your opinions must be supported by the author's words. When you make an evaluative statement, ask yourself how you know its true. Find a place in the play that specifically shows that your statement is correct. Searching for textual evidence, you may find that your initial assessment or impression is not specifically supported by the text. This gives you the opportunity to reevaluate your analysis. Do not use stand-alone quotations, and always provide a page number for reference whether you quote or paraphrase. 
• Comment on the overall significance of the passage/s you have analyzed. Why is this an important moment or significant aspect? How does it fit into the larger body of work you have read for that day?