10

English
Quarter 3 Compose an
Independent Critique
 What I Know

Directions: Choose the letter of the best answer and write it on a separate sheet of
paper.
1. Which of these terms is often used interchangeably with the word “critique”?
A. Summary B. Synopsis C. Review D. Report

2. Which statement is not true about a critique?

A. It is a purely opinionated piece of writing about a story, novel, film, etc.
B. It is usually done by experts or people with considerable knowledge
about the work.
C. It does not place emphasis on giving recommendations to possible
readers or viewers.
D. It is an in-depth evaluation or assessment of a piece of work such as a
short story or film.

3. Which of these story elements is not tackled in a critique?

A. Characterization B. Conflict C. Plot D. None of the above

4. Which of these is not an appropriate subject for critical analysis?

A. Films B. Novels C. Speeches D. Short Stories
5. What information or details is usually included in a critique’s introduction?
A. structure of the plot
B. authenticity of the conflict
C. significance of the dialogues
D. background or summary of the text

6. Which of these questions should be asked when analyzing the characters in

a narrative?
A. How are the characters developed and what makes them interesting
and relatable?
B. Are there equal number of male and female characters?
C. Who among the characters is likeable and who is not?
D. Why is the protagonist not a superhero material?

7. What detail can a critic use best to support his/her evaluation of a story?
A. Opinions of those who read the story
B. Quotes from the story itself
C. Statements of the author
D. Reviews of other critics

For numbers 8-11, write TRUE if the statement is correct, and FALSE if not.
8. Critiques may follow different formats but they generally
have the same content or foci.
9. A critique is intended primarily to point out the faults or
flaws in work.
10. It is alright to not give a summary of the story critiqued

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 because the readers are most likely familiar with it already.
11. A critic is encouraged to write “I think…” or “In my
opinion…” in his/her critical essay.

For numbers 12-15, identify the correct order of these steps in writing a critique by
assigning the numbers 1 to 4.

12. Give recommendations as needed.

13. Give a short summary of the story.
14. Give an overall evaluation of the story.
15. State your analysis of the setting, characterization, plot, etc.

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 Lesson Compose an Independent
Critique of a Chosen
1 Selection
WHAT’S IN ! Activity 2: My Ideal Choice

Go over each of the following scenarios and then choose one for this activity.
You are to write your response to the question and then identify five qualities that
make a film or reading material worth reading or viewing.

a. Your family recently subscribed to Netflix, which gives you access to many
of the classic and the latest movies. What movie would you be watching
immediately? Why?

b. The city library updated its shelves with lots of fiction books courtesy of
private donors. What book would you most likely borrow first? Why?

The number 1 movie/book that I would like to enjoy is .

This is because it meets my criteria of a good movie/book, namely:

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 What is It

A critique is an in-depth evaluation of a story, novel, film, or other

reading/viewing materials for the purpose of giving the public an insight into the
text. Although a critique shares the same root with the word “criticize,” it does not
mean that the write-up merely points out the faults or flaws in a story or film.
Instead, a critique seeks to shed light on the content of a “text” (the story, novel,
song, movie etc.) in order to help future readers or viewers understand better the
material that they are reading or viewing.

Critical essays about texts are indeed very important in helping us make sense
of what we just read or viewed. At times, it can also inform our decisions on what
other good materials we can read or watch next. What are the elements that make a
critique so informative? What aspects of a story or movie are assessed or studied by
a critic?

Critiques contain a careful evaluation mainly on the following elements of a

narrative: characterization, setting, conflict, plot, dialogue, theme, and style. These
aspects, as well as the manner that they were presented in the material, are studied
so that the critic can come up with a valid evaluation on whether or not the material
is good, beautiful, or significant especially for the readers or viewers.

In assessing the said elements, there are certain questions that the critic
should ask. David Farland (2017) and other critics enumerated some questions one
might use to judge a story or other narratives:

Setting: How well was the setting developed? Does it appeal to more than one
of the senses? Does it inform or connect to other aspects of the story such as
character development and narrative style?

Characterization: How well-drawn are the characters in the story? Do we know

enough about them (life, attitudes, some type of history, etc.) to make them
interesting and relatable? Are there unnecessary characters?

