（900words ）The Article Review Assignment
Task 4: Thesis & Summary
Thesis Pattern:
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POSITIVE (+) evaluation |
NEGATIVE (-) evaluation |
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Although (-) evaluative criterion #1, [Author’s last name (year)] writes an effective article because (+) evaluative criteria #2 and (+) evaluative criteria #3. |
Although (+) evaluative criterion #1, [Author’s last name (year)] writes an ineffective article because (-) evaluative criteria #2 and (-) evaluative criteria #3.
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Walsh presents an effective article that captures both biblical and cinematic readers because it has ample evidence and a clear writing style.
Part 2: Summary
Explain how the author unfolds the main argument using effective time-transition words and
reporting verbs: begins, continues, asserts, explains, illustrates, suggests, concludes, compares, contrasts, adds to, expands…
Example Pattern:
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Author’s last name (year) states/explains/illustrates ... [general main argument] To start/ At first, Rapaport begins/refers that …. Then, the author asserts/elaborates/expands that …. After that, Rapaport continues/describes/adds that … In the end/Finally, the author suggests/concludes …. |
Sample：
In his article, Walsh argues that films need to be viewed in their own respective genres without over-analyzing them through a theological lens simply because the audience determines that a Christ-figure exists within them. First, Walsh begins the article by listing a series of examples from cinema in which Christ-figures are seemingly present. He then lists reasons why an identification of a Christ-figure may limit the viewers’ understanding of the film as there may be other ways of analyzing it from the perspectives of genre and religion. At the same time, Walsh is able to present, through discussions of two films, Donnie Darko and The Wrestler, that an identification of Christ-figures within the stories’ narratives can help one to delve deeper into the films themselves. Finally, Walsh ends the article by presenting what he calls “a modest proposal”, in which characters are identified and analyzed as Christ-figures to add to the discussion of the films as a whole and not to take over the focus of the film as a theological one.