SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL

English for Academic

and Professional
Purposes
Quarter 1 – Module 4 (Week 4)
Reaction Paper

Department of Education ● Republic of the Philippines

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 WHAT I NEED TO KNOW
Module Content

This is where you start to write reaction papers and concept papers which are needed in your future
careers. These will also allow you to become critical thinkers and creative writers.
These are the competencies covered in the lessons:
 Uses appropriate critical writing a critique such as formalism, feminism, etc. (CS_EN11/12A-EAPP-Id-f-
16)
 Writes an objective/balanced review or critique of a work of art, an event or a program (CS_EN11/12A-
EAPP-Id-f-18)
 Determines the ways a writer can elucidate on a concept by definition, explication and clarification
(CS_EN11/12A-EAPP-Ig-j-20)
 Compare and contrast various kinds of concept papers: Home Economics; Agri. Fishery; I.A; ICT
(CS_EN11/12A-EAPP-Ig-j-23)
 Presents a novel concept or project with accompanying visuals/ graphic aids (CS_EN11/12A-EAPP-Ig-
j-24)

To do well in this module, you need to remember the following:

1. Please DO NOT write anything in this module. Write your answers in your notebook.
2. Read texts carefully so that you can easily comprehend what you are reading.
3. Answer questions with all honesty. Success does not come from copying from others. It is
made possible by trying hard on your own so that you can learn even from your mistakes.
4. Review your answers. It is safe to go back and think about what you have written. This can
help you lessen if not avoid errors.
5. Follow instructions given and ask if there is something that you did not understand.
6. Do the tasks given and do not delay in submitting requirements. This can help you avoid
having a pile of unfinished activities.
7. Feel free to communicate with your teacher. There is no harm in asking for clarification so
that you will not be lost in confusion.
8. Remember to review every time you are done answering the activities.
9. Have fun as you learn. This course is very important no matter what your strand is. When
you have fun, you can easily learn the lessons.

WHAT I KNOW
WHAT I KNOW
Let us check your prior knowledge about this module‘s coverage.
Directions: Choose the letter of the best answer. Write your answer in your notebook.
1. The New Critics were:
A. Feminist critics C. Marxist critics
B. Psychological Critics D. Formalist critics
2. What approach to literary criticism requires the critic to know about the author's life and times?
A. All of these C. Historical
B. Mimetic D. Formalist
3. Formalist critics believe that the value of a work cannot be determined by the author's intention.
What term do they use when speaking of this belief?
A. The intentional fallacy C. The pathetic fallacy
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 B. The affective fallacy D. The objective correlative
4. Which poet popularized the term objective correlative, which is often used in formalist criticism?
A. Virginia Woolf C. T.S. Eliot
B. C.S. Lewis D. Matthew Arnold
5. In a Freudian approach to literature, concave images are usually seen as:
A. Male symbols C. Phallic symbols
B. Evidence of an Oedipus complex D. Female symbols
6. He was an influential force in archetypal criticism.
A. Freud C. Richards
B. Jung D. Tate
7. Seven is an archetype associated with:
A. Astrology C. Birth
B. Perfection D. Death
8. This feminist critic proposed that all female characters in literature are in at least one of the
following stages of development: the feminine, feminist, or female stage.
A. Virginia Woolf C. Mary Wolstencraft
B. Ellen Mores D. Elaine Showalter
9. A critic argues that in John Milton's "Samson Agonistes," the shearing of Samson's locks is
symbolic of his castration at the hands of Delilah. What kind of critical approach is this critic using?
A. Mimetic approach C. Historical approach
B. Psychological approach D. Formalist approach
10. One archetype in literature is the scapegoat. Which of these literary characters serves that
purpose?
A. Billy Budd C. Captain Ahab
B. Hamlet D. Ophelia
11. One of the disadvantages of this school of criticism is that it tends to make readings too
subjective.
A. Reader Response Criticism C. Historical Criticism
B. Formalist Criticism D. These are all equally subjective
12. This literary critic coined the term "fancy."
A. Samuel Taylor Coleridge C. Matthew Arnold
B. Virginia Woolf D. Carl Jung
13. Michael Foucault was the major practitioner of this school of criticism.
A. Structuralism C. Deconstructionism
B. Mimetic Criticism D. Formalist Criticism
14. This critical approach assumes that language does not refer to any external reality. It can assert
several, contradictory interpretations of one text.
A. Structuralism C. Formalist Criticism
B. Deconstructionism D. Mimetic Criticism
15. A critic examining John Milton's "Paradise Lost" focuses on the physical description of the
Garden of Eden, on the symbols of hands, seed, and flower, and on the characters of Adam, Eve,
Satan, and God. He pays special attention to the epic similes and metaphors and the point of view
from which the tale is being told. He looks for meaning in the text itself, and does not refer to any
biography of Milton. He is most likely a critic.
A. Formalist C. Reader Response
B. Mimetic D. Feminist
16. This literary critic warned: "We must remember that the greater part of our current reading matter
is written for us by people who have no real belief in a supernatural order . . . And the greater part . . .
is coming to be written by people who not only have no such belief, but are even ignorant of the fact
that there are still people in the world so 'backward' or so 'eccentric' as to continue to believe."
A. Matthew Arnold C. T.S. Eliot
B. C.S. Lewis D. G.K. Chesterton

