essay writing on criticism

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If you ever wondered about how to critique something, a book, a film, or maybe even a research hypothesis, then the answer for you is – to write a critical essay about it. This type of writing revolves around the deep evaluation of the material in front of you. So, in such papers, the goal isn’t to say whether you liked something or not, but rather to analyze it based on evidence and logic. Think of it as taking a step back and asking, “What is really going on here?” and “How did the creator make that happen?”

In a critical essay, you start with a central claim or thesis that makes an argument about the material you’re analyzing. From there, you’ll support your points using evidence, like specific quotes from a book or scenes from a movie. And unlike casual conversations, this type of writing avoids personal opinions or judgments like “I liked it” or “It was boring.” Instead, you’re focused on breaking down the details and exploring themes, techniques, or strategies used by the creator.

For example, rather than saying “Charlie was so lucky to find a Golden Ticket” after watching Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, a critical essay might explore how the film uses the contrast between wealth and morality to make a statement about society.

Writing a Perfect Critical Essay: Here’s What to Do

Writing a critical essay doesn’t have to be overwhelming if you approach it with a solid plan. Here’s a step-by-step breakdown of how you can structure your writing process to create a thoughtful, well-organized essay that impresses your readers (and earns you those high grades).

Choose and Fully Understand Your Topic

First things first—you need to select something to write about. This can be a movie, book, piece of music, or artwork. Just make sure it’s something you’re interested in and that you understand well. If your topic is assigned, spend time getting familiar with it. Watch the film or read the book a couple of times, and take notes on key themes, techniques, or elements that stand out.

Gather Your Sources

You’ll need evidence to support your analysis, so gather relevant material. Use scholarly sources like journal articles, books, and credible websites to back up your claims. The trick here is not just collecting information but understanding it. As such, if you’re writing about a novel, find analyses that discuss the author’s themes or techniques, and use that to build your argument. And remember to always keep track of your sources for proper citations later!

Develop a Strong Thesis Statement

Once you’ve done your research, it’s time to craft your thesis statement. This is the central argument of your essay, and everything you write should connect back to it. For example, if you’re analyzing the use of imagery in Get Out , your thesis might argue how the recurring image of the teacup symbolizes the control and manipulation of Black bodies in the film, reinforcing themes of power and exploitation. Keep your thesis specific, focused, and arguable ad it will carry your entire essay.

Create an Outline

Before you start writing, create an outline to organize your ideas. A typical critical essay includes an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. In the body, each paragraph should focus on a different point that supports your thesis. For instance, one paragraph might discuss symbolism, another might analyze character development, and a third could cover narrative techniques. Outlining helps you see the flow of your writing and make sure that each point has enough evidence to back it up.

Write the Body Paragraphs First

With your outline in place, begin writing the body paragraphs. Each paragraph should start with a topic sentence that introduces the main point, followed by evidence (quotes, examples, or facts) to support it. After presenting the evidence, analyze it and explain how it ties into your thesis. If you’re analyzing a movie, for example, you might focus one paragraph on how the director uses camera angles to create tension in a scene. Stay focused and make sure everything ties back to your central argument.

Write the Conclusion

After finishing the body paragraphs, write the conclusion. This is where you sum up the key points of your essay and restate your thesis in light of the evidence you’ve presented. The conclusion should not introduce new information but instead reinforce your argument, leaving the reader with a clear understanding of your analysis.

Write the Introduction Last

Now that you’ve got the bulk of the essay written, it’s time to finally build the introduction. Start with a hook to grab the reader’s attention—a bold statement, an intriguing question, or a surprising fact can work well. Then, provide some background information to set the context for your analysis, and finish with your thesis statement that you have already created. Writing the introduction last allows you to make sure it aligns perfectly with the rest of your essay and clearly presents your argument.

Revise, Edit, and Proofread

You’ve got your first draft—congrats! Now, it’s time to bring it to perfection. Read through your essay a few times to improve clarity and flow. Check if all your points are well-supported and if your argument makes sense from start to finish. Edit for grammar, spelling, and style errors, and make sure all citations are correctly formatted. Taking this step seriously can make a huge difference in the overall quality of your essay (and in your grade as well).

Critical Essay Example: Proper Structure & Outline

Now, if you still feel kind of lost in all this information, don’t worry too much. Below you will find an example of what a well-organized critical essay can look like. Check it out to gain some inspiration and you will definitely be able to jump right into the writing process in no time at all.

How should I start a critical essay?

To start a critical essay, begin with an engaging introduction that grabs the reader’s attention. You can use a hook, such as an interesting fact, a bold statement, or even a thought-provoking question. After the hook, provide some background information on the topic you’re discussing to set the stage. Finally, end the introduction with a clear thesis statement outlining the main argument or point you’ll analyze. This thesis will guide your essay and tell readers what to expect from your analysis.

What is a critical essay and example?

A critical essay is a type of writing where you analyze and evaluate a piece of work, such as a book, film, painting, or even a theory. This type of writing is dedicated to exploring the deeper meanings, strengths, weaknesses, and overall impact of its subject. For example, if you’re writing a critical essay about The Great Gatsby, you wouldn’t just summarize the plot—you’d dive into how F. Scott Fitzgerald uses symbolism and themes like the American Dream to convey larger messages.

What is the layout of a critical essay?

The layout of a critical essay usually follows a standard structure: an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. In the introduction, you present the topic and your thesis. The body paragraphs are where you break down the main points of your analysis, using evidence to support your claims. The conclusion ties everything together, summarizing your key points and restating your thesis in light of the evidence you’ve discussed.

What are the parts of a critical essay?

A critical essay has three main parts: the introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion.

Introduction : This is where you introduce the work you’re analyzing and present your thesis.
Body Paragraphs : These are the meat of your essay, where you break down your analysis into different points, using evidence and examples to support your arguments.
Conclusion : Here, you wrap up your analysis, summarizing the main points and reinforcing how they support your thesis.

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An Essay on Criticism Summary & Analysis by Alexander Pope

Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis
Poetic Devices
Vocabulary & References
Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme
Line-by-Line Explanations

Alexander Pope's "An Essay on Criticism" seeks to lay down rules of good taste in poetry criticism, and in poetry itself. Structured as an essay in rhyming verse, it offers advice to the aspiring critic while satirizing amateurish criticism and poetry. The famous passage beginning "A little learning is a dangerous thing" advises would-be critics to learn their field in depth, warning that the arts demand much longer and more arduous study than beginners expect. The passage can also be read as a warning against shallow learning in general. Published in 1711, when Alexander Pope was just 23, the "Essay" brought its author fame and notoriety while he was still a young poet himself.

Read the full text of “From An Essay on Criticism: A little learning is a dangerous thing”

The Full Text of “From An Essay on Criticism: A little learning is a dangerous thing”

1 A little learning is a dangerous thing;

2 Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring:

3 There shallow draughts intoxicate the brain,

4 And drinking largely sobers us again.

5 Fired at first sight with what the Muse imparts,

6 In fearless youth we tempt the heights of Arts,

7 While from the bounded level of our mind,

8 Short views we take, nor see the lengths behind,

9 But, more advanced, behold with strange surprise

10 New, distant scenes of endless science rise!

11 So pleased at first, the towering Alps we try,

12 Mount o'er the vales, and seem to tread the sky;

13 The eternal snows appear already past,

14 And the first clouds and mountains seem the last;

15 But those attained, we tremble to survey

16 The growing labours of the lengthened way,

17 The increasing prospect tires our wandering eyes,

18 Hills peep o'er hills, and Alps on Alps arise!

“From An Essay on Criticism: A little learning is a dangerous thing” Summary

“from an essay on criticism: a little learning is a dangerous thing” themes.

Shallow Learning vs. Deep Understanding

See where this theme is active in the poem.

Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “From An Essay on Criticism: A little learning is a dangerous thing”

A little learning is a dangerous thing; Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring: There shallow draughts intoxicate the brain, And drinking largely sobers us again.

Fired at first sight with what the Muse imparts, In fearless youth we tempt the heights of Arts, While from the bounded level of our mind, Short views we take, nor see the lengths behind,

But, more advanced, behold with strange surprise New, distant scenes of endless science rise!

Lines 11-14

So pleased at first, the towering Alps we try, Mount o'er the vales, and seem to tread the sky; The eternal snows appear already past, And the first clouds and mountains seem the last;

Lines 15-18

But those attained, we tremble to survey The growing labours of the lengthened way, The increasing prospect tires our wandering eyes, Hills peep o'er hills, and Alps on Alps arise!

“From An Essay on Criticism: A little learning is a dangerous thing” Symbols

The Mountains/Alps

See where this symbol appears in the poem.

“From An Essay on Criticism: A little learning is a dangerous thing” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language

Alliteration.

See where this poetic device appears in the poem.

Extended Metaphor

“from an essay on criticism: a little learning is a dangerous thing” vocabulary.

Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.

A little learning
Pierian spring
Bounded level
Short views
The lengthened way
See where this vocabulary word appears in the poem.

Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “From An Essay on Criticism: A little learning is a dangerous thing”

Rhyme scheme, “from an essay on criticism: a little learning is a dangerous thing” speaker, “from an essay on criticism: a little learning is a dangerous thing” setting, literary and historical context of “from an essay on criticism: a little learning is a dangerous thing”, more “from an essay on criticism: a little learning is a dangerous thing” resources, external resources.

The Poem Aloud — Listen to an audiobook of Pope's "Essay on Criticism" (the "A little learning" passage starts at 12:57).

The Poet's Life — Read a biography of Alexander Pope at the Poetry Foundation.

"Alexander Pope: Rediscovering a Genius" — Watch a BBC documentary on Alexander Pope.

More on Pope's Life — A summary of Pope's life and work at Poets.org.

Pope at the British Library — More resources and articles on the poet.

LitCharts on Other Poems by Alexander Pope

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Literary Theory and Criticism

Home › Analysis of Alexander Pope’s An Essay on Criticism

Analysis of Alexander Pope’s An Essay on Criticism

By NASRULLAH MAMBROL on July 8, 2020 • ( 1 )

An Essay on Criticism (1711) was Pope’s first independent work, published anonymously through an obscure bookseller [12–13]. Its implicit claim to authority is not based on a lifetime’s creative work or a prestigious commission but, riskily, on the skill and argument of the poem alone. It offers a sort of master-class not only in doing criticism but in being a critic:addressed to those – it could be anyone – who would rise above scandal,envy, politics and pride to true judgement, it leads the reader through a qualifying course. At the end, one does not become a professional critic –the association with hired writing would have been a contaminating one for Pope – but an educated judge of important critical matters.

But, of the two, less dang’rous is th’ Offence, To tire our Patience, than mislead our Sense: Some few in that, but Numbers err in this, Ten Censure wrong for one who Writes amiss; A Fool might once himself alone expose, Now One in Verse makes many more in Prose.

The simple opposition we began with develops into a more complex suggestion that more unqualified people are likely to set up for critic than for poet, and that such a proliferation is serious. Pope’s typographically-emphasised oppositions between poetry and criticism, verse and prose,patience and sense, develop through the passage into a wider account of the problem than first proposed: the even-handed balance of the couplets extends beyond a simple contrast. Nonetheless, though Pope’s oppositions divide, they also keep within a single framework different categories of writing: Pope often seems to be addressing poets as much as critics. The critical function may well depend on a poetic function: this is after all an essay on criticism delivered in verse, and thus acting also as poetry and offering itself for criticism. Its blurring of categories which might otherwise be seen as fundamentally distinct, and its often slippery transitions from area to area, are part of the poem’s comprehensive,educative character.

Literary Criticism of Alexander Pope

Addison, who considered the poem ‘a Master-piece’, declared that its tone was conversational and its lack of order was not problematic: ‘The Observations follow one another like those in Horace’s Art of Poetry, without that Methodical Regularity which would have been requisite in a Prose Author’ (Barnard 1973: 78). Pope, however, decided during the revision of the work for the 1736 Works to divide the poem into three sections, with numbered sub-sections summarizing each segment of argument. This impluse towards order is itself illustrative of tensions between creative and critical faculties, an apparent casualness of expression being given rigour by a prose skeleton. The three sections are not equally balanced, but offer something like the thesis, antithesis, and synthesis of logical argumentation – something which exceeds the positive-negative opposition suggested by the couplet format. The first section (1–200) establishes the basic possibilities for critical judgement;the second (201–559) elaborates the factors which hinder such judgement;and the third (560–744) celebrates the elements which make up true critical behaviour.

Part One seems to begin by setting poetic genius and critical taste against each other, while at the same time limiting the operation of teaching to those ‘who have written well ’ ( EC, 11–18). The poem immediately stakes an implicit claim for the poet to be included in the category of those who can ‘write well’ by providing a flamboyant example of poetic skill in the increasingly satiric portrayal of the process by which failed writers become critics: ‘Each burns alike, who can, or cannot write,/Or with a Rival’s, or an Eunuch ’s spite’ ( EC, 29–30). At the bottom of the heap are ‘half-learn’d Witlings, num’rous in our Isle’, pictured as insects in an early example of Pope’s favourite image of teeming, writerly promiscuity (36–45). Pope then turns his attention back to the reader,conspicuously differentiated from this satiric extreme: ‘ you who seek to give and merit Fame’ (the combination of giving and meriting reputation again links criticism with creativity). The would-be critic, thus selected, is advised to criticise himself first of all, examining his limits and talents and keeping to the bounds of what he knows (46-67); this leads him to the most major of Pope’s abstract quantities within the poem (and within his thought in general): Nature.

First follow NATURE, and your Judgment frame By her just Standard, which is still the same: Unerring Nature, still divinely bright, One clear, unchang’d, and Universal Light, Life, Force, and Beauty, must to all impart, At once the Source, and End, and Te s t of Art.

