PERSONAL RESPONSE TO TEXTS

English Language Arts

How to write a Personal Response

When you write a personal response, often you will findThree to four texts thematically related,

usually a poem, an excerpt from a short story or novel and a photograph

How to write a Personal Response

Spend time examining & thinking about the question closely before looking at the excerpts

Read the assignment closely“The Assignment” section always includes a

brief summary of what the excerpt is about – use those prompts while reading the texts & highlight sections that BEST illustrate those themes

How to write a Personal Response

Choose ONE excerpt to respond to Choose a PROSE form (anything but poetry)

critical essay, personal commentary, any form of commentary (social, political etc.), journal entry, travel journal, letter, newspaper article, play, short story, eulogy

Confused?

What happens if you do not understand the question? Use the dictionary in Microsoft Word and break

down the question as best as you can. Practice this with every assignment

Connecting & Understanding

Poetry

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Connecting to & Understanding Poetry

Understanding the Poet’s Purpose

CONTEXT: information that surrounds the passage

ask the question: What is the…background? the plot? the situation?

  TONE: the poet’s or speaker’s attitude toward

the subject or audience determined by…words, phrases, poet’s feelings

on the subject

Connecting to & Understanding Poetry

MOOD: State of mind or feeling created in the reader by the poem

created by…words and phrases, the situation or the subject matter

THEME: the central idea or message of poem Thematic statement is the general point about

some aspect of life or human condition expressed by the poet.

Connecting to & Understanding Poetry

If you select the poem, you may choose ONE line as your reference point or

prompt choose ONE or TWO stanzas as your reference

point or prompt choose the speaker’s situation to relate to or

analyze choose the overall mood/theme/moral of the

poem

Understanding & Connecting

Short Story or Novel

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Short Story or Novel

Excerpts from novels and short stories are usually character driven and focussed.

Spend some time examining the character(s) and his/her life experience.

Make sure you know his/her conflict. Relate his/her life experience to the

question.

Short Story or Novel

Appearance. Write/list/find the character’s physical description. The descriptions can be specific words or phrases that describe what he/she looks like.

Personality. Write/list/find descriptions of feelings, beliefs, personality traits, fears, obsessions, or desires.

Relationships. Write/list/find descriptions of how the character relates to others.

Personal History. Write/list/find what the character’s past life was like.

Connecting & Understanding

Visuals

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 When examining the photograph, think about...

Composition – the arrangement of visual elements within a picture.

Focal point – the area in a picture where the eye is immediately drawn.

 

Be sure to...

1. Identify the purpose of the visual and the genre (ad, photograph, poster, etc.) to which it belongs. Is the artist trying to appeal to your feelings, your senses, your intellect?

 2. Read any text accompanying your work – captions, titles, explanatory notes, etc. This can yield valuable information. The title of the work may tell you something about its intended message. How does the text contribute to the meaning of the work?

Brainstorm...

Reflect on the image by brainstorming: 5 W’s

who what when where why how

Questions What is the picture about? What can the viewer see? Who are the characters in the picture? What is happening to the characters in the

picture? When and where was the picture taken. Why was the picture taken?

(and the symbols behind them)

COLOURS

WHITE~

purity, snow, peace, innocence,

cleanliness, simplicity

RED~

Passion, strength, energy, fire, love,

arrogance, danger, blood, and war

BLUE~

Seas, skies, peace, unity, harmony, tranquility, calmness, coolness, confidence, loyalty, royalty, and nobility

GREEN~

Nature, spring, fertility, youth,

environment, wealth, good luck, and envy

YELLOW~

Sunlight, joy, happiness, earth,

optimism, intelligence, summer,

and hope

PURPLE~

Envy, sensuality, spirituality, creativity, wealth, royalty, and

nobility

ORANGE~

energy, balance, heat, fire, enthusiasm,

and autumn

BROWN~

Calm, depth, natural organisms, nature,

richness, dirt, dullness, and filth

BLACK~

mysterious, sophisticated; gloomy

and threatening

Respond critically, personally or creatively Critically: write an essay...

Make sure it has a... Beginning

Thesis (the opinion you are going to prove) Body

Prove thesis with details/specific examples from your own life or from events around the world (history)

Conclusion (a summary of what you believe)

Respond critically, personally or creatively Personally: write an essay...

Make sure it has a... Beginning

Thesis (the opinion you are going to prove) Body

Prove thesis with details/specific examples from your own life only. Perhaps the visual reminds you of your favourite childhood memory or difficult events in your life. Regardless, be sure to be very clear about every detail so that the reader understands your reflection.

Conclusion (a summary of what you believe)

Respond critically, personally or creatively

Creatively: write a story, journal entry, script etc... Make sure it has a...

Beginning, Middle & End Explain ONE event that reflects the visual specifically

with strong detail and information Be careful NOT to make too much happen; write only

1 journal entry Focus on the picture and the moment Don’t be too short OR too long MAKE IT BELIEVABLE & REALISTIC

All images obtained from “google images” via public domain