Conflict and Plot: Is there a conflict in the story? Is the plot interesting,
original and well-developed? Are there unnecessary and confusing subplots?

Theme: How well does the story speak to the readers? Does it raise questions
about life, or provide profound insights?

Style: How distinctive or unique is the writing style? Are there literary devices
or techniques used? Is it purposeful? Does the style remind you of any other
authors you have read?

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 Having the answer to all these questions does not mean that the critique is
complete. There are other minor yet necessary details to include, and everything
must be properly organized into a cohesive essay. Structure is equally important.
Now, try organizing the following steps to develop a coherent and cohesive critique.
Copy the statements and write them in the correct box.

1. State your overall assessment of the story’s value, worth, and significance
(both positive and negative).
2. Mention the name of the author and the title of the work.
3. Give a systematic and detailed assessment of the different elements of the
work, but make sure that your discussion and judgement will be supported
by specific details such as quotes or examples from the work itself. (This is
the main bulk of the critical essay, and it may run for more than three
paragraphs.)
4. Give recommendations for improvement if necessary.
5. Give a brief summary, including a description, background or context of the
work.
6. Indicate the elements you want to examine and state the purpose of your
critique.

Introduct
-ion

Body

Conclu-
sion

Are you confident with your answers? To check, refer to the following:
Introduction (2,5,6), Body (3), and Conclusion (1,4).
Finally, here are some additional reminders that budding critics need to take note
of when writing a critique:

 Avoid introducing your ideas by stating “I think” or “In my opinion” because

this weakens the analysis.
 Always introduce the work. Do not assume that the readers know what you
are writing about and that you don’t need to mention some details anymore.
 To be able to write a good critique and help readers understand the story, you
yourself should know well what you are writing about.

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 Now, go over this sample critique which is part of your English 10 Learner’s
Material “Celebrating Diversity through World Literature.” Read the essay, and
reflect if it is informative, in-depth, and comprehensive enough to be a critique. Let’s
try to ‘critique’ this sample critique based on the concepts previously presented.

SAMPLE CRITIQUE
“Lee” published by Crime Factory (Posted by Abdulat 8/10/2008
12:46:00PM)

I recently finished a fiction anthology called “Lee.” The book features

seventeen short stories, all written by crime writers and inspired by Lee
Marvin
— his life, his movies. The stories flow in chronological order with the first
taking place in 1944 and the last in 1987, just after Lee died. Frankly, I
thought the concept was a little goofy, and I didn’t really expect the book to be
that good. I bought it only because its publisher, Crime Factory, had published
two of my short stories. I liked what they’d done in their journal, and figured
I’d check out what else they’ve brought to the world.
I am happy to admit that I was very wrong. Not only is every story in the
collection really good, but it turns out that the concept really worked. In a
word, the book rocks! It was fun to see how the different authors tackled the
task of writing a Lee Marvin-inspired story. I particularly liked the stories:
“1966: Just Swell,” “Cameron Ashley,” “1967: The Gun Hunter.” Eric Beetner’s
novel The Devil Doesn’t Want Me has now moved up to number three on my
reading list, which hopefully means I’ll get to it in June.
I feel good that in my own little way I’m associated with these writers
tangentially.
Finishing “Lee” has also made me more interested in Lee Marvin’s
movies. I watched The Man who Shot Liberty Valence during a film class in
college and was blown away by his performance, but I don’t think I’d seen
another one of his movies. And I consider myself something of an old film
buff, but I took a step forward correcting this oversight last night by watching
The Dirty Dozen
— awesome!

1. Where does the writer present some background and summary of the text?
2. Would you say the background information about the text is enough? Why?
3. What does the writer say about the different narrative elements?
4. Is the evaluation exhaustive? Why yes? Why not?

Consider these:

 Notice that the writer presents the background and the summary in the first
paragraph.
 However, the background is not enough to inform the readers what “Lee” is all
about, making them unable to relate to the critic’s impressions about it.

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  Actually, there was no evident attempt to analyze the plot, characters, and
others. What is obvious are the writer’s personal reactions to “Lee” and his
failure to support his judgement about the material. In other words, this
sample critique fails to make an in-depth evaluation of the text; hence, it is
really not informative.
 Thus, the evaluation was not exhaustive. There wasn’t any exhaustive
analysis of the material to really support the critic’s evaluation. He seems very
familiar with the material, and he could do a better critique of it.

