Write a 2 paragraph response paper for history of theatre class, comparing and contrasting the Italian Renaissance and the English Renaissance.
Guidelines:
Instructions:
1) Give your RP an interesting title. This is the place to be most creative in an attempt to draw the reader into your text.
2) You will respond according to the following template, numbering both sections:
Section 1. Summarize your personal and general experience with the reading, readings, performance, or concept involved in your chosen question (How did it make you feel? Did you agree or disagree with its ideas, characters, styles, or qualities? Did it resonate with anything in your personal life? Was it difficult or easy to experience and why?). Feel free to use an informal writing style and first person. [4-6 meaty but concise sentences]
Section 2. Provide an argument (i.e. convince the reader of your answer) in response to your selected question in one paragraph using the following organization. Please use this format or you will not receive credit for the assignment:
Thesis sentence —the “thesis statement” of your paragraph or what you intend to prove, including all of the pertinent information that may be involved in answering the question (like the play or performance involved, your key terms, and your assertion regarding the question).
Lead-in sentence(s) —one or two sentences that establishes the context for the evidence you provide.
Evidence sentence(s) —the specific example or examples from the class experience that best helps you answer the question.
Analysis and Conclusion —this is the longest part of the paragraph, explaining what the evidence means and how it applies to your assertion and other aspects of the question.
Use a formal writing style, and do your best to avoid first person. [1 paragraph—10-12 meaty but concise sentences]
3) You have only a small amount of space to make a lot of mistakes. Be careful
Every time you use the title of a play, like Oklahoma, it should be italicized. all caps or underlined.
Watch your grammar and punctuation. There is practically no difference between form and meaning.
Make your margins 1 inch on all sides and double space your text. Use 12 font, Times Roman.
4) Use action verbs (avoid is, was, were, am) and specific nouns (avoid that, them, those, there)
Vary sentence structure and length.
*Some of the plays that were watched in class are Inherit the winds, Fences, and Mauritius. They can be mentioned in the paper as examples if they are related to either the Italian or English Renaissance.
Sample Response Paper:
Beware What Lurks Behind the Bleachers
Section 1:
I thought O Beautiful was pretty funny, and the night I went a lot of people agreed with me as the audience gave the actors a standing ovation! Though I don’t really agree with the politics of the show (I am against gun control), I thought that the way they presented cyber bullying was really accurate and reminded me of problems that occurred in my own high school. I really felt for Linda (played by Elizabeth Heflin) and found her grief over the death of her son quote touching. I would gladly see this play again.
Section 2:
In Teresa Rebeck’s new play O Beautiful, the danger of the media to family relationships appears in the construction of the set and how it represents how people are forced to interact with the media. In O Beautiful, the cavernous main set of a high school gymnasium conceals behind bleachers that open a large, rolling platform made to look like a television studio from Fox News. The character Simon West, a loud-mouthed, conservative television host, rides in and out of the play, shaking a machine gun in the air as he interviews various founding fathers (like Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson) about how we need to get back true American values. His key interview is with Ben Franklin, who explains that what made the founding fathers great people was not that they held conservative values but that they listened to one another and created a country through compromise, though West does not seem to hear the message. Throughout the play, the platform enters and dominates the center of the stage, while the family supposedly watching the show are off to the side at stage left. The director Sandy Robbins clearly makes the family seem much smaller and weaker than West’s show, keeping them off-center and simple compared to the sparkling lights and video that accompany West’s dramatic entrances at the center of the stage. As the various characters watch the show, they are obviously being influenced by what West’s character says, whether it be that it is acceptable to be judgmental of others or that it is fine to own a gun. Lennie’s suicide using his father’s gun can be seen as a direct example of how the physical size of West’s part of the set influence the character’s choices—it is as if they no longer have any. When West actually makes comments about Lennie’s suicide and Lennie’s mother happens to see him, the audience can see in her horrified reaction how much the media influences the events on stage. By having one part of the set take over the entire stage, O Beautiful warns us to be wary of how much we allow the media to literally enter our lives.
Rubric:
Response Paper [RP] Grading Rubric
This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome
Ideas and Evidence
5.0 pts
“The RP is well- supported by the student’s own ideas as well as the best possible and well analyzed evidence. “
4.0 pts
The RP is mostly supported by the student’s own ideas and good evidence.
3.0 pts
The RP has some good ideas but may be too simple in its analysis of the included evidence.
2.0 pts
The ideas and evidence presented throughout the paper may not be fully explained, connected, or expanded upon.
1.0 pts
The RP may lack or completely fail in providing clear evidence and strong ideas.
This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome
Organization
5.0 pts
The RP is exceptionally well-organized, following the provided guidelines.
4.0 pts
The RP may be adequately organized, mostly following the provided guidelines.
3.0 pts
The RP has some organization; however, it only follows some of the provided guidelines.
2.0 pts
The RP may have a semblance of organization; however, it does not clearly follow the provided guidelines.
1.0 pts
The RP is “organized” in such a way that the reader can barely follow the argument and does not conform to the guidelines.
This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome
Voice
5.0 pts
The voice is confident, positive, and convincing. It exhibits a tone proper to the topic.
4.0 pts
The voice is confident and persuasive and presents an appropriate tone.
3.0 pts
The voice is confident, but it needs to be more persuasive. It may have some occasional issues with appropriate tone
2.0 pts
The voice needs to be more confident and persuasive. Tone is fair.
1.0 pts
The voice rambles on and lacks confidence. The tone may be improper or offensive.
This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome
Word Choice
5.0 pts
Precise words choice create a clear message to engage and persuade the audience.
4.0 pts
Precise words create a clear message and fit the purpose.
3.0 pts
Accurate words create a message. More persuasive words are needed.
2.0 pts
More precise and accurate words are needed to create a clear message.
1.0 pts
No MarksThe words do not create a clear message.
This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome
DescriptiSentence Fluencyon of criterion
5.0 pts
The RP evidences the writer’s exemplary craftsmanship when it comes to sentence variation.
4.0 pts
Variety is seen in both the types of sentences and their beginnings.
3.0 pts
Varied sentence beginnings are used. Further sentence variety would make the RP more interesting to read.
2.0 pts
Varied sentence beginnings are needed. Sentence variety would make the essay more interesting.
1.0 pts
Most of the sentences begin the same way. Most sentences are simple. Some compound and complex sentences are needed.
This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome
Conventions
5.0 pts
The RP is error-free with regard to spelling and grammar.
4.0 pts
Grammar and punctuation errors are few and are not distracting.
3.0 pts
Grammar and punctuation errors are seen in a few sentences and are distracting where they appear.
2.0 pts
Some errors cause confusion.
1.0 pts
Frequent errors make the essay difficult to read.
