the critical essay - university of new england in · what does a film critic do? •examines how a...
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The Critical Essay
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The Critical Essay
What is it?
How does it differ from other types of essays?
How do we write one?
Let’s look at a kind of critic with whom we might be more familiar:
Roger Ebert.
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What does a film critic do?
• Examines how a director has put together a movie about a particular subject
• Analyzes what works and what doesn’t
• Offers an opinion as to whether or not the movie is successful/valuable/worth seeing
• Critiques not the topic of the movie, but how the director treats that topic
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Critiquing the treatment rather than the topic
is an important distinction for writing a critical essay.
What does this mean, exactly?
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Topic vs. Treatment
Example: Twilight
Topic = Teen vampire romance between Bella and Edward.
Your personal position about the topic might be:
Bella was a fool to marry Edward. Or maybe:
Vampires are gross and really not all that attractive.
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Topic vs. Treatment
Example: Twilight
Topic = Teen vampire romance between Bella and Edward.
Your personal position about the topic might be:
Bella was a fool to marry Edward. Or maybe:
Vampires are gross and really not all that attractive.
But neither addresses how the particular movie’s director treats the topic.
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Topic vs. Treatment
Example: Twilight
Topic = Teen vampire romance between Bella and Edward.
Your personal position about the topic might be:
Bella was a fool to marry Edward. Or maybe:
Vampires are gross and really not all that attractive.
But neither addresses how the particular movie’s director treats the topic.
A director could do or say pretty much anything using teen vampires, and even using these particular teen vampires.
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Topic vs. Treatment
Example: Twilight
Topic = Teen vampire romance between Bella and Edward.
Your personal position about the topic might be:
Bella was a fool to marry Edward. Or maybe:
Vampires are gross and really not all that attractive.
But neither addresses how the particular movie’s director treats the topic.
A director could do or say pretty much anything using teen vampires, and even using these particular teen vampires.
You need to address: What does the director of Twilight seem to be doing or saying around teen vampirism?
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For example:
In Breaking Dawn, director Bill Condon uses the vampire genre to explore the darker places of the teen female psyche.
Or:
In Breaking Dawn, director Bill Condon cheapens the vampire genre with a bloated spectacle of medical horror and soft-core near-porn.
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For example:
In Breaking Dawn, director Bill Condon uses the vampire genre to explore the darker places of the teen female psyche.
Or:
In Breaking Dawn, director Bill Condon cheapens the vampire genre with a bloated spectacle of medical horror and soft-core near-porn.
Both are critiques not of vampirism itself, but of what Breaking Dawn does with vampirism.
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For example:
In Breaking Dawn, director Bill Condon uses the vampire genre to explore the darker places of the teen female psyche.
Or:
In Breaking Dawn, director Bill Condon cheapens the vampire genre with a bloated spectacle of medical horror and soft-core near-porn.
Both are critiques not of vampirism itself, but of what Breaking Dawn does with vampirism.
Both are possible theses for a critical essay on Breaking Dawn.
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A Critical Essay is similar
• Instead of watching a movie, we read a text.
• Instead of critiquing the work of the director,
we critique the work of the author.
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A Critical Essay is similar
• Instead of watching a movie, we read a text.
• Instead of critiquing the work of the director,
we critique the work of the author.
Remember: Critique Treatment, not Topic.
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Example: Dr. X’s article on genocide
• Our job is not to weigh in on the Topic.
(E.g.: “Genocide is a horrific phenomenon that should be stopped.”)
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Example: Dr. X’s article on genocide
• Our job is not to weigh in on the Topic.
(E.g.: “Genocide is a horrific phenomenon that should be stopped.”)
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Example: Dr. X’s article on genocide
Our job is to evaluate how the author has treated the Topic.
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Example: Dr. X’s article on genocide
Our job is to evaluate how the author has treated the Topic.
E.g.: Dr. X presents a radical but well-supported argument about the long-term social effects of genocide. Or:
Dr. X fails to address several instances of genocide
which do not support his argument.
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Example: Dr. X’s article on genocide
Our job is to evaluate how the author has treated the Topic.
E.g.: Dr. X presents a radical but well-supported argument about the long-term social effects of genocide. Or:
Dr. X fails to address several instances of genocide
which do not support his argument.
Each is an original analysis not of genocide, but of what Dr. X has written about it.
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Example: Dr. X’s article on genocide
Our job is to evaluate how the author has treated the Topic.