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17. A critic of Thomas Otway's "Venice Preserv'd" wishes to know why the play's conspirators,
despite the horrible, bloody details of their obviously brutish plan, are portrayed in a sympathetic light.
She examines the author's life and times and discovers that there are obvious similarities between
the conspiracy in the play and the Popish Plot. She is most likely a critic.
A. Tory C. Feminist
B. Historical D. Psychological
18. This poet might be described as a moral or philosophical critic for arguing that works must have
"high seriousness."
A. T.S. Eliot C. Elizabeth Browning
B. Virginia Woolf D. Matthew Arnold
19. A critic examining Pope's "An Essay on Man" asks herself: How well does this poem accord with
the real world? Is it accurate? Is it moral? She is most likely a _______ critic.
A. Mimetic C. Feminist
B. Formalist D. Reader Response
20. One of the potential disadvantages of this approach to literature is that it can reduce
meaning to a certain time frame, rather than making it universal throughout the ages.
A. Historical C. Formalist
B. Feminist D. Mimetic

LESSON 1

CRITICAL APPROACHES IN WRITING A CRITIQUE

WHAT I NEED TO KNOW

Learning Objectives: At the end of the lesson, the learners shall be able to
1. define critique;
2. identify the various approaches writing a critique;
3. criticize the texts using the different approaches of criticism; and
4. apply the appropriate critical approaches in writing your critique.

WHAT'S NEW
ACTIVITY 1. SAY SOMETHING ACTIVITY

Directions: Take a look at this picture and give at least five (5) points that you see in the picture.
Write your answers in your notebook.

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 Process Questions: Write your answers in your notebook.
1. How did you find the picture?
2. By looking at the picture, are you thinking about the beautiful nature?
3. What about the location?
4. Did it cross to your mind who is responsible of taking care of the nature?
5. What about the feeling of the lady jumping onto the water?
6. Did you ask yourself if you would want to do the same?
7. What about the reasons why God has created this nature for us?
8. Have you not wondered how God created the beautiful world?

All these questions will be answered critically by using different approaches.

This activity leads you to learn how to write criticism.

WHAT IS IT

What is critique?
A critique is a careful analysis of an argument to determine what is said, how well the points are
made, what assumptions underlie the argument, what issues are overlooked, and what implications are
drawn from such observations. It is a systematic, yet personal response and evaluation of what you read.

It is a genre of academic writing that briefly summarizes and critically evaluates a work or concept.

Critiques can be used to carefully analyze a variety of works such as:

 Creative works – novels, exhibits, film, images, poetry
 Research – monographs, journal articles, systematic reviews, theories

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  Media – news reports, feature articles

Like an essay, a critique uses a formal, academic writing style and has a clear structure, that
is, an introduction, body and conclusion. However, the body of a critique includes a summary of the
work and a detailed evaluation. The purpose of an evaluation is to gauge the usefulness or impact of
a work in a particular field.

