What is a critical essay?
A critical essay is an informative analysis or critique of another work, usually art related. Some examples of typical subjects for critical essays include literature, screenplays, films, paintings or sculptures. The critical analysis essay is more than a simple summary of the features or characteristics of the work or your opinion of its value.
The critical essay is informative in nature and emphasizes the actual work rather than opinion. All observations or claims must be convincingly supported with evidence. For this reason, in writing a critical essay, the first person is never used.
Standard essay format of title, introduction, body, and conclusion is followed when writing the critical essay structure, but due to the depth of the analysis, arguments are narrowed and more detailed than a traditional essay.
Structuring the critical essay
Since a critical essay is an examination of a specific topic, each point must be supported with solid evidence. The critical essay structure will be more effective if it focuses on a single aspect of a work rather than the work in its entirety. When choosing the title, the specific topic must be revealed in detail.
For instance, rather than providing an overview of the movie “The Hunger Games”, examine “The Use of Metaphor in The Hunger Games”. Critical essays narrow a broad topic and allow for depth of analysis. When the topic is too broad, the critical essay structure may tend to extend to too many paragraphs that stray off-topic. Strong, concise assertions are always the most effective.
Introduction
The introduction of a critical essay introduces the topic and includes the specific name of the work being analyzed. At this point, the author or artist should be identified and described. Using relevant background or historical information is an effective method for establishing the importance of your assertions and the purpose of the essay.
Body
The body is where the writer’s position is supported by detailed background information. Using factual information to develop the argument and explain the position of the essay will create an effective essay. It is important to evaluate the work and directly follow each assertion with supporting evidence. Critical essays rely on evidence such as historical examples, statistics and comparisons to present as convincing and authoritative. The opinions of others may be used to strengthen the position of the essay but should not be relied on exclusively.
Paragraphs should be used for each individual point made and should transition cleanly and logically to the following paragraph.
Conclusion
The conclusion of concisely restates the position and summarizes how the provided evidence supports the assertion. Remember to restate the title and author of the work in the conclusion as well as the specific purpose of the essay.
Researching supporting sources
Since the critical analysis essay is supported by and based upon authoritative and expert evidence, researching the topic can present a challenge. Follow these research suggestions, and the essay will be a success:
Express your critical analysis essay with confidence and properly cite supporting sources for an effective essay. If you are looking for help with critical essay writing, OZessay is your best bet. We have the right professionals and, knowledge & experience to write an essay that fully meets your requirements. For more information, please email our staff at [email protected] or place your order via the order page.
