Critical Reading

Critical Reading -- Who, What, When, Why, and How

Who reads critically?

You do.

When do you read critically?

Ideally, always. However, I'll settle for every time you read something for this class.

Why Read Critically?

When you read critically you think critically. And that means instead of blindly accepting what’s written on a page, you separate yourself from the text and decide for yourself what is or is not important or logical or right. And you do so because you bring to your reading your own perspective, experience, education, and personal values, as well as your powers of comprehension and analysis.

Critical reading is an active process of discovery. You discover where an author stands on an issue; you discover the strengths and weaknesses of the author’s argument; and you decide which side outweighs the other. The end result is that you have a better understanding of the issue.

Ultimately, this will lead to being a better writer, because critical reading is the first step to critical writing. Good writers look at the written word the way a carpenter looks at a house – they study the fine details and the way details connect and create the whole. The better you become at analyzing and reacting to another’s written work, the better you become at analyzing and reacting to your own: Is it logical? Do my points come across clearly? Are my examples solid enough? Is this the best wording? Is my conclusion persuasive?

What is Critical Reading?

If you’ve ever read a magazine article, newspaper editorial or a piece of advertising and found yourself questioning the claims of the authors, you have already exercised the basics of critical reading: You looked beneath the surface of the words and thought about their meaning and significance.

When you read critically you might ask the following questions of the author as you read:

• What did you mean by that?
• Can you back up that statement
• How do you define that term?
• So what?
• How did you draw that conclusion?
• Do all experts agree?
• Isn't this evidence dated?

Or, you might think the following:

• Other experts would disagree with you.
• That's not true.
• You're contradicting yourself.
• I see your point, but I don't agree.
• That's not a good choice of words.
• You're jumping to conclusions.
• Good point. I never thought of that.
• This is an extreme view.

How do we read critically?

To read critically, it is vital to do the following:

1. Re-read. Don't laugh. You never get the meat of an article on a first reading; you're too busy trying to figure out where the essay is going. To really understand what an author is doing, you have to read an essay at least twice. Most of the essays assigned in this class are short for this very reason. I expect you to read each one twice.

2. Summarize what you read. In your notebook, see if you can summarize the main points of the article in one paragraph. You will find yourself going back to the text to remind yourself of main points; this gives you one more reading and a chance to see if you can identify the claim and main points of evidence in the essay.

3. Outline what you read, briefly and simply. This will help you see how the author constructed his/her argument and give you ideas for what you do and do not want to do in your own writing.

4. Analyze the essay by asking yourself the following questions, and noting the answers in your notebook:
• What are the author's assumptions?
• What kind of audience is the author addressing?
• What are the author's purpose and intentions?
• How well does the author accomplish those purposes?
• How convincing is the evidence presented? Is it pertinent? Is it reliable? Is it specific enough?
• How good are the sources of evidence used?
• Did the author address opposing views on the issue?
• Finally, is the author persuasive?

5. Argue with the author. Ask some of the questions that appear under the "What is Critical Reading?" section above.

6. Annotate your text. Always read with pen in hand. Ask those questions. Underline key points. Identify major claims. Circle words you don't understand. Make wavy lines by confusing places. You must mark your text up in order to get to the bottom of the structure of the article.

Developed by Lara B. Whelan, University of Delaware

Adapted from Crossfire: An Argument Rhetoric and Reader, by Gary Goshgarian and Kathleen Krueger, Longman, 1997.