( EC, 68–73)

Dennis complained that Pope should have specified ‘what he means by Nature, and what it is to write or to judge according to Nature’ ( TE I: 219),and modern analyses have the burden of Romantic deifications of Nature to discard: Pope’s Nature is certainly not some pantheistic, powerful nurturer, located outside social settings, as it would be for Wordsworth,though like the later poets Pope always characterises Nature as female,something to be quested for by male poets [172]. Nature would include all aspects of the created world, including the non-human, physical world, but the advice on following Nature immediately follows the advice to study one’s own internal ‘Nature’, and thus means something like an instinctively-recognised principle of ordering, derived from the original,timeless, cosmic ordering of God (the language of the lines implicitly aligns Nature with God; those that follow explicitly align it with the soul). Art should be derived from Nature, should seek to replicate Nature, and can be tested against the unaltering standard of Nature, which thus includes Reason and Truth as reflections of the mind of the original poet-creator, God.

In a fallen universe, however, apprehension of Nature requires assistance: internal gifts alone do not suffice.

Some, to whom Heav’n in Wit has been profuse, Want as much more, to turn it to its use; For Wit and Judgment often are at strife, Tho’ meant each other’s Aid, like Man and Wife.

( EC, 80–03)

Wit, the second of Pope’s abstract qualities, is here seamlessly conjoined with the discussion of Nature: for Pope, Wit means not merely quick verbal humour but something almost as important as Nature – a power of invention and perception not very different from what we would mean by intelligence or imagination. Early critics again seized on the first version of these lines (which Pope eventually altered to the reading given here) as evidence of Pope’s inability to make proper distinctions: he seems to suggest that a supply of Wit sometimes needs more Wit to manage it, and then goes on to replace this conundrum with a more familiar opposition between Wit (invention) and Judgment (correction). But Pope stood by the essential point that Wit itself could be a form of Judgment and insisted that though the marriage between these qualities might be strained, no divorce was possible.

Nonetheless, some external prop to Wit was necessary, and Pope finds this in those ‘RULES’ of criticism derived from Nature:

Those RULES of old discover’d, not devis’d, Are Nature still, but Nature Methodiz’d; Nature, like Liberty , is but restrain’d By the same Laws which first herself ordain’d.

( EC, 88–91)

Nature, as Godlike principle of order, is ‘discover’d’ to operate according to certain principles stated in critical treatises such as Aristotle’s Poetics or Horace’s Ars Poetica (or Pope’s Essay on Criticism ). In the golden age of Greece (92–103), Criticism identified these Rules of Nature in early poetry and taught their use to aspiring poets. Pope contrasts this with the activities of critics in the modern world, where often criticism is actively hostile to poetry, or has become an end in itself (114–17). Right judgement must separate itself out from such blind alleys by reading Homer: ‘ You then whose Judgment the right Course would steer’ ( EC, 118) can see yourself in the fable of ‘young Maro ’ (Virgil), who is pictured discovering to his amazement the perfect original equivalence between Homer, Nature, and the Rules (130–40). Virgil the poet becomes a sort of critical commentary on the original source poet of Western literature,Homer. With assurance bordering consciously on hyperbole, Pope can instruct us: ‘Learn hence for Ancient Rules a just Esteem;/To copy Nature is to copy Them ’ ( EC, 139–40).

Despite the potential for neat conclusion here, Pope has a rider to offer,and again it is one which could be addressed to poet or critic: ‘Some Beauties yet, no Precepts can declare,/For there’s a Happiness as well as Care ’ ( EC, 141–2). As well as the prescriptions of Aristotelian poetics,Pope draws on the ancient treatise ascribed to Longinus and known as On the Sublime [12]. Celebrating imaginative ‘flights’ rather than representation of nature, Longinus figures in Pope’s poem as a sort of paradox:

Great Wits sometimes may gloriously offend, And rise to Faults true Criticks dare not mend; From vulgar Bounds with brave Disorder part, And snatch a Grace beyond the Reach of Art, Which, without passing thro’ the Judgment , gains The Heart, and all its End at once attains.

( EC, 152–7)

This occasional imaginative rapture, not predictable by rule, is an important concession, emphasised by careful typographic signalling of its paradoxical nature (‘ gloriously offend ’, and so on); but it is itself countered by the caution that ‘The Critick’ may ‘put his Laws in force’ if such licence is unjustifiably used. Pope here seems to align the ‘you’ in the audience with poet rather than critic, and in the final lines of the first section it is the classical ‘ Bards Triumphant ’ who remain unassailably immortal, leavingPope to pray for ‘some Spark of your Coelestial Fire’ ( EC, 195) to inspire his own efforts (as ‘The last, the meanest of your Sons’, EC, 196) to instruct criticism through poetry.

Following this ringing prayer for the possibility of reestablishing a critical art based on poetry, Part II (200-559) elaborates all the human psychological causes which inhibit such a project: pride, envy,sectarianism, a love of some favourite device at the expense of overall design. The ideal critic will reflect the creative mind, and will seek to understand the whole work rather than concentrate on minute infractions of critical laws:

A perfect Judge will read each Work of Wit With the same Spirit that its Author writ, Survey the Whole, nor seek slight Faults to find, Where Nature moves, and Rapture warms the Mind;

( EC, 233–6)

Most critics (and poets) err by having a fatal predisposition towards some partial aspect of poetry: ornament, conceit, style, or metre, which they use as an inflexible test of far more subtle creations. Pope aims for akind of poetry which is recognisable and accessible in its entirety:

True Wit is Nature to Advantage drest, What oft was Thought, but ne’er so well Exprest, Something, whose Truth convinc’d at Sight we find, That gives us back the Image of our Mind:

( EC, 296–300)

This is not to say that style alone will do, as Pope immediately makesplain (305–6): the music of poetry, the ornament of its ‘numbers’ or rhythm, is only worth having because ‘The Sound must seem an Eccho to the Sense ’ ( EC, 365). Pope performs and illustrates a series of poetic clichés – the use of open vowels, monosyllabic lines, and cheap rhymes:

Tho’ oft the Ear the open Vowels tire … ( EC , 345) And ten low Words oft creep in one dull Line … ( EC , 347) Where-e’er you find the cooling Western Breeze, In the next Line, it whispers thro’ the Trees … ( EC, 350–1)

These gaffes are contrasted with more positive kinds of imitative effect:

Soft is the Strain when Zephyr gently blows, And the smooth Stream in smoother Numbers flows; But when loud Surges lash the sounding Shore, The hoarse, rough Verse shou’d like the Torrent roar.

( EC, 366–9)

Again, this functions both as poetic instance and as critical test, working examples for both classes of writer.

After a long series of satiric vignettes of false critics, who merely parrot the popular opinion, or change their minds all the time, or flatter aristocratic versifiers, or criticise poets rather than poetry (384-473), Pope again switches attention to educated readers, encouraging (or cajoling)them towards staunchly independent and generous judgment within what is described as an increasingly fraught cultural context, threatened with decay and critical warfare (474–525). But, acknowledging that even‘Noble minds’ will have some ‘Dregs … of Spleen and sow’r Disdain’ ( EC ,526–7), Pope advises the critic to ‘Discharge that Rage on more ProvokingCrimes,/Nor fear a Dearth in these Flagitious Times’ (EC, 528–9): obscenity and blasphemy are unpardonable and offer a kind of lightning conductor for critics to purify their own wit against some demonised object of scorn.

If the first parts of An Essay on Criticism outline a positive classical past and troubled modern present, Part III seeks some sort of resolved position whereby the virtues of one age can be maintained during the squabbles of the other. The opening seeks to instill the correct behaviour in the critic –not merely rules for written criticism, but, so to speak, for enacted criticism, a sort of ‘ Good Breeding ’ (EC, 576) which politely enforces without seeming to enforce:

LEARN then what MORALS Criticks ought to show, For ’tis but half a Judge’s Task , to Know. ’Tis not enough, Taste, Judgment, Learning, join; In all you speak, let Truth and Candor shine … Be silent always when you doubt your Sense; And speak, tho’ sure , with seeming Diffidence …Men must be taught as if you taught them not; And Things unknown propos’d as Things forgot:

( EC , 560–3, 566–7, 574–5)

This ideally-poised man of social grace cannot be universally successful: some poets, as some critics, are incorrigible and it is part of Pope’s education of the poet-critic to leave them well alone. Synthesis, if that is being offered in this final part, does not consist of gathering all writers into one tidy fold but in a careful discrimination of true wit from irredeemable ‘dulness’ (584–630).

Thereafter, Pope has two things to say. One is to set a challenge to contemporary culture by asking ‘where’s the Man’ who can unite all necessary humane and intellectual qualifications for the critic ( EC, 631–42), and be a sort of walking oxymoron, ‘Modestly bold, and humanly severe’ in his judgements. The other is to insinuate an answer. Pope offers deft characterisations of critics from Aristotle to Pope who achieve the necessary independence from extreme positions: Aristotle’s primary treatise is likened to an imaginative voyage into the land of Homer which becomes the source of legislative power; Horace is the poetic model for friendly conversational advice; Quintilian is a useful store of ‘the justest Rules, and clearest Method join’d’; Longinus is inspired by the Muses,who ‘bless their Critick with a Poet’s Fire’ ( EC, 676). These pairs include and encapsulate all the precepts recommended in the body of the poem. But the empire of good sense, Pope reminds us, fell apart after the fall of Rome,leaving nothing but monkish superstition, until the scholar Erasmus,always Pope’s model of an ecumenical humanist, reformed continental scholarship (693-696). Renaissance Italy shows a revival of arts, including criticism; France, ‘a Nation born to serve’ ( EC , 713) fossilised critical and poetic practice into unbending rules; Britain, on the other hand, ‘ Foreign Laws despis’d,/And kept unconquer’d, and unciviliz’d’ ( EC, 715–16) – a deftly ironic modulation of what appears to be a patriotic celebration intosomething more muted. Pope does however cite two earlier verse essays (by John Sheffield, Duke of Buckinghamshire, and Wentworth Dillon, Earl of Roscommon) [13] before paying tribute to his own early critical mentor, William Walsh, who had died in 1708 [9]. Sheffield and Dillon were both poets who wrote criticism in verse, but Walsh was not a poet; in becoming the nearest modern embodiment of the ideal critic, his ‘poetic’ aspect becomes Pope himself, depicted as a mixture of moderated qualities which reminds us of the earlier ‘Where’s the man’ passage: he is quite possibly here,

Careless of Censure , nor too fond of Fame, Still pleas’d to praise, yet not afraid to blame, Averse alike to Flatter , or Offend, Not free from Faults, nor yet too vain to mend.

( EC , 741–44)

It is a kind of leading from the front, or tuition by example, as recommended and practised by the poem. From an apparently secondary,even negative, position (writing on criticism, which the poem sees as secondary to poetry), the poem ends up founding criticism on poetry, and deriving poetry from the (ideal) critic.

Early criticism celebrated the way the poem seemed to master and exemplify its own stated ideals, just as Pope had said of Longinus that he ‘Is himself that great Sublime he draws’ ( EC, 680). It is a poem profuse with images, comparisons and similes. Johnson thought the longest example,that simile comparing student’s progress in learning with a traveller’s journey in Alps was ‘perhaps the best that English poetry can shew’: ‘The simile of the Alps has no useless parts, yet affords a striking picture by itself: it makes the foregoing position better understood, and enables it to take faster hold on the attention; it assists the apprehension, and elevates the fancy’ (Johnson 1905: 229–30). Many of the abstract precepts aremade visible in this way: private judgment is like one’s reliance on one’s(slightly unreliable) watch (9– 10); wit and judgment are like man and wife(82–3); critics are like pharmacists trying to be doctors (108–11). Much ofthe imagery is military or political, indicating something of the social role(as legislator in the universal empire of poetry) the critic is expected toadopt; we are also reminded of the decay of empires, and the potentialdecay of cultures (there is something of The Dunciad in the poem). Muchof it is religious, as with the most famous phrases from the poem (‘For Fools rush in where angels fear to tread’; ‘To err is human, to forgive, divine’), indicating the level of seriousness which Pope accords the matterof poetry. Much of it is sexual: creativity is a kind of manliness, wooing Nature, or the Muse, to ‘generate’ poetic issue, and false criticism, likeobscenity, derives from a kind of inner ‘impotence’. Patterns of suchimagery can be harnessed to ‘organic’ readings of the poem’s wholeness. But part of the life of the poem, underlying its surface statements andmetaphors, is its continual shifts of focus, its reminders of that which liesoutside the tidying power of couplets, its continual reinvention of the ‘you’opposed to the ‘they’ of false criticism, its progressive displacement of theopposition you thought you were looking at with another one whichrequires your attention.

BIBLIOGRAPHY Atkins, G. Douglas (1986): Quests of Difference: Reading Pope’s Poems (Lexing-ton: Kentucky State University Press) Barnard, John, ed. (1973): Pope: The Critical Heritage (London and Boston:Routledge and Kegan Paul) Bateson, F.W. and Joukovsky, N.A., eds, (1971): Alexander Pope: A Critical Anthology (Harmondsworth: Penguin Books) Brower, Reuben (1959): Alexander Pope: The Poetry of Allusion (Oxford: Clarendon Press) Brown, Laura (1985): Alexander Pope (Oxford: Basil Blackwell) Davis, Herbert ed. (1966): Pope: Poetical Works (Oxford: Oxford UniversityPress Dixon, Peter, ed. (1972): Alexander Pope (London: G. Bell and Sons) Empson, William (1950): ‘Wit in the Essay on Criticism ’, Hudson Review, 2: 559–77 Erskine-Hill, Howard and Smith, Anne, eds (1979): The Art of Alexander Pope (London: Vision Press) Erskine-Hill, Howard (1982): ‘Alexander Pope: The Political Poet in his Time’, Eighteenth-Century Studies, 15: 123–148 Fairer, David (1984): Pope’s Imagination (Manchester: Manchester University Press) Fairer, David, ed. (1990): Pope: New Contexts (Hemel Hempstead: Harvester Wheatsheaf) Morris, David B. (1984): Alexander Pope: The Genius of Sense (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press) Nuttall, A.D. (1984): Pope’s ‘ Essay on Man’ (London: George Allen and Unwin) Rideout, Tania (1992): ‘The Reasoning Eye: Alexander Pope’s Typographic Vi-sion in the Essay on Man’, Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes 55:249–62 Rogers, Pat (1993a): Alexander Pope (Oxford: Oxford University Press) Rogers, Pat (1993b): Essay s on Pope (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press) Savage, Roger (1988) ‘Antiquity as Nature: Pope’s Fable of “Young Maro”’, in An Essay on Criticism, in Nicholson (1988), 83–116 Schmitz, R. M. (1962): Pope’s Essay on Criticism 1709: A Study of the BodleianMS Text, with Facsimiles, Transcripts and Variants (St Louis: Washington University Press) Warren, Austin (1929): Alexander Pope as Critic and Humanist (Princeton: PrincetonUniversity Press) Woodman, Thomas (1989): Politeness and Poetry in the Age of Pope (Rutherford,New Jersey: Fairleigh Dickinson University Press)

How to Write a Critical Essay

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An Introduction to Punctuation

Olivia Valdes was the Associate Editorial Director for ThoughtCo. She worked with Dotdash Meredith from 2017 to 2021.

