Critical Essay
ENGLISH
LEARNING INTENTION

To understand how to structure a critical essay.
PURPOSE
A critical essay tests your knowledge and
understanding of a text.
 This is done through your analysis of important
aspects of the text.
 It is also a measure of your own skills with
language – think abut how you express your
ideas.

FORMULA

Just like reading for UAE you can follow a
formula for each section of your essay.
INTRODUCTION
Your introduction must contain the following:
 Title
 Author
 Refer to task
 Techniques
INTRODUCTION
Your introduction should also:
 Give a brief outline of the plot
 Refer to themes
 Comment on the relevance of the text
 Show some engagement with the text
EXAMPLE

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby is set during
1920s America in what is often termed the Jazz Age.
The novel explores the significance and impact of the
American Dream as Nick Carraway, the narrator,
describes the demise of the eponymous character; Jay
Gatsby. Fitzgerald uses a variety of techniques such as
characterisation, setting and symbolism to convey the
central themes of love, money and the American Dream.
Despite being written and published in the 1920s, The
Great Gatsby is still relevant to us today as modern
society continues to seek the same dreams as the
novel’s central characters.
TASK
Write an introduction for one of the following:
Choose a novel or short story in which a specific location or setting is crucial to the
plot.
Discuss how the writer makes you aware of the setting’s importance and how this
feature is used to enhance your appreciation of the text as a whole.

Choose a play which you feel has a turning-point.
Describe briefly what happens at this turning point and then, by referring to appropriate
techniques, go on to explain how it makes an impact on the play as a whole.

Choose a poem in which you consider the poet’s depiction of an event to be
particularly effective.
Explain in what ways the poet’s depiction is particularly effective and discuss how this
enhances your understanding of the central concern(s) of the poem.

STRUCTURE

You should have at least three main
paragraphs in your essay.

Each paragraph must have a clear link to the
task and demonstrate your knowledge and
understanding of the text through your analysis.
MAIN PARAGRAPHS

The easiest way to do this is to focus on one
technique for each main paragraph.

This keeps your ideas clearly organised but also
demonstrates your ability to analyse a writer’s
language.
TECHNIQUES

Prose/drama: key scene, characterisation,
symbolism, language, setting, turning point

Poetry: symbolism, imagery, word choice, rhyme,
tone
 Theme
is not a techniques but you should
refer to the central theme in any essay you
write.
STRUCTURE OF MAIN PARAGRAPH
Topic Sentence: this sets out what your overall
paragraph will be about
 Point: introduces your quotation
 Evidence: this is your quotation
 Analysis: the most important part – what this
quotation helps you understand
 Response: how it links to the task and your
engagement with it.
 PEAR should be repeated for a second quotation

EXAMPLE
Topic Sentence

One of the key elements of the play that Shakespeare introduces in Act 1 is dramatic irony.
Point

From the very onset of the play dramatic irony is used to introduce the audience to the nature
of Iago and his role in the drama.
Evidence

Iago torments Brabantio with crude and explicit words about his daughter and Othello’s
relationship in the very first scene. An outraged Brabantio tells Iago ‘thou art a villain.’
Analysis

Although Brabantio’s words, on face value, refer to Iago’s behaviour at the present time, the
audience understand that Iago will be the true villain of this play. Brabantio does not in fact
understand the truth and significance behind his words and will only realise how true they are
when it is too late and his daughter has become the victim of this ‘villain’.
Response

This seemingly insignificant remark actually sums up Iago’s character as all his behaviour from
this point onwards is aimed at causing the demise of many of the characters. By describing
Iago as a ‘villain’ from the first scene Shakespeare is alerting the audience to the damage that
Iago will do. We can only watch, helplessly, as Iago lives up to this label and creates chaos and
violence to those he views as enemies.
EXPRESSIONS
Othello is a play about betrayal and jealousy
and the problems these cause.
 Or
 In the play ‘Othello’ Shakespeare skilfully
weaves a story of betrayal and jealousy. The
audience realise the devastating effects these
can have on people through …

EXPRESSIONS

Begin sentences with word choice that
demonstrates your skill with language:

Shakespeare effectively (successfully, skilfully,)
engages the audience through the use of …
EXPRESSIONS
Don’t begin your analysis with ‘this shows…’
This is not a good use of vocabulary. Try to vary
your expression, for example:
 This effectively conveys to the audience…
 The significant use of language demonstrates…
 By successfully creating this character, the
author allows us to understand…
WHY?

Although the essay is a test or your ability to
demonstrate understanding of the text; it is
also a chance for you to impress the marker
with your own skill of language.

You don’t have to be Shakespeare – but a few
sophisticated phrases a can make a difference.
CONCLUSION

Your conclusion is the final thing the marker is
reading. You want to end on a strong note so
that the marker is impressed.
CONCLUSION
Sum up the main ideas of your essay
 Show that you have engaged with the text
 Try to link the text to society in general (what
can we learn form this text?)


Fitzgerald effectively creates a story that is at
times funny and other points sad. He uses setting,
characterization and symbolism to engage the
reader and make us understand what drives the
characters of the book. The last sentence of the
novel in which Nick realises ‘we beat on, boats
against the current, borne back ceaselessly into
the past’ leaves a haunting message at the way in
which people are constantly striving for something
better in life, not realising the value of what they
have. This is ultimately the flaw of the characters
in Fitzgerald’s novel.