A Brief Guide to Writing from Readings defines a Response Essay as an opportunity for writers to "examine, explain, and often defend [their] personal reaction to a reading," and are evaluated based on the writer's ability to "demonstrate an understanding of the reading and how clearly [they] explain [their] reactions" (97, emphasis mine).

For this Response Essay, you are expected to write 4-5 full pages clearly identifying and supporting with detail your "response" to the readings about Native American mascots. To accomplish this, you must engage in honest and thoughtful self-reflection, and then be able to cite and explicate specific passages from texts we discussed in class, as well as any relevant texts you may find in your own research. You are required to incorporate at least three sources into the Response Essay, and you must use proper methods of incorporation and the rules of M.L.A. citations in order to do so.

There are numerous approaches to this kind of essay, including (but not limited to) the following:

1. Choosing a particular theme or repetition of certain phrases that stood out to you.

2. Exploring your reaction to a new perspective that you had not previously considered.

3. Examining your personal background and how that influenced your reaction to a piece of writing.

4. Examining a passage that initially confused you/compelled you to learn more about the subject, and why.

It is important to note that the "response" is only as important as the "why?" when it comes to writing successful Response Essays. As you brainstorm, identify particular themes or passages that offer a chance for in-depth analysis and examination. While this is meant to be a sincere reflection of your response to textual productions, it is also a formal piece of writing, and must be coherent and focused. Also, make sure that your final draft is polished and carefully edited.

You will be expected to write the Response Essay in a style appropriate to a personal-position paper. Your audience will be your teacher and your classmates, and the paper will serve as a means of introducing yourself as a technology user. Therefore, your tone can be more relaxed, but it must also be both respectful and respectable.

Format and submission guidelines are included in the course syllabus and you will be expected to follow them.

Essay to read:
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/2016/08/24/real-history-native-american-team-names/89259596/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2016/09/15/sorry-redskins-fans-native-american-mascots-increase-your-racial-bias/?utm_term=.b6a18a9fcdfa

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/florida-states-unusual-bond-with-seminole-tribe-puts-mascot-debate-in-a-different-light/2014/12/29/5386841a-8eea-11e4-ba53-a477d66580ed_story.html?utm_term=.8dc0f5f71677

http://nativeappropriations.com/2013/01/interest-convergence-fsu-and-the-seminole-tribe-of-florida.html

http://www.popsspot.com/2014/04/life-cleveland-indian-enduring-disgrace-racist-sports-mascots/