Reacting to a literary work . . .

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Reacting to a literary work . . . From Reading to
Writing Stories such as The Scarlet Ibis by
James Hurst and poems such as My Papas Waltz
by Theodore Roethke evoke strong emotional
responses in many readers.
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Reacting to a literary work . . . Readers own
memories and experiences often affect their
responses to stories and poems. Analyzing your
personal response to literature can generate
valuable insights about your own life and the
world around you.
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B a s i c s i n a B o x
Response to Literature at a Glance
Standards for Writing
RUBRIC
Introduction
Introduces the literary work and includes a clear
thesis statement that presents the response
A successful response to literature should

• include an introduction that identifies the
  literary work and clearly states your overall
  response to it
• tell enough about the literary work so that
  readers can understand your response
• contain clearly described, specific reactions and
  responses to the literary work
• support your statements with quotations and
  details
• use language and details that are appropriate for
  your audience

Body
Supports the interp- retation with evidence from
the literary work
Conclusion
Summarizes the response
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Writing Your Response to Literature
Originality does not consist in saying what no
one has ever said before, but in saying exactly
what you think yourself. Sir James F.
Stephen, British journalist and judge
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Writing Your Response to Literature
In selecting a poem or story for your response,
recall characters with whom you identify.
Consider themes that make you think about your
own life. Focus on settings that stimulated your
imagination. Remember a plot that surprised or
pleased you.
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Planning Your Response to Literature
1. Carefully read the piece of literature. Take
notes on passages that affect you. Include page
numbers for your reference. 2. Freewrite about
your responses. How did you respond to the
characters? theme? plot? setting? style?
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Planning Your Response to Literature
3. Consider how your own memories and experiences
affected your responses. Have you had a similar
experience? Does the storys theme coincide or
clash with your own beliefs? Do you know people
like the storys characters? 4. Identify your
audience. How familiar is your audience with the
work that you are discussing? What will they need
to know in order to understand your response?
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Writing Your Response to Literature

• Begin writing even if you have not decided on
  everything you want to say.

• Write an introduction that includes the title and
  author of the work and summarizes important
  information such as plot.

• Begin the body by stating your general response
  to the piece of literature. Then explain why you
  felt as you did.

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Writing Your Response to Literature

• Elaborate on your response by quoting or
  summarizing specific passages. You may also
  mention personal experiences that affected your
  reading.

• Summarize your response in the conclusion of your
  essay.

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Writing Your Response to Literature
Revising
TARGET SKILL USING ACTIVE VOICE To make your
responses to the literary work clear, use active
voice whenever possible. Frequent use of active
voice makes your writing stronger, livelier, and
less wordy.
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Writing Your Response to Literature
Editing and Proofreading
TARGET SKILL MISPLACED MODIFIERS Express your
ideas clearly by using modifiers correctly.
Always place a modifier as close as possible to
the word it modifies. A misplaced modifier may
leave readers with an unclear description.