What’s More

Activity 3: A Critique’s Critique

Read the text and answer the questions that follow. Write your answers on a separate
sheet of paper.

“The Duplicate War: A Review” by David Lowe

Critique by Robert Keating

(1) The most valuable portion of any critique is “What I didn’t like and
why.” (2)Unfortunately, there’s not much wrong with The Duplicate War: A
Review. (3)I will try to be as specific as possible with my praise so you’ll know
what you did right.
(4)The vehicle of an opera review to tell your tale is an excellent one.
(5)I have seen this approach before and it is very effective as long as it keeps
moving. (6)Your tale moved at a brisk (but not rushed) pace.
(7) “The photograph of his father in the wheelchair that had brought
him back from Vietnam could be dusted…” (8) The paragraph this line appears
in is an excellent example of characterization by setting; and the line I referenced
is the wonderful little which completes the scene and sheds a little light on who
Scott is.
(9) “The networks showed the tape over and over; he sat up drinking
strong coffee and watched Michael every hour until dawn.” (10)I think that
amending this line to end “…and watched Michael die every hour until dawn”
will add impact and help justify Scott’s actions later.
(11)This is an excellent story and should see publication. (12)It is on par
with what I see in the short science fiction markets.

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CO_Q3_English10_ Module 3
 1. Under what genre is the critiqued material?
A. Fantasy B. Comedy C. Drama D. Science fiction
2. What is the overall assessment of the critic about the material?
A. Positive B. Negative C. Ambivalent D. Not stated
3. Which paragraphs clearly show the critic’s overall judgment?
A. 1 and 2 B. 2 and 3 C. 3 and 4 D. 1 and 5
4. What story element was assessed in paragraph 2?
A. Plot B. Setting C. Characterization D. Theme
5. What detail in a critic was sentence #10 an example of?
A. Summary C. Recommendation
B. Evidence D. Evaluation
6. What is evidently lacking in this critique if it intends to inform readers?
A. Summary C. Recommendation
B. Evidence D. Evaluation
7. Which of the following is one of the good points in the essay?
A. The critic gave positive evaluation of the material.
B. The critic showed knowledge about the context of the material.
C. Specific examples from the text itself were mentioned in the discussion.
D. All the things that the readers need to know about the text were
mentioned.

8-10. Based on what you learned from the lesson, how can this critique be
improved? (Answer in no more than three meaningful sentences.)

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 What I Have Learned

Activity 5: Acros-tique

Complete the acrostics of the word “CRITIQUE” by writing important points

you have learned about the topic. Write in complete sentences for each letter. The
first and the last have been given as examples, but you may change them if you wish
to.

— Critiques are informative and objective evaluation of a work.

— Evaluations are coupled with examples from the material itself.

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 What I Can Do

Activity 6: Critic’s Circle

Read the short story “Clothes Make the Man” and then do a critical analysis
of it. Follow the format presented in the discussion. Write your critique in a short
bond paper. Your critique will be rated based on the given rubric.

