Based on the emails I’ve received from you and the chapters you were supposed to read in Writing Matters, here’s a list of things to keep in mind while writing your review essay:
Preparing to write a review (aka the reading/watching/figuring out phase)
- Be an active reader/viewer of whatever you are reviewing: As Amber reminds us, it’s important to take notes while watching/listening to/using the thing you are reviewing, and it’s important to ask questions while you take notes. Often, thesis statements develop as a response to questions we have. Yesenia also adds that it’s important to annotate the work (take notes/underline important aspects if the text is in front of you/write down memorable quotes).
- To quote Shelbi, “Begin by writing a summary”: in other words, start by making sure you know the “what” (the content–plot, uses of the product, etc.). That might involve summarizing the plot of books, movies, or tv shows, or of describing in detail what a product looks like or what a music album sounds like.
- Make sure you really understand whatever you are writing about: As Becca put it, “You have to know what your writing about-understand it-realize the main point so you can write a theme.” This might require you to watch/listen to/read/use whatever you are reviewing many, many times while you write the essay. As Alana points out, it helps if you enjoy what you’re reviewing, too.
- Analysis is key: As Mary put it, “take it piece by piece”; in other words, you need to analyze whatever you are reviewing, break it into smaller parts, and then figure out what you have to say about it and how you will convey those ideas to your readers. Christian also said (while channeling the Writing Matters reading), “Analyze the text by dividing the work into parts and seeing how they work together.” As Alana says, it’s also important to recognize what stands out to you when you read/view/listen to/use whatever you’re reviewing: focus on what stands out to you when you review the text/product for other people.
- To quote Mary again, “Think about the purpose behind the product, trend, or person you may be writing about”: move beyond summary into investigating the “how” (rhetorical choices of the text) and “why” (purpose behind the text). This is ultimately your opinion, of course, and that’s okay as long as you can show evidence from the text to support your points.
While drafting the review essay (aka the “crap on a page” phase)
- This is a reader-based essay: That means that you will have to spell everything out for your readers so they can understand where you are coming from. This is not a mystery novel, and (most of) your audience cannot read your mind: you have to tell them exactly what you think, even if it seems obvious to you.
- Have a clear, explicit thesis statement: The thesis statement presentation group did a nice job of introducing us to what a thesis is and why we need it. Remember, in a persuasive essay like the one you are reading, the thesis should be clearly spelled out in the essay, preferably somewhere in the introductory section of the text. Readers should be able to underline your thesis statement–it can be anywhere from one sentence to one paragraph long, but readers need to be able to point to it in the text and say “here’s the thesis.”
- Your thesis should make an argument: As the Writing Matters readings and the group presentation on Tuesday pointed out, your thesis should take a position. In this case, ultimately your position comes in the form of a recommendation–would you recommend whatever you’re writing about to your readers or not? Would you recommend/not recommend with some special exceptions?
- Develop ideas fully: You will need to make clear to your readers why you think the way you do about the product/text/person/SWOSU campus aspect you are reviewing. That means that you will need to explain your criteria as well as use lots of examples to illustrate your review.
- Support, support, support: You will need to have plenty of evidence to show readers that your ideas are valid. In this case, evidence will be in the form of description/summary of the text, specific examples from the text, and your personal experiences. Research is NOT required, but it might not hurt to look some extra information up (and cite it in MLA style).
When proofreading/revising an essay (aka the tidying-up phase)
- Use active voice in your writing. It keeps readers engaged, and it’s often easier to follow than passive voice. Click here to find many, many links that discuss the differences between active and passive voice.
- Include the work’s (or product’s) title in your title. It’s just one of those things you do in this genre (review essays).
- Use MLA citation/formatting style: Just like your other projects, your essay should follow MLA style (see pages 192-199 of Writing Matters for an example or click here). If you use any sources at all, cite them and include them on a “Works Cited” page at the end of the essay. I can help you with this part. If you review a book, film, tv show, or music album, please include a Works Cited entry for the text at the end of your essay: to cite a book, see page 163 of Writing Matters; for a film, see pages 179-180 (depending on the method you used to watch the movie); for a tv show, see page 181; for a music album, see pages 181-182, depending on the medium you used to listen to the music; for an online video clip (YouTube or otherwise), see page 180. When referring to specific songs on an album or episodes of a tv show, put quotation marks around the title. When referring to a movie title, tv show title, book, or music album title, use italics.
- Be consistent (parallel) with your use of first or third person: I am okay with you using first person (saying “I”) in this review, but if you choose to do that, use “I” all the way through the text (not just one time in the conclusion). The same goes for using third person (no “I”); once you commit, stay with it. Try to avoid second person (“you”) as much as possible.
- Be consistent (parallel) with your use of tense: When you are describing/summarizing plot points or examples from a book/tv show/film/music album, use present tense (as though the person reading your essay can also read/view the original text simultaneously). Use past tense when you are explaining specific historical events that have already happened. In other words, if you are writing about South Park, describe episodes in present tense, but discuss the death threats Matt Stone & Trey Parker received in 2012 in past tense.
