Explore, Explain, Evaluate, and Reflect the essay:
I - A Christmas Story by Roger Ebert
Inquiring into the Essay -
1. Explore. Think about the holiday film that you'd like to see every year. Fast-write for five minutes about the film and your memories of watching it. After the fast write answer this question: What makes this a "good" film? Or think about some film that you'd like to see every year and do the fast write and answer the question.
2. Explain. Underline or highlight sentences or passages in which Ebert is telling readers how and why A Christmas Story is a great movie. Then summarize in your own words what Ebert is saying about the film, incorporating several words or phrases from the material you underlined or highlighted.
3. Evaluate. Ebert uses various kinds of evidence to support his judgment that this is a great movie because of its "small but perfect moments" that get all the details of childhood in America right. He uses personal evidence, evidence from others, and of course lots of evidence from the movie. Find examples of these different kinds of evidence, and assess how effective they are in supporting the reasons Ebert gives for his judgment of the movie.
4. Reflect. In evaluative writing, judgments can be as small as brief comments or as big as thesis statements. Is there a thesis statement somewhere in Ebert's review of A Christmas Story? If so, where is it? If not, is the lack of a thesis statement a problem? Does every piece of persuasive writing need a thesis?
II - Grand Theft Auto Takes on New York by Seth Schiesel
Inquiring into the Essay
1. Explore. This review doesn't address the ethical questions raised by a game that celebrates "gloriously unrepentant lowlifes" including potheads, gangsters, and "crack slingers." "Grand Theft Auto IV" may be no worse than, other violent video games, and unless you've played it, criticism or praise of this particular game is unfair. But in a four-minute fast write, explore your own feelings about violent video games. In his review Schiesel argues that "Grand Theft Auto IV" is "cultural satire." Would that make a difference? Can games such as this one serve a larger, even useful purpose?
2. Explain. In your own words, state what Seth Schiesel seems to see as we qualities of a good video game.
3. Evaluate. How rhetorically effective is this review for different readers? Assess what parts would work-or wouldn't-for the following categories of readers:
a. People who have never played a video game in their lives but might consider it.
b. People who are avid and experienced gamers.
c. People who, when asked, usually consider playing video games "a waste of time."
4. Reflect. Video game reviews are but one type of a growing number of review subgenres, which include reviews of movies, books, blogs, websites, best and worst dressed, and so on. Consider the subgenres of reviews you read or might read. What exactly would you be looking for in a "good" review?
Assignment Files - https://www.dropbox.com/s/6z9vhonc2j6biqr/Assignment%20Files.rar?dl=0