Description
Purpose: The purpose of this assignment is to familiarize you with reading peer-reviewed articles, summarizing texts, and analyzing rhetorical choices that authors make when constructing arguments.
Audience: The audience of this assignment is a general audience who wants to learn more about the article you’ve chosen.
Format: Set your paper up using an MLA header. Your paper should be 2-3 pages double-spaced (this means at least 2 complete pages). Please use Times New Roman 12-point font.
Choose one of the following articles to summarize and respond to:
Augustin Fuentes’ “Are We Really As Awful As We Act Online?”
Charles J. Moore’s “Choking the Oceans with Plastic”
Liz Addison’s “Two Years Are Better than Four”
Nicholas Carr’s “How Smartphones Hijack Our Minds”
Section 1: Summary
The summary should be a concise paragraph of all the article’s main ideas. It includes the author’s name and the title of the article in the first sentence. In the summary, you should discuss the author’s thesis/argument and the main supporting ideas. Most summaries include the main ideas in the order the author presents them and usually refers back to the author throughout the summary (Moore argues; Moore reveals; Moore cautions). You will not put your own analysis in this paragraph. Below are some questions that will help guide you as you draft the summary section:
Who wrote the article?
Who is their audience?
What is the main argument?
What’s the author’s attitude toward the subject?
Why was the article written? Is it intended to raise awareness, change someone’s mind, make a profit, or deliver a message?
Section 2: Response
Your response will focus on whether you believe the author made an effective argument and will offer in-text evidence to support your position. Below are some questions to guide your body paragraphs. As you answer the question, you should include quotations from the text to support your position. Responses that do not include quotations typically do not earn high grades because there is no evidence to support the response. Also, each time you use a quotation, put an in-text citation that includes the author’s last name (if you did not already put it in the sentence) and the page number (if available). For example, (Moore 3).
Does the author use the rhetorical appeals effectively? (ethos, pathos, logos). You can break this question down into more than one paragraph and use specific examples from the text. Don’t forget to mention how each one is either used effectively or ineffectively after providing examples. You can also offer suggestions for how the author might strengthen how they’re appealing to their audience.
What types of evidence does the author include? (personal experience, research studies, interviews, etc). Is this type of evidence effective? How might the author strengthen their argument with the types of evidence they use?
Did you find the argument convincing? Why or why not?
MLA Citation: At the end of your paper type “Work Cited” since you only have one source (it’s “Works Cited” if you have more than one source). Next, put an MLA citation for citing this article. You can refer to the document located on Moodle to help you cited the source.
Rubric
The assignment has a succinct summary that includes the author’s name, the title of the article, the target audience, and the main argument/ideas of the article ___/25
The assignment offers a detailed response to the article and responds fully to the questions posed in the prompt ___/30
The response includes quotations from the text to support your answers __/20
Each quotation is followed by an accurate in-text citation ___/10
The assignment includes a Work Cited page with an accurately cited MLA citation for the source __/10
The paper is set up in MLA format ___/5
https://www.lib.ncsu.edu/videos/citation-very-brie…
Unformatted Attachment Preview
Summary/Response Essay Instructions
Purpose: The purpose of this assignment is to familiarize you with reading peer-reviewed articles,
summarizing texts, and analyzing rhetorical choices that authors make when constructing arguments.
Audience: The audience of this assignment is a general audience who wants to learn more about the
article you’ve chosen.
Format: Set your paper up using an MLA header. Your paper should be 2-3 pages double-spaced (this
means at least 2 complete pages). Please use Times New Roman 12-point font.
Choose one of the following articles to summarize and respond to:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Augustin Fuentes’ “Are We Really As Awful As We Act Online?”
Charles J. Moore’s “Choking the Oceans with Plastic”
Liz Addison’s “Two Years Are Better than Four”
Nicholas Carr’s “How Smartphones Hijack Our Minds”
Section 1: Summary
The summary should be a concise paragraph of all the article’s main ideas. It includes the author’s name
and the title of the article in the first sentence. In the summary, you should discuss the author’s
thesis/argument and the main supporting ideas. Most summaries include the main ideas in the order
the author presents them and usually refers back to the author throughout the summary (Moore
argues; Moore reveals; Moore cautions). You will not put your own analysis in this paragraph. Below are
some questions that will help guide you as you draft the summary section:
•
•
•
•
•
Who wrote the article?
Who is their audience?
What is the main argument?
What’s the author’s attitude toward the subject?
Why was the article written? Is it intended to raise awareness, change someone’s mind, make a
profit, or deliver a message?
Section 2: Response
Your response will focus on whether you believe the author made an effective argument and will offer
in-text evidence to support your position. Below are some questions to guide your body paragraphs. As
you answer the question, you should include quotations from the text to support your position.
Responses that do not include quotations typically do not earn high grades because there is no evidence
to support the response. Also, each time you use a quotation, put an in-text citation that includes the
author’s last name (if you did not already put it in the sentence) and the page number (if available). For
example, (Moore 3).
