Writing the Reaction

Paper/Review/ Critique

By:
EMMA LOU Z. REGALADO
OBJECTIVES
 1. forms opinions based on facts;
 2. presents ideas convincingly;
 3. uses the appropriate language for a specific

discipline;
 4. raises legitimate, contrary views in an appropriate

manner;
 5. uses appropriate critical approaches in writing a

critique such as formalism, feminism, etc.

 6. applies the principles of writing effective reviews

and critiques;
 7. writes an objective/balanced review or critique of a

work of art, an event or a program.

C:\Users\Emmalou\Documents\Zero.mp4
Processing Questions:
 1. What was the film about?
Answer it in 3 sentences.
 2. Did you like the film? Why or

why not?
 3. Which part of the film did you

like best? Why? Which part did you

not like?
CRITICAL APPROACHES IN WRITING A CRITIQUE

1. FORMALISM
 Claims that literary works contain
intrinsic properties and treats each work
as a distinct work of art. In short, it
posits that the key to understanding a
text is through the text itself.
 Relationship of the form and the content
 Use of imagery to develop the symbols
 Paradox, ambiguity, and irony in the work
 Read a sample formalist
critique of Dead Stars, a
classic Filipino short story by
Paz Marquez Benitez
The title of the work already gives an idea as to what it means. In
physics, it is stated that the light and energy of the stars have to travel
light each years to reach us. Since they are millions of miles away and
light has to travel this large distance, it is highly possible that the star
has already exploded while its light is traveling towards us. Therefore it is
possible that a bright light we see at night actually comes from a dead
star. In the story, this metaphor is used to refer to Alfredo’s love for
Julia, a woman he meets and falls for one fateful summer. Not only is the
title an indicator of what is to come, even the fate of the characters in
the story can already be seen through their names. Alfredo’s name
means counsellor of elves in Spanish and suggests someone who is wise.
In the story, it is indicated that Alfredo is a lawyer, a person who
counsels. Still, his name denotes a certain irony; despite his supposed
wisdom, Alfredo’s actions, especially his covert courtship with Julia while
being engaged to another, are anything but sensible. Julia’s name, on
the other hand, refers to someone who is youthful, which is how Alfredo
sees her for eight years until he is confronted by reality.
2. FEMINIST CRITICISM
It focuses on how literature presents women as
subjects of socio-political, psychological, and
economic oppression.
 How culture determines gender
 How gender equality ( or lack of it) is presented in the
text
 How gender issues are presented in literary works and
other aspects of human production and daily life
 How women are socially, politically, psychologically,
and economically oppressed by patriarchy
 How patriarchal ideology is an overpowering presence
The story is a study of power imbalance brought about by gender. In
the beginning, Dead Stars already clearly illustrates the gender roles
ingrained in Filipino society: Don Julian and the judge are portrayed as
the male leaders of the household, taking up lofty professions such as
business and law while the women are portrayed accomplishing
domestic tasks such as tending to children and preparing food. The
most note-worthy display of imbalance in power, however, lies on the
central theme of Alfredo’s love for Julia as simply a dead star. Eight
years after their forbidden love and after getting married to another
woman, Alfredo still holds Julia as an object of affection, thus creating
a distance between him and his wife, Esperanza. In their relationship
as a wedded couple, the power lives in Alfredo, not only because
patriarchal society designates him as the head of the household, but
also because he remains unreachable ti his wife by harbouring feelings
for another woman. Moreover, the realization that his love for Julia is
 3. READER RESPONSE CRITICISM is concerned with the
reviewer’s reaction as an audience of a work.
This approach claims that the reader’s role
cannot be separated from the understanding of
the work; a text does not have meaning until
the reader reads it and interprets it.
 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
 