Why do we write critiques?

Writing a critique on a work helps us to develop:
 A knowledge of the work‘s subject area or related works.
 An understanding of the work‘s purpose, intended audience, development of
argument, structure of evidence or creative style.
 A recognition of the strengths and weaknesses of the work.
How to write a critique
Before you start writing, it is important to have a thorough understanding of the work that will
be critiqued.
 Study the work under discussion.
 Make notes on key parts of the work.
 Develop an understanding of the main argument or purpose being expressed in the work.
 Consider how the work relates to a broader issue or context.
Read about the critical approaches. You can highlight some important ideas.
You can use these in expressing your views.
The following are the different approaches in writing a critique:
1. Formalist: This approach regards literature as ―a unique form of human knowledge that needs to
be examined on its own terms.‖ All the elements necessary for understanding the work are contained
within the work itself. Of particular interest to the formalist critic are the elements of form—style,
structure, tone, imagery, etc.— that are found within the text. A primary goal for formalist critics is to
determine how such elements work together with the text‘s content to shape its effects upon readers.

Questions to be Asked for Formalistic Approach

A. How is the work‘s structure unified?
B. How do various elements of the work reinforce its meaning?
C. What recurring patterns (repeated or related words, images, etc.) can you find?
D. What is the effect of these patterns or motifs?
E. How does repetition reinforce the theme(s)?
F. How does the writer‘s diction reveal or reflect the work‘s meaning?
G. What is the effect of the plot, and what parts specifically produce that effect?
H. What figures of speech are used? (metaphors, similes, etc.)
I. Note the writer‘s use of paradox, irony, symbol, plot, characterization, and style of narration.
J. What effects are produced? Do any of these relate to one another or to the theme?
K. Is there a relationship between the beginning and the end of the story?
L. What tone and mood are created at various parts of the work?
M. How does the author create tone and mood? What relationship is there between tone and
mood and the effect of the story?
N. How do the various elements interact to create a unified whole?
2. Gender Criticism: This approach ―examines how sexual identity influences the creation and
reception of literary works.‖ Originally an offshoot of feminist movements, gender criticism today
includes a number of approaches, including the so-called ―masculinist‖ approach recently advocated
by poet Robert Bly. The bulk of gender criticism, however, is feminist and takes as a central precept
that the patriarchal attitudes that have dominated western thought have resulted, consciously or
unconsciously, in literature ―full of unexamined ‗male-produced‘ assumptions.‖

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 3. Feminist criticism attempts to correct this imbalance by analyzing and combatting such
attitudes—by questioning, for example, why none of the characters in Shakespeare‘s play Othello
ever challenge the right of a husband to murder a wife accused of adultery. Other goals of feminist
critics include ―analyzing how sexual identity influences the reader of a text‖ and ―examining how the
images of men and women in imaginative literature reflect or reject the social forces that have
historically kept the sexes from achieving total equality.‖
Feminist Criticism examines images of women and concepts of the feminine in myth and
literature; uses the psychological, archetypal, and sociological approaches; often focuses on female
characters who have been neglected in previous criticism. Feminist critics attempt to correct or
supplement what they regard as a predominantly male-dominated critical perspective.

Questions to be asked for Feministic Approach

A. How are women‘s lives portrayed in the work?
B. Is the form and content of the work influenced by the writer‘s gender?
C. How do male and female characters relate to one another? Are these relationships sources of
conflict? Are these conflicts resolved?
D. Does the work challenge or affirm traditional views of women?
E. How do the images of women in the story reflect patriarchal social forces that have impeded
women‘s efforts to achieve full equality with men?
F. What marital expectations are imposed on the characters? What effect do these expectations
have?
G. What behavioral expectations are imposed on the characters? What effect do these
expectations have?
H. If a female character were male, how would the story be different (and vice versa)?
I. How does the marital status of a character affect her decisions or happiness?
4. Historical: This approach ―seeks to understand a literary work by investigating the social, cultural,
and intellectual context that produced it—a context that necessarily includes the artist‘s biography
and milieu.‖ A key goal for historical critics is to understand the effect of a literary work upon its
original readers.

