Paper 2:
Writing With Criticism Pre-Workshop Assignment

Before you begin your first draft, you’ve likely begun your own interpretive thinking. WHAT ELSE…

This assignment has four parts:

Part the first: Based on your own reading, record your overall interpretations. This could include noting the theme of your short story (a thesis-in-progress) or thoughts about specific passages and dialogue.

Part the second: Read your chosen article and summarize the article. Essential summary strategies include:

  • Introduce the author, title, and source
  • Accurately describe the author’s thesis
  • Clearly and concisely describe the argument
  • Incorporate brief quotations to show the author’s voice at work
  • Give balanced attention to the entire text
  • Remain objective in your descriptions

Part the third: Re-read your article “with the grain” of the text. “With the grain” means you support and agree, thinking of ways to affirm the author’s position. Even if you don’t agree with the author’s claims, imagine how one might support them. Are there additional examples that might add support to the author’s claims? How could you clarify and/or expand the thesis? Record and cite three chunks of text. Below the citation, record your “with the grain” reading. Note: the segments should not all be in the first 3 pages.

Part the fourth: Re-read the article “against the grain” of the text. “Against the grain” means thinking about ways to challenge the author’s position. Even if you agree with the author’s reading, speculate on the reasons why others may disagree. Are there blind spots in the argument? Can you think of counter-examples that may complicate or overturn the author’s claims? Record and cite three chunks of text. Below the citation, record our “against the grain” reading. Note: the segments should not all be in the first 3 pages.

Due next class: You are now to find a second article that supports or challenges this article. We will review and discuss how to use such resources as the databases JSTOR & Project Muse that can be found on the UMB library website. Once you have chosen your article you will repeat the four steps explained above. This way, you will now have two pieces of criticism to incorporate into your argument for your upcoming essay.

Goshert, John Charles. Entering the Academic Conversation: Strategies for Research Writing.New York: Longman, 2011. Print.