Reader Response

Reader-Response the Purpose an Approach

The Purpose of Reader-Response

Reader-response suggests that the role of the reader is essential to the meaning of a text, for only in the reading experience does the [text have meaning]. Thus, the purpose of a reading response is examining, explaining, and defending your personal reaction to a text.

Your critical reading of a text asks you to explore:

  • why you like or dislike the text;

  • explain whether you agree or disagree with the author;

  • identify the text's purpose; and

  • critique the text.

  • What does the text have to do with you, personally, and with your life (past, present or future)? It is not acceptable to write that the text has NOTHING to do with you, since just about everything humans can write has to do in some way with every other human.

  • How much does the text agree or clash with your view of the world, and what you consider right and wrong? Use several quotes as examples of how it agrees with and supports what you think about the world, about right and wrong, and about what you think it is to be human. Use quotes and examples to discuss how the text disagrees with what you think about the world and about right and wrong.

  • What did you learn, and how much were your views and opinions challenged or changed by this text, if at all? Did the text communicate with you? Why or why not? Give examples of how your views might have changed or been strengthened (or perhaps, of why the text failed to convince you, the way it is). Please do not write "I agree with everything the author wrote," since everybody disagrees about something, even if it is a tiny point. Use quotations to illustrate your points of challenge, or where you were persuaded, or where it left you cold.

  • How well does the text address things that you, personally, care about and consider important to the world? How does it address things that are important to your family, your community, your ethnic group, to people of your economic or social class or background, or your faith tradition? If not you, who does or did the text serve? Did it pass the "Who cares?" test? Use quotations from the text to illustrate.

  • What can you praise about the text? What problems did you have with it? Reading and writing "critically" does not mean the same thing as "criticizing," in everyday language (complaining or griping, fault-finding, nit-picking). Your "critique" can and should be positive and praise the text if possible, as well as pointing out problems, disagreements and shortcomings.

  • How well did you enjoy the text (or not) as entertainment or as a work of art? Use quotations or examples to illustrate the quality of the text as art or entertainment. Of course, be aware that some texts are not meant to be entertainment or art: a news report or textbook, for instance, may be neither entertaining or artistic, but may still be important and successful.

There is no right or wrong answer to a reading response. Nonetheless, it is important that you demonstrate an understanding of the reading andclearly explain and support your reactions.

Assume the reader has already read the text; do not summarize the contents of the text at length. Instead, take a systematic, analytical approach to the text.

Write as a Scholar

Write as an educated adult addressing other adults or fellow scholars.

Criticize with Examples

Respond to content

Use the questions (above) to consider your response to the text:

    • What does the text have to do with you as a human being?

    • Agree or clash with your views?

    • Views challenged? changed? strengthened?

    • If not you, who?

If you did not like a text, that is fine, but criticize it either from

  • principle, for example:

    • Is the text racist?

    • Does the text unreasonably puts down things, such as religion, or groups of people, such as women or adolescents, conservatives or democrats, etc?

    • Does the text include factual errors or outright lies?

    • Is the text, overall, too dark and despairing? Is it falsely positive

  • form, for example:

    • Is the text poorly written? (structure, organization, support, sentencing, coherence)

    • Does it contain too much verbal "fat"? (things that do not contribute meaning)

    • Is it too emotional or too childish? (lacks logical or ethical appeals)

    • Does it have too many facts and figures? (too much detailed information to process)

    • Are there typos or other errors in the text?

    • Do the ideas wander around without making a point? (a logical progression of ideas)

In each of these cases, do not simply criticize,

but support your position with information from the text

and explain how the examples illustrate your point.

Note: See PIE method for additional information about supporting your point.

As a beginning scholar, be cautious of criticizing any text as "confusing" or "crazy," since readers might simply conclude that you are too ignorant or slow to understand and appreciate it.

Wiley, David. “Writing for Success: Reader Response.” ENG COMP Open Course Framework. May 2013. Web. 20 Aug. 2013.

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Link: https://lumen.instructure.com/courses/56913/wiki/writing-for-success-reader-response