Long Composition €“ Product Review.

You are going to play the role of a product reviewer.

What does this mean? It means, on a very basic level: argue for or against this product. To do that, remember the basic structure of an argument: assertion, evidence and, in this case, criteria.

You should include some or all of the following elements we’ve discussed in class:

1. Opinion (ideally it should be well-written, effective and convincing opinion)
2. Evidence (examples from the product; specific reasons why the product is good or bad)
3. Comparison to other products in this category
4. Your criteria for evaluating such a product
5. Audience/Category (who is this product for? Does it satisfy their criteria? Is it trying to be in one category [high class restaurant, serious drama] but actually in another [low quality food,

comical dialogue]?)
6. Research (how well did this product sell? Do people like it? What are some details behind how the product/restaurant came into being?)
7. Remember that hook (a hook is always great in almost any type of article, quashing the need for a generalized intro and pulling me right into the review itself)

Bias€”remember to avoid bias. If you chose something you already knew you loved or hated, this will be more challenging for you. If you need to, take some time to think and write out some

either positive or negative things that are the opposite of how you plan to ultimately review the product.

Authority€”it is difficult to write a good review that is very single-minded or focused on just one idea or one element. The more of these elements you use the more authority your final review

will seem to have.

Research

Finally, you must include at least two sources on a works cited page.

I’ll give you a few examples of what research means in a review. These are just examples€”you can find other ideas.

– Are you reviewing a book? Find some statistics on its sales, or find out whether this category of book is less or more popular than it used to be and why, and cite your source. Say you’re doing

twilight; find out whether critics think it’s poorly or well written, and cite your source, or find out that Stephenie Meyer is a Mormon, and cite your source. Say you’re doing something like The

Road€”find out how critics think Cormac McCarthy fits into the American literary canon, and cite your source, or find out how Cormac typically writes his novels, like from, oh, say, an Oprah

interview he had, and cite your source.

Finally, if you’re really ambitious and proactive and have a lot of time, and you want to personally do some research€”let’s say, go back into the kitchen of the restaurant you’re reviewing and

ask the chef something€”feel free, it will only make your review that much better. Even just one question can qualify as an interview and be a source you can cite. Citing an interview is really

easy. Just Google citing an interview and the first link tells you.