Final answer:
Option B, 'To provide personal opinions and reactions without citing textual evidence', best describes the purpose of a free response journal. It emphasizes personal engagement with the text and the reader's subjective responses, which helps build understanding and interpretation for further analysis.
Step-by-step explanation:
The purpose of a free response journal is to allow for a personalized engagement with the text where the reader provides their personal opinions and reactions. It is a space for reflecting on the text without necessarily being bound to citing textual evidence. While summaries and thematic identifications might surface, the core objective is less about formal analysis and more about the reader's subjective experience. Free response journals enable readers to ask themselves how they are reacting to the text, what it makes them think or feel, and why these reactions arise. By doing so, they can build their understanding and later convey their interpretations and connections to the readers, which is also a crucial aspect of writing and analysis.
In light of the provided information, it's clear that option B, 'To provide personal opinions and reactions without citing textual evidence', best captures the essence of a free response journal. This method of response allows readers to engage with a text both subjectively and objectively, although the emphasis is on the former in the context of a free response journal. In addressing literature, starting with character and plot before moving on to themes and finer points of writing, allows for a comprehensive engagement with the text that encompasses both subjective reactions and objective analysis.