B.A., American Studies, Yale University

A critical essay is a form of academic writing that analyzes, interprets, and/or evaluates a text. In a critical essay, an author makes a claim about how particular ideas or themes are conveyed in a text, then supports that claim with evidence from primary and/or secondary sources.

In casual conversation, we often associate the word "critical" with a negative perspective. However, in the context of a critical essay, the word "critical" simply means discerning and analytical. Critical essays analyze and evaluate the meaning and significance of a text, rather than making a judgment about its content or quality.

What Makes an Essay "Critical"?

Imagine you've just watched the movie "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory." If you were chatting with friends in the movie theater lobby, you might say something like, "Charlie was so lucky to find a Golden Ticket. That ticket changed his life." A friend might reply, "Yeah, but Willy Wonka shouldn't have let those raucous kids into his chocolate factory in the first place. They caused a big mess."

These comments make for an enjoyable conversation, but they do not belong in a critical essay. Why? Because they respond to (and pass judgment on) the raw content of the movie, rather than analyzing its themes or how the director conveyed those themes.

On the other hand, a critical essay about "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" might take the following topic as its thesis: "In 'Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory,' director Mel Stuart intertwines money and morality through his depiction of children: the angelic appearance of Charlie Bucket, a good-hearted boy of modest means, is sharply contrasted against the physically grotesque portrayal of the wealthy, and thus immoral, children."

This thesis includes a claim about the themes of the film, what the director seems to be saying about those themes, and what techniques the director employs in order to communicate his message. In addition, this thesis is both supportable and disputable using evidence from the film itself, which means it's a strong central argument for a critical essay .

Characteristics of a Critical Essay

Critical essays are written across many academic disciplines and can have wide-ranging textual subjects: films, novels, poetry, video games, visual art, and more. However, despite their diverse subject matter, all critical essays share the following characteristics.

Central claim . All critical essays contain a central claim about the text. This argument is typically expressed at the beginning of the essay in a thesis statement , then supported with evidence in each body paragraph. Some critical essays bolster their argument even further by including potential counterarguments, then using evidence to dispute them.
Evidence . The central claim of a critical essay must be supported by evidence. In many critical essays, most of the evidence comes in the form of textual support: particular details from the text (dialogue, descriptions, word choice, structure, imagery, et cetera) that bolster the argument. Critical essays may also include evidence from secondary sources, often scholarly works that support or strengthen the main argument.
Conclusion . After making a claim and supporting it with evidence, critical essays offer a succinct conclusion. The conclusion summarizes the trajectory of the essay's argument and emphasizes the essays' most important insights.

Tips for Writing a Critical Essay

Writing a critical essay requires rigorous analysis and a meticulous argument-building process. If you're struggling with a critical essay assignment, these tips will help you get started.

Practice active reading strategies . These strategies for staying focused and retaining information will help you identify specific details in the text that will serve as evidence for your main argument. Active reading is an essential skill, especially if you're writing a critical essay for a literature class.
Read example essays . If you're unfamiliar with critical essays as a form, writing one is going to be extremely challenging. Before you dive into the writing process, read a variety of published critical essays, paying careful attention to their structure and writing style. (As always, remember that paraphrasing an author's ideas without proper attribution is a form of plagiarism .)
Resist the urge to summarize . Critical essays should consist of your own analysis and interpretation of a text, not a summary of the text in general. If you find yourself writing lengthy plot or character descriptions, pause and consider whether these summaries are in the service of your main argument or whether they are simply taking up space.
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The Writing Center • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Writing Critiques

Writing a critique involves more than pointing out mistakes. It involves conducting a systematic analysis of a scholarly article or book and then writing a fair and reasonable description of its strengths and weaknesses. Several scholarly journals have published guides for critiquing other people’s work in their academic area. Search for a “manuscript reviewer guide” in your own discipline to guide your analysis of the content. Use this handout as an orientation to the audience and purpose of different types of critiques and to the linguistic strategies appropriate to all of them.

Types of critique

Article or book review assignment in an academic class.

Text: Article or book that has already been published Audience: Professors Purpose:

to demonstrate your skills for close reading and analysis
to show that you understand key concepts in your field
to learn how to review a manuscript for your future professional work

Published book review

Text: Book that has already been published Audience: Disciplinary colleagues Purpose:

to describe the book’s contents
to summarize the book’s strengths and weaknesses
to provide a reliable recommendation to read (or not read) the book

Manuscript review

Text: Manuscript that has been submitted but has not been published yet Audience: Journal editor and manuscript authors Purpose:

to provide the editor with an evaluation of the manuscript
to recommend to the editor that the article be published, revised, or rejected
to provide the authors with constructive feedback and reasonable suggestions for revision

Language strategies for critiquing

For each type of critique, it’s important to state your praise, criticism, and suggestions politely, but with the appropriate level of strength. The following language structures should help you achieve this challenging task.

Offering Praise and Criticism

A strategy called “hedging” will help you express praise or criticism with varying levels of strength. It will also help you express varying levels of certainty in your own assertions. Grammatical structures used for hedging include:

Modal verbs Using modal verbs (could, can, may, might, etc.) allows you to soften an absolute statement. Compare:

This text is inappropriate for graduate students who are new to the field. This text may be inappropriate for graduate students who are new to the field.

Qualifying adjectives and adverbs Using qualifying adjectives and adverbs (possible, likely, possibly, somewhat, etc.) allows you to introduce a level of probability into your comments. Compare:

Readers will find the theoretical model difficult to understand. Some readers will find the theoretical model difficult to understand. Some readers will probably find the theoretical model somewhat difficult to understand completely.

Note: You can see from the last example that too many qualifiers makes the idea sound undesirably weak.

Tentative verbs Using tentative verbs (seems, indicates, suggests, etc.) also allows you to soften an absolute statement. Compare:

This omission shows that the authors are not aware of the current literature. This omission indicates that the authors are not aware of the current literature. This omission seems to suggest that the authors are not aware of the current literature.

Offering suggestions

Whether you are critiquing a published or unpublished text, you are expected to point out problems and suggest solutions. If you are critiquing an unpublished manuscript, the author can use your suggestions to revise. Your suggestions have the potential to become real actions. If you are critiquing a published text, the author cannot revise, so your suggestions are purely hypothetical. These two situations require slightly different grammar.

Unpublished manuscripts: “would be X if they did Y” Reviewers commonly point out weakness by pointing toward improvement. For instance, if the problem is “unclear methodology,” reviewers may write that “the methodology would be more clear if …” plus a suggestion. If the author can use the suggestions to revise, the grammar is “X would be better if the authors did Y” (would be + simple past suggestion).

The tables would be clearer if the authors highlighted the key results. The discussion would be more persuasive if the authors accounted for the discrepancies in the data.

Published manuscripts: “would have been X if they had done Y” If the authors cannot revise based on your suggestions, use the past unreal conditional form “X would have been better if the authors had done Y” (would have been + past perfect suggestion).

The tables would have been clearer if the authors had highlighted key results. The discussion would have been more persuasive if the authors had accounted for discrepancies in the data.

Note: For more information on conditional structures, see our Conditionals handout .

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23 Constructive Criticism Examples

Dave Cornell (PhD)

Dr. Cornell has worked in education for more than 20 years. His work has involved designing teacher certification for Trinity College in London and in-service training for state governments in the United States. He has trained kindergarten teachers in 8 countries and helped businessmen and women open baby centers and kindergartens in 3 countries.

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Chris Drew (PhD)

This article was peer-reviewed and edited by Chris Drew (PhD). The review process on Helpful Professor involves having a PhD level expert fact check, edit, and contribute to articles. Reviewers ensure all content reflects expert academic consensus and is backed up with reference to academic studies. Dr. Drew has published over 20 academic articles in scholarly journals. He is the former editor of the Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education and holds a PhD in Education from ACU.

Constructive criticism refers to providing feedback to a person or group that is delivered in a positive tone with the intent of helping others improve.

Examples of constructive criticism include the sandwich method of feedback, using the 3×3 method, and ensuring you provide genuine suggestions for improvement.

The distinguishing characteristic of constructive criticism is that:

The goal is to provide support for growth.
You avoid damaging a person’s self-esteem.

Constructive Criticism Definition

Constructive criticism is honest, genuine, well-meaning feedback that provides a critique of the strengths and weaknesses of something or someone.

The criticism should be specific and offers clear suggestions on how to address deficiencies. Remarks should are clear and the suggestions provided should be feasible and reasonable.

Professionals working in a management capacity need to be masters of delivering constructive criticism.

As Nash et al. (2018) point out:

“In almost any profession or pastime—from education, to business, to sports and the performing arts—being able to improve our skills can hinge on receiving good quality feedback from others.” (Nash et al., 2018, p. 1864)

Constructive Criticism Examples

1. being specific in your feedback.

To ensure your feedback is constructive , focus on specific actions or behaviors that could be improved. If you fall into the trap of making generalized statements or personal attacks, the criticism stops being constructive because there’s no clear path for improvement.

Examples could be:

“At the five-minute mark of your presentation, you stopped making eye contact with the audience.”
“The problem with your golf swing is your hip placement. If you square your hips, you may find more success.”
“The third paragraph of the essay is where it goes off track. I would recommend re-writing that paragraph to make sure it clearly links to the previous paragraph.”

2. Using “I” Statements

The use of “I” statements tends to help frame critique more gently. “You” statements, on the other hand, tend to come across as aggressive and accusational. Expressing your feelings and observations allows room for discussion rather than conflict.

“I feel like you interrupted me during my presentation and it led to a less productive meeting. Can we implement a strategy for minimizing interruptions in the next meeting?”
“I liked what you said, but I wonder if you’d consider making a quick change to improve your output. Would you like to discuss it?”

3. Offering Suggestions for Improvement

If you simply criticize, you’re not being constructive . Rather, you’re being destructive. To be constructive, you need to think up ways to build the person up. After all, constructive comes from the concept of “to build”.

“Great job at the beginning, but in the middle of your presentation your voice started getting soft. Can I suggest you focus on maintaining voice projection throughout the presentation next time?”
“I have written down three ideas for improvement of your essay. First, make sure you provide references to academic sources in each paragraph. Second, I’d suggest you write a conclusion that sums up your arguments. Third, make sure you edit your work before submitting to remove spelling errors.”

4. Encouraging Open Communication during Criticism

People who offer constructive criticism aren’t there just to criticize then walk away. They want to help the person improve. So, it’s important for you to let the person ask questions or give responses so you can engage in communication.

“Okay, I will tell you what it looked like you did from my perspective and then can you tell me if you agree?”
“I’m going to make a few suggestions then after that can you let me know how you feel about implementing the changes I suggest?”

5. Offering Opportunities for Growth

You might be noticing a theme: constructive criticism is always about helping someone get better. It’s not about cutting them down or making you feel good about being better than someone else. So, reflect on your criticism and have a think about whether it’s provided the person with opportunities to grow.

“I think there’s potential for improvement here. Let’s talk about some steps you can take so you do better next time.”
“This wasn’t your best work, so let’s go back to basics and talk about getting those fundamentals right again.”

6. Providing Praise along with Criticism

If all you do is give negative feedback, the person you’re giving the feedback to is going to feel deflated. So, good constructive criticism looks at both the positives and areas for improvement so the person feels you’re not there to bring them down, but there to help.

“I found 2 things I felt you did really well and 2 that you could improve on. Let’s start with the strengths.”
“You did a great job with your tone of voice in the presentation, but the subject matter needs a bit of work. If you can improve on the subject matter, your presentation could end up really strong.”
“I really appreciate that you had the courage to give this a go. I have some feedback for you that will make next time you try even better.”

7. choosing an Appropriate Time and Place

Make sure your feedback is given in a context that won’t embarrass the person or make them feel confronted. For example, you could try to give the constructive criticism in private. Or, you might want to take a break between the task and the feedback to make sure the person is relaxed and has some objective space.

A professor asks a student to stay back after class to give the constructive criticism rather than doing it in front of the rest of the class.
A wife is frustrated at her husband, but doesn’t express it in front of the kids. Instead, she waits until they’re in bed that night and having a debrief to gently discuss the issue.

8. Maintaining a positive and supportive tone

Anger, sarcasm, or condescension have no place in constructive criticism. This is because aggressive tones and postures are not constructive . Rather, they will lead to conflict.

Harry is really angry that John said something offensive. But instead of yelling or retaliating in anger, he stops, takes a breathe, and uses an “I” statement to express his feelings.
A teacher is frustrated at a misbehaving student, but she puts on a big smile and says “Sam, I know you’re better than that! Remember last week when you sat politely through the class presentations? I know you can do that again this week.”

9. Focusing on the Behavior Rather than a Person’s Character

Personal attacks or criticisms of a person’s core character are not conducive to positive feedback . Constructive criticism focuses on the task or behavior that needs to be improved upon, not on the person themself. This is fundamental to the concept of unconditional positive regard .

“Okay, let’s talk about the task at hand and push other things out of the conversation for now. I believe you can improve on the task with a few simple steps.”
“This assessment task wasn’t done to the best of your ability. I know you have the right growth mindset to see some improvements, so let’s talk about some ways to improve your work.”

10. Following up on your Feedback

Constructive criticism is supportive. One of the best ways to be supportive is to let the person receiving the feedback to know you’re there to help them through the process of improving. To do this, tell them you’ll follow-up, then actually do it.

