How can you become a Critical Reader?

(Written by M.M.Nirmal Chathuranga B.Sc. Business Administration (Sp.)University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka)

Critical/ Academic Reading

What is reading? Proves an awkward question.

We can do it. But we cannot understand that we are doing. The act of reading is at once obvious and utterly elusive. We cannot formulate or describe what reading is yet we intuit it all too well (Mc.Nally, 2013, p.13).

Reading

·                     Functional reading

·                     Critical reading

Functional Reading

v    Does not include any critical question when reading

v    We are not really engaged with the text.

v    There is no effort to keep the text in mind.

v    There is not special objective in reading.

Critical Reading

v    It is advanced than the functional reading.

v    Critical think to the text is applied.

v    The process of applying the critical thinking to texts, you must zoom in (study separately of each and every element) and zoom out (overall output through the whole text), ask questions and make decisions as you read texts. Critical readers become conscience of any deliberately engage in these activities.

v    Critical readers know why he reads.

v    They know what the author wants to tell.

v    Ask critical questions, beyond I agree/ disagree, try to problemize that what author is telling, make your judgments.

Critical Thinking

A process through which we make sense of and offer judgments about people, things and ideas. Core components of critical thinking includes, analyzing, synthesizing and evaluating. Zooming in and out, asking questions making decisions driving critical thinking.  (Anderson, 2011, p.55)

Core components of critical thinking,

·                            Analyzing

·                            Synthesizing (Merging different things to get a holistic view)

·                            Evaluation

It is a process through which we make sense of and offer judgments about people, things and ideas.

Death of the Author

This is a symbolic death. During the period, in which the text is being written, the author is assumed to be living. After the launch of the book, the book is owned by the society, hence the author is assumed to be dead.

How we become a critical reader? Which components should we consider?

When you are reading something you must be involve in a critical reading. As a critical reader you have to identify some special components.

1.                  What is author’s point of view?

2.                  What is author’s purpose?

3.                  What is author’s intended audience?

4.                  What is author’s tone?

What is meant by the author’s point of view?

An author’s point of view is his or her position on an issue. Point of view also known as the “author’s argument” (the overall main idea the author is arguing for) and the author’s bias (the side or an issue the author favors)

An author may be in favor of an issue (that is he or she supports it) or he or she may be opposed to it (that is, he or she is against it).

You must recognize the author’s point of view in order to know which side of an issue he or she favors.

To determine the author’s point of view, critical readers ask themselves this comprehension monitoring question. “What is the author’s position on this issue?” To answer this question,

·                     Look for words that reveal

·                     The author’s point of view

What is meant by author’s purpose?

The author’s purpose is “his or her reason for writing”. Whenever authors write, they write for a specific purpose. (For that matter, when you write, you have a specific purpose).

The author’s purpose may be informed, to instruct, to entertain, or to persuade the reader to believe something or to take a certain action. It is important to understand an author’s purpose for writing because you will then be aware of his or her motive for writing and you will have a greater insight as to what was important in the message. To determine an author’s purpose, critical readers ask themselves this comprehension monitoring question. “Why did the author write this?”

Sometimes authors state their purpose directly. At other time, authors may not state their purposes for writing because they feel that the purpose is quite clear, and they assume the reader will infer it. To determine an author’s purpose, he way notice the words the author has used and the way the information is presented.

Author’s purpose	Writing strategies
To inform	Use phrases such as “it is interesting to know that… or there are different types of…”
To instruct	Give a set of directions (instructions) or a sequence of steps to follow.
To persuade	Deliberately use emotional language or words that are designed to influence your thinking and make you respond a certain way.
To entertain	May tell a funny story, use wild exaggerations (hyperbole), or simply describe a pleasant event or place.

What is meant by the author’s intended audience?

An author’s intended audience is “whom the author had in mind as his her readers”. Having a particular audience in mind will influence the material the author includes, how he or she presents it and how simple or sophisticated an approach he or she chooses. Critical readers ask themselves the comprehension monitoring question. If simply says an author’s intended audience is his target/expected audience.

Sometimes the author will state who the intended audience is? Even if the author does not state who the intended audience is, you can determine the audience by considering these three things.

1.     The topic (is it a common topic, or is it an unusual or specialized one?)

2.   The level of language used (is it simple, or sophisticated?) – Simple language for children, the people who are less educated and sophisticated language for the educated people.

3.      The author’s purpose in writing (is it meant to inform? to instruct? to persuade?)

Why is it important to determine an author’s intended audience?

