ASSH2005

The Reaction Paper, Review, and Critique

I. Reaction Paper
Also known as a response paper, it is an essay that conveys the writer’s reaction to one or several
texts or films that he or she has read or seen (Lund University, 2017).
A response paper is often structured in the following way:
 In the introduction, the material (e.g., book, article, film) that has been read or seen is
introduced, and the focus of the response paper is stated. In this section, include the title
and author or creator of the material and your thesis or argument.
 In the body, one or several specific issues are brought up for examination. Give reasons
behind your reaction or perception. In any case, it is preferable that you strictly focus on
the text you are analyzing. This is because you have to validate your reasons for your
opinion by adding theoretical content that supports your observation. In the succeeding
paragraphs, state other reactions or opinions. It is, however, imperative that you use
personal indicators such as “in my opinion”, “I suppose”, “I think”, or “I believe”.
 In the conclusion, the thesis/argument (i.e., the response to the material that has been read
or watched) is summed up, and some conclusion is offered. You can also wrap up your
paper by challenging the target audience or the author of that work that you are reacting to.

Listed below are some guide questions that you can use in writing your reaction paper:
 How is the material (e.g., movie, literary piece, article, book) related to ideas and concerns
discussed in the course for which you are preparing the paper?
 How is the work related to problems in our present-day world?
 How is the material related to your life, experiences, feelings, and ideas? For instance, what
emotions did the work arouse in you?
 Did the work increase your understanding of a particular issue? Did it change your
perspective in any way?

II. Review
A review describes, analyzes, and evaluates a work. A review may give you the main information
about a piece of work. For example, if the review is about a play, it’ll describe who created the
play, who were the actors, where the play was performed, what genre it is, the theme of the play,
etc. The reviewer will also comment on the quality of the work, overall impression, and his/her
personal opinions (pediaa.com. 2016).
This is the structure of a review paper:
 Introduction
This part contains the purpose and importance of the review, its scope, and the
organizational pattern.
 Body
Each paragraph in the body should deal with a different theme that is relevant to the topic.
In this part, you will need to synthesize several of your reviewed readings so that there is a
clear connection between the various sources. Also, you will need to critically analyze each
source for how they contribute to the themes you are researching.
 Conclusion
The conclusion should summarize the main agreements and/or disagreements in the work
and the reviewer’s overall perspective on the topic.

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 ASSH2005

III. Critique
According to the Queensland University of Technology (2020), “a critique is a genre of academic
writing that briefly summarizes and critically evaluates a work or concept. Critiques can be used
to carefully analyze a variety of works such as creative works (e.g., novels, exhibits, film, images,
poetry), research (e.g., journal articles, theories, monographs), and media (e.g., news reports,
feature articles)”. Unlike the review, which can be written by anyone, critiques are written by a
critic or an expert on a particular field. Because of this, a critique is expected to contain an in-depth
or technical analysis of a material as its writer has the authority to comment on the work being
evaluated.
A critique has three (3) parts:
 Introduction
The introduction should contain the following:
a. title of the work, the date it was created, and the name of the author or creator
b. the main argument or purpose of the work
c. a short description of the context in which the work was created (e.g., social/political
context, place, the relationship of the work, and the creator’s life)
d. a concluding sentence that indicates either your evaluation is positive, negative, or
mixed
 Summary
This contains a brief description of the main points and objectives of your critique by evaluating
the techniques, styles, media, characters, or symbols used in the work.
 Critical evaluation
This section contains a systematic and detailed assessment of the different elements of work
that evaluates how well the creator was able to achieve his/her purpose. In creative work, you
may want to assess the plot structure, characterization, and dialogue. On the other hand, an
assessment of a painting would look at composition, brush strokes, color, and light. Meanwhile,
a critique of a research project would include the timeliness of the subject or topic, design of
the experiment, analysis of data, and conclusion.
Examples of key critical questions that could help your assessment include:
a. Who is the creator? Is the work presented objectively or subjectively?
b. What are the aims of the work? Were the aims achieved?
c. What techniques, styles, media were used in the work? Are they effective in portraying
the purpose?
d. What assumptions underlie the work? Do they affect its validity?
e. What types of evidence or persuasion are used? Has evidence been interpreted fairly?
f. How is the work structured? Does it favor a particular interpretation or point of view?
Is it effective?
g. Does the work enhance understanding of key ideas or theories? Does the work engage
(or fail to engage) with key concepts or other works in its discipline?

References:
Difference between critique and review. (2016, May 30). https://pediaa.com/difference-between-critique-and-review/
Lund University. (2017, July 16). Response papers. https://awelu.srv.lu.se/genres-and-text-types/writing-in-academic-genres/the-essay-format/response-
papers/#:~:text=A%20response%20paper%20is%20a,or%20a%20work%20of%20fiction.
Queensland University of Technology. (2020, April 28). Writing a critique. https://www.citewrite.qut.edu.au/write/critique.jsp

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