Response Paper

221

28th Dec 2021

Write a response paper on a comparison of Caldwell's book, Tobacco Road, with the 1941 film version. I'd like to know what you think about them - not only how they are different, but how the differences affected you as a reader/viewer. Do the book and the film convey the same moral message?

Remember: a typical response paper includes a brief description of what you read, an interpretation of something important about it, and an important observation that you gleaned about human nature, the human condition, or yourself as a result of the reading.
NOTE:The kind of response paper you'll be writing is known as a reflective journal. Unlike the discussion board, the response paper is private writing. You and I are the only people who will read it. As a rule, it will be the last assignment due in a week that requires a response paper submission. I deliberately placed it at the end of the week so you could consider and assimilate what you learned from the responses and comments on the discussion board. A typical response paper consists of three elements: a brief description of what you read, an interpretation of something important about it, and an important observation that you gleaned about human nature, the human condition, or yourself as a result of the reading. Here are some questions to consider as you develop your response papers:

What did you like - or not like - about the story, and why?
Did you have trouble understanding the story? What made it difficult?
If you could meet the author, what would you want to ask?
Can you relate to the story on a personal level? Have you, someone in your family, or a friend experienced something like what happened in the story?
How do you think things will turn out for the characters in the story, and why?
What does the story suggest about human nature?
What do you think is the story's moral message or meaning?

The response paper is a critically important part of academic learning. It is a space that allows you to explore your reaction to and ideas about something you've read, to evaluate the content of a story or the writer's craft, and take some aspect of the reading to a deeper level that one would typically find in a discussion board response.