Response II Follow Up

“Review: Fitbit Charge HR” by Christina Bonnington

Your task in this response is to "evaluate" the rhetorical strengths of Bonnington's evaluation argument (much like we did when we "evaluated" the sample RateMyProfessor reviews).

You'll want to begin your response with an evaluation thesis of Bonnington's article. Use your own language here, but think along the following lines: is it a (rhetorically) strong review or a (rhetorically) weak review and why? Note that I am NOT asking you to write a response that evaluates the product itself. Your purpose is to evaluate the quality of Bonnington's evaluation of the product.

The "Why?" should focus on (2 or maybe 3) specific rhetorical criteria that we would use to evaluate a product review (ie: ethos, pathos, logos, organization/structure). You'll want to support your evaluation argument about Bonnington's article by analyzing specific examples and showing how those examples illustrate the criteria you have identified.

For your thesis, start with the skeleton structure, and move forward from there. Use your thesis to organize the remainder of your response (like the worksheet we did on "Start Your Engines.")

Something is a good ( or bad, the best, the worst) because of A, B, C, etc. (standard practical, aesthetic, ethical criteria).

Adhere to all the response guidelines and tips above.

Major Issues

Rule #5: Start strong and include all the necessary introductory information in the first sentence or two of your response.

 In the first sentence or two of your response, you need to do the following:

5a) Reference the complete publication title. “Articles/essay titles” are placed in quotation marks, and book titles are in italics. Capitalize the first, last and any important words in titles.

5b) Identify author's full name, and spell it correctly. After the first reference, refer to the author by last name only.

5c) Include the date of publication (if available).

5d) Clearly state your position/answer to the question you have chosen/what you will be examining in your response. Through your word choice, this statement should provide a clear indication of what question you are answering; do not refer to question numbers.

Example of first sentence: In "Full Title of Article," Author (full name) suggests/argues/illustrates (strong verb in present tense) that... (finish your sentence with direct reference to the question that you have chosen for the prompt and clearly state your position/argument/thesis that you plan to support in your response).

Proper example of first sentence for Response II:

In "Fitbit Charge HR: Turn the Beat Around,"  published in Wired on February 2, 2015, Christina Bonnington fails to develop a strong evaluation of the Fitbit Charge Heart Rate Monitor because, despite her attempts to appeal to ethos via personal experience, she lacks adequate appeals to logos because the structure of the essay is very unorganized and because it focuses too heavily on the negative aspects of the product.

How does this example adhere to the above rules?

How does this example present a roadmap/evaluation thesis for the response?

What are the criteria used for evaluation?

Rule #8: Include specific examples to support your claims AND explain how/why they support your claims. Reminder: this is not a summary. Your purpose is to provide analysis—to think critically about the text through the assigned questions. Thus, when you bring in an example from the text, do not assume that the example speaks for itself; make sure you fill in the blank and explain HOW the example supports your thesis/position.

In "Fitbit Charge HR: Turn the Beat Around," published in Wired on February 2, 2015, Christina Bonnington fails to develop a strong evaluation of the Fitbit Charge Heart Rate Monitor because, despite her attempts to appeal to ethos via personal experience, she lacks adequate appeals to logos because the structure of the essay is very unorganized and because it focuses too heavily on the negative aspects of the product.

In your response, what would you then write after this thesis statement? (first "stop" following roadmap/first main point/claim).

Example of what to include after the thesis:

From the start of the review, Bonnington illustrates that she is a credible reviewer because she is an athlete who is familiar with heart rate monitoring tools and capalitites. She informs readers that she tested how the Fitbit Charge HR  performs in mulitiple activities such as "walking, running, cylcyling at a casual pace, or at rest," and in doing so, she asserts that she is knowledgable about the functionality of the product because she actually used it.  Even though this personal experience appeals to ethos and portrays Bonnington as an educated reviewer, overall, Bonnington struggles to develop a strong evaluation argument that convinces readers to purchase the Fitbit Charge HR because....

Next point to discuss?

Final point to discuss?