Peer Critique:  Visual Theme

Please read your peer’s draft and answer the following questions thoughtfully and thoroughly on a separate sheet of paper.  Simple “yes” and “no” answers are not acceptable.  This is not a test to see if you have done things “correctly”; rather, this is an opportunity for you to receive responses and feedback about what you have written from a reader who is familiar with the goals of this assignment.
After you have finished with your response, make sure your name is on the critique you have written.  You will then give it back to the author, and the author will read it and make necessary revisions.  Each author should have a peer critique with a name on it in his or her folder when turning in the position paper.  I will look for the name on your sheet and give the appropriate person credit for completing the critique.

1.  Does this paper have a title? Is it both interesting and informative?
2.  What is the topic that this paper will discuss? How does the author introduce the topic? Does the introduction grab your interest?
3.  Does the author's claim/thesis clearly identify a theme on the page they have chosen to discuss from the graphic novel? Write down the author’s claim/thesis statement. If you have trouble finding it, say so.
4.  Read only the author’s title, intro, and conclusion.  Do they form a complete thought, make sense when read together, and clearly identify what the entire paper is about? How might the author improve these?
4.Does the author adequately describe the individual panels on the chosen page? Do they mention which details are more  prominent than others and why? Do they adequately describe and explain the artist/author's use of style, space, size & shape, line and transitions?  Do they explain their connection to the theme?
5.  Does the author discuss any use of text on the page and how it is connected to the theme they have identified in their thesis/claim?
6.  Does the author discuss how the photograph or painting convey its meaning and how the details work together to establish its meaning? Does the author examine the condition, colors, sizes functions, and positions of the objects or figures included in the image, its major elements, and how are they arranged (grouping/proximity: size/color/shape/texture)? Does the author discuss how does the use of line affects movement or mood and how the different details and arrangements of the photograph or painting related? do they discuss the connections they see between these elements and how they contribute to what they see and feel?
7. Does the author mention any symbols found within the image and any connection those may have to the theme? 
8.What evidence does the author use to support their thesis/claim? What additional evidence might be needed to support the thesis/claim in this paper?
9.Does the writer use a formal academic voice, avoiding the use of contractions, personal pronouns, and slang?   Note any instances of such inappropriate language.
10.Do paragraphs have clear focus, unity and coherence (one idea per paragraph)? Effective transitions?  If not, how could the writer improve these?
11.Jot down the organization of the essay in a brief list or outline.  Are there any places where you became lost? Is the organization easy to follow? Does it make sense?
12.How does the conclusion bring the audience to closure? What feeling does the ending leave you with?
13.Is this paper convincing to you? Why or why not? 
14.Add any editing suggestions you might notice while you’re reading.
15.What additional suggestions can you give the author?