A reaction paper, review, or critique is a specialized form of writing in which a reviewer

or reader evaluates any of the following:

 Scholarly Work (academic books and articles)

 Work of Art (performance art, play, dance, sports, film, exhibits)
 Designs (industrial designs, furniture, fashion design)
 Graphic Designs (poster, billboards, commercials, digital media)

What does writing a Reaction Paper/Review/Critique involve?

 Critical Reading
-identifying the ideas, organization, and purpose of the text
 Critical Thinking
-analyzing and evaluating the text and ideas,
 Reacting in Writing
-summarizing the text’s key ideas
-stating your opinion about a particular part of the text
-supporting your opinion with appropriate details, quotations, and explanations

Also, Reaction Paper, Review, Critique….

 Usually ranges in length from 250 to 750 words.

 NOT simply a summary but is a critical assessment, analysis, or evaluation of a
work.
 Advanced form of writing involving skills in critical thinking and recognizing
arguments.
 Should not connect the word CRITIQUE to cynicism and pessimism.
 Do not simply rely on mere opinion but on PROOFS and LOGICAL REASONING
to substantiate one’s comment
 Process ideas and theories revisit and extend ideas in a specific field of study,
and present an analytical response to a book or article.

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.
 Posits that the key to understanding a text is through a text itself.
 The historical context, the author or any other external context are not
necessary in interpreting the meaning.
2. FEMINIST CRITICISM
 Focuses on how literature presents women as subjects of socio-political,
psychological, and economic oppression.
  Reveals how aspects of our culture are patriarchal (how our culture views
men as superior and women as inferior)
3. READER-RESPONSE CRITICISM
 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.
 Readers are therefore not passive and distant, but are active consumers
of the material presented to them.
4. MARXIST CRITICISM
 Concerned with economic class difference and implications of a capitalist
system, such as the continuing conflicts between the working class and
the elites.
 Attempts to reveal that the ultimate source of people’s experience is the
socioeconomic system.

STRUCTURE OF A REACTION PAPER/REVIEW/CRITIQUE (FOR ACADEMIC

RESEARCHES & ARTICLES)

I. Introduction (around 5% of the paper)

 Title of the book/ article/ work

 Writer’s name
 Thesis statement

II. Summary (around 10% of the paper)

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

III. Review/Critique (around 75% of the paper, in no particular order)

 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 perspective in explaining the concepts and ideas

Ask the ff questions:

  Does the writer explicitly state his/her thesis statement?
 What are the assumptions mentioned in the work? Are they explicitly
discussed?
 What are the contributions of the work to the field it is situated in?
 What are the problems and issues discussed or presented in the work?
 What kinds of information are presented in the work? How are they used to
support the argument or thesis?
 Are there other ways of supporting the arguments or thesis aside from the
information used in the work? Is the author or creator silent about these
alternative ways of explanation?

IV. 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
 Suggestions for future direction of research

OTHER TYPES OF REVIEWS:

I. Introduction
 Basic details of 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)
II. Plot summary/description
 Gist of the plot
 Simple description of the artwork
III. Analysis/Interpretation
 Discussion and analysis of the work

Ask the ff questions:

 What aspects of the work make you think it is a success or failure?

 Were there unanswered questions or the 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 other figurative devices? How did
these contribute to the meaning?
 How does the work relate to other ideas or events in the world and/or
in your other studies?
 What stood out while you were watching the film or the performance?
IV. Conclusion/Evaluation
 Reinforcement of main assessment
 Comparison to a similar work
 Recommendation of the material (if you liked it)