jane eyre

One-Page Response Paper

For each text read this semester, we will be writing a reading response. These are one-page, double-space responses (think around 300 words), in which you pick a short quotation from the book that you think exemplifies some larger theme or motif in the book, and then explain as concisely as possibly why the passage you have chosen illustrates some larger aspect of the book.

While you are welcome to use your own personal opinion, your responses must include textual evidence in the form of summaries, paraphrases, or follow-up quotations (as long as they are short!). You will not be penalized for going over one page, but please do not exceed two pages.

This paper should be in MLA format, so remember to use MLA-style in-text citations (the author’s last name and the page number you got your quote in in parenthesis; example: Austen 53) and an MLA header (your name, my name, the course name (ENG 3500) and the date the paper is due in the upper left-hand corner), along with your last name and the page number in the header section on the top right. Finally, remember to give your paper a title—try to make it creative, instead of just naming it after the assignment! Papers will be submitted to the Canvas page by the due date.

Things to keep in mind when writing responses:

· Make your first or second sentence your thesis statement. Your thesis should establish the main idea of your response

· This is a short paper, so most of the response should be in your own words. Avoid long quotations and try not to use more than 2-3 quotations

· Every time you have a quotation, paraphrase, or summary, follow it with context or explanation in your own words to show how it supports your thesis

· Try to avoid first person (I, we, us). It’s okay to use it on occasion, but this should be more than just a personal response paper. You should not just talk about how the text made you feel!

· Remember to proofread! These papers are less formal than the final paper, but they should still be polished and relatively error-free

· If you use a quotation or paraphrase, make sure to cite correctly. For MLA, we will use different formats depending on what information we have:

· 1st time you refer to a poem (Author’s last name line number[s])

· (Angelou line 1) or (Angelou lines 2-4)

· Novels (Author’s last name page number)

· (Hurston 25).

Jane Eyre—September 24