•
•
•
Does the author use the rhetorical appeals effectively? (ethos, pathos, logos). You can break
this question down into more than one paragraph and use specific examples from the text.
Don’t forget to mention how each one is either used effectively or ineffectively after providing
examples. You can also offer suggestions for how the author might strengthen how they’re
appealing to their audience.
What types of evidence does the author include? (personal experience, research studies,
interviews, etc). Is this type of evidence effective? How might the author strengthen their
argument with the types of evidence they use?
Did you find the argument convincing? Why or why not?
MLA Citation: At the end of your paper type “Work Cited” since you only have one source (it’s “Works
Cited” if you have more than one source). Next, put an MLA citation for citing this article. You can refer
to the document located on Moodle to help you cited the source.
Rubric
•
•
•
•
•
•
The assignment has a succinct summary that includes the author’s name, the title of the article,
the target audience, and the main argument/ideas of the article ___/25
The assignment offers a detailed response to the article and responds fully to the questions
posed in the prompt ___/30
The response includes quotations from the text to support your answers __/20
Each quotation is followed by an accurate in-text citation ___/10
The assignment includes a Work Cited page with an accurately cited MLA citation for the source
__/10
The paper is set up in MLA format ___/5
How to Create a Hanging Indent in Google Docs
Create your citation for your works cited or reference page. Select the citation.
Choose Format> Align & Indent> Indentation options from the top navigation bar.
Choose Hanging Indent and .5 inches. Click on Apply.
Choose Format > Line Spacing > Double.
Now your citation is double spaced with a hanging indent.
CA 3/1/21
MLA Quick Tips
If You’re Analyzing the news article, “Choking the Oceans with
Plastic,” look here:
Citing a newspaper with no volume/issue number and was found in a
database:
Last name, First name. “Title of the Article.” Newspaper name, [city of newspaper if the city
isn’t in the newspaper’s name], date of publication, p. page number if given, name of database
where found.
Example citation:
Schmidt, Sarah. “Companies Fail the Test; Junk Food Marketing Aimed at Kids Faulted.” The
Gazette [Montreal], 10 Mar. 2010, p. A.11. Canadian Newsstand.
Information to make your own citation:
1. Author’s name: Charles J. Moore
2. Article title: “Choking our Oceans with Plastic”
3. Newspaper name: The New York Times
4. Date of publication: August 26, 2018
5. Page number: A23
6. Name of database where found: ProQuest
What you’re in-text citations will look like:
As Moore explains, “…..” (A23) or (Moore A23) if you do not mention Moore’s
name in the sentence.
Where I got this information:
https://libguides.up.edu/mla/common/newspaper_articles
If You’re Analyzing the online magazine article, “Are We Really as
Awful as We Act Online?” look here:
Citing an online magazine article:
Author’s last name, first name. “Title of Magazine Article.” Title of Website, Date
of publication, URL. Accessed date.
Example Citation:
Zimmerman, Eilene. “The Many Delicate Issues of Spirituality in the Office.” New
York Times, 15 Aug. 2004, www.nytimes.com/2004/08/15/jobs/the-manydelicate-issues-of-spirituality-in-the-office.html. Accessed 7 June 2016.
Information to make your own citation:
1. Author’s name: Agustín Fuentes
2. Article title: “Choking our Oceans with Plastic”
3. Magazine name: The National Geographic
4. Date of publication: April 9, 2019
5. URL: https://www.nationalgeographic.co.uk/2018/07/are-we-really-asawful-as-we-act-online
6. Accessed date (the date you first accessed the article)
What your in-text citations will look like:
(Fuentes).
*Since there isn’t a page number, you will just put the author’s last name in the intext citation
Where I found this information:
https://libguides.up.edu/mla/common/newspaper_articles
If You’re Analyzing the online news article, “Two Years Are Better
than Four”
Citing a newspaper with no volume/issue number and was found in a
database:
Last name, First name. “Title of the Article.” Newspaper name, [city of newspaper if the city
isn’t in the newspaper’s name], date of publication, p. page number if given, name of
database where found.
Example citation:
Schmidt, Sarah. “Companies Fail the Test; Junk Food Marketing Aimed at Kids Faulted.” The
Gazette [Montreal], 10 Mar. 2010, p. A.11. Canadian Newsstand.
Information to make your own citation:
1. Author’s name: Liz Addison
2. Article title: “Two Years Are Better than Four”
3. Newspaper name: The New York Times
4. Date of publication: September 26, 2007
5. Page number: Not available
6. URL:https://archive.nytimes.com/essay.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/09/26/twoyears-are-better-than-four
What your in-text citations will look like:
(Addison). *Since there isn’t a page number, you will just put the author’s last
name in the in-text citation
Where I found this information:
https://libguides.up.edu/mla/common/newspaper_articles
If You’re Analyzing the online news article, “How Smartphones
Hijack Our Minds” *Note that this article is stuck behind a paywall
so we’re viewing it on Harvard’s website.