Questions to be Asked for Formalistic Approach

A. How does it reflect the time in which it was written?
B. How accurately does the story depict the time in which it is set?
C. What literary or historical influences helped to shape the form and content of the work?
D. How does the story reflect the attitudes and beliefs of the time in which it was written or set?
(Consider beliefs and attitudes related to race, religion, politics, gender, society, philosophy,
etc.)
E. What other literary works may have influenced the writer?
F. What historical events or movements might have influenced this writer?
G. How would characters and events in this story have been viewed by the writer‘s
contemporaries?
H. Does the story reveal or contradict the prevailing values of the time in which it was
written? Does it provide an opposing view of the period‘s prevailing values?
I. How important is it the historical context (the work‘s and the reader‘s) to
interpreting the work?
5. Reader-Response Criticism: This approach takes as a fundamental tenet that ―literature‖ exists
not as an artifact upon a printed page but as a transaction between the physical text and the mind of
a reader. It attempts ―to describe what happens in the reader‘s mind while interpreting a text‖ and
reflects that reading, like writing, is a creative process.
6. Structuralism focused on how human behavior is determined by social, cultural and psychological
structures. It tended to offer a single unified approach to human life that would embrace all
disciplines. The essence of structuralism is the belief that ―things cannot be understood in isolation,
they have to be seen in the context of larger structures which contain them. For example, the
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 structuralist analysis of Donne‘s poem, Good Morrow, demands more focus on the relevant genre,
the concept of courtly love, rather than on the close reading of the formal elements of the text.
7. Sociological focuses on man‘s relationship to others in society, politics, religion,
and business.
Questions to be asked for Sociological Approach
A. What is the relationship between the characters and their society?
B. Does the story address societal issues, such as race, gender, and class?
C. How do social forces shape the power relationships between groups or classes of people in the
story? Who has the power, and who doesn‘t? Why?
D. How does the story reflect the Great American Dream?
E. How does the story reflect urban, rural, or suburban values?
F. What does the work say about economic or social power? Who has it and who doesn‘t? Any
Marxist leanings evident?
G. Does the story address issues of economic exploitation? What role does money play?
H. How do economic conditions determine the direction of the characters‘ lives?
I. Does the work challenge or affirm the social order it depicts?
J. Can the protagonist‘s struggle be seen as symbolic of a larger class struggle?
K. How does the microcosm (small world) of the story reflect the macrocosm (large world) of the
society in which it was composed?
L. Do any of the characters correspond to types of government, such as a dictatorship,
democracy, communism, socialism, fascism, etc.? What attitudes toward these political
structures/systems are expressed in the work?

Now, you have learned the basic principles of writing criticisms. Let‘s apply our skill by doing
these activities.

WHAT I CAN DO

ACTIVITY 2
Directions: Summarize what you have read by completing the table with what you understood.
Write your answers in your notebook.

APPROACHES IN
LITERARY WHAT IT IS HOW IT IS DONE
CRITICISM (DEFINITION) (TECHNIQUE IN WRITING)
Example: This approach regards A primary goal for formalist
literature as ―a unique form of critics is to determine how
Formalism human knowledge that needs elements of form (style,
to be examined on its own structure, tone, imagery, etc.)
terms.‖ work together with the text‘s
content to shape its effects
upon readers.

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 You have just been given several approaches in literary criticism that you can use
when you make your own review or critique. You can use this in the following activities. Just
remember to apply which is easy for you to do and follow the techniques in using it.

ACTIVITY 3. READ CRITICALLY

Activities 1-3 gave you ideas about the manner and approaches to use in expressing
views. Let us learn more about this skill by reading a text which is an excerpt of the homily of
the Catholic Archbishop of Manila, Jaime Cardinal Sin. But before you read it, let us define
these words first.

