Approaches in Writing a Critique objectively describe how the author portrays these by using
techniques, styles, media, characters or symbols.
Critiquing shares a root with the word “criticize”. A
constructive way to better explore and understand the material
we are working with. The word means “to evaluate”.
A critique is a genre of academic writing that briefly
summarizes and critically evaluates a work or concept.
Approaches in Critiquing Academic Texts
1. Formalism. It is a critical approach in which the text under
discussion is considered primarily in the meaning and the
implications of the words.
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?
2. Feminism. This approach is concerned with the ways in
which the text reinforces or undermines the economic,
political, social, and psychological oppression of women.
 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 that have 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.
Typically, the introduction is short (less than 10% of the
critique length) and you should describe the main argument or
purpose of the work in here. Explain the context in which the
work was created. This could include the social or political
context, the place of the work in a creative or academic
tradition, or the relationship between the work and the creator’s
life experience. Briefly summarize the main points and
Then, the body of the critique should give a systematic and
detailed assessment of the different elements of the work,
evaluating how well the author was able to achieve the
purpose through these.
The last part is the conclusion. This is usually a very brief
paragraph, which includes a statement indicating the overall
evaluation of the work; a summary of the key reasons,
identified during the critical evaluation, why this evaluation was
formed; or, recommendations for improvement on the work.
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.