EAPP Handout 3

Reaction Papers, Reviews, Critique

 are specialized forms of writing in which a reviewer or

reader evaluates a scholarly work (academic books and
articles), a work of art (performance art, play, dance,
sports, film, exhibits), designs (industrial designs,
furniture, fashion design), and graphic designs (posters,
billboards, commercials and digital media).
 usually range in length from 250 to 750 words.
 not just simply summaries.
 involve skills in critical thinking and recognizing
arguments.
 reviewers use proofs and logical reasoning to
substantiate comments. Reader Response Criticism
 concerns with the reviewer’s reaction as an audience of a
Critical Approaches in Writing a Critique
work.
Formalism
 claims that the reader’s role cannot be separated from
 claims that literary works contain intrinsic properties and
the understanding of the work; a text does not have
treats each work as a distinct form of art.
meaning until the reader reads it and interprets it.
 posits that the key to understanding a text is through the
 readers are not passive and distant but are consumers of
text itself; the historical context, the author, or any other
the material presented to them
external contexts are not necessary in interpreting the
meaning.

Common Aspects looked into in Formalism

 Author’s techniques in resolving contradictions within
the work.
 Central passage that sums up the entirety of the work.
 Contribution of parts and the works as a whole to its
aesthetic quality.
 Contribution of rhymes and rhythms to the meaning or
effect of the work.
 Relationship of the form and the content
 Use of imagery to develop the symbols used in the work.
 Interconnectedness of various parts of the work.
 Paradox, ambiguity, and irony in the work.
 Unity in the work.
Common Aspects looked into in Reader Response Criticism
 Interaction between the reader and the text in creating
meaning
 The impact of reader’s delivery of sounds and visuals on
enhancing and changing meaning
Marxist Criticism
 concerned with differences between economic classes
and implications of a capitalist system, such as the
continuing conflicts between the working class and the
elite.
 attempts to reveals that the ultimate source of people’s
experience is the socioeconomic system.

Common Aspects looked into in Marxism Criticism

 Social class as represented in the work
 Social class of the writer/ creator
 Social class of the classes
 Conflicts and interactions between economic classes

Feminist Criticism or Feminism

 focuses on how literature presents women as subjects of
socio-political, psychological and economic oppression.
 reveals how aspects of our culture is patriarchal

Common Aspects looked into in Feminism

 How culture determines gender
 How gender equality (or the lack of it) is presented in the Other Approaches in Writing Critique
text  Postmodern Criticism
 How gender issues are presented in literary works and  Post-colonial Criticism
other aspects of human production and daily life  Structuralism
 How women are socially, politically, psychologically, and  Psychological Criticism
economically oppressed by patriarchy  Gender Criticism
 How patriarchal ideology is an overpowering presence.  Ecocriticism
  Biographical Criticism
 Historical Criticism
 Mythological Criticism
 Deconstructionist Criticism
Structure of a Reaction Paper, Review, or Critique
Introduction (around 5% of the paper)
 Title of the book/ article/work
 Writer’s name
 These statement
Summary (around 10% of the paper)
 Objective or purpose
 Methods used (if applicable)
 Major findings, claims, ideas, or messages
Review/Critique (in no particular order and around 75% of the
paper)
 Appropriateness of methodology to support the
arguments (for books and articles) or appropriateness of
mode of presentation (other works)
 Theoretical soundness, coherence and ideas
 Sufficiency and soundness of explanation in relation to
other available information and experts
 Other perspectives in explaining the concepts and ideas
 It is best to ask the following questions during this part:
a. Does the writer explicitly state his/ her thesis
statement?
b. What are the assumptions mentioned in the work? Are
they explicitly discussed?
c. What are the contributions of the work to the field
where it belongs?
d. What problems and issues are discussed and
presented in the work?
e. What kinds of information are presented in the work?
f. Are there other ways of supporting the arguments or
thesis aside from the information?
Conclusion (around 10% of the paper)
 Overall impression of the work
 Scholarly or literary value of the reviewed article, book or
work
 Benefits for the intended audience or field
 Suggestion for future direction of research
Common Structure for Other Types of Reviews
Introduction
 Basic details about the material, such as its title, director
or artist, name of exhibition/event, and the like
 Main assessment of the material (for films and
performances)
Plot Summary/ Description
 Gist of the plot
 Simple description of the artwork
Analysis/Interpretation
 Discussion and analysis of the work (you may employ the
critical approach)
Conclusion/ Evaluation
 Reinforcement of main assessment
 Comparison to a similar work
 Recommendation of the material (if you liked it)
Guidelines in Writing a Reaction Paper, Review, or Critique
1. For articles or journals
 Read, view or listen to the work to be reviewed carefully
to get the main topic or the concepts presented. Then,
revisit the work to further identify its arguments or
message.
 Relate the content of the work to what you already know
about the topic. This will make you more engaged in the
article or book.
 Focus on discussing how the book treats the topic and
not the topic itself. Use phrases such as this boo/ work
presents and the author argues
 Situate your review. This means that your analysis should
be anchored on the theories presented by the writer or
creator.
 Report the type of analysis or mode of presentation the
writer/ creator used and how this type of analysis
supports the arguments and claims.
 Examine whether the findings are adequately supported
and how the connections between ideas affect the
conclusions and findings.
 Suggest points for improvement of the reasoning,
explanation, presentation of ideas, as well as alternative
methods and processes of reasoning.
 Compare the writer’s or creator’s explanation of the
topic to that of another expert from the same field of
study.
 Point out other conclusions or interpretations that the
writer/creator missed out. Present other ideas that need
to be examined.
 Show your agreement with the writer’s or creator’s ideas
and present an explanation for this agreement.
2. For artworks and other media
 When critiquing artworks or posters, make sure to use
speculative verbs such as evoke, create, appear, and
suggest to show that your interpretation of the artist’s
work just that---an interpretation.
 Presume that the reader has not yet seen the material
you are reviewing, so make sure to describe it to them.
For reviews of films or plays, make sure not to spoil key
events unless they figure I your review, in which case
always add a disclaimer.
 For artworks, describe the material in simple terms to
help your audience visualize it; refrain from being vague
or abstract.
3. On a general note, your reaction paper’s conclusion may focus
on the following ideas:
 Did the work hold your interest?
 Did the work annoy or excite you?
 Did the work prompt you to raise questions to the
author?
 Did the work lead you to some realizations?
 Did the work remind you of other materials that you
have read, viewed or listened to in the past?