Directions: Get the meaning of these words from any dictionary so that you can understand
what you are reading better: Write your answer in your notebook.

WORDS MEANINGS FROM DICTIONARY

Cynic
Demoralize
Destabilize
Anarchic
Unrelentingly
Chronic disease
Callous
Predominant
Transcend
Authentic
Vigorously

Ang Bayan Muna Bago ang Sarili (Excerpts from the Homily of Jaime
Cardinal Sin at the mass celebrating the 5th death anniversary of Ninoy Aquino)
(1) Five years later, we might ask ourselves; has Ninoy‘s dream been fulfilled? Have we succeeded
in building a new nation, by ―transcending our petty selves,‖ by setting aside our differences by
working together in a spirit of true self-giving, loving our country first, above our own interest?
Bayan muna, bago and sarili. It is a question we must ask ourselves, as we remember Ninoy‘s gift.

(2) It has been said that the truest motto of our people is ―K.K.K‖. No, not Katipunan, shaping unity
out of our diversity. How we wish that were our authentic name! But rather:

Kanya-Kanya’ng Katwiran,
Kanya-Kanya’ng Kagustuhan,
Kanya-Kanya’ng Kabig (or worse)
Kanya-Kanya’ng Kurakot...
or whatever else each one “specializes” in!
(3) Cynics among us say that K.K.K is the definition of our national character, the predominant
strain in our national culture. It‘s what we are when we are ―most natural‖, most ourselves. ―Bayan
muna, Bago and Sarili‖ is an abstract, non- operative ideal, good for speeches, good for posters,
goo for classroom rhetoric but not for real, not for real life. For real is K.K.K.
(4) Kanya-Kanyang Katwiran, Kanya-Kanyang kagustuhan. We all remember the three monkeys;
See no Evil, hear no evil, speak no evil. Sometimes one wonders, if it has become a national
pastime, to see and hear and speak nothing, but evil against our fellow-citizens. Talk can be a
great service in a free nation: Talk is space for free discussion, for intelligent debate, the exchange
of information and perception, the clash of views.

(5) Ninoy himself said: ―We must criticize in order to be free, because we are free only when we
criticized.‖ We may not, at our own peril, forget that. But we must remind ourselves that criticism is
not an end in itself; it is not the absolute. It is meant to help us to become free, but if it becomes the
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 all-encompassing output of our days, a way of life... so it takes up most of our energy, most of our
time, when we begin to take delight in tearing down, demoralizing, destabilizing; when we are at
each other‘s throats all day long, then we really are engaged in self-destruction, and the
destruction of hope, the creation of despair, especially among the poor who continue to suffer in
our midst.

(6) There is a Latin saying: ―Unicuique suum, non praevalebunt.‖ ―Every man for himself: That‘s the
formula for disaster.‖ When Ninoy spoke of ―the quest for that elusive national unity which is
imperative for the nation‘s survival‖-he said ―survival‖. He meant ―survival‖. How can we survive, as
a nation and as a people, if we have made the name of our national game as anarchic free-for-all
in a ―basket of crabs?‖

