Article Response Essay
Assignment
Respond to a written argument and offer a thorough analysis of the article in order to support your
response and ideas.
The Rhetorical Situation (Purpose, Audience, and Genre)
The purpose of this essay is to analyze and respond to an argument (see Norton, Ch. 3 and They Say,
Ch. 4). Your audience is readers of a “current issues” blog; they have not read the article to which you
are responding. Your primary genre is response—this is a “summary/response essay” that you are
being asked to write (Norton, Ch. 3), and you will use the strategies of analysis (see Norton, Ch. 11) in
order to support your reasoning for why you are responding the way you are.
Assignment Requirements
Essays that do not meet the following requirements will be penalized, up to and including a failing grade
on the assignment. Note that failure to follow other guidelines on this assignmen/t sheet may also result
in a penalized grade.
Length: 900-1500 words (including Works Cited, MLA heading, etc.)
Sources: one—the article to which you are responding (NO other sources/research allowed!)
o You must include a Works Cited page with the citation for the article provided in MLA
format; consult your Norton textbook (Ch. 52) for details.
o You must quote from the article at least once in your essay (in MLA format)
Tasks/Steps in Completing Essay
1.) Select ONE of the following written texts/arguments to analyze and respond to—since you are
not conducting additional research, make sure you select an article that discusses a topic for
which you have some prior knowledge, as you will be adding your own thoughts to the
ongoing conversation:
“Hidden Intellectualism” – Gerald Graff (They Say, pg. 244)
“Black Friday: Consumerism Minus Civilization” – Andrew Leonard (Norton, pg. 164)
“Juno: Not Just Another Teen Movie” – Ali Heinekamp (Norton, pg. 198)
“Course Requirement: Extortion” – Michael Granof (Norton, pg. 235)
“Should Gamers Be Prosecuted for Virtual Stealing?” – Alex Weiss (Norton, pg. 731)
“Is Google Making Us Stupid?” – Nicholas Carr (Norton, pg. 735)
“Our Fear of Immigrants” – Jeremy Adam Smith (Norton, pg. 750)
“Anti-Intellectualism: Why We Hate the Smart Kids” – Grant Penrod (Norton, pg. 759)
“Wikipedia as a Site of Knowledge Production” – Danah Boyd (Norton, pg. 765)
“Kids’ Stuff” – Michael Chabon (Norton, pg. 912)
“The Singer Solution to World Poverty” (Norton, pg. 931)
“Finland’s School Success: What Americans Keep Ignoring” – Anu Paratanen (pg. 969)
I recommend reading at least three of these written arguments before selecting one for your
essay assignment; that way, you know it will work for you—remember, again, to make sure you
are able to discuss the topic with your own ideas and knowledge!
ENG 101 – Professor Bolton
2.) Construct an academic essay (in the structure we have discussed and using MLA style/format)
that responds to the written argument by agreeing, disagreeing, or agreeing and disagreeing
simultaneously
……………Answer Preview…………….
Name:
Professor:
Course:
Date:
Is Google Making Us Stupid? By Nicholas Carr
Nicolas Carr exists as an important voice I the modern society. Through his article Is Google Making Us Stupid? He illustrates on the notion of the technology platform and its inference within the current societal setting. Through careful construction, Nicholas acknowledges the fact that technology has pushed the humans to the verge resulting to a point where reading is continually being faced with various challenges. Through his Atlantic article, he raises concerns about qualitative differences…..
MLA
1003 words
