Content

• Steps
• Advice
• Warning

A critical essay is the analysis of works such as a book, a movie, an article or a picture. The review is intended to analyze a certain aspect of the work or put the work in a broader context. For example, a review of a book might focus on the tone of the text to determine how it influences the meaning of the whole work. Or a film commentary can focus on the repetition of an icon in a movie. Regardless of the critical aspect, each review should have an argument about the work and evidence in the work to support the author's analysis. Read on to learn how to write a review essay.

Steps

Part 1 of 4: Prepare to write a critical essay

1. 

   
   
   Understand the requirements of the assignment. As soon as the teacher assigns the topic, read the instructions carefully and highlight the places you do not understand. Ask your teacher to explain the problem if needed.

2. 

   Read the work carefully. Review writing exercises require you to rate a book, an article, a movie, a picture, or other types of work. To be able to appreciate these works, you need to be familiar with the full text.
   • Understand your work by reading it over and over. If you are asked to write about works such as a movie or a picture, watch the movie several times or view the painting from different angles and distances.

3. 

   
   
   Take notes while reading. Taking notes while reading will help you remember important aspects of the work as well as help you think more deeply about it. Keep a few important questions in mind as you read and try to answer them while reviewing your notes.
   • What is the work written about?
   • What are the main points raised in the work?
   • Is there anything confusing in the work?
   • What is the purpose of the work?
   • Does the work achieve that purpose? If not, why and how? No: content summary - you must already be part of the story
     Please: write down the thoughts that drive the essay: What did the author mean? Does that connect to something else?

4. 

   
   
   Review your notes to find out your composition and identify problems. After you have finished reading and taking notes about the work, reread your notes to see which layout the work is presented in and which issues stand out for you. Try to find a solution to one of the problems you find. For example, you can see that Chi Pheo honestly seems more honest than he looks, make a humanistic guess as to why this is the case.
   • You should choose a solution that you can use to develop your essay's focus, but note that you don't need to make a solid argument right now. As you continue to study your work, you will gradually find the focus and argument for your review. No: deduce the author's intentions: Nam Cao creates an ugly image of Chi Pheo because ...
     Please: put it into your own understanding: Chi Pheo was partially ugly to portray his miserable life, thereby highlighting the harshness of society at that time..
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Part 2 of 4: Conducting research

1. 

   Seek resources if required. If you are asked to use resources to write a review, you will need to do some research. Read the project instructions carefully or ask your teacher if you have questions about what types of resources are suitable for using in the lesson.
   • Books, articles in academic journals and trusted websites are some of the resources you can use.
   • Use the data in the library rather than searching the internet.The school library usually allows access to many different databases. These databases provide articles and other resources free of charge that you cannot access with search engines on the internet.

2. 

   Evaluate source to verify reliability. Use only reliable sources to write an academic review, or you will lose your credibility as an author. Using a library's database ensures you will find many reliable sources for your articles. Here are a few points you should consider to verify a source of information is trustworthy.
   • Author and proof of the author ”. Select sources that include the author's name and provide proof of the author. The evidence should show information such as whether the person has the authority or expertise to speak like an expert in the field. For example, articles about a disease would be more reliable if the author was a doctor. If the source you find does not include the author's name or the author does not have proof of authority, the source may not be reliable.
   • Quote". See if the source of the information has done a thorough research on the topic. Check out biographies of authors or works cited in the source. If the author does not quote or only cite a few sources, this information source is not reliable.
   • Prejudice". Consider whether the author presents in an objective and reasonable way about the topic or not. Does the author's tone often give preference to one side of the problem? Are the arguments given by the author often refute or disregard opposing opinions or arguments? If so, then this resource is not a good choice. (Note, however, that literary criticism often expresses the writer's own opinion after just one reading; this is generally not considered have prejudice for the nature of this field of literary research is inherently subjective). No: to underestimate an author just because they support a certain point of view.
     Please: stick to their point with an analytical eye and make use of solid arguments.
   • Date of publication ”. Consider whether this resource is up to date with the latest information on the topic. Publication date is particularly important when researching scientific topics because new technologies and methods may have proved earlier discoveries inadequate.
   • Information provided ”. If you are still in doubt about the reliability of a source, cross-check some of the information that the source provides with a source that you trust. If the information given by the author contradicts the information in the source that you trust, the source is not reliable to include in the article.

3. 

   Read the research. Once you have gathered all the resources you need, you need to take some time to read them. Use the same reading method as if you were to read the full text. Read the sources of information you find many times and make sure you understand them thoroughly.

4. 

   Take notes while reading. Bold or underline important paragraphs so that you can easily read them again. When reading, you should also jot down any interesting information late in the notebook.
   • Indicate which source you have worded from the source by enclosing the information in quotation marks, noting the information about the source such as the author's name, the work, and the page number. No: emphasize a paragraph just because it seems important or meaningful.
     Do: emphasize passages that reinforce or weaken your point.
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Part 3 of 4: Writing articles

1. 

   Build perspective. Once you have built up your views on the original work and have read the original work, you will be ready to write your thesis. A good thesis is one that shows the central content of the article and gives the author's point of view. You can present your argument in multiple sentences, the first one giving a general view and the second narrowing it down to a more specific point of view.
   • Make sure the thesis has enough information. In other words, avoiding simply saying something "good" or "effective", let's specifically say why it's "good" or "effective".
   • Place your thesis at the end of the first paragraph if your teacher isn't asking for it elsewhere. At the end of the first paragraph is the traditional place to present your thesis in academic essays.
   • For example, here is a multi-sentence argument about the effect and purpose of "Mad Max: The Road of Death": "Lots of action movies share the same motif: A male hero. (usually handsome, white) follows belief in fate and commands others, either to obey him or die. "Mad Max: Path of death" is effective when it goes against the above motif. Instead of following the familiar developments, the film introduces many heroes, including many heroines, challenging the long-standing standards of summer blockbusters in Hollywood ”. No: give obvious information (Mad Max is directed by George Miller) or subjective opinion (Mad Max is the best movie of 2015).
     Do: show an argument that you can support with your argument.

