Class Review 7

The Deepest of Critical Review

Written by Ida Fauziyah

Senin pagi kembali menyapa. Berarti kami kembali menyapa Writing 4 untuk ke tujuh kalinya. Tepat, senin pagi itu merupakan pertemuan ketujuh kami dengan Mr. Lala di kelas Writing 4. Hari itu, kami membahas banyak hal serta melakukan peer review tentang critical review kami yang ketiga.

Sebelum beranjak pada peer review, Mr. Lala terlebih dahulu menjelaskan tentang beberapa komentar Milan Kundera (in L’Art duroman, 1986):

·         To write, means for the poet to crush the wall behind which something that “was always there” hides.

·         In this respect, the task of the poet is not different from the work of history, which also discovers rather than invents’.

·         History, likes poets, uncovers, in ever new situations, the human possibilities heretofer hidden.

·         What history does matter of factly is a mission for to poet.

·         The rise to this mission, the poet must refuse service to the truths known beforehand, truths already ‘obvious’ because floating on the surface.

·         Since history is endless process of human creation is not for the same reason (and by same token) the unending process of human self-discovery?

Ada beberapa crucial reminders, yaitu:

·         Ada persamaan antara sastrawan, sejarawan, dan linguist, yakni mereka sama-sama bertujuan “To Understand VALUES and its changes”. Mereka akan memastikan apakah data atau tulisan mereka telah synchronic dan diachronic atau malah sebaliknya.

·         Literacy and history are GIST.

·         Values bisa dimaknai juga dengan sense

·         Beberapa tahapan reading yakni: membaca      memahami      memaknai

What to assess in peer review include two basic parameters:

1.      Unity

Maintaining unity in a paragraph necessitates that every sentence in a paragraph or every paragraph in a composition should be closely related to the topic. A strong paragraph will eliminate sentences that do not relate or help develop the paragraph’s main idea. Thus, a unfied composition will only have paragraphs that are crucial to develop the thesis.

2.      Coherence

Maintaining coherence in a paragraph or composition not only requires unity, but also a logical, smooth, and natural flow from one idea to another. When this occurs, coherence has been established. There are three key ways to create coherence in a paragraph or multi-paragraphs text:

1)      Arrange ideas to achieve emphasis

2)      Arrange ideas to achieve coherence

3)      Connect your ideas to achieve coherence

 Selanjutnya, berikut beberapa penjelasan lebih dalam tentang Critical Review:

      What is critical review?

The purpose of critical review is to review or critically evaluate an article or book.

      What is meant by critical?

At university, to be critical does not mean to criticize in a negative manner. Rather it requires you to question the information and opinion in a text and present ypur evaluation or judgement of the text.

      What is meant by evaluation or judgement?

Here, you decide the strengths and weaknesses of a text. This is usually based on spesific criteria. Evaluating requires an understanding of not just the content of the text, but also an understanding of a text’s purpose, the intended audience and why it is structured the way it is.

      What is meant by analysis?

Analysing requires separating the content and concepts of a text into their main components and then understanding how these interrelate, connect and possibly influence each other.

Generic Stucture of Critical Review and Its Example:

1.      Itroduction

Starts with opening sentences that state the writer, the title and give a biref explanation of the topic of the text. The aim of the text and a summary of the main findings or key argument are presented. At the end of the introduction, a brief statement of the evaluation of the text is given.

e.g: This paper offers a critical perspective on Howard Zinn’s article entitled “Speaking Truth to Power with Books”.

2.      Summary

Gives a summary of the main points of the article and a few examples. A brief explanation of the writer’s suppose and the organization of the text can also be added. This section of the critical review should be no longer than one third of the whole.

e.g: There are several basic points that Zinn wrote on Columbus, whom we ridicolusly percieve as the hero/discoverer of America.

First.....Second....Third....

3.      Main Body (Critique)

Discusses and evaluate the strengths, weaknesses and important features of the text. The discussion should be based on spesific criteria and include other sources to support it (with references).

e.g: There are four points on Columbus that are neglected in Zinn’s article. First....Second....Third.....Fourth....

4.      Conclusion

Conclude the review with restatement of the overall opinion of the text. It can also include recomendations and some further explanation of the judgement to show that it is fair and reasonable.

e.g: there are two points that can be concluded from Zinn’s article. First....Second....

5.      References

A list of references should be included at the end if other sources have been used.

Dari pemaparan di atas dapat disimpulkan bahwa ternyata kami massih belum memahami tentang critical review. Sehingga, ketika melakukan peer review minggu kemarin, kami masih banyak mendapati kesalahan dari tugas critical review kami. Kesalahan-kesalahannya mulai dari tidak menggunakan generic structure sampai absennya unity dan coherene dalam tulisan kami.

Posted by Unknown at 4:07 PM