“Now that we’ve talked about three ways to improve, let’s put in place a timeline. Could you suggest one thing you could do this week before our meeting again next Monday?”
“Hey Tracy, I’m just following up on the feedback I gave the other day. Did you have any more thoughts about those weaknesses we discussed?”
“Okay, let’s focus on the first step for improvement and push the other two aside for now. Could you drop me an email once you’ve fixed the first issue we discussed so I can give you some feedback on the improvements?”

Strategies for Providing Constructive Criticism

1. the 3×3 method.

One key to providing effective constructive criticism is to not overwhelm the recipient. Instead of listing all 17 things you saw wrong in their report, it is better to prioritize the feedback and narrow that list. It is much easier for a person to remember 3 key points than a long list.

The 3×3 method takes this basic principle one step further by recommending highlighting 3 strengths and the 3 ways that each of those strengths could have worked better.

For example, highlighting the organization of the presentation, and then following up with suggesting that it could have had greater impact if delivered with better intonation and emotional appeal.

The first half of the statement is positive, and accurate, and the second half offers a suggestion to make the first element even better.

Limiting this to a total of 3 statements gives the employee something to focus on, as opposed to them trying to do too much.

2. The STAR Method

The STAR method identifies 4 main components that each feedback session should include. The acronym stands for: Situation, Task, Action, and Result.

This method is effective because it is clear, specific, and offers a feasible suggestion on how the employee can improve the situation. The systematic nature of the process takes some of the negative emotional impacts out of delivering bad news.

Here is a breakdown of each component.

Situation/Task: the supervisor describes the situation or task being evaluated

Action: the supervisor then describes the action, specifically, either positive or negative, the employee displayed

Result: the employee then hears an explanation of the consequences of those actions so they understand fully

If the actions were negative, then a follow-up statement regarding how the employee can improve should be explained. Of course, being specific and reasonable is helpful.

3. The “No Feedback” Approach to Providing Feedback

When a supervisor is working with staff that are responsible and motivated, it is much easier to offer suggestions on how to improve. Because the personnel are professional, their priority is to improve and help the organization prosper.

In this scenario, it may not be necessary for those in a leadership position to deliver any criticism at all. Experienced professionals, that take their responsibilities seriously, tend to be reflective and self-critical.

Therefore, sometimes the best approach to delivering feedback is to not take the first step. For example, a supervisor can simply start the performance evaluation meeting by asking the employee to identify their strengths and weaknesses.

What follows can be quite enlightening. In fact, the employee may be more cognizant of their own shortcomings than what an observant supervisor is able to identify.

4. Use Reflective Questioning

Teachers deliver feedback to students on a routine basis. For instance, teachers make brief comments as they walk around the classroom monitoring students’ progress.

The results of quizzes, exams, term papers and oral presentations are graded and often include evaluative statements. Ideally, teachers can present that feedback in a constructive manner.

Teachers can deliver effective feedback by considering three reflective questions:

1. Where is the learner going?

Both teacher and student need to have a clear understanding of the learning goals and make sure they are achievable and challenging.

2. Where is the learner right now?

Student progress should be assessed and carefully tracked in relation to goals so that both teacher and student know the current situation.

3. How does the learner get there?

The teacher should be specific about the steps the student needs to take to accomplish the learning goals.

As Black and Wiliam argue:

“Feedback to any pupil should be about the particular qualities of his or her work, with advice on what he or she can do to improve, and should avoid comparisons with other pupils” (Black and Wiliam, 1998, p. 143).

Constructive criticism is a way of communicating to students and staff that takes a positive tone when identifying ways to improve. The goal is to facilitate growth so the individual has a greater chance of achieving success.

There are several structured techniques that can be applied in a feedback situation. Most have several common characteristics. For instance, starting out by identifying the individual’s strengths helps establish positive rapport.

This is followed by identifying specific errors, being sure to not use personal statements or strong language.

The path to success will point to specific actions that can produce better outcomes. It is important that those suggestions are reasonable and suitable for the individual receiving the feedback.

Constructive criticism can foster a positive environment and encourage continued effort towards improvement.

AbdulAzeem, A., & Elnibras, M. (2017). The criteria of constructive feedback: The feedback that counts. Journal of Health Specialties, 5 , 45-48.

Black, P., & Wiliam, D. (1998). Inside the Black Box: Raising Standards through Classroom Assessment. The Phi Delta Kappan, 80 (2), pp. 139-144, 146-148.

Black, P., & Wiliam, D. (2005). Inside the black box: Raising standards through classroom assessment . Granada Learning.

Fong, C., Warner, J., Williams, K., Schallert, D., Chen, L., Williamson, Z., & Lin, S. (2016). Deconstructing constructive criticism: The nature of academic emotions associated with constructive, positive, and negative feedback. Learning and Individual Differences, 49 , 393-399. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2016.05.019

Lashley, F.R., & de Meneses, M. (2001). Student civility in nursing programs: a national survey. Journal of Professional Nursing: Official Journal of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 17(2) , 81-86.

Luparell, S. (2005). Why and how we should address student incivility in nursing programs. Annual Review of Nursing Education , 3 (2015), 23-36.

Nash, R. A., Winstone, N. E., Gregory, S. E. A., & Papps, E. (2018). A memory advantage for past-oriented over future-oriented performance feedback. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 44 (12), 1864–1879. https://doi.org/10.1037/xlm0000549

Nilson, L. B. (2010). Teaching at its best: A research-based resource for college instructors (2nd ed.).  San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. 

Niederriter, J. E., Eyth, D., & Thoman, J. (2017). Nursing students’ perceptions on characteristics of an effective clinical instructor. SAGE Open Nursing , 3 , 2377960816685571.

Dave Cornell (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/dave-cornell-phd/ 23 Achieved Status Examples
Dave Cornell (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/dave-cornell-phd/ 25 Defense Mechanisms Examples
Dave Cornell (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/dave-cornell-phd/ 15 Theory of Planned Behavior Examples
Dave Cornell (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/dave-cornell-phd/ 18 Adaptive Behavior Examples

Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ 23 Achieved Status Examples
Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ 15 Ableism Examples
Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ 25 Defense Mechanisms Examples
Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ 15 Theory of Planned Behavior Examples

Critique vs. Criticism: How to Write a Good Critique, with Examples

by Daniel Rodrigues-Martin

Understanding critique vs. criticism

We all assign merit to the information we experience daily. We “judge” what we hear on the news. We “evaluate” a university lecture. We “like” or “dislike” a movie, a meal, a photo, a story. We’re all critics.

Some writer-readers struggle with this point, especially if they are young to writing and editing. Sitting in a judgment of another writer’s work often feels distasteful, and doing so may conjure negative memories of when we were misunderstood or dismissed by others.

Conversely, we might be willing to share our opinions with other writers while struggling with our competence. We can’t seem to say anything constructive. If we’re critiquing on Scribophile, we may feel that we are wasting one of the author’s coveted “spotlight” critiques.

Having used Scribophile on-and-off since 2009, I’ve seen countless readers qualify their commentary on my own work (“I don’t read your genre,” “I haven’t read your previous chapters,” “I’m not good with grammar,” etc.) and I’ve seen even more cry woe on the forums about how they can’t critique because they’re not experienced enough, not educated enough, or not talented enough. Others decry the very sort of criticism writers’ groups and workshop sites like Scribophile foster, suggesting that the perfunctory nature of such criticism is ultimately more harmful than helpful.

Scribophile as a community thrives on the principle of serious commitment to serious writing, and the foundation of that commitment is reading and responding to others’ work. If you want to explore some elements helpful to improving your critiquing skills, I invite you to get yourself some hot caffeine, strap on your thinking cap, and read on.

How to write a great critique in 3 steps

Listed here are some ideas I’ve found helpful for approaching others’ work; these tips are about your mindset as a critic. These ideas are by no means exhaustive. The best teacher is experience, and I encourage all writers to reflect on the ways in which they approach others’ work as well as how they can best contribute to the growth of others on and off of Scribophile.

1. If you’re genuine, you’ll be constructive

Being constructive means coming to the critique with the ultimate goal of helping the writer improve. It means always criticizing with good intentions for the writer. It does not equate to coddling—being so nice you’ll never say a hard thing—nor does it equate to browbeating—being so hard you’ll never say a nice thing.

Being dishonest or refusing to offer valid criticism where you’re able is a disservice to the writer. Don’t shy away from honesty. Few things are more constructive than hard truths delivered by critics who genuinely want to help and who tailor their criticism with an attitude of genuine interest.

As you interact with works on Scribophile or elsewhere, remember to always approach the task of criticism with a desire to be genuinely helpful. If your criticism is built on this foundation, your commentary will be constructive regardless of your competence and experience.

2. No jerks

As for literary criticism in general: I have long felt that any reviewer who expresses rage and loathing for a novel or a play or a poem is preposterous. He or she is like a person who has put on full armor and attacked a hot fudge sundae or a banana split. —Kurt Vonnegut

Few things will more quickly deflate a writer than unnecessarily harsh criticism. Being honest and being brutal are not the same thing. Critics must learn to express hard truths without coddling and without being jerks.

Even rude people can be good writers with valuable insights into the craft. The problem is that if you express valid insights obnoxiously, the author won’t care. In order for people to listen, they must feel that the person criticizing them has their best interest in mind, and being harsh doesn’t communicate your best interest.

In my earliest days writing, I received some negative criticism from a writer who decided to berate me for penning a bad phrase rather than explaining to me why the phrase didn’t work. Because he was rude, I insulated myself to his criticism. Years later, I reviewed the work and realized his criticism was valid. The problem was not the content of his criticism, but its malicious delivery. Had he come to my work with the desire to be genuinely helpful, I would have listened to what he had to say, and I might even have gained some enlightenment during a formative time in my writing career. The critic did me doubly wrong not only by being obnoxious, but by retarding my growth as a writer.

Unnecessarily harsh criticism is a sign of literary and personal immaturity. Don’t be a jerk.

3. Don’t be too timid

Flattering friends corrupt. —St. Augustine

Every writer likes to be praised, especially by those not obligated to praise them due to marital status or having given birth to them. But depthless praise can be just as damaging as heartless criticism. The reason for this is that it offers no real commentary on the work.

Refusing to offer criticism where it’s needed is one of the greatest disservices you as a critic can do for other writers. Some critics may fret that their criticism might be too discouraging if fully disclosed. Critics must contend with the reality that writing is art, people have opinions about art, and those opinions are not always going to be eruptions of praise. There is no safer environment to honestly and succinctly point out problem areas in a piece of writing than a forum designed for that very purpose.

None of this is to say that you shouldn’t commend a piece of work if it truly is fantastic or that you should not highlight the gems within a work. Again: constructive criticism is honest criticism. If a work is so well-crafted in your eyes that nothing worse than grammatical hiccups are present, tell the writer. They deserve to know they’ve done a fine job. Sometimes people genuinely deserve a “well done.” Don’t skimp on encouragement where it can be authentically offered. Even if a piece is messy, do your best to find a few strong points to highlight. It will express your best interest—especially if you had a lot of hard things to say.

The difference between a critique vs. criticism is whether it’s constructive

Be constructive , meaning, have the best intentions for helping the writer. This may mean telling hard truths. If hard truths must be told, do so respectfully. If praise is deserved, offer it. Highlight the strong points of a piece—even if they are far outweighed by the negative points. Be genuine in your motivations, and genuine action will follow.

Considering authorial intent while critique writing

This section concerns authorial intent and has as its purpose the critic’s growth as an interpreter of that intent. This section is not so much about judging an author’s intent as it’s about being aware of that intent and factoring that awareness into your commentary.

1. Context is king

It is important to appreciate the amount of subjectivity and pre-understanding all readers and listeners bring to the process of interpreting acts of human communication. But unless a speaker or author can retain the right to correct someone’s interpretation by saying ‘but that’s not what I meant’ or ‘that’s not even consistent with what I meant,’ all human communication will quickly break down. —Craig L. Blomberg

While interpreters are always within their rights to read whatever they want however they want to, what they are not at liberty to decide is authorial intent —what the author desired the audience to receive from their work.

As a reader and a critic, you must be careful to understand an author’s work on their own terms while also interpreting those words. There is a substantial difference between, “This is how I’m hearing what you’re saying,” and, “This is what I say your words mean.” Don’t presume to tell an author what their work is supposed to mean, but do tell them how you’re interpreting what they’ve written.

A work-in-progress can suffer from a variety of ailments. Contextual questions are not cut-and-dry like questions of syntax, grammar, or, to a degree, plotting. Questions of context have to do with the interaction of author intent and reader interpretation. They’re murky waters to navigate because you as the reader have to exercise a bit of telepathy; you have to try and get inside the author’s head, ultimately “What is the author trying to convey with this sentence, this piece? Who is this piece for, and will it successfully communicate with that target audience? Is it clear that there is a target audience?”

Some authors are great at genre pieces; they know all the chords to strike, they know what the tone of the piece should be, the kinds of characters who should appear. Other authors can completely muck it up. They’ll write a romance piece that reads like a technical manual or a flowery memoir with a tangle of dead-ending tangents. It’s not always easy and natural for new critics to explain why something does or doesn’t work, but innately, we know. When those moments come up, let the author know.

2. The unintended/unspoken

Asking the question, “Is that really what you meant?” isn’t always bad. All of us have been misunderstood. Sometimes the results are humorous, but other times, we’re grateful for the opportunity to correct misunderstandings.

If in your criticism you find yourself questioning the use of a word or phrase, or even of a character, idea, or plot point, it’s advisable to bring such questions to the writer’s attention. It may just be you, but it may not just be you. Unless the writer has a philosophical axe to grind, they probably mean to communicate clearly, and it should at least be made known that they may have botched it up.

Conversely, there are instances where things left unwritten speak volumes. Perhaps a character “falls off the radar” in mid-scene, and it leaves you scratching your head? It may be appropriate to point out confusing instances of the unwritten for the author’s consideration.

Because my own novel employs many neologisms, critics jumping in mid-story often highlight those neologisms to make sure I’m using them as intended. While it can get tedious to say to myself, “Yes, that is what it means,” I am always thankful for keen eyes. This is the kind of sharp, considerate criticism each of us should aim for and be thankful for if we receive it.

