Reader Responses
Reader Responses MUST be:
 two pages long
 consist of two semi-equal sections
o Section 1) Analysis of Work
o Section 2) Personal Response to Work.
Readings are repeated under various response numbers. You may only respond to an article once.
Readings Provided in Copy Packets – Your Article Option is Due 2 Weeks Prior to
the Due Date (so I can make copies & get them to you in a timely manner)
How Do I Do This?
Section 1) Analysis of Work
Your analysis should include some basic information:
1. Name(s) of the author(s)
2. Title of the article
3. Statement of the problem or issue discussed
4. The author’s purpose, approach or methods, thesis, and conclusions
The bulk of your analysis, however, should consist of your qualified (informed/educated) opinion of the
article. Read the article you are to analyze once to get an overview. Then read it again, critically. AT this
point you may want to make some notes to yourself on your copy.
The following are some questions you may want to address in your analysis. *Use your discretion. These
points don’t have to be discussed in this order, and some may not be pertinent to your particular article.
1. Is the title of the article appropriate and clear?
2. Is the purpose of the article made clear in the introduction?
3. Is there a thesis? Yes, is it effective? No, why not?
4. Do you find any errors of fact or interpretation?
5. Is all of the writing (paragraphs, sentences) relevant?
6. Has the author referred to reliable sources?
7. Have any ideas been overemphasized or underemphasized? Suggest specific revisions.
8. Should some sections be expanded, condensed or omitted?
9. Are the author’s statements clear? Is their language confusion?
10. What underlying assumptions does the author have?
11. Has the author been appropriately objective/appropriately persuasive?
12. Does it have a logical format? Is it written well?
13. What are the strengths of the article? The weaknesses?
REMEMBER: Section 1 is an OBJECTIVE review. It doesn’t matter if you liked it or not, you are simply
looking at the writing: was it effective or not for the author’s purpose?
Section 2) Personal Response to Work
This is the section where you can insert your opinions about the message.
 You may have liked it; you may have hated it. Let me know.
 Did it change or reinforce your personal viewpoint of the topic?
 Did you learn something?
 Did you have any kind of emotional response? Describe it.
 I want to hear your personal voice in this section.
FINAL NOTE: All Reader Reponses:
1. MUST be typed in MLA Format
2. MUST use standard English, grammar, and punctuation
3. MUST be submitted to turnitin.com to receive a grade.
Options for Reader Response #1: (Examplification)
From College Writing Skills With Readings (3rd Edition) by John Langan:
“Thank You” by Alex Haley – pg. 486
“Defense Mechanisms” by Ronald B. Adler and Neil Towne – pg. 510
“Advertising Claims” by Jeffrey Schrank – pg. 584
“Date Rape” by Ellen Sweet – pg. 599
“Here’s to Your Health” by Joan Dunayer – pg. 509
“Seven Ways to Keep the Peace at Home” by Daniel A. Sugarman – pg. 629
From Patterns for College Writing: A Rhetorical Reader & Guide (11th Edition) by Laurie G. Kirszner &
Stephen R. Mandell:
“The Peter Principle” by Laurence J. Peter and Raymond Hull – pg. 216
“The Catbird Seat” by David J. Birnbaum – pg. 223
“Why Marriage Is Good for You” by Maggie Gallagher – pg. 227
“Just Walk On By: A Black Man Ponders His Power to Alter Public Space” by Brent Staples – pg. 236
“Fatwa City” by Cullen Murphy – pg. 242
“The Human Cost of an Illiterate Society” by Jonathan Kozol – pg. 248
From The Prose Reader: Essays for Thinking, Reading, & Writing (5th Edition) by Kim & Michael
Flachmann:
“The Baffling Question” by Bill Cosby – pg. 167
“Hating the Sick: Health Chauvinism” by Fred Pelka – pg. 172
“Darkness at Noon” by Harold Krents – pg. 184
“The Mind of the Chimpanzee” by Jane Goodall – pg. 189
“Sexism in English: A 1990s Update” by Alleen Pace Nilsen – pg. 202
Options for Reader Response #2: (Process)
From College Writing Skills With Readings (3rd Ed.) by John Langan:
“How to Make It in College, Now That You’re Here” by Brian O’Keeney – pg. 614
“Seven Ways to Keep the Peace at Home” by Daniel A. Sugarman – pg. 629