(7) K.K.K also means, we are told, Kanya Kanyang Kabig, Kanya- Kanyang Kurakot. Surely I don‘t
need to dwell on this theme this morning. For weeks, the papers, radios, TV, have shouted nothing
else. It is the talk of the marketplace. I myself have spoken, often enough, of the 40 big thieves left
behind in our midst, and many many smaller ones which might include . . . even ourselves? Who
among us did not re- echo the sentiments and the work of the beloved Chino Roces when he
asked for a renewed moral order in government and society? It is a problem which must be
addressed, and addressed vigorously and unrelentingly.
(8) I am sure this will be increasingly done by our president, by consistent personal example she
has set a pattern for others to follow. I know she is bent on pursuing the battle against corruption
with ever more forceful and energetic action. But we know, we know that she and those around her
cannot do this all by themselves. As citizens, we must go ―into an action mode ourselves.‖ The task
cannot be done without us.
(9) We must begin, rather, where we can begin, with ourselves we must ask: What can we do about
it? What in our own heart, in our own attitudes, in our own practices, must be changed? What
sacrifices must we ourselves do to make a positive contribution of deeds, to put under control this
chronic illness in our society, and in our culture?
(10) If all we do is talk and talk, and throw dirt at each other-forgetting to mind the ship and its
engines, and steer it in mine-filled waters-why, we will still be taking and quarrelling when our ship
goes down into the sea!
(11) If everyone in this church this morning, in Ninoy‘s memory, pledge before the Lord that for
one year, ―Bayan Muna, Bago ang Sarili‖, would really be made an operative guideline, could it not
mark at least a beginning? If for one year, just to get going, we would make the principle govern
our deeds, our conduct in society, would that not be smart already? How can we ―dream the
impossible dream‖ and promise to follow the stars‖ if we have become too calloused to do even
this?
Answer the questions given: Write your answers in your notebook.
1. What critical approach did he use? Explain why you think that is the approach.

2. Do you agree with the author or not? Why or why not?

What you have read is an example of how one expresses opinions using one approach
in criticism. This can be a good model for you to study and follow.

ACTIVITY 4
Directions: Read the poem ―Adam‖, by Hugh Cook critically. Criticize it using formalistic and
feministic approaches. Write your answers on your notebook.
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 ADAM
by Hugh Cook
―Eden is
boring.
Nothing
explodes.
There are no trains to fall off the tracks.
And Adam finds
himself With
something missing.
Comic books? Broadband? Balsamic vinegar?
Pachinko? Razor blades? Plasma TV?
He's aware of an
itch And
scratching
Has yet to be invented.
He eyes the fruit,
The One Forbidden
Thing. "Not yet," says
the serpent, Who's
seen the script.
But Adam is engineered for
impatience: Quests, missions,
objectives, Grails unholy or
otherwise.
"Out!" says the
angel. And Adam
shrugs, Loses the
core,
Strides to the open
gate. Something on
two legs Is running
after him.‖
Cook, Hugh - Adam. 2003

ACTIVITY 5

Directions: Read or silently sing this song entitled ―Bahay‖ by Gary Granada. Make your
criticism by completing the graphic organizer in the next page. Write your answers in your
notebook.

Bahay
by: Gary Granada
Isang araw ako'y nadalaw sa bahay tambakan
Labinglimang mag-anak ang duo'y nagsiksikan
Nagtitiis sa munting barung-barong na sira-sira
Habang doon sa isang mansyon halos walang nakatira
Sa init ng tabla't karton sila doo'y nakakulong
Sa lilim ng yerong kalawang at mga sirang gulong
Pinagtagpi-tagping basurang pinatungan ng bato
Hindi ko maintindihan bakit ang tawag sa ganito
Ay bahay

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 Sinulat ko ang nakita ng aking mga mata
Ang kanilang kalagayan ginawan ko ng kanta
Iginuhit at isinalarawan ang naramdaman
At sinangguni ko sa mga taong marami ang alam
Isang bantog na senador ang unang nilapitan ko
At dalubhasang propesor ng malaking kolehiyo
Ang pinagpala sa mundo, ang dyaryo at ang pulpito
Lahat sila'y nagkasundo na ang tawag sa ganito
Ay bahay
Maghapo't magdamag silang kakayod, kakahig
Pagdaka'y tutukang nakaupo lang sa sahig
Sa papag na gutay-gutay, pipiliting hihimlay
Di hamak na mainam pa ang pahingahan ng mga patay

Baka naman isang araw kayo doon ay maligaw

Mahipo n'yo at marinig at maamoy at matanaw
Hindi ako nangungutya, kayo na rin ang magpasya
Sa palagay ninyo kaya, ito sa mata ng Maylikha
Ay bahay
Source: Musixmatch

SOCIOLOGICAL

STRUCTURALISM

READER-RESPONSE

ANSWER KEY

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