Citing an online magazine article:
Author’s last name, first name. “Title of Magazine Article.” Title of Website, Date
of publication, URL. Accessed date.
Example Citation:
Zimmerman, Eilene. “The Many Delicate Issues of Spirituality in the Office.” New
York Times, 15 Aug. 2004, www.nytimes.com/2004/08/15/jobs/the-manydelicate-issues-of-spirituality-in-the-office.html. Accessed 7 June 2016.
1. Author’s name: Nicholas Carr
2. Article title: “How Smartphones Hijack Our Minds”
3. Newspaper name: The New York Times
4. Date of publication: October 6, 2017
5. Page number: 1-7
6. URL: https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/wpcontent/uploads/sites/1798/2018/03/How-Smartphones-Hijack-Our-Minds_-WallStreetJournal-_-7OCT17.pdf
What you’re in-text citations will look like:
As Carr explains, “…..” (5) or (Carr 5) if you do not mention Carr’s name in the
sentence.
Last Name 1
Student Name
Amber Simpson
ENG 101-332
29 January 2023
Summary and Response: “Generation Stress”
Summary:
In “Generation Stress,” Sylvia Mathews Burwell examines the pattern of increased stress
and decreased mental health that has formed in the last few decades. “Generation Stress”
investigates the mental health crisis occurring on campuses across the country and theorizes
possible causes and solutions to draw the attention of Burwell’s primary audience, fellow
intellectuals with influence who read Foreign Affairs, to this Mental Health Crisis. Burwell
wields her influence as an articulate, respected, and educated individual and providing tangible,
organized evidence of the crisis because her work can, not only, highlight the depth and breadth
of the epidemic, but also, propel readers into constructive action.
Response:
To reach an audience that is mainly motivated by trusted information, it is important that
Burwell establishes herself as a trustworthy source, which she achieves through methods starting
with her diction and tone throughout her writing. “Generation Stress” is not written in solely
layman’s terms, but rather was wrote requiring a moderately high comprehension level and with
the inclusion of many statistics which all serve to establish Burwell as a fellow intellectual to the
audience. Furthermore, Burwell leans on her statis “as president of American University” in
order to prove her credibility/strengthen her ethos an author, she routinely reminds her audience
that she has plentiful experience with this issue, such as in the following example: “When I
Last Name 2
asked students if stress-reduction seminars might be helpful, one responded, ‘Please don’t add
anything to my already packed schedule that will further stress me out!’” (151). Here, Burwell is
simultaneously establishing her point that helping students should not come at the cost of doing
more harm than good and reminding the audience of why they should trust her word with the
reference to the fact that she is close to the problem with her job as head of a prominent
University.
With herself well established as a reliable source for her audience, Burwell shifts gears to
proving her problem analysis and argument with facts and logic. In the second sentence of her
paper, Burwell starts to reference studies and their data, which is essential to her proof of the
issue at hand because the data is overwhelming on her side of the argument. For example, as the
paper is just beginning, she leads into her work with the shocking statistics of “39 percent [of
students] reported experiencing symptoms of depression or anxiety” and “suicidal ideation has
grown from six percent. . . to 11 percent” over a decade, which is data that comes from the very
credible source of the Healthy Minds Study, whose central purpose is to collect valid data on this
subject (150). Starting her paper with this data, allows her to build confidence in her claims with
her intellectual fact-based audience by providing concrete proof of the problem, and the data is
so shocking that it also serves the purpose of hooking the audience’s interest in the paper as they
read more to learn more about the problem and possible solutions.
Overall, this was an incredibly fascinating article that did lead to a lot of positive
information, such as the fact that before I read this paper, I did not know the full scope how bad
the student Mental Health was on campuses, and the data has helped me gain a deeper
understanding. Also, I had never heard of the Healthy Minds Study, which has been very
enlightening to investigate. But at the same time, this paper has the potential to cause damage
Last Name 3
with its incomplete look at all of the causes of the Mental Health decline on college campuses.
Such as, this paper claims that the “parents have probably not done enough to prepare [students]
for the fact that life involves both success and failure” as if all the generation currently in college
have had perfect, healthy homes without any struggles or the familial issues of the past
generations (153). Erasing our autonomy as people, some of whom were coddled but many more
who were not, that have grown up with just as many stressors to deal with (even if they are
different) than past generations. It supports the stigma that the young must constantly fight
against: we must listen to outdated “traditions” and “ways-of-life” just because elders are older.
Such stigmas and incorrect understandings of the causes of crises, like the Mental Health Crisis,
can have huge effects by slowing down solving the issue.
Work Cited
Mathews Burwell, Sylvia. “Generation Stress.” Foreign Affairs, 2018, 150-156,
www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/united-states/2018-10-11/generation-stress-mental-healthcrisis-in-schools. 29 January 2023.
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