Response essay topics: 20 new ideas for students will come in handy if you have been given a free choice of a response essay topic but do not know what to write about. As such, the list of interesting topics provided in this article will definitely help you cope with writing a text response. It can be inferred from the very title that a response essay relates to your personal response to a book (or any other type of reading), a video, a movie, a game, etc. The core aim of writing response essays is to express your own reaction, point of view or a firm standpoint regarding a specific theme, topic or problem mentioned in the reading or a video you are responding to.
Response Essay Topics: 20 New Ideas for Creative Writing
When writing a response paper, you should bear in mind the following response questions:
- What are your emotions/ feelings/ thoughts/ opinions of what you have read/ seen/watched?
- Do you agree or disagree with the information provided?
- Can you provide some personal examples to the situation?
- How can you analyze and evaluate the reading?
The Writing Process of a Response Essay: From Pre-Writing to Post-Writing Stages
When preparing a response essay, it is essential to get the writing process right. As such, find out the following strategy of writing a response paper and look for some response paper sample online:
Pre-Writing Stage
Read the text you have been assigned for the first time to get the general understanding of it. You need to grasp the idea that lies behind the written text. While reading, try to identify the most vivid themes, symbols, topics, ideas, etc. Besides, pay attention to the literary devices
used by the author, the genre of the text, the style of writing, and other peculiarities.
Read the essay assignment once again. It will help you now to better understand what you are required to write about once you have read the assigned text and how to write a response paper in college. If the assignment is too long or just seems complicated for your understanding, try to highlight the keywords in order to know what to pay attention to and what to look for when reading the text again and analyzing it. Make sure the core elements of the assignment you have identified serve as a roadmap to what you need to write about in the response essay.
Writing Stage
If you want to know how to write a good response paper, divide your paper into three parts: introduction, the body paragraphs, and conclusion, and work on each of the parts consistently.
- Introduction
Provide background information about the reading you are to respond to. It should be clear to your target audience what the reading is about, who it was written by, what ideas or topic it conveys, etc. Make sure you also indicate the purpose and the main aim of the text.
- The body paragraphs
Make sure you organize your body paragraphs in a clear and concise form. Do not focus merely on retelling the text – rather discuss and evaluate it. Provide your own opinions and responses to different issues encountered in the text. Make sure that each paragraph is
devoted to the discussion and analysis of separate ideas. Keep in mind that you should start each body paragraph with a strong and clear topic sentence. Actually, this is a sentence that indicates what you will write about. The idea expressed in the topic sentence should be
further elaborated and supported with evidence and examples. Personal experience examples are also recommended. Double-check whether ideas expressed in the body paragraphs are linked to those mentioned in the thesis statement.
- Conclusion
Reiterate the thesis and reemphasize the main findings you have obtained. However, make sure you do not repeat the exact phrases and formulations from the introduction or the main body. Paraphrase the core findings in other words. If you have come up with some new ideas
or revelations, make sure to pinpoint to them in the conclusion.
Six Best Ways to Respond to an Essay
If you have never written a response essay before, you should definitely read six best ways to respond to an essay:
- Write your response paper in the present tense;
- Vary the length of sentences in order not to make your essay boring and predictable in terms of writing style. Avoid long, sophisticated, and confusing sentences.
- Connect all arguments or claims you out forward to the ideas expressed in the thesis statement. Make sure the essay is logically developed.
- Provide examples from personal experience.
- Do not ignore the pre-writing stage of devising a plan or an outline. Write a rough draft if you have sufficient time.
- Proofread the paper after completion.
Creative Response Essay Topics for Your Classes
If you want to submit an impressive response essay paper, you should definitely come up with creative response essay topics.
- The evolution of the employment area: the influence of the global competitiveness.
- The impact of global warming on the territory you live in.
- The impact of drug and alcohol abuse on adolescents.
- The influence of globalization trends. Do the countries get advantages from globalization?
- The evolution of the world economy over the recent years.
- The issue of work satisfaction in the modern-day society and culture.
- Should people who are illegally immigrating be given citizenship?
- Should cigarettes be prohibited in all public places?
- Terrorist activity across the world. Provide clear examples.
- Advantages and disadvantages of the cultural diversity in the workplace.
- How could terrorism be eliminated?
- Should corporal punishment be made legal?
- Should prisoners receive education while in prison?
- Are there effective ways to eradicate bullying?
- How can one eliminate poverty?
- By what means can people be informed about their basic human rights?
- Should people accept homosexuality with a more welcoming tone?
- How to eradicate harassment at work?
- How are youths psychologically affected by technological gadgets?
- Are paperback books just as popular as before?
- Is there a growing gap between the rich and the poor?
- Pros and cons of wearing uniforms at school.
- Should the current laws in your country be revised? Why?
- Have you traced the change in the perception of beauty? In what way?
- Respond to how the problems depicted in Romeo and Juliet are relevant to the current issues in the society concerning romantic love and the youths.
- Respond to one of the paintings you have recently seen.
- Is corruption a grave problem nowadays?
- In what countries is immigration unfavorable?
- Respond to one of the most famous speeches that proved to be influential on the world’s history.
- Your response to one of the recent accidents that shocked the society.
- Respond to how you differentiate style and fashion.
- Respond to one event that you view to be the greatest in history.
- What factors cause the increasing rates of criminal activities in the modern society?
- Respond to the invention of e-cars and their further impact on the technological development in the society.
- Spheres of widespread sexual abuse. What impact does it have on the society in terms of psychological factors?
- Why are some people shy?
- Respond to the modern-day world scenario.
How Can a Student Write a Response Essay?
- He/ she can agree with the points presented in the article and provide at least two reasons with solid argumentations why.
- He/ she can disagree with the reading and provide at least two reasons and supporting factors why.
- He/ she can agree/ disagree with a part or section of the reading and justify the response.
- He/ she can provide a critique or evaluation of a specific rhetoric applied in the reading, such as audience, purpose, etc.
- He/ she can identify one idea expressed in the article and relate personal experience to it.
- He/ she can focus on discussing personal reaction to the article and investigating how the author’s way of writing made him/ her think in a particular way.