3. Accounting for genre and intended audience

A genre is “A category of artistic composition, as in music or literature, marked by a distinctive style, form, or content.” When reading an author’s work, it’s crucial to take into account its genre and intended audience. If you’re even-handed in your critiquing, you’ll at some point be reading a story in a genre you might not otherwise touch, and while you might wish Twilight had been a one-off rather than a worldwide phenomenon, it’s inappropriate to harshly judge an author’s work simply because you don’t like their sort of story.

Consider the question of author intent and how that intent will resonate with an intended (or unintended!) audience. Sometimes, you must ignore whether or not a story resonates with you personally. Instead, ask yourself if it would resonate with your vampire-novel-loving daughter. Are the story, plot devices, characters, and verbiage appropriate for the intended audience? If yes, why or why not? If no, why or why not? Your personal tastes should not dictate the quality of your criticism. Train yourself to offer valuable insight even on writing you’d never pay money to read.

Remember these principles when reading work outside your sphere of interest. Being constructive doesn’t mean you have to love or even like the work. If something is written well, it’s written well—prejudices aside. If you’re truly unable to be objective, you would do the writer a better service by moving on.

4. Don’t pretend to be a non-writer

A film director watches other films differently than a moviegoer. A chef tastes a meal differently than the average person. As a writer, you necessarily see stories differently than non-writers. That’s not a bad thing.

We can be helpful to other writers by sharing our gut reactions no differently than an unversed beta reader. On the other hand, writers should be able to explain with more clarity than the average person why something does or doesn’t work in a story. A writer’s insight is of a different quality than a non-initiate’s insight. Both are needed for success, because if a writer one day moves on to pitch their work to those in the literary establishment, that work will not be judged by average readers until after it has survived the professional gauntlet.

All readers have the ability to share their gut reactions, but not all readers can slip on their “writer glasses” and offer critique on that level. Good critiques provide both types of insight, so as a fellow writer, bring your full experience to bear in helping others embarking on the same journey.

Understanding intent is part of a good critique

As best as you’re able, judge an author’s work on the basis of their intent—this includes noting instances of the unintended! In consideration of genre, judge the work not on the basis of your interest in the genre, but on the author’s skill at writing a piece that strikes the proper chords within the genre they’ve chosen. It’s not possible for you to read as a reader only, so don’t pretend to be something you’re not.

What makes a good critique?

A good writer may come out of any intellectual discipline at all. Every art and science gives the writer its own special ways of seeing, gives him experience with interesting people, and can provide him with means of making a living… It is not necessary—or perhaps even advisable—that the young writer major in literature. —John Gardner

Contrary to the belief of a lot of new writers, learning to write and critique doesn’t require sixty-four credits of college English or an MFA. Plenty of writers and editors don’t hold English or Creative Writing degrees, and while I in no way wish to discourage those who choose to improve their writing and reviewing by taking the high road of formal education, neither do I wish to discourage the 98% of you reading this who haven’t and won’t be able to front the money and time for such an education.

The ability to forge valid criticism is an applied skill learned through a combination of technical knowledge and experience. We’re fortunate to live in an age where vast quantities of technical information are available at our fingertips. Contemporary writers are able to write informed literature like never before. So, too, are critics able to fact-check writers like never before.

Just as you’re willing to fact-check history or science before you include something in your story, it doesn’t hurt to do that for those you critique. Granted, they should do that themselves, but maybe they’re writing a genre you write, or maybe they’re writing about your field of work or interest? Being educated or experienced in any field will enrich not only your writing, but your critiquing. If you’re a fry cook, your ability to write or critique a scene in a modern commercial kitchen is better than that of someone who hasn’t had that experience. Because you know what it’s like to really work in a kitchen, you can speak to the authenticity of any such scene, and you can speak to the authenticity of the kinds of people who work in commercial kitchens. Your grammar may not be the best, but you still have something valuable to contribute.

Great writers are keen observers of life, and their writing both informs and is by informed by life. Bring the authenticity of your life to your writing and your criticism. You have perspectives, knowledge, and experiences others don’t. As you read and respond to authors, employ the skills and knowledge you already possess. Put your formal and informal education and your life experience to work. This is what it means to “write what you know” and, in our case, “critique what you know.”

Immerse yourself in all sorts of stories to get better at critiquing

One of the cardinal “writing for dummies” rules is that if you want to write well, you need to read a lot. I don’t doubt the validity of this statement, but books are only one medium of storytelling among many. My contention is that by immersing yourself in movies, television, and other storytelling mediums, you can learn about dialogue, plot, characterization, and all the other aspects of “storytelling” that appear no matter what medium you choose.

If you want to understand what makes a story great, seek out great stories. Immerse yourself in them. Though you may not be able to verbalize it, your innate understanding of what makes a narrative work will grow. This will improve both your writing and your critiquing.

Steal critiquing techniques from smart people–yourself included

Consider the critiques that have been most helpful to you. Why did they work? Reread them if you must. Then find a way to adapt the good things from those critiques into your own criticism.

Consider the critiques you’ve shared that have been helpful to others. What stood out to the author? You may even consider asking an author for feedback on your critique. Ask how you could have been more helpful.

Critiquing is a skill you can improve over time just like writing itself. But like writing, it takes practice and discipline. Make it easier on yourself by nurturing what works.

A reading list to improving your critique writing skills

There are many solid books on writing that will not only improve your writing, but your critical reading skills. Rather than provide you a hundred sources, here are a few I’ve been able to get my claws on, have dug into, and can personally vouch for:

Good Prose , by Tracy Kidder & Richard Todd. The writer-editor combo of The Atlantic share their wisdom through a tightly-edited, insightful, and entertaining survey of nonfiction writing that has plenty of benefit for writers of all stripes. The book’s section on “proportion and order” in narrative has revolutionized my own thinking about how stories should be structured.

How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy , by Orson Scott Card. A good resource if you write these genres, Card provides practical advice on publishing, agents, etc., in addition to familiarizing the reader with dos and don’ts for writing Sci-Fi/Fantasy, including some technical questions. The book’s a bit dated by now—especially the parts about the publishing world—but there are some nuggets of timeless truth within.

On Becoming a Novelist , by John Gardner. Despite the Modernistic tendency of abusing the pronoun “he,” this may be the most formative thing I’ve read about novel writing. It’s slim, readable, practical, and comprehensive.

On Writing , by Stephen King. Something of an autobiography penned by one of the most successful authors of all time, this book is snappy, humorous, entertaining, and more than a little instructive for anyone looking to write and read better. King reminds his fellow writers that “Life isn’t a support system for art; it’s the other way around.”

Story , by Robert McKee. Considered by many to be the “screenwriter’s bible,” Story belongs in the library of every serious writer whether or not they ever aspire to the silver screen. McKee is a master of properly balancing a plot to satisfy an audience, and all writers should glean from his wisdom.

The Modern Library Writer’s Workshop , by Stephen Koch. Koch flexes his student’s muscles by providing copious citations from the masters who have graced the past few centuries of literature. The author fades into the background at points while readers are treated to the musings and experiences of Dostoevsky, Flannery O’Connor, Hemingway, and others.

The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers , by Christopher Vogler. Vogler is one of the most proficient living writers of the entertainment industry. Working primarily from the theses of the late cultural anthropologist, Joseph Campbell, Vogler illustrates the plot devices and character tropes that underlie the world’s oldest stories. Recommended for new writers of the speculative fiction genres and those who wish to write epics.

The value of criticism and critiquing

The arts too can be taught, up to a point; but except for certain matters of technique, one does not learn the arts, one simply catches on. —John Gardner

The value of criticism is twofold: First and most obviously, it helps others. Second, and maybe not as apparent if you’re new to critiquing: It improves your own writing.

As you examine the work of others, you’ll be able to see what works and what doesn’t work. You will begin to notice patterns as you edit your own writing, and you’ll begin to sift out the problem areas. It’s difficult to judge your own work objectively. Doing it for others helps you get a clear head and recognize the ways in which you do the very things you criticize others for doing.

This article hasn’t had as a goal the outlining of a criticism “process.” The reason for this is that I could no more outline a criticism process than I could outline a fiction writing process. There is no single monolithic “right way to do it” that will unequivocally work for everyone. Herein are general guidelines and considerations that I’ve found helpful over the years and that others have appreciated. If you write critiques constructively, taking consideration of what the author is trying to do, and if you do so authentically, drawing on your experiences and knowledge, you’re on the right track for writing great critiques. The details of how exactly you accomplish that will become clearer to you as you engage in criticism. As in any discipline: Seek feedback and keep going.

Appendix I: “Line edits” and “critiques”

“Line edits” and “critiques” are not the same thing. These two types of reader responses address different issues, and in order to ensure that you receive the kind of criticism you’re seeking, you need to know what you’re displaying.

A “line edit” is a thorough, line-by-line examination of a manuscript. A good line edit requires an editor with a keen eye for detail and a working knowledge of contemporary grammar, syntax, and idiomatic English. The purpose of a line edit is to make a manuscript as readable as possible by removing technical errors. Typically, works that receive line edits receive them because they’re in need of them.

A “critique” is an in-depth review, touching on characterization, plot, theme, scene structure, poetry of language, and other related factors. Notice how I didn’t list anything about spelling or proper comma usage? It’s because that’s not critiquing; that’s editing. Typically, works that receive criticism as described here are free or mostly free of errors that distract readers from the story.

No one is perfect, and one of the best tools at our disposal on Scribophile is the inline critique option. Having never read nor submitted a flawless piece of writing for review, I can tell you that no one should be ashamed to receive a line edit. There are many sharp eyes and sharp minds browsing Scribophile, and even the best writer’s eyes glaze over after so many hours of staring at a white screen.

That said, part of what is absolutely necessary to receive genuine criticism as described above is a readable text. An unreadable text has never, in my experience, provided foundation for a fantastic piece of writing. Messy prose screams “messy story.” If you want criticism of story, your text must be as clean as possible.

If you’re willing to admit that your mastery of the technicalities of writing is not the sharpest, by all means, employ the knowledge and expertise of those on this site who do; it’s a wonderful resource. Readers can’t truly resonate with your story until you weave a piece of art that makes them forget they’re experiencing a piece of art. When you’re able to achieve this, you’ve removed the hurdles preventing your reader from authentically engaging with the story you’ve created. It’s at this stage in your writing that you can consistently receive deep criticism.

This is, of course, not to say that imperfect prose can’t be critiqued. Part of writing great critiques is learning to spot the gems in the story and encouraging the writer to press onward in spite of any shortcomings. If you’re honest and genuine, this won’t be a problem.

If all else fails, list at the top of your submitted piece the sort of critique you’re seeking by highlighting specific questions. “I’d love to know how you reacted when X happened,” for example. This will encourage readers to engage with the sorts of questions you’re asking.

Appendix II: The Benefits and Limits of Critique Groups

If you understand how to best leverage critique groups, they will be helpful and formative to your growth. As written above, critiquing others helps you grow; but there is more. The benefits of critique groups are threefold.

First, broad exposure. Want to know what people outside of your social circle will think of your work? A critique group will expose your work to people of different backgrounds. You can learn how a teen writer with big dreams or a Native American ex-botanist writing a memoir in retirement reacts to your story. This is the type of demographic insight you’d pay good money for when it comes time to sell your book. Even in small chunks, it’s valuable to know how different people experience your work.

Second, many eyes forge sharper prose. If three different people all trip over the same thing in your text, the problem is most likely not those three people, but your text. Especially if your text is hot off the press, you can catch errors early, and writers tend to be sharper with these sorts of things than the general population. Go look up the cost of a professional manuscript editor in your area, and you’ll be glad for many eyes combing over your writing.

Third, and most importantly: networking. The goal of sites like Scribophile and in-person critique groups should be to develop a network of people who will read the entirety of your work. Don’t get angry at forks for not being spoons—a reader jumping in mid-story will never give you the same level of commentary as someone who’s been reading since chapter one. If you’re ready for that level of reading, you need others to agree to read the book from start to finish. Use critique groups and sites like Scribophile to build relationships. Be attentive to others and share good critiques with them. As your relationships deepen, you’ll eventually find yourself with a list of contacts to trade with. But this requires you to be the kind of person people want reading their work. Behave professionally, and over time, you’ll find yourself surrounded by likeminded individuals who will give you the kind of meaty, informed commentary you need. The rule of thumb with critique groups and workshop websites is: You get out what you put in to them.

Appendix III: Still confused?

If you have questions I have failed to address in this article, I encourage you to contact me privately here on Scribophile or to reach out on social media. I’m happy to help.

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Writing critically

Academic writing: Writing critically

Learn how to show critical analysis in academic writing and write critically.

Critical analysis

Writing a critique (or critical review).

What does the term “critical analysis” mean in the context of academic writing? Showing critical analysis in academic writing could mean:

Demonstrating your understanding of reading/evidence (“this appears to demonstrate that…”; “this implies…”; “this could result in…”).
Showing reasoning and conclusions from your reading/reflections (“therefore…”; “as such…”).
Considering questions such as “why”, “what if” and “so what”.
Showing you understand how different ideas/evidence/perspectives relate to each other (“this is linked to Smith's concept of X…”; Building on Jones (2012), Green (2016) suggests…”).
Demonstrating an understanding of how theories or research apply in your practice/context.
Identifying possible limitations of research/theory and how these relate to your own arguments or own context (“in the context of international development…”; “in terms of learning in the Science classroom…”).
Identifying how something could be interpreted or done differently (in relation to your reading and/or practice).

Criticality?

If you have been told your writing is not critical enough, it probably means that your writing treats the knowledge claims as if they are true, well-supported, and applicable in the context you are writing about. This may not always be the case.

In these two examples, the extracts refer to the same section of text. In each example, the section that refers to a source has been highlighted in bold. The note below the example then explains how the writer has used the source material.

Example a: " There is a strong positive effect on students, both educationally and emotionally, when the instructors try to learn to say students' names without making pronunciation errors (Kiang, 2004)". This is a simple paraphrase with no critical comment. It looks like the writer agrees with Kiang. This is not a good example of critical writing, as the writer has not made any critical comment.

