For this assignment, compose a summary/strong response essay in which you respond to the thesis, or a part thereof, forwarded by Nicholas Carr in “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” In other words, “speak back to its author from your own critical thinking, personal experience, [and] values.” You should not try to respond to the entire work here. Instead, think about one point or one topic that Carr addresses and focus your response in order to “bring readers a new, enlarged, or deepened understanding of the text” based on your experience, knowledge, and insight. In academic writing, it is always best to narrow your topic as much as possible and then really drill for meaningful substance and depth. Think back to the goal of knowledge-making and offer a very narrow, precise response.
Since you are responding to Carr, your essay should clearly articulate Carr’s thesis by offering a summary (150-200 words) of the academic conversation that he has begun. The purpose of the brief summary is to introduce the topic, nothing more. Do not summarize the entire essay in this section; rather, explain his thesis and then focus on what he has to say about the topic/perspective that you are writing about. Your summary should only focus on the aspects of Carr’s essay that correlate with your response. In other words, the summary material is governed by your response — your thesis. This section is usually situated at the beginning of the response essay and is a very effective way of introducing your topic and forthcoming response. But, you cannot write the summary section until you determine your response — your assertion, your thesis. Do not cut/paste the summary that you have already written because this summary section must be tailored to your thesis and serves the very specific purpose of introducing your ideas.
After introducing the topic, transition to a clear, precise, and interesting assertion of your own that is then fully developed in the remainder of the essay. That is, offer an assertion in which you “examine how the ideas [or a single idea associated with the work] of the original author mesh or conflict with your own” and/or “connect the reading to your own experiences, beliefs, and values” (see Revel 6.4.2 & 6.4.3). Think about how this course has emphasized the importance of a thesis and make sure that you posit a very precise and very specific assertion that is then developed and supported in the essay.
Follow the introduction with complete and specific explanations of the main points that support your claim. This section of your essay is the body of the work and should be the focus of your essay. It is not enough to simply agree or disagree with Carr here. You must add to the conversation in some way by surprising the reader with something new, challenging, or meaningful; that is, you must participate in the knowledge-making process.
This assignment is complex, and I suggest that you review Chapter 6 in your textbook as you work through this assignment. I think that sections 6.5.1 & 6.5.2 will help get you started; section 6.5.3 will help you formulate a good thesis; and, 6.5.4 will help organize the document. It would also be very helpful to review the sample essays in 6.5.5 and 6.7 (look closely at the annotations and review how the sample document is structured).
The structure of the work should resemble something like the following:
THE INTRODUCTION
*** Introduce the topic of the essay and set the context (the position from which you are writing and why)
*** Transition to and summarize the content from Carr’s essay that is necessary to introduce your response — your thesis.
*** Articulate your thesis.
THE BODY PARAGRAPHS
*** Develop, explain, and support your position/reaction
*** Use lots of very specific details and examples. Speak from your experience and share your opinion, but make sure you give enough details and examples to support that position.
THE CONCLUSION
*** Remind the reader of the value and significance of what you have said.
This essay should be at least three pages. As you work with ideas from the text, remember to use attributive tags and quotation marks for any quoted passages.
Finally, keep in mind that one of the most critical components to successful response writing is a complete and thorough understanding of the text to which you are responding. If you misunderstand the reading, then your response will necessarily be flawed. For example, students in the past have argued that Carr thinks Google is making us stupid. But, beyond the title, he never really says that. In fact, his thesis is much more complex and you must acknowledge these complexities in order to offer an intellectually sound response.
Keep in mind that the best practice is to rely on your own words and paraphrase whenever you refer to the essay that you are citing. Too many writers rely too heavily on quotations to do the heavy lifting.
Next best is to use partial or embedded quotations (chunks of words embedded in a sentence that consist mostly of your own words).
You should only quote complete sentences when you have a specific reason for doing so, such as when the writer’s words are particularly pithy or compelling. Still, when you exercise this option, the quote should always support or explain what you have already said. The quote should not be expected to stand in for your responsibility to explain.
Least suitable are quotes that are more than one sentence. In almost all cases, this practice should be avoided.
So, overall, quotes should be used very, very sparingly and never be expected to do the intellectual work for you.
*** Since the reading was given as a handout, I am including the citation here. Please include it on your Works Cited page.
Carr, Nicholas. “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” The Atlantic.com. July/August 2008. 19 August 2008. http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/print/200807/google