Despite being limited in length, Dead Stars manages to evoke
various feelings which ultimately build up ending. While Alfredo is
the center of the story, as a woman reader it is hard not to feel
greatly for Esperanza. Esperanza can only be seen through the
perspective of Alfredo. This does a disservice to her, as we can only
know her through description of someone who does not love her
anymore. Still, it is also through Alfredo’s descriptions and his
unfaithfulness that Esperanza gains sympathy from the reader.
During all the moments when Alfredo and Julia are together, the
thought of Esperanza looms in the background- does she know?
How will she react? What will happen now? The sympathy only
increases when they get married, for it is clear that Alfredo is
detached from her and still harbouring feelings for Julia. While the
end certainly evokes a feeling from her and still harbouring feelings
 4. MARXIST CRITICISM is concerned with
differences between economic classes and
implications of a capitalist system, such as
the continuing conflicts between the working
class and the elite. Hence, it attempts to
reveal that the ultimate source of people’s
experience is the socioeconomic system.
 Social class as represented in the work
 Social class of the writer/ creator
 Social class of the characters
 Conflicts and interactions between economic

classes.
 The imbalanced societal power play is evident in the story
in the form of the treatment of the characters based on
their class. This is most easily evident in the conversation
between Alfredo and his fiancée, Esperanza, about Calixta,
their note- carrier who grew up in the latter’s family. The
scene depicts a parallelism in the circumstance of Alfredo
and his new love, Julia, and Calixta and her live-in partner.
However, while no one blatantly frowns upon the budding
relationship between Alfredo and Julia, except for some
whispered rumors that reach Esperanza, Calixta is dubbed
“ungrateful” to her master for doing such act. Alfredo does
not have to answer to anyone for his unfaithfulness, but
Calixta is responsible not only for what her family might
think, but also for the members of her master’s family.
Despite the same circumstances, the two people are
regarded differently based on their positions in life.
Structure of a Reaction Paper, Review,
or Critique
 1.INTRODUCTION (around 5% of
the paper)

 Titleof the book/ article/ work

 Writer’s name
 Thesis statement
 2.SUMMARY (around 10% of the
paper)

 Objective or purpose
 Methods used ( if applicable)
 Major findings, claims, ideas, or

messages
2. 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 of ideas
 Sufficiency and soundness of explanation

in relation to other available information

and experts
 Other perspectives in explaining the

concepts and ideas

 3. 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
 For other types of reviews, there is no
prescribed structure, but the following
sections are almost always present.

 1. 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)
 2.PLOT SUMMARY/ DESCRIPTION

Gistof the plot

 Simple description of the

artwork
 3. ANALYSIS/ INTERPRETATION

 Discussion and analysis of the work( you

may apply critical work here)
 It is best to ask the following questions

during this part:

 What aspects of the work make you
think it is a success or failure?
 Were there unanswered questions or

plot lines? If yes, how did they affect

the story?
 Does the work remind you of other

things you have experienced through

analogies, metaphors, or figurative
devices? How does this contribute to
the meaning?
 4. CONCLUSION/ EVALUATION

 Reinforcementof main statement

 Comparison to similar work
 Recommendation of the material (if

you liked)
GUIDELINES IN WRITING A REACTION PAPER,
REVIEW, OR CRITIQUE

1. For ARTICLES or JOURNALS

 a.
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.
 b. 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

 c.Focus on discussing how the book

treats the topic and not the topic
itself. Use phrases such as this book/
work presents and the author argues.
 d. Situate
your review. This means that
your analysis should be anchored on
the theories presented by the writer or
creator.

 e.
Report this type of analysis or mode
of presentation the writer/ creator
used and how this type of analysis
supports the arguments and claims.
 f.
Examine whether the findings are
adequately supported and how the
connections between ideas affect the
conclusions and findings.

 g. Suggest points for the improvement

of the reasoning, explanation,
presentation of ideas, as well as
alternative methods and processes of
reasoning.
 h. Compare the writer’s or creator’s
explanation of the topic to that of another
expert from the same field of study.
 i. Point out other conclusions or

interpretations that the writer/ creator

missed out. Present other ideas that need to
be examined.
 j. Show your agreement with the writer’s or

creator’s ideas and present an explanation

for this agreement
2.For artworks and other media
 a.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 is
just that – an interpretation.
 b. 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 in your review, in
which case always add a disclaimer.

 c.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, reaction paper’s
conclusion may focus on the following ideas.
 a. Did the work hold your interest?
 b. Did the work annoy or excite you?
 c. Did the work prompt you to raise

questions to the author?

 d. Did the work lead you to some

realizations?
 e. Did the work remind you to other

materials that you have read, viewed or

listened to in the past?
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