Read the text “I Will Forever Remain Faithful: How Lil Wayne Helped Me Survive My First Year Teaching in New Orleans” (944 in textbook). Use the document labeled “Response/Reaction Paper” to guide your thought process. Specifically, you will pay close attention to the “Questions to Ask” section to respond to the individual text. The assignment is to read, understand, and express your opinion in a formally written essay. The paper should be approximately two pages (600-800 words). There is a minimum requirement of five complete paragraphs (with a minimum of five sentences in each paragraph). The paper should be double-spaced, properly headed, and follow all MLA formatting guidelines. You will illustrate this opinion by using evidence and analysis from the text.
Focus specifically on the following questions:
What is the main problem or issue that the author is addressing?
What is the author’s central claim, argument, or point?
What assumptions does the author make?
Questions 1-3 should be included in your introduction. This allows you to introduce the text, reveal the author’s main argument (thesis), and what information he assumes you already know. For example, does he assume you are familiar with the subject matter (Lil Wayne)?
What evidence does the author present?
You should develop a paragraph discussing important evidence the author uses to illustrate his thesis.
What are the strengths and weaknesses of the text?
Instead of focusing on all of his strengths and weaknesses, perhaps, you should focus on one strength or one weakness that stands out in the overall success/failure of the text. In one paragraph, discuss something that the author does well (strength), or something the author does not do well (weakness). Explain why this approach does or does not work. Consider if this method impacts the overall success of the text and why. Consider what the audience may have expected, and how his strengths or weaknesses affect those expectations.
What are the possible counterarguments to the text’s claims?
Your conclusion should begin by considering how other readers may react to, or think about the text. Discuss one or two of these counterarguments.
Why are the problem(s) and the arguments interesting or important?
Develop a paragraph that discusses why the topic is important. More specifically, whom it is important to? If it is important to the author, say that. If it is important to society, including yourself, indicate that instead. Indicate why the topic can be relevant to other readers. Or, if it cannot, then discuss why not. If it is not interesting, you should indicate that it is not interesting, but also why it is not interesting, and perhaps suggest how it could be more interesting. Remember, it is not just about you.
In what way (if any) does the information or argument of one text strengthen or weaken the argument of others?
The second part of your conclusion should indicate the overall impact the information has on readers. Additionally, how the author presents this information should have an impact on the overall strength or weakness of his argument in opposition to other’s arguments.
Format of Paper
Introduction
Use a quote or information about or from the text to make a statement that grabs the audience’s attention.
Title of text and author’s name.
By introducing the author and the title of the text, you will only need to indicate page numbers in your in-text parenthetical citation.
Identify questions 1-3
See comment 1.
Indicate your thesis statement that indicates:
If the text is strong or weak overall.
Why it is successful or not.
If it has good evidence or not.
If it is important.
Example:
Ramsey’s text is a successful and unique texts because he uses a strong tactic to engage the reader, he utilizes credible evidence to support his claim, and makes it clear that it is important to him to share his experience.
Body
Paragraph one
Topic sentence that indicates one strength or weakness of the text.
Specific development of the topic.
One quote, paraphrase, or summary from the text (in parentheses indicate the page number)
“Lil Wayne slurs, hollers, sings, sighs, bellows, whines, croons, wheezes, coughs, stutters, shouts. He reminds me, in different moments, of two dozen other rappers” (945).
You have already introduced the primary text, thus, you only need to indicate what page number the quote is located.
Sentence that follows the quote from text to reiterate your original topic.
Paragraph two
Topic sentence that indicates your take on the evidence within the text.
Specific development of the topic.
One quote, paraphrase, or summary from the text.
Sentence that follows the quote from the text to reiterate your original topic.
Paragraph three
Topic sentence that makes reference to the importance of the topic.
Specific development of topic.
One quote, paraphrase, or summary from the text.
Sentence that follows the quote from the text to reiterate you original topic.
Conclusion
Consider how readers may react to the text.
The overall impact the text has.
Follow through on the three main topics that you use in your paper to wrap up your paper.
Your conclusion should provide closure to your audience. You don’t need quotes from the text to conclude your paper. The conclusion puts everything you have developed in your paper into perspective. You don’t have to repeat verbatim information you have discussed, but you do not introduce new topics in the conclusion either.
