What is critiquing?

- Critiquing shares a root with the word “criticize”. Most of us tend to think of criticism as being negative or mean, but in
the academic sense, doing a critique is not the least bit negative. Rather, it‟s a constructive way to better explore and
understand the material we are working with. The word means “to evaluate”. Through our critique, we do a deep
evaluation of a text. A critique is a genre of academic writing that briefly summarizes and critically evaluates a work or
concept. When we critique a text, we interrogate it. When we critique, our own opinions and ideas become part of our
textual analysis. We question the text, we argue with it, and we examine into it for deeper meanings.

Writing a critique helps us to develop a knowledge of the work‟s subject area, an understanding of the work‟s purpose,
intended audience, development of argument, structure of evidence or creative style; and, a recognition of the
strengths and weaknesses of the work. Always remember that a critical evaluation does not simply highlight negative
impressions. It should deconstruct the work and identify both strengths and weaknesses. It should examine the work
and evaluate its success, in light of its purpose.

Approaches in Critiquing Academic Texts

-A thorough analysis of the text is important to write a good paper. Remember the judgment you make about a work will
reflect your own values, biases, and experience; however, you must respect the author's words and intentions as
presented in the work. Do not analyze a work in terms of what you would like to see; analyze it in terms of what you
actually observe. Remember to clearly separate your assumptions from the author's assumptions.

The following are the approaches in critiquing academic works:

Formalism. It is a critical approach in which the text under discussion is considered primarily in the meaning and the
implications of the words. In practice, the critics have been very responsible to the meaning and themes of the work in
question, rather than adopting a linguistic approach.

Below are the guide questions when critiquing a text using formalism approach:

 How are the various parts of the work interconnected?

 How is the work structured? What techniques, styles, media were used in the work? Are they effective in portraying
the purpose?

 How does the author's choice of point of view affect the reader's understanding and feelings about the text?

 Does the work enhance understanding of key ideas? Does the work engage (or fail to engage) with key concepts or
other works in its discipline?

 What types of evidence or persuasion are used? Has evidence been interpreted fairly?

 What lesson does the author want me (the reader) to learn about life?

Feminism. This approach is concerned with the ways in which the text reinforces or undermines the economic, political,
social, and psychological oppression of women. This looks at how aspects of our culture are inherently patriarchal (male
dominated) and aims to expose misogyny in writing about women, which can take explicit and implicit forms. Feminist
criticism is also concerned with less obvious forms of marginalization and its ultimate goal is to change the world by
promoting gender equality.

In critiquing a text using feminism approach, the following guide questions are considered:

 How is the life of women portrayed in the work?

 Is the form and content of the work influenced by the writer‟s gender?

 Does the work challenge or affirm traditional views of women?

 What does the work say about women's creativity?

 What does the work reveal about the actions of patriarchy?

 How do the images of women in the work reflect patriarchal social forces thathave impeded women‟s efforts to
achieve full equality with men?

 What marital expectations are imposed in the work? What effect do these expectations have?

 What role does the work play in terms of women's history and tradition?

How to Write a Critique

Before you start writing, it is important to have a thorough understanding of the work that will be critiqued. Here are
the tips:

1. Study the work under discussion.

2. Take notes on key parts of the work.

3. Develop an understanding of the main argument or purpose being expressed in the work.

4. Consider how the work relates to a broader issue or context.

Let‟s take a look at the campaign poster below and understand how the work is evaluated using formalism and
feminism approaches.
Sample Critique

Formalism

The anti-smoking campaign poster is designed to appeal to the smokers to quit from smoking. The poster works against
the allure of cigarettes and upsets the routine presence in popular smoking culture.This poster uses negative images
concerning bad effects of the cigarette. It sends messages that using tobacco may harm other people. It emphasize that
second-hand smoke harms non-smokers due to person who use tobacco. On the other element of the poster, this uses
sophisticated graphic design techniques to encourage the viewer to stop smoking. The entire image of the woman
metaphorically illustrates the need to "break the habit" of smoking, a common mantra in smoking cessation campaigns.
While the tagline compliments to the woman‟s image, it also strikes a strong message why is there a need to quit from
smoking. Reflecting the style and polish of this campaign, this poster is significant because it provides a graphic
illustration for the behavioral change it advocates. The poster calls for control of nicotine addiction, offering a liberating
and implicitly empowering outcome.

Feminism

The anti – smoking campaign poster concerns with the harmful effects of smoking. This is designed to create an
association between the smoking behavior and its ultimate consequences.In the poster, the man portrays the role of the
smoker and a woman‟s image is used to portray the effects of cigarette use. The idea of using of woman‟s image as
suggests that women are more prone to the effect of cigarette use than men. Thus, in this element, the poster
contradicts to what is really the culture of smoking in the society. As the study shown, about 35 percent of men in
developed countries smoke (Mackay and Eriksen, 2002). For women, the pattern is reversed, about 9 percent in
developed countries smoke. The beauty of the woman countenance attracts audience specially men. This really supports
the idea of marketing which women images are used to attract men clients.Indeed, this campaign poster does not only
effectively deliver the message, but it also shows the attributable role of women in the society as a driving force to
motivate smokers from quitting cigarette use.

Your critique should written in academic style and logically presented. Order your ideas into paragraphs. Start with the
broad impressions first and then move into the details of the technical elements. For shorter critiques, you may discuss
the strengths of the works, and then the weaknesses. In longer critiques, you may wish to discuss the positive and
negative of each key question in individual paragraphs.To support your critique, provide evidence from the work itself,
such as a quote or example, and you should also cite evidence from related sources. Explain how this evidence supports
your evaluation of the work.