Example b: "Kiang (2004) gives various examples to support his claim that 'the positive emotional and educational impact on students is clear' (p.210) when instructors try to pronounce students' names in the correct way. He quotes one student, Nguyet, as saying that he 'felt surprised and happy' (p.211) when the tutor said his name clearly . The emotional effect claimed by Kiang is illustrated in quotes such as these, although the educational impact is supported more indirectly through the chapter. Overall, he provides more examples of students being negatively affected by incorrect pronunciation, and it is difficult to find examples within the text of a positive educational impact as such". The writer describes Kiang's (2004) claim and the examples which he uses to try to support it. The writer then comments that the examples do not seem balanced and may not be enough to support the claims fully. This is a better example of writing which expresses criticality.

A critique (or critical review) is not to be mistaken for a literature review. A “critical review”, or “critique”, is a complete type of text (or genre), discussing one particular article or book in detail. In some instances, you may be asked to write a critique of two or three articles (e.g. a comparative critical review). In contrast, a “literature review”, which also needs to be “critical”, is a part of a larger type of text, such as a chapter of your dissertation. Most importantly: read your article/book as many times as possible, as this will make the critical review much easier.

Read and take notes

To improve your reading confidence and efficiency, visit our pages on reading. After you are familiar with the text, make notes on some of the following questions.

Choose the questions which seem suitable:

What kind of article is it (for example does it present data or does it present purely theoretical arguments)?
What is the main area under discussion?
What are the main findings?
What are the stated limitations?
Where does the author's data and evidence come from? Are they appropriate/sufficient?
What are the main issues raised by the author?
What questions are raised?
How well are these questions addressed?
What are the major points/interpretations made by the author in terms of the issues raised?
Is the text balanced? Is it fair/biased?
Does the author contradict herself?
How does all this relate to other literature on this topic?
How does all this relate to your own experience, ideas and views?
What else has this author written? Do these build/complement this text?
(Optional) Has anyone else reviewed this article? What did they say? Do I agree with them?

Organise your writing

You first need to summarise the text that you have read. One reason to summarise the text is that the reader may not have read the text.

In your summary, you will:

Focus on points within the article that you think are interesting.
Summarise the author(s) main ideas or argument.
Explain how these ideas/argument have been constructed. For example, is the author basing her arguments on data that they have collected? Are the main ideas/argument purely theoretical?

In your summary you might answer the following questions:

Why is this topic important?
Where can this text be located? For example, does it address policy studies?
What other prominent authors also write about this?

Evaluation is the most important part in a critical review. Use the literature to support your views. You may also use your knowledge of conducting research, and your own experience. Evaluation can be explicit or implicit.

Explicit evaluation

Explicit evaluation involves stating directly (explicitly) how you intend to evaluate the text, e.g. "I will review this article by focusing on the following questions. First, I will examine the extent to which the authors contribute to current thought on Second Language Acquisition (SLA) pedagogy. After that, I will analyse whether the authors' propositions are feasible within overseas SLA classrooms."

Implicit evaluation

Implicit evaluation is less direct. The following section on Linguistic features of writing a critical review contains language that evaluates the text. A difficult part of the evaluation of a published text (and a professional author) is how to do this as a student. There is nothing wrong with making your position as a student explicit and incorporating it into your evaluation. Examples of how you might do this can be found in the section on Linguistic features of writing a critical review. You need to remember to locate and analyse the author's argument when you are writing your critical review. For example, you need to locate the authors' view of classroom pedagogy as presented in the book/article and not present a critique of views of classroom pedagogy in general.

Linguistic features of a critical review

The following examples come from published critical reviews. Some of them have been adapted for student use.

This article/book is divided into two/three parts. First...
While the title might suggest...
The tone appears to be...
[Title] is the first/second volume in the series [Title], edited by... The books/articles in this series address...
The second/third claim is based on...
The author challenges the notion that...
The author tries to find a more middle ground/make more modest claims...
The article/book begins with a short historical overview of...
Numerous authors have recently suggested that... (see [Author, Year]; [Author, Year]). [Author] would also be one such author. With his/her argument that...
To refer to [Title] as a... is not to say that it is...
This book/article is aimed at... This intended readership...
The author's book/article examines the... To do this, the author first...
The author develops/suggests a theoretical/pedagogical model to…
This book/article positions itself firmly within the field of...
The author in a series of subtle arguments, indicates that he/she...
The argument is therefore...
The author asks "..."
With a purely critical/postmodern take on...
[Topic], as the author points out, can be viewed as...
In this recent contribution to the field of... this British author...
As a leading author in the field of...
This book/article nicely contributes to the field of... and complements other work by this author...
The second/third part of... provides/questions/asks the reader...
[Title] is intended to encourage students/researchers to...
The approach taken by the author provides the opportunity to examine... in a qualitative/quantitative research framework that nicely complements...
The author notes/claims that state support/a focus on pedagogy/the adoption of...remains vital if...
According to [Author, Year] teaching towards examinations is not as effective as it is in other areas of the curriculum. This is because, as [Author, Year] claims that examinations have undue status within the curriculum.
According to [Author, Year]… is not as effective in some areas of the curriculum/syllabus as others. Therefore, the author believes that this is a reason for some schools…
This argument is not entirely convincing, as...furthermore it commodifies/rationalises the...
Over the last five/10 years the view of... has increasingly been viewed as “complicated” (see [Author, Year]; [Author, Year]).
However, through trying to integrate... with... the author...
There are difficulties with such a position.
Inevitably, several crucial questions are left unanswered/glossed over by this insightful/timely/interesting/stimulating book/article. Why should...
It might have been more relevant for the author to have written this book/article as...
This article/book is not without disappointment from those who would view... as...
This chosen framework enlightens/clouds...
This analysis intends to be... but falls a little short as...
The authors rightly conclude that if...
A detailed, well-written and rigorous account of...
As a Korean student I feel that this article/book very clearly illustrates...
The beginning of... provides an informative overview of...
The tables/figures do little to help/greatly help the reader...
The reaction by scholars who take a... approach might not be so favourable (e.g. Author, Year).
This explanation has a few weaknesses that other researchers have pointed out (see [Author, Year]; [Author, Year]). The first is...
On the other hand, the author wisely suggests/proposes that... By combining these two dimensions...
The author's brief introduction to... may leave the intended reader confused as it fails to properly...
Despite my inability to... I was greatly interested in...
Even where this reader/I disagree(s), the author's effort to...
The author thus combines... with... to argue... which seems quite improbable for a number of reasons. First...
Perhaps this aversion to... would explain the author's reluctance to...
As a second language student from ... I find it slightly ironic that such an Anglo-centric view is...
The reader is rewarded with...
Less convincing is the broad-sweeping generalisation that...
There is no denying the author's subject knowledge nor his/her...
The author's prose is dense and littered with unnecessary jargon...
The author's critique of...might seem harsh but is well supported within the literature (see [Author, Year]; [Author, Year]; [Author, Year]). Aligning herself with the author, [Author, Year] states that...
As it stands, the central focus of [Title] is well/poorly supported by its empirical findings...
Given the hesitation to generalise to... the limitation of... does not seem problematic...
For instance, the term... is never properly defined and the reader is left to guess as to whether...
Furthermore, to label... as... inadvertently misguides...
In addition, this research proves to be timely/especially significant to... as recent government policy/proposals has/have been enacted to...
On this well-researched/documented basis the author emphasises/proposes that...
Nonetheless, other research/scholarship/data tend to counter/contradict this possible trend/assumption... (see [Author, Year]; [Author, Year]).
Without entering into details of the..., it should be stated that [Title] should be read by... others will see little value in...
As experimental conditions were not used in the study the word “significant” misleads the reader.
The article/book becomes repetitious in its assertion that...
The thread of the author's argument becomes lost in an overuse of empirical data...
Almost every argument presented in the final section is largely derivative, providing little to say about...
She/he does not seem to take into consideration; however, that there are fundamental differences in the conditions of…
As [Author, Year] points out, however, it seems to be necessary to look at…
This suggests that having low… does not necessarily indicate that… is ineffective.
Therefore, the suggestion made by [Author, Year]… is difficult to support.
When considering all the data presented… it is not clear that the low scores of some students, indeed, reflect…
Overall, this article/book is an analytical look at... which within the field of... is often overlooked.
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An important note

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✍️Essay on Criticism for Students: Samples in 150 Words, 200 Words

Updated on
Jun 1, 2024

Criticism, in its various forms, is vital for academic and personal growth. It serves as a tool for improvement, understanding diverse perspectives, and fostering self-reflection. For students, effectively navigating and utilizing criticism can enhance their educational experience and future success, transforming feedback into a powerful catalyst for development and resilience.

Check out our 200+ Essay Topics for School Students in English

Table of Contents

1.1 Understanding Criticism
1.2 The Importance of Constructive Criticism
1.3 Dealing with Destructive Criticism
1.4 Giving Criticism
1.5 The Role of Teachers and Peers
1.6 Criticism in the Digital Age
1.7 Conclusion
2 150-word Paragraph on Criticism for Students

Quick Read: Essay on Child Labour

Essay on Criticism for Students in 500 Words

Criticism, in its various forms, is an essential part of academic, professional, and personal growth. It serves as a tool for improvement, a means to understand different perspectives, and a catalyst for self-reflection. For students, learning to navigate and utilize criticism effectively can significantly enhance their educational experience and future success.

Understanding Criticism

Criticism can be broadly categorized into constructive and destructive forms. Constructive criticism is intended to provide helpful feedback aimed at improvement. It is often specific, actionable, and delivered with a positive intent. Destructive criticism, on the other hand, can be vague, overly harsh, and aimed at demeaning rather than helping. Recognizing the difference between these two types is crucial for students to respond appropriately.

The Importance of Constructive Criticism

Constructive criticism plays a vital role in the learning process. It helps students identify their strengths and weaknesses, offering clear guidance on how to improve. For instance, in writing assignments, constructive feedback might highlight areas where arguments can be strengthened, or grammar can be improved. This type of criticism not only helps in improving specific assignments but also equips students with skills applicable to future tasks.

Constructive criticism also fosters a growth mindset. By viewing feedback as a pathway to improvement rather than a personal attack, students can develop resilience and a willingness to learn from their mistakes. This mindset is crucial for lifelong learning and adaptability in an ever-changing world.

Dealing with Destructive Criticism

While constructive criticism is beneficial, students will inevitably encounter destructive criticism as well. This type of feedback can be challenging to handle, but it is essential to develop strategies to manage it effectively. One approach is to separate the useful information from the negativity. Even harsh critiques can sometimes contain valuable insights, and discerning these can turn a negative experience into a learning opportunity.

Students should also cultivate a strong sense of self-awareness and self-worth. Understanding their own strengths and weaknesses helps in assessing the validity of the criticism. Additionally, seeking feedback from multiple sources can provide a more balanced perspective and dilute the impact of any single negative critique.

Giving Criticism

Learning to give constructive criticism is equally important as receiving it. For students, this skill is crucial not only in peer review settings but also in future professional environments. Effective criticism should be specific, focused on behaviour rather than personality, and should offer practical suggestions for improvement. It’s also important to balance positive feedback with areas for improvement to keep the recipient motivated.

When giving feedback, empathy plays a critical role. Understanding the recipient’s perspective and delivering the critique with respect and sensitivity can make the feedback more effective and less likely to be met with defensiveness.

The Role of Teachers and Peers

Teachers and peers play a significant role in shaping the culture of criticism in educational settings. Teachers, by modelling constructive criticism, set the tone for how feedback should be given and received. They can create an environment where criticism is viewed as a normal and helpful part of the learning process.

Peers also contribute to this environment. In group work and peer review sessions, students learn from each other and develop their skills in both giving and receiving feedback. Encouraging a culture of mutual respect and support enhances the effectiveness of peer criticism.

Criticism in the Digital Age

In today’s digital age, students are exposed to a broader range of criticism through online platforms. Social media, blogs, and other online forums can be sources of both constructive and destructive criticism. Navigating this digital landscape requires critical thinking and discernment.

Students should be aware of the potential for anonymity and lack of accountability online, which can lead to harsher and less constructive feedback. Developing a thick skin and the ability to filter out unhelpful criticism while considering useful points is crucial in this context.

Criticism, when handled effectively, is a powerful tool for personal and academic growth. For students, learning to distinguish between constructive and destructive criticism, responding appropriately, and giving feedback empathetically are essential skills. Teachers and peers play a pivotal role in fostering a positive culture of criticism, which can significantly enhance the learning experience. In the digital age, critical thinking is necessary to navigate online feedback. Embracing criticism as an opportunity for growth can lead to greater resilience, adaptability, and success in both academic and future professional endeavours.

Also Read: Essay on Sustainable Development

150-word Paragraph on Criticism for Students

Also Read: Essay on Gender Discrimination

Relevant Blogs

Students are like clay and it’s the responsibility of parents and teachers to mould them in perfect shape. Criticism helps students to read and write and prepares them for the real world.

Criticism is very important in life. One should take criticism seriously and try to look at a new perspective. Criticism could be constructive and it can give you an opportunity to improve and perform better.

Criticism refers to the act of judging someone or something critically. It could be positive or negative. Most of the time criticism is an act of disapproval.

To introduce criticism in an essay, make sure to be crisp and clear and mention the meaning of criticism in simple words. You can also include a critic’s opinion to start the introductory paragraph and then continue to write about your opinion concerning the critic’s opinion.

For more information on such interesting topics, visit our essay writing page and follow Leverage Edu .

Kajal Thareja

Hi, I am Kajal, a pharmacy graduate, currently pursuing management and is an experienced content writer. I have 2-years of writing experience in Ed-tech (digital marketing) company. I am passionate towards writing blogs and am on the path of discovering true potential professionally in the field of content marketing. I am engaged in writing creative content for students which is simple yet creative and engaging and leaves an impact on the reader's mind.