·                     First, if you are not among those in the intended audience, you may need to do some extra work in order to understand the material.

·                     Second, if you are doing research, you can decide whether material on the topic is written for the audience you are part of.

·                     Knowing who the audience is gives your insight in to the author’s purpose, his or her reason for writing. This allows you to evaluate whether or not that purpose was accomplished. (We can understand the purpose of the author through understanding the target audience, after that we can evaluate whether the purpose is succeeded or nor)

·                     Perhaps the most important reason for you to become aware of the importance of audience is that it can make you a better writer, you will learn to shape your message to your intended audience, and this will enable you to communicate your message more effectively.

What is meant by author’s tone?

The author’s tone is “the manner of writing” (choice of words and writing style). That reveals the author’s attitude towards a topic. It may help you to think about what the author’s tone of voice would sound like if he or she were saying the material to you rather than writing it. It is important to determine an author’s tone because if you misunderstand an author’s tone, you may misunderstand the message.

Words that can be used to describe tone

The words that describe a neutral tone

Typically used in text books, reference materials, set of directions, instructional manuals, most newspapers and magazine articles and other factual objective material that is presented in a straight forward manner.

·                     Unemotional – involving little or no emotion or feeling.

·                     Dispassionate – devoid or unaffected by passion, emotion or bias.

·                     Indifferent – appearing tom have no preference or concern.

The words that describe a serious tone

Typically used in important formal announcements and obituaries, for example.

·                     Solemn – deeply earnest, serious and sober.

·                     Serious – grave, earnest, not trifling or jesting.

Reserved deeply interested or involved, marked by self-restraint and reticence.

The words that describe an emotional tone

Typically found in personal articles, political writing and some persuasive writings such as editorials.

·                     Compassionate – showing kindness, mercy or compassion; sympathetic.

·                     Concerned – caring deeply about a person or issue.

·                     Impassioned – characterized by passion or zeal.

·                     Nostalgic – feeling better sweet longing for things, persons or situations

·                     Sentimental – based on emotion rather than the reason.

·                     Remorseful – feeling regret.

·                     Self-pitying – feeling sorry for oneself.

·                     Urgent – calling for immediate attention, instantly important.

·                     Defiant – intentionally contemptuous; resisting authority or force.

The words that describe a critical, disapproving tone

Typically found in movie and book reviews, editorials, some magazine articles.

·                     Critical – inclined to criticize or find faults.

·                     Disapproving – passing unfavorable judgment upon, condemning.

·                     Pessimistic – Expecting the worst, having a negative attitude or a gloomy outlook.

·                     Intolerant – not allowing a difference of opinion or sentiment.

·                     Indignant – angered by something unjust, mean or unworthy; irate.

The words that describe a humorous, sarcastic, ironic, or satiric tone

Can be used in writing of many sorts, including literature and social criticism, and some newspaper and magazine columns and articles.

·            Cynical – scornful of the motives, virtue of integrity of others; expressing scorn and bitter mockery.

·                     Scornful – treating someone or something as despicable or unworthy, showing utter contempt.

·                     Contemptuous – showing open disrespect or haughty, disdain.

·                     Mocking – treating with scorn or contempt

·            Malicious – intended to cause harm or suffering; having wicked mischievous intended or motives.

·                     Ironic – humorously sarcastic.

·                     Sarcastic – characterized by the desire to show scorn or contempt.

·                     Bitter – characterized by sharpness, severity or cruelty.

·                     Skeptical – reluctant to believe; doubting or questioning everything.

·                     Disbelieving – not believing; refusing to believe. 

The words that describe a supportive tone

Found in writing of many types, such as certain textbooks, inspirational writing, some magazine articles, and personal correspondence.

·                     Encouraging – showing support

·                     Supportive – showing support of assistance

·                     Enthusiastic – showing excitement

·                     Optimistic – expecting the best; having a positive outlook.

·                     Approving – Expressing the approval or the agreement

·                     Positive – being in favor of; supportive; optimistic

·                     Sympathetic – inclined to sympathy; showing pity; empathetic

·                     Tolerant – showing respect for the rights or opinions or practices or others

Things to keep in mind when reading critically

·         You should avoid seeing the purpose of everything you read as to inform.

·         If the author’s purpose is to persuade, you should determine which side of an issue he or        she favors.

·         Understanding the author’s tone will enable you to grasp the true or intended meaning, even when the author’s words may appear to be saying something different.

·         There are two forms of irony; irony in tone and irony in situations.

·         Sarcasm and irony is not the same thing.