How to Write a Critical Lens Essay


Introduction

More often, students have faced the challenge of effectively coming up with a critical lens essay. It is very common for high school and even college students to be called upon to come up with an essay. They all seem to make the same mistake of writing an ordinary essay. It is crucial to differentiate between a common essay and critical lens essay. The details of this topic have formed the bulk of this paper.

What is a critical essay?

This is a piece that is done in many schools in America where a quote is provided and a student is expected to make a personal stand regarding that particularquote. This kind of writing is known as critical lens essay writing. A student is expected to either agree or disagree with that quote and either way provide reasons for the stand taken. In writing the critical lens essay, an in-depth exploration of the quote must be done within the context of the book from which the quote is derived. The primary goal is a critical lens essay is to assess a student’s skills in critical thinking. For a student to effectively come up with a good essay, they should read, understand, evaluate and analyze all the issues in the context.

GroupOfStudents-e1359494542702

In writing a custom critical lens essay, the first step is to come up with a critical lens essay outline. This is an overview of the entire essay in a nutshell. It is in the outline of the essay that the critical lens essay format is captured. When coming up with this nature of an essay, astudent must be keen enough to respond to main issues addressed in the quote. When there is more than one issue raised, the student must address each issue specifically. This ensures that there is a holistic approach to all issues.

Critical Lens Essay Structure

There are three aspects that a student seeks to achieve when writing a critical lens essay. There are explanation, analysis and interpretation. A student must carefully think and plan his/her thoughts so that there is cohesion and flow of ideas. Among the preliminary steps that must be taken before embarking on the actual writing include identification of elements used in literature. They include symbolism, language, themes and tone among others.

In coming up with a critical lens essay you must respond to the point of view conveyed by the quote and after that, you should try to explain the same in your own words. Any critical lens essay includes an introduction, body of the essay and a concluding paragraph which captures the summary of all issues discussed in the essay.

Critical Lens essay format

The first step  in critical essay writing is the introduction of the essay on which the quote is specifically mentioned. In citing the quote, the author is mentioned and the source. For example, the first sentence may read, ‘According to Desmond Tutu, people become people through other people.’ The actual quote must therefore appear at the beginning of the sentence. The next step is rewriting or rephrasing the quote. In rephrasing, the student must understand and interpret the quote so that the meaning is captured without necessarily using the same words as the author. In writing this essay, students should refrain from using the first person. Instead, use of third person is always preferred

The next step is the body which must have the source and name of the author. In the beginning of the body, it is necessary to restate the interpretation which had been done at the introduction. Use of terms of literature are welcome at this point. The third step is to expound further on the literary terms with the aim of putting the stand taken into context. A summary of the plot form which the quote is lifted may be done at this point. The intention is to ensure that the discussion remains within the desired context.

Conclusion

The final part is conclusion which involves asummary of all points discussed including restating the position taken. A mention of evidence justifying the position is given at this point. The guidelines herein will be integral in offering critical lens essay help.

Critical Lens Essay Topics

  1. It is not about what is said by the author, rather it is what they whisper.
  2. The conflict of good and bad is the basis of the struggle in literature
  3. What makes people good is having gone through failure and overcome.
  4. Literature is in its entirety is about protest
  5. Eyes see best in the dark.
  6. People become people through other people.
  7. Ourbravery is gauged on how obedient we are to the inner person.
  8.  In literature, it is emotion not reason that shapes characters.
  9. An interesting story in one city is ridiculous and laughable in another city
  10.  Literature serves to awaken the frozen sea inside us.

related articles