CLOTHES MAKE THE MAN

Henri Duvernois

“I don’t like it,” Tango complained again. “I won’t feel right, walking up and
down in that.”
“Shut up and put it on!” Mireault told him, and so, of course, Tango obeyed.
Mireault was half the size but he was clever. “If they had given Tango a tail, he would
have put it between his legs when Mireault spoke.
“Now, see?” Mireault said. “What did I tell you?” Looks goof, doesn’t it? See,
you’ve even got a whistle.”
“Not bad,” Tango had to admit, surveying himself in the mirror. He pushed
out his mighty chest and threw back his broad shoulders. Even the Eel, the quick
silent one who was Mireault’s working partner and who rarely opened his mouth,
was stirred to speech. “Boy, ain’t he handsome!” he said.
No doubt about it. Tango made a noble sight. The policeman’s uniform might
have been cut to his measure by the best tailor in Paris. His eyes looked brighter
beneath the visor of the jaunty cap; they almost looked intelligent.
“Stop gawking at yourself and wipe that dumb grin off your face,” Mireault
said impatiently, “and listen. This is so simple a half-wit could do it, so maybe if you
try hard you can, too.”
With regret Tango turned away from the mirror. His broad forehead wrinkled
in the painful expression that meant he was concentrating.
“All you do is walk up and down the street,” Mireault said. “Easy and slow,
like a real cop on his beat. Then if everyone hears us working in the house they won’t
get suspicious, seeing you. Keep walking until we come out, then hang around a few
minutes covering us. That’s all there is to it. We’ll meet back here. Now you
understand?”
“Sure,” Tango said, his eyes straying to the mirror.
“Then get going!” Mireault snapped.
Tango was a little nervous walking to the street Mireault and the Eel had
picked out, but nothing happened. It was a prosperous section, and in the dim glow
of the shaded corner light Tango could see what handsome houses they were –
sober, solid, well cared for. The house where the job was to be pulled was in the
middle of the nlock, behind a garden wall. Mireault and the Eel had cased it
thoroughly; there was a tin-can wall safe upstairs with a very comfortable load
inside. Apparently the old-fashioned family didn’t believe in banks. Maybe they
would, Mireault had said, after tonight. Tango wondered what it would be like to live
in so fine a house, but the effort of imagination was beyond him. He had seldom
ever seen a street such as this. He worked int the shabby quarters of Paris – a little
purse-snatching, a little shoplifting; he even panhandled. Yes, he was good at
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panhandling. Timid businessmen usually came right across when Tango’s huge
shoulders towered over them; they looked fearfully at the massive hands and dug for
whatever change they had. He sauntered down the pavement, turned at the corner
and came back. Halfway, he saw the two shadowy figures slip over the garden wall
and disappear. Mireault and the Eel were at work.
Tanglo fell to thinking how he had looked in the mirror. With the impressive
image vivid in his mind, he straightened his shoulders and threw out his chest again.
Standing erect, he tried a salute. It felt good. He grinned, oddly pleased, and walked
on. It was while he was turning at the other corner that he saw the police lieutenant.
Such a sight was usually enough to send him traveling as rapidly as his feet would
move. He stared in horror. He fancied that the lieutenant, approaching, was gazing
at him curiously. Tango ‘s body was rigid; his palms were sweating. With a
tremendous effort he restrained the wild impulse to plunge away. He shuddered.

Then, stiffly, with the lieutenant no more than a few feet from him, he raised his arm
and saluted. The lieutenant casually acknowledged the salute and passed by. Tango
stood peering after him. After a moment, he felt a peculiar gratification. “Say!” he
said to himself. “Say, you see that? I salute, and he salutes right back. Say that –
that’s pretty fine!” It was extraordinary the pleasure it gave him. He almost wanted
to run up to the lieutenant and salute again. He threw back his shoulders straighter
than ever and, erect and proud, walked down the pavement. At the corner he paused
and rocked on his heels a moment as all policemen do. “I guess I looked good to
him,” he told himself. “I guess he don’t see many cops looking so good.”
After a few more trips, he found an old lady hesitating on the corner. He saw
her make two or three false starts and each time nervously come back. Tango did not
even notice the plum-looking purse in her hand. He poised in front of her, saluted,
and offered his arm. She looked at him with a sweet smile. “Oh, thank you, officer!”
she said. There was no traffic visible but Tango held up his other arm majestically,
as if halting the horde of roaring trucks. With infinite dignity they crossed to the
other side. It was a pretty picture indeed.
“Thank you so much, officer!” she said.
“Please, madam,” Tango said, “don’t mention it.” He paused. “That’s what
we’re here for, you know,” he added. And, gallantly, he saluted again. He stood
proudly watching her retreating figure. Before she had quite disappeared, she
glanced back to regard him with another smile.
Tango continued going down the block, saluting at intervals. An indefinable
emotion was stirring in him. However, moments later, a rowdy drunk approached
and shouted insults against Tango being a cop. “I spit on you,” the drunk declared
scornfully. “Bah! There!” And he suited the action to the words. Furious, Tango
seized him, shook him ferociously and dragged him off down the street. At that same
moment, two figures came skimming over the garden wall and landed on the
pavement near him, but he was in no mood to stop.
“You, fool, what are you doing?” Mireault said in a furious whisper. “You
want to ruin the whole job? Let go of him, Blockhead!” And he struck Tango across
the cheek. Indescribable emotions swirled in Tango’s head. He remembered the
lieutenant answering his salute; he remembered the old lady’s look of gratitude and
admiration; he remembered the splendid figure of himself in the mirror. And he
remembered what the drunk had said.
He arose to the full pitch of a mighty furor. While Mireault and the Eel stared
at him in sheer paralyzed horror, he stuffed the shiny whistle in his mouth and blew
a salvo of blasts loud enough to bring all the police in Paris.
“Crooks, robbers!” he bellowed. “I arrest you. I arrest you in the name of the law!”

