English 1A, Anna Mills

Essay #1: Summary and Response

This first essay will include two sections: a summary of about two pages and a response of about one page. In the summary, we will practice describing a writer’s argument in detail so we can refine our own understanding of their points and describe these to others. In the response, we will have a chance to give a brief assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the argument summarized.

Resources: We will use chapters 2 and 3 of How Arguments Work as a guide for this assignment.

The Summary Section

Assignment: Write a thorough and accurate summary of an excerpt of 500 words or more from the Vox article or the Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie Ted talk transcript.

A summary presents the author’s key ideas, omitting some details.

A summary is concise and accurate, true to the author’s original intent.

A summary reveals no opinion or bias on the part of its preparer
A summary is written in your own words (though the occasional direct quote is acceptable and even desirable if the syntax is important)
A summary effectively and accurately uses signal phrases such as “Henig explain/argues/claims/observes/refutes/objects” to guide us through the author’s argument.

Imagining an audience unfamiliar with the excerpt will encourage you to choose your words carefully and offer full explanations. The introductory paragraph should include the title of the article, the author’s full name, what the article is about, and where your particular excerpt fits in. You do not need to present the material in the order it appears in the article. However, consider an organization that makes sense given the logical progression of the ideas. If the author defines a word or phrase in an unusual way, do not assume your reader will understand without an explanation. Use quotation marks to indicate direct quotes.

The Response Section

The response section is really a chance for you to express your opinion. What was compelling, persuasive, troubling, unclear, or problematic about the argument you just summarized? In this short response, I don’t expect you to develop a full argument with lots of supporting evidence. One way to decide what to focus on is to ask yourself, if your friend asked you, “What do you think of so and so’s argument?” what would you say?

Essay requirements

You should use MLA format for in-text citations whether paraphrased or quoted, but you do not need to do a Works Cited page for this assignment.
The summary should be approximately two pages and the response should be approximately one page. The essay as a whole should be a minimum of 900 words.

Handout credit to Karen Cox