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11 Constructive Criticism Writing Examples to Produce Results

About constructive criticism

You have likely had your fair share of constructive criticism. It is a powerful tool that can be used to help people grow and learn, but let’s face it, constructive criticism can also hurt feelings. Creating a work culture that values and encourages constructive feedback is key. According to an article by the Harvard Business Review , 92% of people agreed that negative feedback, when delivered appropriately, is effective at improving performance. This is why it’s important to know the difference between constructive and destructive criticism and have the skills to deliver the appropriate kind.

One thing is certain, you need to know how to give and receive corrective criticism . Whether you are writing constructive criticism for a team member at work or someone personally close to you, here are some constructive criticism examples to use as guidelines for how to give constructive criticism in writing effectively.

Constructive criticism writing examples

Example 1: team member lacks organization.

Describe the specific situation. For example: “When we were working on Project X you posted all of our meeting notes in one folder and didn’t label them correctly which made it hard for everyone on the team to find what they were looking for quickly.”

Avoid judgmental language that seems like a personal attack. For example: “You can never find anything in that folder when we need it!”

Include constructive feedback on what the person should do next time. For example: “Please label each file with your name or initials and add a date before uploading to share so that everyone knows when you worked on it and who they should contact if there is a problem with the information.”

Example 2: Team member constantly misses deadlines

Describe the specific situation. For example: “Every time I ask for a project update from you, you don’t get back to me until two days after our deadline has passed which means we miss out on potential clients because we didn’t deliver on time.”

Avoid judgmental language. For example: “You never meet your deadlines! You’re terrible at this job!”

Include actionable feedback on what the person should do next time. For example: “I would like to see more frequent updates and expect them by the deadline at the latest, but I understand you will need help setting those expectations with other team members as well as yourself to make sure we stay within our timeframe for each project. Thank you for taking my honest feedback seriously and working on improvement.”

Example 3: Team member is not a team player

Describe the specific situation. For example: “Your off-topic comments during our meetings have been distracting the other team members and causing them to lose focus on the main tasks at hand.”

Avoid judgmental language. For example: “We can never get anything done because you keep talking about your weekend plans during our meetings!”

Include constructive feedback on what the person should do next time. For example: “I would like for us to respect each other by keeping our conversations related to work only during the meetings, please. If you have an issue with another member of the group, maybe come to me or someone else privately instead of prompting it during the meeting where everyone can hear your side of things.”

Example 4: Team member doesn't take initiative

The lack of initiative is fairly common in the workplace in recent times. In fact, according to a 2020 Gallup poll , only 20% of workers are engaged at work.

Describe the specific situation. For example: “We never make any progress on our projects because you always wait for someone else to take the lead.”

Avoid judgmental language. For example: “What is wrong with you? Why don’t you ever step up and take initiative? You’re so lazy!”

Include actionable feedback on what the person should do next time. For example: “If there are certain aspects of a project that you enjoy, I would love it if you could take lead on those pieces while also collaborating with others who may be better suited for other parts. If there is something, in particular, holding you back from taking more leadership roles, let me know so we can work together to address that issue in a constructive way.”

Example 5: Team member doesn't communicate enough

Describe the specific situation For example: “I feel like I am always in the dark with what you are working on because you don’t share your progress with me until it is already finished. If we work better together I think our efficiency will increase drastically.”

Avoid judgmental language. For example: “You need to tell me what you are working on before anyone else! You never communicate anything! You need to get yourself together!”

Include written feedback on what the person should do next time. For example: “When sharing projects with other team members, I would appreciate it if you could send out updates for everyone at least once a week, even if it is simply status updates. Let me know what you need from me to make sure we both stay on the same page and achieve our goals as a team.”

Example 6: Team member lacks time management

According to the Development Academy , 82% of people surveyed do not have a time management system. This could be due to the lack of education on this topic.

Describe the specific situation. For example: “We constantly miss deadlines because you don’t manage your time properly. You never meet your deadlines!”

Avoid judgmental language. For example: “What the heck is wrong with you? How do you expect to be promoted if you can’t even do this easy task at work?!”

Include constructive feedback on what the person should do next time. For example: “I would love it if you could set aside time at the beginning of each project to create a schedule for yourself that outlines what needs to be done by when. Let’s do this together so you can see how I manage my own work and we can improve our efficiency as a team.”

Example 7: Team member sticks only to his or her job description

Describe the specific situation. For example: “It is really frustrating because you don’t understand your role on the team. All you care about is doing your job; it doesn’t matter to you that other people are struggling because they aren’t getting enough help from us!”

Avoid judgmental language. For example: “You need to do your part and not just stick to your job description! You need to step up and help everyone else before we get in trouble for not doing our jobs properly.”

Include constructive feedback on what the person should do next time. For example: “I know you might not feel comfortable doing tasks outside of your role, but I would love it if you could lend a hand when needed so we can be completely successful as a team. Let me know what specific areas you would like some extra support in and we can come up with a plan together.”

Example 8: Team member is disengaged in team meetings

Describe the specific situation. For example: “You never contribute during our group, it is like you’re checked out. This brings our team to a standstill and we can’t function the way we need to. I wish you would participate more and take constructive feedback!”

Avoid judgmental language. For example: “What is your deal? How do you expect people to respect you as a member of this team when you don’t give anything back? You never contribute anything! We all hate working with you. Get it together, man.”

Include constructive feedback on what the person should do next time. For example: “I have noticed that sometimes it seems hard for you to jump into conversations at first, so instead of waiting for someone to acknowledge or include you in the group, why don’t you just jump in? This will definitely help the team become more efficient and it would be great to see you contribute. Let’s practice this together so you feel more comfortable speaking up in the future!”

Example 9: Team member has a negative attitude

Describe the specific situation. For example: “It is really frustrating when you always bring such a negative attitude to work. When I ask for constructive critique on an idea or project you shoot me down without offering any advice or constructive feedback. It is hard to get anywhere with your bad attitude.”

Avoid judgmental language. For example: “Get over yourself and stop being such a Debbie Downer all the time!”

Include constructive feedback on what the person should do next time. For example: “I would love it if you were able to approach negative feedback with a positive attitude instead of always assuming I’m wrong. Let’s practice this together so it is easier for you to receive effective feedback in the future. This will make it easier for us to all work more efficiently as a team and make our group stronger.”

Example 10: Team member is a poor listener

Describe the specific situation. For example: “It feels like we can never finish a conversation because you aren’t listening, which makes me feel frustrated and unimportant as your coworker. Please be present and focus on what I’m saying. Stop multitasking!”

Avoid judgmental language. For example: “You NEVER pay attention to me when we are talking, it is like you don’t even care! You need to get your act together and listen to the people around you.”

Include a suggestion or two on what the person should do next time. For example: “I know it might be hard for you because you are so used to multitasking at work, but try practicing active listening with me. It will make conversations go a lot quicker if we both understand each other better and focus on sharing our thoughts instead of trying to talk over each other all the time! Let’s practice this together with a little every day and see what a difference it makes to our group dynamic!”

Example 11: Team member is underperforming

Describe the specific situation. For example: “I don’t think you are grasping the project we are working on. It feels like you aren’t grasping your role here and you aren’t doing what I need you to do. Can we go over the higher expectations that I have for our team? Let’s talk about how we can get you up to speed so we can finish this project together with a positive outcome!”

Avoid judgmental language. For example: “You suck at your job, get out of my office and leave me alone! How did you even get this job, what a joke!”

Include constructive feedback on what the person should do next time. For example: “I know it is frustrating when you aren’t given direction or constructive criticism that helps you improve, but I can see how hard you are trying and that means a lot to me! Let’s look at your previous projects together and make a plan for how we can work better on the new project going forward!”

Software to help you write constructive criticism

Take some of the work out of creating a team culture that values constructive criticism by utilizing software that will streamline the feedback process. Matter is an effective free Slack app to provide general feedback, praise, and be more consistent in doing both.

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How to Write a Critique Paper: Format, Tips, & Critique Essay Examples

A critique paper is an academic writing genre that summarizes and gives a critical evaluation of a concept or work. Or, to put it simply, it is no more than a summary and a critical analysis of a specific issue. This type of writing aims to evaluate the impact of the given work or concept in its field.

Want to learn more? Continue reading this article written by Custom-writing experts! It contains:

best tips on how to critique an article or a literary work,
a critique paper example with introduction, body, and conclusion.

💁 What Is a Critique Paper?

👣 Critical Writing Steps

👀 Critical Essay Types

📝 critique paper format, 📑 critique paper outline, 🔗 references.

A critique is a particular academic writing genre that requires you to carefully study, summarize, and critically analyze a study or a concept. In other words, it is nothing more than a critical analysis. That is all you are doing when writing a critical essay: trying to understand the work and present an evaluation. Critical essays can be either positive or negative, as the work deserves.

👣 How to Write a Critique Essay: Main Steps

Starting critique essays is the most challenging part. You are supposed to substantiate your opinion with quotes and paraphrases, avoiding retelling the entire text. A critical analysis aims to find out whether an article or another piece of writing is compelling. First, you need to formulate the author’s thesis: what was the literary work supposed to convey? Then, explore the text on how this main idea was elaborated. Finally, draft your critique according to the structure given below.

Critical Writing Steps Include: Critical Reading, Analyzing the Text, and Making the Draft.

Step 1: Critical Reading

1.1. Attentively read the literary work. While reading, make notes and underline the essentials.

Try to come into the author’s world and think why they wrote such a piece.
Point out which literary devices are successful. Some research in literary theory may be required.
Find out what you dislike about the text, i.e., controversies, gaps, inconsistency, or incompleteness.

1.2. Find or formulate the author’s thesis.

What is the principal argument? In an article, it can be found in the first paragraph.
In a literary work, formulate one of the principal themes, as the thesis is not explicit.
If you write a critique of painting, find out what feelings, emotions, or ideas, the artist attempted to project.

1.3. Make a summary or synopsis of the analyzed text.

One paragraph will suffice. You can use it in your critique essay, if necessary.
The point is to explore the gist.

Step 2: Analyzing the Text

After the reading phase, ask yourself the following questions :

What was your emotional response to the text? Which techniques, images, or ideas made you feel so?
Find out the author’s background. Which experiences made them raise such a thesis? What other significant works have they written that demonstrate the general direction of thought of this person?
Are the concepts used correctly in the text? Are the references reliable, and do they sufficiently substantiate the author’s opinion?

Step 3: Drafting the Essay

Finally, it is time to draft your essay. First of all, you’ll need to write a brief overview of the text you’re analyzing. Then, formulate a thesis statement – one sentence that will contain your opinion of the work under scrutiny. After that, make a one-paragraph summary of the text.

You can use this simple template for the draft version of your analysis. Another thing that can help you at this step is a summary creator to make the creative process more efficient.

Critique Paper Template

Start with an introductory phrase about the domain of the work in question.
Tell which work you are going to analyze, its author, and year of publication.
Specify the principal argument of the work under study.
In the third sentence, clearly state your thesis.
Here you can insert the summary you wrote before.
This is the only place where you can use it. No summary can be written in the main body!
Use one paragraph for every separate analyzed aspect of the text (style, organization, fairness/bias, etc.).
Each paragraph should confirm your thesis (e.g., whether the text is effective or ineffective).
Each paragraph shall start with a topic sentence, followed by evidence, and concluded with a statement referring to the thesis.
Provide a final judgment on the effectiveness of the piece of writing.
Summarize your main points and restate the thesis, indicating that everything you said above confirms it.

You can evaluate the chosen work or concept in several ways. Pick the one you feel more comfortable with from the following:

Descriptive critical essays examine texts or other works. Their primary focus is usually on certain features of a work, and it is common to compare and contrast the subject of your analysis to a classic example of the genre to which it belongs.
Evaluative critical essays provide an estimate of the value of the work. Was it as good as you expected based on the recommendations, or do you feel your time would have been better spent on something else?
Interpretive essays provide your readers with answers that relate to the meaning of the work in question. To do this, you must select a method of determining the meaning, read/watch/observe your analysis subject using this method, and put forth an argument.

There are also different types of critiques. The University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, in the article “ Writing critiques ,” discusses them as well as the appropriate critique language.

Critique Paper Topics

Critique of the article Is Google Making Us Stupid? by Nicholas Carr .
Interpret the symbolism of Edgar Alan Poe’s The Black Cat .
Examine the topicality of the article Impact of Racial/Ethnic Differences on Child Mental Health Care .
Critical essay on Alice Walker’s short story Everyday Use .
Discuss the value of the essay The Hanging by George Orwell.
A critique on the article Stocks Versus Bonds: Explaining the Equity Risk Premium .
Explore the themes Tennessee Williams reveals in The Glass Menagerie.
Analyze the relevance of the article Leadership Characteristics and Digital Transformation .
Critical evaluation of Jonathan Harvey’s play Beautiful Thing .
Analyze and critique Derek Raymond’s story He Died with His Eyes Open .
Discuss the techniques author uses to present the problem of choice in The Plague .
Examine and evaluate the research article Using Evidence-Based Practice to Prevent Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia .
Explore the scientific value of the article Our Future: A Lancet Commission on Adolescent Health and Wellbeing .
Describe the ideas E. Hemingway put into his A Clean, Well-Lighted Place .
Analyze the literary qualities of Always Running La Vida Loca: Gang Days in L. A .
Critical writing on The Incarnation of Power by Wright Mills.
Explain the strengths and shortcomings of Tim Kreider’s article The Busy Trap .
Critical response to Woolf’s novel Mrs. Dalloway .
Examine the main idea of Richard Godbeer’s book Escaping Salem .
The strong and weak points of the article The Confusion of Tongues by William G. Bellshaw .
Critical review of Gulliver’s Travels .
Analyze the stylistic devices Anthony Lewis uses in Gideon’s Trumpet.
Examine the techniques Elie Wiesel uses to show relationship transformation in the book Night .
Critique of the play Fences by August Wilson.
The role of exposition in Achebe’s novel Things Fall Apart.
The main themes John Maxwell discusses in his book Disgrace .
Critical evaluation of Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 .
The ideas and concept of the book The Vegetarian Imperative .
Different points of view on one historical figure in the book Two Lives of Charlemagne .

Since the APA critique paper format is one of the most common, let’s discuss it in more detail. Check out the information below to learn more:

The APA Manual recommends using the following fonts:

11-point Calibri,
11-point Arial,
10-point Lucida Sans Unicode,
12-point Times New Roman,
11-point Georgia,
10-point Computer Modern.

