High Stakes Essay #2: Evaluation

Write a Review

For the Newspaper

High Stakes Essay #2: Evaluation

Rhetorical Situation:

The editors of the CNM Chronicle, our campus newspaper, have asked you to write a review for their new “Arts and Entertainment” section of the paper. Because your reputation as a reliable and entertaining writer precedes you, the editors say that you may choose to review any of the following: a movie, book, new app, new musical release, live performance, or restaurant.

Audience:

The primary audience is made up of college students; however, secondary audiences may include instructors, administrators, and staff.

Purpose and Stance:

As a reviewer, you either recommend or do not recommend a movie, book, musical release, or restaurant and provide good reasons to explain how you came to your conclusion.

However, your recommendation cannot be based solely on your taste (“I like comedies, so go see Bridesmaids” would be an ineffective review). Instead, as a reasoning and thoughtful reviewer, you develop criteria — the standards by which you will evaluate your subject. If you are evaluating an action movie, for example, your criteria might include the quality of the special effects or the believability of the villain. You wouldn’t use the same criteria to evaluate a romantic comedy. What do you look for in a thriller, a love story, or a sci-fi flick? The answers to these questions can lead you to your criteria.

A good review is balanced. Too much praise or blame can lead your reader to think you didn’t think too hard about your subject. Say you’re reviewing a restaurant. You may claim that the blue corn enchiladas are fabulous (because….), but the sopaipillas are doughy and undercooked.

Strategies: You may find it effective to compare your subject to another like it (you might compare the salads at Wendy’s to those at McDonald’s using price, freshness, quantity, and taste as your criteria).  To help your readers follow your argument, you will want to include a vivid descriptions and clear definitions. In short, you do your homework so your readers don’t have to.

Requirements of the essay:

• 2-3 pages
• MLA Format
• One, outside source
• Parenthetical Citation and Work Cited page
• Strong thesis
• Supporting reasons (criteria) must be well-developed with evidence and analysis

Deadlines

Submit Rough Draft on Blackboard Blog,

20 points for posting a complete draft (Due Thursday of week six) and 40 points for two complete, substantive, and helpful critiques (Due Sunday of week seven) =60 points

Submit Final, Polished Essay Project, Due Sunday of week seven

• points possible