Critique ENG 112

ENG 112 Critique Questions: Short Paper #1 Author name: Critiqued by (your name): ENG 112: Critique Instructions – Short Paper 1 Due date: Wednesday, April 9th at 5:30pm Critiquing, or peer reviewing, another person’s writing is an important and valuable part of the writing process. Too often, we become so engrossed in our own writing that we cannot see it clearly; we cannot see that the organization is not clear or when a paragraph does not contain enough detail because we are just “too close” to that paper. When that happens, it is helpful to have a new set of eyes and another brain to consider our paper and respond to it. Think of peer review as a free pass to hearing what your audience has to say; while you are writing, you are probably thinking about your audience – what they want and need to know, how to phrase the information so that they will understand, what problems they might have or counterargument they might think of while reading your essay – but actually hearing from an audience member is often the best way to highlight both areas where you need to do some extra work and also areas where your paper is strong. Throughout the semester, you will critique/peer review three of your classmate’s short papers. Your partners in this will be assigned randomly via Blackboard Groups, and you will have a new partner each time. Your assignment is to exchange short papers, read through them, and answer a series of questions that I have provided. You will then upload your critique to Blackboard for your partner (and myself) to see. Each critique is worth 10 points. Please remember to respond to your classmate’s writing in a respectful manner. Each and every writer has their strengths and weaknesses, and we can all learn from each other. It is fine to disagree with your classmate, but do so respectfully, taking their perspective and viewpoint into consideration, even as you offer your own. Additionally, grammatical concerns – while important to mention to the writer – should not take center stage here. You should be focused more so on the content of the writing. If you find that you are spending more time responding or thinking about grammar than content, try and switch your focus. Grammar is not a higher order concern in writing, and it is not your job as a reviewer to correct your classmate’s grammar or teach them how to write in a more grammatically correct fashion. Your job here is to offer feedback and another perspective. . critique questions please use (answer)these 10 questions for the paper to critiqued,and I will upload the sample critique and the paper. 1.What word does the author focus on and what reason(s) do they give for why this word is so important in the poem? 2.What does the author say the overall meaning of the poem is? 3.Does the author explain how focusing on their word of choice contributes to the overall message of the poem? 4.Does the essay provide adequate support for their claims (ie. they have quoted lines, given examples, provided definitions, etc.)? 5.What items of support (lines from the poem, examples, definitions, etc.) were most effective to you and why? 6.Are there any items of support where the author could have provided more in the way of explanation, analysis, etc.? 7.Does the essay remain focused throughout? Were there any areas where you were confused or where the author got off track? 8.Are there any grammatical or citation issues that need to be addressed? 9.What did you like the most about this essay? 10.What do you think the author can most improve upon if they were to turn this essay into their final paper? Here are some general “Do’s” and “Don’t’s” of Peer Evaluations: Peer Evaluations: Some "Do's" 1. Do treat the writer with courtesy and respect. 2. Do comment on the writing, not the person. 3. Do focus on how the argument is supported (or not), rather than whether you agree or disagree with it. 4. Do aim for balance and completeness in pointing out strengths and problem areas. 5. Do comment on specific examples of strengths and problem areas. 6. Do aim to help the writer see how to improve future work as well as the current draft. Peer Evaluations: Some "Don't's" 1. Don't use snippy comments such as "So what?" or "What's your point?" 2. Don't get into debates over unresolvable questions of individual value and belief. 3. Don't argue with the writer. Raise objections or ask for explanations only to clarify and suggest ways of strengthening the argument. 4. Don't confine your comments to mechanical details. 5. Don't make vague, global comments. 6. Don't rewrite for the writer.

ENG 112 Critique: Short Paper #1 

Author name: Emily Stinson

Critiqued by (your name): Emily Stinson

1. 1.       What word does the author focus on and what reason(s) do they give for why this word is so important in the poem?

This author believes that the word “my” in the poem “The Secretary Chant” is the most important because it creates a connection between the speaker of the poem and the office equipment that she is comparing herself to.

1. 2.       What does the author say the overall meaning of the poem is?

The author believes that the overall message of the poem is that the speaker has lost her identity and womanhood due to her job. She connects

1. 3.       Does the author explain how focusing on their word of choice contributes to the overall message of the poem?

The author says that the word “my” is important because it connects the speaker with the office equipment, essentially saying the office equipment she mentions are parts of her body.

1. 4.       Does the essay provide adequate support for their claims (ie. they have quoted lines, given examples, provided definitions, etc.)?

There are some quoted lines, but out of the eleven mentions of “my” throughout the poem, the author only discusses four of them. Perhaps she could have discussed additional lines where “my” is used.
The definitions she uses for the word “my” work in the paper, but those sentences seem a little too technical, especially for a word that is supposed to denote personal connection.

1. 5.       What items of support (lines from the poem, examples, definitions, etc.) were most effective to you and why?

Her last paragraph seemed very effective to me because it is the most emotional. Here, the author analyzes how the speaker in the poem is not bearing children anymore but instead, is giving birth to a Xerox machine. This last section and the author’s analysis really hits home the message of the poem.

1. 6.       Are there any items of support where the author could have provided more in the way of explanation, analysis, etc.?

The author does not discuss the connotations for the word “my” in her paper, which could have added some additional emotion. Also, other than the Xerox machine, she does not discuss the specific office equipment that she speaker has mentioned. Yes, it is important that she mentions office equipment, but why these specific pieces of office equipment? This is one area that the last paragraph does differently, and this is another reason why this paragraph is a little more effective than the others.

1. 7.       Does the essay remain focused throughout? Were there any areas where you were confused or where the author got off track?

For the most part, yes, the essay is focused. I was a little confused in her definition paragraph because, as I mentioned above, those definition sentences were a little technical.

1. 8.       Are there any grammatical or citation issues that need to be addressed?

She did not use a citation for one of the lines of the poem in the third paragraph. Also, what she says are metaphors are similes.

1. 9.       What did you like the most about this essay?

That last paragraph. As I mentioned above in question 5, the last paragraph really connects the most with the thesis of the essay, which is that the speaker has lost her womanhood.

1. 10.    What do you think the author can most improve upon if they were to turn this essay into their final paper?

As I mentioned above, rewording the second paragraph to make it less technical, and discussing more of the lines of the poem, including the connotations of the word “my” outside of the poem. Also, including some more analysis of the specific office equipment might have been an interesting area for analysis.