Add 1-inch margins on all sides.

📌 Page numbers

Page numbers should appear at the top right-hand corner, starting with the title page.

📌 Line spacing

The entire document, including the title page and reference list, should be double-spaced.

📌 Title page

The title page should include the following information:

page number 1 in the top right-hand corner of the page header,
paper title,
the student’s name,
the name of the department and the college or university,
course number and name,
the instructor’s name,
due date (the date format used in your country).

📌 Critique paper title

The title of your critique paper should be no more than 12 words. In addition, it should be centered and typed in bold using title case.

📌 In-text citations

For the in-text citation, provide the author’s last name and publication year in brackets. If you are using direct citation, add the page number after the year.

📌 References

The last page of your paper should include a list of all sources cited in your essay. Here’s a general format of book and journal article citations you should use:

Book: Last name, First initial. Middle initial. (Year). Book title: Subtitle . Publisher.

Journal article: Last name, First initial. Middle initial. (Year). Title of the article. Journal Title, volume (issue number), start page–end page.

The main parts of good critical response essays are:

Introduction. The introduction is the most essential part of the critical response. It should be concise and include the author and title of the work being analyzed, its main idea, and a strong thesis statement.
Summary. This should be brief and to the point. Only the author’s/creator’s main ideas and arguments should be included.
Analysis/interpretation. Discuss what the author’s/creator’s primary goal was and determine whether this goal was reached successfully. Use the evidence you have gathered to argue whether or not the author/creator achieved was adequately convincing (remember there should be no personal bias in this discussion).
Evaluation/response. At this point, your readers are ready to learn your objective response to the work. It should be professional yet entertaining to read. Do not hesitate to use strong language. You can say that the work you analyzed was weak and poorly-structured if that is the case, but keep in mind that you have to have evidence to back up your claim.
Conclusion. The last paragraph of your work should restate the thesis statement, summarize the key points, and create a sense of closure for the readers.

Critique Paper Introduction

The introduction is setting the stage for your analysis. Here are some tips to follow when working on it:

Provide the reader with a brief synopsis of the main points of the work you are critiquing .
State your general opinion of the work , using it as your thesis statement. The ideal situation is that you identify and use a controversial thesis.
Remember that you will uncover a lot of necessary information about the work you are critiquing. You mustn’t make use of all of it, providing the reader with information that is unnecessary in your critique. If you are writing about Shakespeare, you don’t have to waste your or your reader’s time going through all of his works.

Critique Paper Body

The body of the critique contains the supporting paragraphs. This is where you will provide the facts that prove your main idea and support your thesis. Follow the tips below when writing the body of your critique.

Every paragraph must focus on a precise concept from the paper under your scrutiny , and your job is to include arguments to support or disprove that concept. Concrete evidence is required.
A critical essay is written in the third-person and ensures the reader is presented with an objective analysis.
Discuss whether the author was able to achieve their goals and adequately get their point across.
It is important not to confuse facts and opinions . An opinion is a personal thought and requires confirmation, whereas a fact is supported by reliable data and requires no further proof. Do not back up one idea with another one.
Remember that your purpose is to provide the reader with an understanding of a particular piece of literature or other work from your perspective. Be as specific as possible.

Critique Paper Conclusion

Finally, you will need to write a conclusion for your critique. The conclusion reasserts your overall general opinion of the ideas presented in the text and ensures there is no doubt in the reader’s mind about what you believe and why. Follow these tips when writing your conclusion:

Summarize the analysis you provided in the body of the critique.
Summarize the primary reasons why you made your analysis .
Where appropriate, provide recommendations on how the work you critiqued can be improved.

For more details on how to write a critique, check out the great critique analysis template provided by Thompson Rivers University.

If you want more information on essay writing in general, look at the Secrets of Essay Writing .

Example of Critique Paper with Introduction, Body, and Conclusion

Check out this critical response example to “The Last Inch” by James Aldridge to show how everything works in practice:

Introduction

In his story “The Last Inch,” James Aldridge addresses the issue of the relationship between parents and children. The author captured the young boy’s coming into maturity coinciding with a challenging trial. He also demonstrated how the twelve-year-old boy obtained his father’s character traits. Aldridge’s prose is both brutal and poetic, expressing his characters’ genuine emotions and the sad truths of their situations.

Body: Summary

The story is about Ben Ensley, an unemployed professional pilot, who decides to capture underwater shots for money. He travels to Shark Bay with his son, Davy. Ben is severely injured after being attacked by a shark while photographing. His last hope of survival is to fly back to the little African hamlet from where they took off.

Body: Analysis

The story effectively uses the themes of survival and fatherhood and has an intriguing and captivating plot. In addition, Ben’s metamorphosis from a failing pilot to a determined survivor is effectively presented. His bond with his son, Davy, adds depth and emotional importance to the story. At the same time, the background information about Ben’s past and his life before the shark attack could be more effectively integrated into the main story rather than being presented as separate blocks of text.

Body: Evaluation

I find “The Last Inch” by James Aldridge a very engaging and emotional story since it highlights the idea of a father’s unconditional love and determination in the face of adversity. I was also impressed by the vivid descriptions and strong character development of the father and son.

Conclusion

“The Last Inch” by James Aldridge is an engaging and emotional narrative that will appeal to readers of all ages. It is a story of strength, dedication, and the unbreakable link between father and son. Though some backstory could be integrated more smoothly, “The Last Inch” impresses with its emotional punch. It leaves the readers touched by the raw power of fatherly love and human will.

📚 Critique Essay Examples

With all of the information and tips provided above, your way will become clearer when you have a solid example of a critique essay.

Below is a critical response to The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman.

When speaking of feminist literature that is prominent and manages to touch on incredibly controversial issues, The Yellow Wallpaper is the first book that comes to mind. Written from a first-person perspective, magnifying the effect of the narrative, the short story by Charlotte Perkins Gilman introduces the reader to the problem of the physical and mental health of the women of the 19th century. However, the message that is intended to concern feminist ideas is rather subtle. Written in the form of several diary entries, the novel offers a mysterious plot, and at the same time, shockingly realistic details.

What really stands out about the novel is the fact that the reader is never really sure how much of the story takes place in reality and how much of it happens in the psychotic mind of the protagonist. In addition, the novel contains a plethora of description that contributes to the strain and enhances the correlation between the atmosphere and the protagonist’s fears: “The color is repellent, almost revolting; a smoldering unclean yellow, strangely faded by the slow-turning sunlight” (Gilman).

Despite Gilman’s obvious intent to make the novel a feminist story with a dash of thriller thrown in, the result is instead a thriller with a dash of feminism, as Allen (2009) explains. However, there is no doubt that the novel is a renowned classic. Offering a perfect portrayal of the 19th-century stereotypes, it is a treasure that is certainly worth the read.

If you need another critique essay example, take a look at our sample on “ The Importance of Being Earnest ” by Oscar Wilde.

And here are some more critique paper examples for you check out:

A Good Man Is Hard to Find: Critique Paper
Critique on “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
“When the Five Rights Go Wrong” Article Critique
Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey — Comparison & Critique
Benefits and Disadvantages of Prone Positioning in Severe Acute Respiratory Distress: Article Critique
Reducing Stress in Student Nurses: Article Critique
Management of Change and Professional Safety – Article Critique
“Views of Young People Towards Physical Activity”: Article Critique

Seeing an example of a critique is so helpful. You can find many other examples of a critique paper at the University of Minnesota and John Hopkins University. Plus, you can check out this video for a great explanation of how to write a critique.

Critical Analysis
Writing an Article Critique
The Critique Essay
Critique Essay
Writing a Critique
Writing A Book Critique
Media Critique
Tips for an Effective Creative Writing Critique
How to Write an Article Critique
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May I know who’s the author? For my citation activity.

Hello, Kriszha! You can reference it as a web source/web page.

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That’s an interesting demonstration I watched. However, my weakness is that I’m very poor in language and analysing issues.

Hi, can you help me for my assignment about article critiquing?

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IMAGES

Constructive Criticism Essay Example
Learn How to Write a Critique Essay in 2024
How to write a literature criticism essay in 2021
How To Write A Critique Essay Example
Sample New Criticism essay 1
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VIDEO

'What is Criticism?' by Roland Barthes, Notes and Summary, MA English SEM 2, Poststructuralism, UGC
How to Handle Criticism
Marxist Criticism and Literary Analysis
Write a short essay on Noise Pollution
Essay Writing Course Lesson 01: How to Write a Critical Essay
How To Answer "How Do You Handle Criticism?"

COMMENTS

An Essay on Criticism
Pope primarily used the heroic couplet, and his lines are immensely quotable; from "An Essay on Criticism" come famous phrases such as "To err is human; to forgive, divine," "A little learning is a dang'rous thing," and "For fools rush in where angels fear to tread.". After 1718 Pope lived on his five-acre property at ...
The Art of Critique: Step-by-Step Instructions for Writing a Critical Essay
Write the Body Paragraphs First. With your outline in place, begin writing the body paragraphs. Each paragraph should start with a topic sentence that introduces the main point, followed by evidence (quotes, examples, or facts) to support it. After presenting the evidence, analyze it and explain how it ties into your thesis.
How to Write a Literary Analysis Essay
Table of contents. Step 1: Reading the text and identifying literary devices. Step 2: Coming up with a thesis. Step 3: Writing a title and introduction. Step 4: Writing the body of the essay. Step 5: Writing a conclusion. Other interesting articles.
An Essay on Criticism Summary & Analysis
Alexander Pope's "An Essay on Criticism" seeks to lay down rules of good taste in poetry criticism, and in poetry itself. Structured as an essay in rhyming verse, it offers advice to the aspiring critic while satirizing amateurish criticism and poetry. The famous passage beginning "A little learning is a dangerous thing" advises would-be critics to learn their field in depth, warning that the ...
33 Critical Analysis Examples
In essay writing, a critical analysis essay will involve using a range of analytical skills to explore a topic, such as: Evaluating sources; ... Maybe you struggle with essay writing or concentration. If you can analyze your own strengths and weaknesses, then you understand the concept. What might be the strengths and weaknesses of the idea you ...
Analysis of Alexander Pope's An Essay on Criticism
An Essay on Criticism (1711) was Pope's first independent work, published anonymously through an obscure bookseller [12-13]. Its implicit claim to authority is not based on a lifetime's creative work or a prestigious commission but, riskily, on the skill and argument of the poem alone. It offers a sort of master-class not only in doing….
What Is Literary Criticism? Definition, Types, and Examples
The word criticism refers to an ability to analyze, form an opinion, and substantiate it with evidence—in other words, to think critically. A typical structure for literary criticism begins with a summary of the text, examines its arguments, and ends with an evaluation. Many major news publications run literary criticism in their weekend ...
How to Write a Critical Essay
A critical essay is a form of academic writing that analyzes, interprets, and/or evaluates a text. In a critical essay, an author makes a claim about how particular ideas or themes are conveyed in a text, then supports that claim with evidence from primary and/or secondary sources. In casual conversation, we often associate the word "critical ...
Literary Analysis-How To
A literary analysis is a common assignment in first-year writing and English courses. Despite how ubiquitous they are, literary analyses can sometimes feel confusing or maybe even a little intimidating. This type of analytical essay requires you to zoom into a text to unpack and wrestle with deeper meaning (through exploring diction, syntax ...
Writing a Critique
Writing a Critique. 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 ...
How to Write a Critical Analysis Essay
Level Up Your Team. See why leading organizations rely on MasterClass for learning & development. Critical analysis essays can be a daunting form of academic writing, but crafting a good critical analysis paper can be straightforward if you have the right approach.
Writing Critiques
Writing Critiques. Writing a critique involves more than pointing out mistakes. It involves conducting a systematic analysis of a scholarly article or book and then writing a fair and reasonable description of its strengths and weaknesses. Several scholarly journals have published guides for critiquing other people's work in their academic area.
Writing an Article Critique
Include an introductory paragraph that includes the following: 2. Summary. After your introduction, discuss the following in your own words: 3. Critique. After summarizing the article, critique the article by doing the following: Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the article that you noted while critically reading the article.
23 Constructive Criticism Examples
23 Constructive Criticism Examples. Constructive criticism refers to providing feedback to a person or group that is delivered in a positive tone with the intent of helping others improve. Examples of constructive criticism include the sandwich method of feedback, using the 3×3 method, and ensuring you provide genuine suggestions for improvement.
Critique vs. Criticism: How to Write a Critique Correctly
The difference between a critique vs. criticism is whether it's constructive. Be constructive, meaning, have the best intentions for helping the writer. This may mean telling hard truths. If hard truths must be told, do so respectfully. If praise is deserved, offer it.
Academic writing: Writing critically
Showing critical analysis in academic writing could mean: Demonstrating your understanding of reading/evidence ("this appears to demonstrate that…"; "this implies…"; "this could result in…"). Showing reasoning and conclusions from your reading/reflections ("therefore…"; "as such…").
Essay on Criticism for Students: Samples in 150 Words, 200 Words
1 Essay on Criticism for Students in 500 Words. 1.1 Understanding Criticism. 1.2 The Importance of Constructive Criticism. 1.3 Dealing with Destructive Criticism. 1.4 Giving Criticism. 1.5 The Role of Teachers and Peers. 1.6 Criticism in the Digital Age. 1.7 Conclusion. 2 150-word Paragraph on Criticism for Students.
11 Constructive Criticism Writing Examples to Produce Results
Example 7: Team Member Sticks Only to His or Her Job Description. Example 8: Team Member is Disengaged in Team Meetings. You have likely had your fair share of constructive criticism. It is a powerful tool that can be used to help people grow and learn, but let's face it, constructive criticism can also hurt feelings.
How to Write a Critique Paper: Format, Tips, & Critique Essay Examples
Step 3: Drafting the Essay. Finally, it is time to draft your essay. First of all, you'll need to write a brief overview of the text you're analyzing. Then, formulate a thesis statement - one sentence that will contain your opinion of the work under scrutiny. After that, make a one-paragraph summary of the text.