Peer Reviewer: Arame Sene Author Reviewed: Tyrese Prince Researched critical Analysis Essay Peer Review First Impressions • Does the title attract your attention? Why/why not? Does it clearly identify the author’s purpose and stance? Why/Why not? Suggest at least one improvement in word choice or phrasing or an alternative title. The title does attract my attention because it connects to the book and the themes that the author selected are interesting. It clearly identifies the author’s stance and purpose. • What type of introduction Is this? (Narrative, Expository, etc…) Name two things you enjoyed and two areas for improvement. Two things that I enjoyed about the author’s introduction is how he introduced Cora and her background information. I also liked how he connected his themes and the book, the underground railroad. • Is there enough background information presented in the introduction? Are key terms included and defined? Is there any additional information needed to clarify the context of the primary source or the author’s thesis? Yes, there is enough background information in the introduction and key terms are included. • Is there a clear thesis statement? What is it and where is it located? The thesis statement is not clear to me. • Having read their essay, does the statement clearly present the essay’s main idea and their specific argument? Can this be argued from supporting and opposing sides? Yes, the statement clearly presents the essay’s main idea and their argument. It can also be argued from supporting and opposing sides. • Is the thesis statement strong and compelling” why/why not? The thesis statement is not much strong, because I have issues identifying it. Arrangement • Are there enough claims to fully support the thesis and convince readers that the argument is logical and valid? Identify the strongest claims. What other claims might the author make to strengthen their argument? There are enough claims to fully support the thesis and convince readers. • Does the arrangement of claims of flow in a logical and persuasive manner? Describe the progression of ideas and why it’s persuasive. The arrangement of claims flows in a logical and persuasive manner because the author chose the themes brutality, rebellion, liberation and talked to each of them separately. The author also made sure that these themes are somehow connected and it connects to his claim. • Is every claim clearly and fully explained? Are there any areas where you were confused? What additional explanations or phrasing would improve clarity and comprehension for the reader? Every claim is clear and fully explained and there are no areas where I was confused. • Are there any paragraphs or lines that need to be moved to different locations? Which ones and where should they be placed? Annotated/edit their draft and explain it below. I don’t think any paragraphs or lines should be moved to different locations. I think that everything is well organized. • Does the writer successfully transition throughout each paragraph? Are there any transitional words or phrases that are overused? Suggest at least one additional phrase they can use. The writer successfully transitioned throughout each paragraph and no transitional words were overused. One suggestion could be: consequently • Does the writer transition successfully from paragraph to paragraph? Are their topic and concluding sentences strong and clearly linked to the focus of each paragraph? The writer did a good job of transitioning paragraphs from paragraphs. Their topic and concluding sentences are strong and linked to the focus of each paragraph. Research • Is each claim fully supported with evidence from the primary source? Is sufficient text quoted to clarify each claim? Do any claims which require more evidence from the primary source? Why/why not? Yes, claims are supported by the primary source and quoted to clarify each claim. No, because I think there is enough evidence from the primary source for each claim. • Is there supporting data fully explained and clearly linked back to the author’s claims and/or thesis? Where do they need to clarify or explain further? Yes • Is any data/ information missing, or interpreted in a way that seems confusing or incorrect? Indicate where and why. Identify the strongest evidence. No confusing information or missing. The strongest evidence, “ But every slave thinks about it. In the morning and in the afternoon and in the night. Dreaming of it. Every dream a dream of escape even when it didn’t look like it. When it was a dream of new shoes. The opportunity stepped up and Lovey availed herself, heedless of the whip.” • Is every quote, statistic, or image properly labeled and cited using MLA format? Identify the pages and paragraphs missing proper citations. The writer quoted the cites at the end of his essay. Counterarguments • How does the author engage with counterarguments? Are they embedded into each paragraph or is there a separate section that only deals with counterarguments (Refutio). Is their strategy effective? Why/why not? I did not see where the author engaged with counterarguments. • Do the author’s rebuttals seem logical and persuasive? Why/ why not? Suggest another idea for a counterargument(s) that the author might employ. I didn’t see any rebuttal. In Conclusion • Is the conclusion clear and impactful? Why/why not? Does it reinforce the thesis and major claims? Is there a call to action or powerful evidence that reaffirms the argument’s significance? The conclusion is clear and impactful because it restates the thesis and claim. • Are you persuaded that their argument is valid and insightful? Did their essay deliver on the promise of the thesis? Why or why not? What else did you want to know? I am persuaded that their argument is valid and insightful and their essay delivers on the promise of their thesis? Because of their elaborated and explained each theme as a promise in the thesis. • What is the writer’s overall tone and how do they achieve this? Is the tone consistent throughout? The tone is formal and is consistent. • What did you enjoy most about reading this essay? Name at least two aspects. I enjoyed almost everything about this essay while reading it. I liked the themes chosen, I also liked the evidence from the book that was mentioned. • Where should the writer focus most to improve this essay? Name two areas. Expand the body paragraph, add a counterargument