E.g.: Dr. X presents a radical but well-supported argument about the long-term social effects of genocide. Or:
Dr. X fails to address several instances of genocide
which do not support his argument.
Each is an original analysis not of genocide, but of what Dr. X has written about it.
Each is the skeleton of a thesis for a critical essay.
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The thesis:
How do we craft one for a critical essay?
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Determine three things:
What are:
1. The Topic?
2. The Author’s Position on the Topic?
3. Your Position on the Writer’s Position?
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Your Position on the Writer’s Position
is the essence of your critical essay.
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Your Position on the Writer’s Position
is the essence of your critical essay.
But before you can have a position on her position, you must be sure you understand it.
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1. What is the Topic?
Ask yourself:
• What do you know about it?
• Whom else have you read about it?
• What other views on it are out there?
• What controversies/debates exist about it?
• Why is it important/relevant?
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1. What is the Topic?
Ask yourself:
• What do you know about it?
• Whom else have you read about it?
• What other views on it are out there?
• What controversies/debates exist about it?
• Why is it important/relevant?
Once you understand the topic, next ask yourself…. =>
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2. What is the Writer’s Position on the Topic?
• Who’s the writer? Affiliations. Motivations. Biases. Ulterior motives/agenda
• What’s her tone? Approving, distrustful, neutral, critical, insistent, defensive, vehement….
• What are her main points of argument? Make sure you know them, point by point.
We can’t critique them if we don’t know them.
• How does she explain them? Is her position clear, logical, complete, intellectually sound? Does she address counter-arguments?
• How does she support them? What evidence, scholarship, facts, studies, etc. does she present? Are they credible?
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Once we have considered the writer’s position,
we can to proceed to the essence of the critical essay:
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3. What is Your Position on his/her position?
Are you convinced? Do you agree? Why or why not?
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3. What is Your Position on his/her position?
Are you convinced? Do you agree? Why or why not?
Some issues you might have with the essay are:
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3. What is Your Position on his/her position?
Are you convinced? Do you agree? Why or why not?
Some issues you might have with the essay are:
• Insufficient, selective, and/or inappropriate evidence
• Obvious bias
• Holes in logic; logical fallacies
• Failure to address significant findings, scholarship, or arguments
• Misinterpretation of information or arguments
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3. What is Your Position on his/her position?
Are you convinced? Do you agree? Why or why not?
Some issues you might have with the essay are:
• Insufficient, selective, and/or inappropriate evidence
• Obvious bias
• Holes in logic; logical fallacies
• Failure to address significant findings, scholarship, or arguments
• Misinterpretation of information or arguments
Make a list of weaknesses and strengths, give examples for each, and decide on your main points of critique.
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Those main points of critique will form the thesis
of your critical essay.
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Those main points of critique will form the thesis
of your critical essay.
Remember that the thesis introduces not just the content, but the structure of a paper.
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Those main points of critique will form the thesis
of your critical essay.
Remember that the thesis introduces not just the content, but the structure of a paper.
Once you have determined your thesis,
now you can….
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4. Plan your essay’s structure
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I. In your Introduction:
• Summarize your position on the author’s position – your thesis.
• Provide any necessary background or context.
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II. In the Body: Get specific. Detail her arguments and your evaluation of them, point by point.
In doing so, you might:
• Compare/contrast with another author’s position
• Pose a counterargument or counterexample
• Critique her logic, sources, evidence, and/or tone
• Discuss the relevance, originality, or importance of her argument
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III. In your Conclusion: Summarize your analysis and the implications of her text for the topic/field.
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III. In your Conclusion: Summarize your analysis and the implications of her text for the topic/field.
In doing so, you might:
• Address how this author contributes to the conversation
• Point to broader implications of her argument
• Identify a problem
• Suggest a need for further research
• Answer: “So what?” Why does this matter?
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The full outline:
I. Intro: Summarize your position on the author’s position. Provide any necessary background or context.
II. Body: Get specific. Detail her arguments and your evaluation of them, point by point.
III. Concl: Summarize your analysis and the implications of her text for the topic/field.
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Long term benefits!
Learning to write a strong critical essay can help you, beyond acing your course, to:
• Improve critical thinking skills
• Better understand the complexities of your field
• Join the conversations that are important to your field
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Further Resources
• Outline of a Critical Essay on The Shawshank Redemption:
http://uwc.cah.ucf.edu/files/handouts/Outline_Critical_Essay.pdf
• For one-on-one writing assistance, contact:
Megan Grumbling, at [email protected]
or
John Daugherty, at [email protected]