2. 

   Make an outline based on the notes. Outline before drafting to organize information more effectively. Outline can be detailed or not detailed. The more details in your outline, the better prepared you will be for your writing.
   • You can build outlines using bullet points with roman numerals, numbers, and letters. Or you can use the mind map outline to find and focus on ideas before perfecting them.

3. 

   Open with a sentence that goes straight to the topic. The topic should always be introduced at the beginning. Use the main ideas you'll develop in this article to help you determine what information to include in this section. The introduction always introduces the main idea and overview of the whole article. No: start with cliché phrases like In the society today..., Throughout history ..., Someone said ....
   Let's: start with an engaging fact, an anecdote or some interesting writing with related content.
   • Some other opening writing techniques include: using a specific detail to elicit a larger point of view; ask questions that your essay answers, or put in a compelling piece of information.

4. 

   Provide background information. Provide enough background or context information to assist the reader. Consider and provide in the introduction information your reader needs to know to understand your essay. Background information will vary depending on the type of work you are reviewing. No: recap unrelated parts of the essay.
   Please: write your introduction that is relevant to your audience. A conference of English professors will require less additional information than the readers of online blogs.
   • If you are reviewing a book, provide the title, author, and plot summary.
   • If you are writing about a movie, be brief about the content.
   • If you are writing about a picture, give it a brief description.
   • Keep in mind that background information should be point-oriented. Provide what the reader needs to understand to understand the topic and narrow down information to introduce the thesis.

5. 

   Use body paragraphs to discuss each part of your work. Instead of talking about many aspects of your work in a paragraph, each paragraph should focus on only one aspect. Each of these aspects points to clarification. For each body paragraph, you should do the following:
   • Give the main idea at the beginning of the paragraph.
   • Prove the main idea with at least one example from the verbatim.
   • Prove the gist with at least one example from other sources.

6. 

   Build the conclusion. The conclusion should highlight the point of view you make in your essay. Before you finish writing your conclusion, take some time to string together the ideas you've written and determine the best ending direction. There are many different ending options you can choose from. For example, you can:
   • Summarize and reiterate the main point.
   • Point out how your topic is affecting the reader.
   • How the topic can be put into context or commented on broader.
   • Call to action or further studies.
   • Raise new problems that can develop from the theme. No: repeat the points you stated earlier.
     Let's: mention previous points and connect them to a single point.
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Part 4 of 4: Essay test

1. 

   Take a few days off before rereading the draft. The rest of the brain will help your brain work better. When you come back to the draft, you get a whole new look.
   • Write in advance so you can take a few days or even a week to check it out before it is due. If you do not prepare enough time you will easily make simple mistakes and easily lose points.

2. 

   Take time to review and clarify confusing ideas. When rechecking, the test should be tested in many ways to ensure that the reader fully understands the ideas you want to present. Consider the following questions:
   • What's your gist? How can you clarify the gist?
   • Who are the readers? Have you considered their needs and requirements?
   • What is your purpose? Has this essay accomplished that purpose?
   • The evidence you give is convincing? How can you support your evidence?
   • Do the sections in the article focus on thesis development? How can you strengthen your linkages?
   • Is the language and layout confusing? How can you clarify the language and layout?
   • Do you make mistakes with grammar, punctuation or spelling? If yes, how to fix it?
   • What views might others be contrary to yours? How do you refute their views in your essay?

3. 

   Complete your article by checking spelling errors on the hard copy. Read the article aloud to make sure you have corrected all your typos, grammar errors, word mistakes, sentences, and other errors. Even if you find a small error, you should correct and reprint before submitting.
   • If you are submitting a soft copy by email, ask your teacher for the format requirements. You can save it as a PDF file to ensure no loss of format.
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Advice

• Ask a friend, relative or acquaintance to check spelling and comment on articles. Professional writers re-read their manuscripts over and over again and you should too.
• It is easier to write an outline for the opening and come back to finish writing after you have written the next sections. If you find it difficult to open the article, leave it there and write later.
• Write your way. For example, many people need to write outlines, but others think that outlines limit their ability to write. Find your own writing process.
• Note how words are used. Use the right words you know instead of listening more academically but using the wrong words you don't know.
• Start writing as soon as possible. You will write better and less stress by taking time to write regularly throughout the course than writing urgently in a short period of time.
• Narrow the topic of the writing process. Many students make the mistake of choosing too broad a topic thinking that the broad topic will have a lot to write about. In fact, choosing a narrow topic is easier to write. Writing right or wrong war, for example, is almost impossible. On the contrary, it is easier to write about whether to oppose a particular war.
• If you're having trouble creating your composition, write an outline based on the topic sentence of your paragraphs. In the outline write a sentence describing the relationship between the topic sentences. If you can't put this relationship up quickly, your paragraphs are not in the correct order and need to be rearranged.
• You will not have enough time to read all ten or twelve books on your topic. Use the table of contents to find and read the most important chapters.

Warning

• Writing a new dance footstroke will have many errors in expression and grammar errors. Your teacher has read hundreds or even thousands of student essays so it is easy to see if you wait until the last minute to write.
• Record the sources of information you use including the most accurate possible quotes, numbers, and theoretical concepts. If in doubt, a citation error is still acceptable and no citation may be considered plagiarism.