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 Needs
Criteria Very Good (4-5) Good (3)
Improvement (2)
Introduction All the contents The contents are The introduction lacks
required are present, complete, but the the required content,
and the summary is summary could have and the summary is
well-written. It is been written better. poorly outlined. It is
attention-grabbing. not catchy at all.
Analysis There is excellent There is good There is insufficient
evaluation of the evaluation of the attempt to present the
text’s strengths and text’s strengths and weaknesses or
weaknesses. Clarity, weaknesses. strengths of the text.
originality and depth However, clarity, Also, the output
of thought about the originality and depth shows superficial
topic are also evident. of thought seem thinking about the
lacking. topic.
Supporting There is coherent Coherent The output lacks a
Evidence organization and organization and clear focus and
interesting development are organization, and the
development of evident, but several details lifted from the
analysis supported details and examples story seem random
with carefully chosen are not carefully and unrelated.
details and examples selected form the
from the story. story.
Conclusion The conclusion clearly The conclusion gives The critique does not
wraps up the entire a decent have a clear wrap up,
critique’s good and generalization of the and there isn’t any
bad points, and gives critique and an clear statement about
an overall evaluation overall evaluation. the evaluation of the
of the story. story read.
Grammar Sentences are clear Sentences are mostly Sentences are poorly
and and concise. Errors in clear and concise. structured, and the
Mechanics grammar and There are noticeable grammatical errors
punctuation are very errors, but they do are too many that it
minimal and not affect the clarity affects the
negligible. of the output. comprehensibility of
the essay.
Total Score

Adapted from https://www.cs.toronto.edu/~lczhang/csc290_20191/files/cr_rubric.pdf

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 Assessment

Directions: Choose the letter of the best answer and write it on a separate sheet of
paper.

1. Which of these terms is often used interchangeably with the word “critique”?
A. Summary B. Synopsis C. Review D. Report

2. Which statement is not true about a critique?

A. It is a purely opinionated piece of writing about a story, novel, film, etc.
B. It is usually done by experts or people with considerable knowledge
about the work.
C. It does not place emphasis on giving recommendations to possible
readers or viewers.
D. It is an in-depth evaluation or assessment of a piece of work such as a
short story or film.

3. Which of these story elements is not tackled in a critique?

A. Characterization B. Conflict C. Plot D. None of the above

4. Which of these is not an appropriate subject for critical analysis?

A. Films B. Novels C. Speeches D. Short Stories

5. What information or details is usually included in a critique’s introduction?

A. structure of the plot
B. authenticity of the conflict
C. significance of the dialogues
D. background or summary of the text

6. Which of these questions should be asked when analyzing the characters in

a narrative?
A. How are the characters developed and what makes them interesting
and relatable?
B. Are there equal number of male and female characters?
C. Who among the characters is likeable and who is not?
D. Why is the protagonist not a superhero material?

7. What detail can a critic use best to support his/her evaluation of a story?
A. Opinions of those who read the story
B. Quotes from the story itself
C. Statements of the author
D. Reviews of other critics

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CO_Q3_English10_ Module 3
 For numbers 8-11, write TRUE if the statement is correct, and FALSE if not.
8. Critiques may follow different formats but they generally
have the same content or foci.
9. A critique is intended primarily to point out the faults or
flaws in work.
10. It is alright to not give a summary of the story critiqued
because the readers are most likely familiar with it already.
11. A critic is encouraged to write “I think…” or “In my
opinion…” in his/her critical essay.

For numbers 12-15, identify the correct order of these steps in writing a critique by
assigning the numbers 1 to 4.

12. Give recommendations as needed.

13. Give a short summary of the story.
14. Give an overall evaluation of the story.
15. State your analysis of the setting, characterization, plot, etc.

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