Guidelines for writing a commentary

I made sure that the authors of the sources were professionally credible and I consulted sources with different point-of-views rather than just one view. This made it possible for me to engage in objective reasoning and to provide enough information to the readers to reach a reliable conclusion on the issue. One strength of the paper was that it was well organized, with related information in the same paragraph that made it easier for the readers to read and understand the paper.

  • I’m Tutor Phil, and in this tutorial I will guide you through writing a winning personal statement, also known as a college essay.
  • I currently work in the content marketing department at Studybay, building strong, effective, and respectful communication between the platform and our clients.
  • A commentary includes opinions or explanations about a subject.
  • These authors covered aspects including literary elements, emotional appeals, and real life situations in the Genesis 22 commentaries I have read.

At its briefest, say for a bulleted or single-paragraph commentary, make note of vital information to include. For longer commentaries, create a structure for your response.You might write at the top of your outline, “Important Themes in Great Expectations”. You could then make bullet points such as “Setting”, “Ambition”, “Class”, etc. At some point in your life, you’ll probably have to write a commentary. Whether you’re a teacher, editor, student, or amateur critic, knowing how to constructively analyze someone’s work is a useful skill. There isn’t a magical formula for writing a commentary. The commentary you write depends upon what you’re reviewing, why you’re giving feedback, and what you think about the work.

Commentary

It is also apart of the formation of the Pentateuch . The Book of Genesis tells the story and events of the history of early Israel and Judaism’s views with the creation of the world. In Genesis 22, it explains the story of when God commanded Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac, also known as the Binding of Isaac.

  • He holds a BA in Communications and TV from The University of Southern California and an MEd from California State University Dominguez Hills.
  • You should craft a clear and specific thesis statement about the novel, poem, or play you are evaluating.
  • Look at the commentary you wrote and update it to fit into the “what and why” method using some of the above types of commentary.
  • We want to know how YOU think these facts prove your point and what YOU think they mean.
  • We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Even if you don’t know a topic idea, it gives an idea of what you could do. Start with personal interests and think about what you know. You can find example papers related to your interests. As you skim through examples, look at the titles and read the introduction to learn the main idea. Start writing ideas that come to mind to begin brainstorming. You can get a general idea of how to write a commentary essay when studying sample content. The sample will give an easy idea of what to work toward when writing your paper.

Commentary On Donasia

However, you generally shouldn’t introduce new information in your conclusion. It is extremely upsetting to know that most children undergo this type of treatment at school. It is hurtful, isolating, and can have long-lasting features of a narrative psychological damage on those students who experience bullying often. State what the paragraph will discuss and how you are going to prove your thesis. State the title of the book or literary work in your introduction.

commentary in an essay

So I created these study cards for them to use when writing their essays. If you find yourself writing with cliches, idioms, vague wording, or sentences that don’t directly address the rhetorical situation, you are likely writing limited commentary. You want each sentence to address your specific passage, so aim to create specific, clear analysis.

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Use only those quotes which are relevant and can support the discussion. If the text you are writing a commentary on is an act, you may see that the tone is friendly with some characters and changes to be serious with others. The description of the surrounding will change depending on the tone and mood and can be identified easily. For example, in Seamus Heaney’s poem, “Blackberry-Picking,” the subject is two people picking a large quantity of blackberries. WikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback.

commentary in an essay

You want to add a descriptor or adjective in front of the item you are referring to, such as diction. This might commentary in an essay mean changing “diction” to “patriotic diction.” Then, analyze why the author uses this rhetorical choice.

Steps to write the commentary

It is also important to assess the credibility of the sources. Sometimes the topic is too little studied and more suitable for research or dissertation than a commentary essay.

commentary in an essay

Boadt’s perspective underlines the importance of putting your faith in God and that it “is the only way to prosperity and success” . This commentary reminds us to think of God’s test as a way to deepen our connection to Him. Despite the challenges that we are faced with, we have to look beyond them and try to identify the lesson God wants us to see just like with this story. The story of Abraham almost sacrificing his son Isaac is accredited to the Elohist source or tradition. According to The Collegeville Bible Commentary, the commentary focuses on the emotional aspect of Abraham’s response to God’s commandment. The commandment was for Abraham to take his son, his only son to a mountain in the region of Moriah and sacrifice him as a burnt offering. “Human sacrifice was commonly practiced….few ocassions in Israel but it was forbidden” .

Commentary On Cyclone

To write a commentary, write about your observations and analysis of the text you read. You should craft a clear and specific thesis statement about the novel, poem, or play you are evaluating. Your thesis statement should explain your stance or argument about the text.

commentary in an essay

The simplest procedure is to choose a topic from a pre-prepared list. Choice of the topic from the list with recommendations below. Students of almost any specialty can use this list.

How Is Kedusha Holiness Conceptualized in Judaism? Essay Example

The purpose of publishing a commentary is to provide a forum where different perspectives can be discussed on a certain topic in a journal. This article was co-authored by Stephanie Wong Ken, MFA. Stephanie Wong Ken is a writer based in Canada.

  • This is a topic that I have spent quite a bit of time on simply because it is the one skill that my students struggle with the most.
  • The content of your discussion should be easy to read and understand.
  • They will help you understand the important message in the text.

Circle the punctuation marks in the commentary and ensure you use them correctly, such as a period at the end of every sentence or a comma between words, when needed. As someone who has read thousands of essays, though, I noticed that many students try to make a strong point using a lot of quotes. To get better results, you should find the quotes and decide for yourself which ones are the most valuable and truly speak to the reader. As in the rest of your data commentary, your conclusion should refer to specific pieces of data. When you use specific examples, make sure that you clearly illustrate how it connects back to the larger theme.

Patchwork Commentary

This Essay was written by one of our professional writers. The topic you are going to address should be clear to you. If you cannot understand it 100%, then writing will be a great challenge.

If not, make sure to read the whole article and learn more about every kind of commentary essay. This is also another very basic method for targeting commentary, but it WORKS! In this method, students begin a sentence after textual evidence with the words, “This shows that…”. Be beginning with these words, students are forced to explain what the quotation shows rather than what it says. I’m Tutor Phil, and in this tutorial I will guide you through writing a winning personal statement, also known as a college essay. A personal statement that you have to include with your…

All other parts of the essay are more formulaic in nature. There are standard rules for how to write a thesis statement, a topic sentence, a blended quotation, etc. But when it comes to commenting on evidence, there isn’t one set way to do it. In fact, there are many, many comments one can make about a piece of evidence, and no two people will explain the same piece of evidence in the exact same way. Likewise, the exact same piece of evidence can be used to prove two disparate arguments. Nothing shows this is true more than the literary analysis essay.

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