From Patterns for College Writing: A Rhetorical Reader & Guide (11th Ed.) by Laurie G. Kirszner &
Stephen R. Mandell:
“My First Conk” by Malcolm X – pg. 282
“Getting Coffee Is Hard to Do” by Stanley Fish – pg. 287
“How to Escape from a Bad Date” by Joshua Piven, David Borgenicht, and Jennifer Worick – pg. 291
“Get It Right: Privatize Executions” by Arthur Miller – pg. 299
“The Embalming of Mr. Jones” by Jessica Mitford – pg 304
From The Prentice Hall Reader (8th Ed.) by George Miller:
“My Daily Dives in the Dumpster” by Lars Eighner – pg. 335
“Revision and Life: Take It from the Top – Again” by Nora Ephron – pg. 341
“Don’t Just Stand There” by Diane Cole – pg. 346
“The Culture of Martyrdom” by David Brooks – pg. 353
“Into the Loop: How to Get the Job You Want after Graduation” by Charlie Drozdyk – pg. 359
“Stripped for Parts” by Jennifer Kahn – pg. 368
From The Prose Reader: Essays for Thinking, Reading, & Writing (5th Ed.) by Kim & Michael Flachmann:
“Write Your Own Success Story” by Carol Carter – pg. 232
“Managing Your Time” by Edwin Bliss – pg. 241
“Behind the Formaldehyde Curtain” by Jessica Mitford – pg. 249
“How to Say Noting in Five Hundred Words” by Paul Roberts – pg. 261
“Accidents, Suicide, and Euthanasia” by Sherwin Nuland – pg. 277
Options for Reader Response #3: (Cause and Effect)
From College Writing Skills With Readings (3rd Ed.) by John Langan:
“Smash Thy Neighbor” by John McMurtry – pg. 517
“On the Meaning of Plumbing and Poverty” by Melanie Schellar – pg. 541
“The First Step to the Cemetery” by Kenneth Bernard – pg. 567
“Why Are Students Turned Off?” by Casey Banas – pg. 572
“Date Rape” by Ellen Sweet – pg. 599
“The Plug-In Drug” by Marie Winn – pg. 639
From Patterns for College Writing: A Rhetorical Reader & Guide (11th Ed.) by Laurie G. Kirszner &
Stephen R. Mandell:
“Who Killed Benny Paret?” by Norman Cousins – pg. 340
“The ‘Black Table’ Is Still There” by Lawrence Otis Graham – pg. 345
“Guns and Grief” by Lillian B. Rubin – pg. 350
“A Peaceful Woman Explains Why She Carries a Gun” by Linda M. Hasselstrom - pg. 357
“The Power of Words in Wartime” by Robin Tolmach Lakoff – pg. 363
“Earth without People” by Alan Weisman – pg. 368
From The Prentice Hall Reader (8th Ed.) by George Miller:
“My Wood” by E.M. Forester – pg. 392
“The Origins of Anorexia Nervosa” by Joan Jacobs Brumberg – pg. 397
“On Teenagers and Tattos” by Andres Martin – pg. 402
“Black Men and Public Space” by Brent Staples – pg. 407
“Dreadlocked” by Veronica Chambers – pg. 412
“The Trouble with Fries” by Malcolm Gladwell – pg. 417
From The Prose Reader: Essays for Thinking, Reading, & Writing (5th Ed.) by Kim & Michael Flachmann:
“Why We Crave Horror Movies” by Stephen King – pg. 470
“The Broken Cord” by Michael Dorris – pg. 476
“The Fear of Losing a Culture” by Richard Rodriguez – pg. 484
“We Writhe; Therefore, We Are: The Selling of Pain” by George Felton – pg. 491
“Beauty: When the Other Dancer Is the Self” by Alice Walker – pg. 497
Options for Reader Response #4: (Comparison-Contrast)
From College Writing Skills With Readings (3rd Ed.) by John Langan:
“The Ambivalence of Abortion” by Linda Bird Francke – pg. 506
“Smash Thy Neighbor” by John McMurtry – pg. 517
“A Hanging” by George Orwell – pg. 525
“In My Day” by Russell Baker – pg. 532
“A Fable for Tomorrow” by Rachel Carson – pg. 653
“Here’s to Your Health” by Joan Dunayer – pg. 609
From Patterns for College Writing: A Rhetorical Reader & Guide (11th Ed.) by Laurie G. Kirszner &
Stephen R. Mandell:
“Two Ways to Belong in America” by Bharati Mukherjee – pg. 411
“I’m Your Teacher, Not Your Internet-Service Provider” by Ellen Laird – pg. 416
“Swollen Expectations” by John De Graaf, David Wann, and Thomas H. Naylor – pg. 422
“Friending, Ancient or Otherwise” by Alex Wright – pg. 431
“Sex, Lies, and Conversation” by Deborah Tannen – pg. 436
From The Prentice Hall Reader (8th Ed.) by George Miller:
“Guavas” by Esmeralda Santiago – pg. 286
“The Transaction: Two Writing Processes” by William Zinsser – pg. 290
“Academic Selves” by Mary Pipher – pg. 294
“Neat People vs. Sloppy People” by Suzanne Britt – pg. 299
“The Color of Love” by Danzy Senna – pg. 303
“Virtual Love” by Meghan Daum – pg. 309
From The Prose Reader: Essays for Thinking, Reading, & Writing (5th Ed.) by Kim & Michael Flachmann:
“Grant and Lee: A Study in Contrasts” by Bruce Catton – pg. 356
“A Child Is Born” by Germaine Greer – pg. 363
“Japanese and American Workers: Two Casts of Mind” by William Ouchi – pg. 374
“The Politics of Muscle” by Gloria Steinem – pg. 383
“Living Like Weasels” by Annie Dillard – pg. 392
Options for Reader Response #5: (Description)
From College Writing Skills With Readings (3rd Ed.) by John Langan:
“Shame” by Dick Gregory – pg. 493
“On Being a Mess” by Elizabeth Ames – pg. 500
“Defense Mechanisms” by Ronald B. Adler and Neil Towne – pg. 560
“Date Rape” by Ellen Sweet – pg. 599
From Patterns for College Writing: A Rhetorical Reader & Guide (11th Ed.) by Laurie G. Kirszner &
Stephen R. Mandell:
“Panacea” by Dorothy Allison – pg. 162
“Ground Zero” by Suzanne Berne – pg. 167
“Words Left Unspoken” by Leah Hager Cohen – pg. 172
“The Hidden Life Of Garbage” by Heather Rogers – pg. 177
“One More to the Lake” by E.B. White – pg. 183
From The Prentice Hall Reader (8th Ed.) by George Miller:
“A Pen by the Phone” by Debra Anne Davis – pg. 177
“The Way to Rainy Mountain” by N. Scott Momaday – pg. 181
“Nameless, Tennessee” by William Least Heat Moon – pg. 188
“The Village Watchman” by Terry Tempest Williams – pg. 195
“The Inheritance of Tools” by Scott Russell Sanders – pg. 203
From The Prose Reader: Essays for Thinking, Reading, & Writing (5th Ed.) by Kim & Michael Flachmann:
“Summer Rituals” by Ray Bradbury – pg. 54
“The Joy Luck Club” by Amy Tan – pg. 61
“The Pines” by John McPhee – pg. 70
“Notes from the Country Club” by Kimberly Wozencraft – pg. 78
“The View from 80” by Malcolm Cowley – pg. 91
Options for Reader Response #6: (Argumentation and Persuasion)
From College Writing Skills With Readings (3rd Ed.) by John Langan:
“Smash Thy Neighbor” by John McMurtry – pg. 517
“The Thin Grey Line” by Marya Mannes – pg. 578
“Here’s to Your Health” by Joan Dunayer – pg. 609
“College Lectures: Is Anybody Listening?” by David Daniels – pg. 623
“In Praise of the F Word” by Mary Sherry – pg. 647
“A Fable for Tomorrow” by Rachel Carson – pg. 653
From Patterns for College Writing: A Rhetorical Reader & Guide (11th Ed.) by Laurie G. Kirszner &
Stephen R. Mandell:
“The Declaration of Independence” by Thomas Jefferson – pg. 575
“Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions” by Elizabeth Cady Stanton – pg. 581
“Letter from Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King Jr. – pg. 588
“Calling Nooses What They Are – Terrorism” by George Curry – pg. 606
“Ignore the Noose Makers” by Ellis Cose – pg. 611
“The Time to Act Is Now” by Al Gore – pg. 617
“Global Warming Delusions” by Daniel B. Botkin – pg. 623
“The Case for Wal-Mart” by Karen De Coster and Brad Edmonds – pg. 631
“Down and Out in Discount America” by Liza Featherstone – pg. 638
“American Dreams, Foreign Flags” by Linda Chavez – pg. 650
“Statement in Support of Comprehensive Immigration Reform” by Dianne Feinstein – pgs. 655
“Why Americans Hate This ‘Immigration’ Debate” by Herbert Meyer – pg. 665
“To Reunite a Nation” by Patrick Buchannan – pg. 671
“The Case for Torture” by Michael Levin – pg. 681
“The Case for Torture Warrants” by Alan M. Dershowitz – pg. 686
“How Much Torture Is OK?” by Cathy Young – pg. 692
“Torture’s Terrible Toll” by John McCain – pg. 696
From The Prentice Hall Reader (8th Ed.) by George Miller:
“The Value of a College Degree” by Katherine Porter – pg. 494
“The Case Against College” by Linda Lee – pg. 499
“When I Was Young an A Was an A” by Ronna Vanderslice – pg. 504
“The Dangerous Myth of Grade Inflation” by Alfie Kohn – pg. 508
“Memoirs of a Dead Man Walking” by Sister Helen Prejean – pg. 518
“What Do Murderers Deserve?” by David Gelernter – pg. 523
“I Have a Dream” by Martin Luther King Jr. – pg. 527
“None of This Is Fair” by Richard Rodriguez” – pg. 533
From The Prose Reader: Essays for Thinking, Reading, & Writing (5th Ed.) by Kim & Michael Flachmann:
“The Death of Reading” by Mitchell Stephens – pg. 525
“Affirmative Action: The Price of Preference” by Shelby Steele – pg. 543
“Take a Ticket” by Peter Salins – pg. 557
“Honey, I Warped the Kids” by Carl Cannon – pg. 568
“Why Blame TV?” by John Leonard
“Freedom of the Press Must be Unlimited” by Mario Cuomo – pg. 582
“Freedom of the Press Must be Limited” by John Merrill – pg. 589