COMM1007 Critical Response Essay
COMM1007 Critical Response Essay
Your Essay Assignment:
- Choose one text from the following options:
Postrel, V. (2007). The Truth About Beauty. The Atlantic.
https://vpostrel.com/articles/the-truth-about-beauty
Moon, C. (2017). The Secret World of Fast Fashion. Pacific Standard.
https://psmag.com/economics/secret-world-slow-road-korea-los-angeles-behind-fast-fashion-
73956
Slone, I. (2021). The ‘Made in Canada’ challenge. Chatelaine.
https://login.gbcprx01.georgebrown.ca/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct
=true&db=rch&AN=151729211&site=eds-live&scope=site
Note: for Slone’s text, you will need to use your GBC ID and password to access the text
through the library.
The full texts can be downloaded from Assignments on Blackboard.
- Compose a 750-800-word thesis-driven essay about the strengths and / or weaknesses
in the author’s appeals to logic, credibility, and emotions.
Keep in mind that your Critical Response Essay will focus on one topic (although you may
take a different angle or offer a different perspective), so this may inform what you appreciate
and/ or found problematic about the text. In your essay, support your critique (praise and/ or
criticism) of the author’s appeals by analyzing relevant examples from the text. As well,
logically justify and explain your critique of the text and the author’s appeals.
Your goal is to persuade your audience to agree with your analysis and evaluation.
Submission:
How to submit: Upload a Word or PDF document of your Critical Analysis Essay to
Blackboard.
Critical Analysis Essay Success Criteria:
The following features are the success criteria for this assignment. Please see below for the
rubric, which also details how you will be marked:
Is approximately 750-800 words
5 paragraphs in total (see structure on p. 3-4)
Formal tone (no slang, no clichés, colloquialism)
Can include the use of “I” (use sparingly and appropriately)
Includes fair, logical, and insightful analyses/evaluations of the text
Evidence is mainly incorporated as paraphrases; no long quotations (40 words or more)
allowed
Follows APA referencing and formatting (Reference page, title page, appropriate font style
(e.g., Times, Ariel), font size 12, double-spaced, 1-inch margins).
No other text or research may be used to complete this assignment.
Requirements:
Focus and Organization
Your introduction paragraph must summarize the text (briefly). It must clearly state
your argument (thesis), which will state what you appreciated and / or found
problematic about the author’s appeals to logic, credibility, and emotions.
Your body paragraphs must logically support and justify your thesis. In other
words, you must have a focused critique (praise and/ or criticism) that you prove and
defend throughout your essay.
The conclusion must rephrase your main point, summarize your supporting points,
and bring the essay to a close with a strong concluding sentence.
Analysis and Development
In your body paragraphs, analyze and logically explain what you appreciated and/
or found problematic about author’s appeal(s) to logic, credibility, and emotions
Support your critique with an analysis of relevant examples from the text.
Justify and explain your critique of the text and the author’s appeals.
Style, Grammar, and APA
Communicate your critique in clear, audience-and-purpose appropriate language.
Communicate your critique without grammar, spelling, and mechanical errors.
Correctly use the APA documentation style to format your essay and cite your sources.
Be sure to check, edit, and revise your work!
Critical Analysis Essay Structure:
Introduction:
Hook your audience by introducing the topic and controversial issue.
o What is the controversy?
o Why is the contentious issue significant?
Context:
o Give a brief summary of the text you are analyzing
o Text should be cited in APA style
Thesis Statement:
o Your thesis statement is your evaluation (support and/or critique) of the text.
o Your thesis statement must clearly answer the following question: What do you
support and/or find problematic with the author’s appeals to logic, credibility
and emotion?
Body Paragraph 1
Analysis of text – Rhetorical Appeal #1:
Follow the evidence-analysis text structure to answer the following question:
o To what degree does the author effectively use one rhetorical strategy to
successfully persuade you to agree with their thesis? Examine and evaluate their
use of logos OR pathos OR ethos to achieve their goal or purpose.
Provide evidence from the text to justify your analysis. To persuade me of your
evaluation, you must provide specific evidence from the text (quote or paraphrase) and
explain your evidence.
Body Paragraph 2
Analysis of the text – Rhetorical Appeal #2:
Follow the evidence-analysis text structure to answer the following question:
o To what degree does the author effectively use one rhetorical strategy to
successfully persuade you to agree with their thesis? Examine and evaluate their
use of logos OR pathos OR ethos to achieve their goal or purpose.
Provide evidence from the text to justify your analysis. To persuade me of your
evaluation, you must provide specific evidence from the text (quote or paraphrase) and
explain your evidence.
Body Paragraph 3
Analysis of the text – Rhetorical Appeal #3 OR Further evidence to support Rhetorical
Appeal #1 or #2
Follow the evidence-analysis text structure to answer the following question:
o To what degree does the author effectively use one rhetorical strategy to
successfully persuade you to agree with their thesis? Examine and evaluate their
use of logos OR pathos OR ethos to achieve their goal or purpose.
Provide evidence from the text to justify your analysis. To persuade me of your
evaluation, you must provide specific evidence from the text (quote or paraphrase) and
explain your evidence.
Conclusion:
Restate your thesis.
Highlight key points presented (summary of your Body paragraphs).
Final remarks about how this text has influenced your perspective on this topic moving
forward.
Reference page
APA style
Be sure that the reference page is on a new page.
