Each response should be 300-500 words long. The tone can be informal (think an intelligent blog post?), but the response should show solid knowledge of the text and should be written with care. I suggest starting with a brief description or summary of the genre, style, and content of the work. You might then describe even more briefly your general feeling about the text (love? hate? perplexity?). The bulk of the response should engage with a particular issue or moment in the text. That is, you are being asked to make an observation (anchored in quotation from the text), and build from that either a claim, if you are ready to do so, or a discussion question. If you wish, you may refer to other works or historical moments, but make sure to root your work in discussion of specifics from the assigned reading. Please take these responses as opportunities as workouts to build skills — that is, to help you get good at knowing a text well, identifying interesting and important issues, and writing succinctly and effectively. Enjoy the writing part. And yes, you may use the first person.