Answer and Explanation:
Helen's hands shook when she answered the phone. Even though she had been waiting for that call all week, she was not ready. What-if’s filled her mind uselessly. What if they said she had failed? What if they had found a better candidate for the position? What if she had not failed? What if she got the job and had to move away from everything she knew? She answered, trying to somehow disguise her trembling voice. The woman on the other side of the line sounded cheerful. It was good news; Helen got the job. She thanked the woman, once, twice. Yes, she could start in two weeks. Once she hung up, reality came rushing back. Time to tell her friends and family.
NOTE: Feel free to change any details.
1. Did you have a good time?
2. My weekend was cool. It was my birthday on Saturday. I played soccer with my friends.
3. My team lost but we had fun.
4. Then we ate pizza for my birthday party.
5. We watched avatar on television. Have you seen it?
6. I did my homework over the weekend so my teachers weren’t angry today.
Answer:
Dichotomy is defined as "a division or contrast between two things that are or are represented as being opposed or entirely different."
Mandela's speech uses dichotomy to emphasize his points as evident in the following excerpt: "We speak here of the challenge of the dichotomies of war and peace, violence and non-violence, racism and human dignity, oppression and repression and liberty and human rights, poverty and freedom from want."
The contrasts mentioned in the speech are: war vs. peace; violence vs. non-violence; racism vs. human dignity; oppression and repression vs. liberty and human rights; and poverty vs. freedom from want. The pairs are negative in opposition to the positive experiences or conditions of human existence.
Explanation:
To critique a piece of writing is to do the following:
describe: give the reader a sense of the writer’s overall purpose and intent
analyze: examine how the structure and language of the text convey its meaning
interpret: state the significance or importance of each part of the text
assess: make a judgment of the work’s worth or value
FORMATTING A CRITIQUE
Here are two structures for critiques, one for nonfiction and one for fiction/literature.
The Critique Format for Nonfiction
Introduction
name of author and work
general overview of subject and summary of author's argument
focusing (or thesis) sentence indicating how you will divide the whole work for discussion or the particular elements you will discuss
Body
objective description of a major point in the work
detailed analysis of how the work conveys an idea or concept
interpretation of the concept
repetition of description, analysis, interpretation if more than one major concept is covered
Conclusion
overall interpretation
relationship of particular interpretations to subject as a whole
critical assessment of the value, worth, or meaning of the work, both negative and positive
The Critique Format for Fiction/Literature
Introduction
name of author and work
brief summary/description of work as a whole
focusing sentence indicating what element you plan to examine
general indication of overall significance of work
Body
literal description of the first major element or portion of the work
detailed analysis
interpretation
literal description of second major element
detailed analysis
interpretation (including, if necessary, the relationship to the first major point)
and so on
Conclusion
overall interpretation of the elements studied
consideration of those elements within the context of the work as a whole
critical assessment of the value, worth, meaning, or significance of the work, both positive and negative
You may not be asked in every critique to assess a work, only to analyze and interpret it. If you are asked for a personal response, remember that your assessment should not be the expression of an unsupported personal opinion. Your interpretations and your conclusions must be based on evidence from the text and follow from the ideas you have dealt with in the paper.
Remember also that a critique may express a positive as well as a negative assessment. Don't confuse critique with criticize in the popular sense of the word, meaning “to point out faults.”
