English for Academic and

Professional Purposes
Uses Appropriate Critical Writing Techniques
 Pick among your emojis showing your reactions
towards the issues or idea that I am going to present. You
are free to show your true and valid reactions. Do not
hesitate to send it in our in-call messages!
React ka teh!
Consider the following scenarios:
Samantha had to write a reaction paper on
the article that they have just read in a
class. Princess watched a movie and wrote
a long post on her facebook account to say
she liked it while analyzing the movie
using a feminist perspective. Bryan is an
art critic and he attended an art exhibition
at the Ayala Museum, after which he wrote
a review on his blog about one of the
paintings that caught his attention. Eve
watched the new commercial of Mc
Donalds and wrote a critic and analysis of
the commercial, which was published in a
A r e a c t i o n p a p e r, a r e v i e w a n d c r i t i q u e a r e s p e c i a l i z e d f o r m s o f w r i t i n g i n w h i c h a
reviewer or reader evaluates any of the following:
A scholarly work (academic books/articles)
A w o r k o f a r t ( p e r f o r m a n c e a r t , p l a y, d a n c e , s p o r t s , f i l m , e x h i b i t )
Designs (industrial design, furniture, fashion)
Graphic Designs (posters, billboards, commercials, digital media)
Which is critic and
critique?
Let’s see…
Determine the purpose of a reaction paper, review or critique.
Use appropriate critical approaches in writing a critique such as formalism
and feminism.
Write an objective/balanced review or critic of a work of an art, an event or a
program.
 Critical
Approaches in
Writing a
Critique
Technical aspects, approaches in
gender, experiences, or social
structure
FORMALISM
It claims that works contain intrinsic properties and treats each work as a distinct work of
an art. In short, it posits that the key to understanding a text is through the text itself, the
historical context, the author, or any other external contexts are necessary for interpreting
the meaning of the text.
 Formalists look at the elements of the form-style, structure, tone, imagery, etc.
that are found in the text. They try to determine how elements works together
with the text’s content to shape its effects upon readers.
The form of a
Work of
Literature is
Inherently
Part of its
Content!
STOR
Y
Characters Formalism movement began in
Setting England with the publication

Plot of R i c h a r d ’s
Criticism (1929)
Practical

Theme Famous Formalists:

Tone John Crowe Ransom
R o b e r t P e n n Wa r r e n
Point of view Cleanth Brook
POEM
Lines Formalism movement began in
Syllables England with the publication

Rhymes of R i c h a r d ’s
Criticism (1929)
Practical

Figures of Famous Formalists:

John Crowe Ransom
Speech R o b e r t P e n n Wa r r e n
Rhetoric Devices Cleanth Brook
 Advantages of Using
Formalism

Gives a better It works best It emphasizes

understanding when applied the value of
of the writer’s to poetry and the text
techniques in short story
instead of its
fiction
writing context
It can be
done without It is a
It develops
much well- close-reading
research as
known skills because
structure is
approach you need to
the only
look into its
focus.
forms
 Disadvantages of Using
Formalism
Time-
consuming Context is Not
based on the ignored and compatible
text is with all types
text size and
analyzed in a
writing style of of texts,
very technical
author It ignores way.
Similar
other aspects
(psychologic
interpretat
al and gender ions of
aspects) the text