How To Write A Critical Thinking Essay: What Is A Critical Thinking Essay? Critical thinking is the process of conceptualization or evaluating pieces of information, observation and analysis to your reasoning. It guides us to believe in the truth.
When you apply critical thinking, you can develop more creative ideas. Thinking critically is a virtue that helps us through our journey of life.
When you apply critical thinking to your daily life, you are less prone to making mistakes. You are less likely to make unwise decisions in life if you think about everything critically.
In a critical thinking essay, you will have a topic which you will be required to analyze critically.
You can be given any subject ranging from a book, a movie, art, anything. These essays challenge you to analyze something critically with perfection and resent a well-researched theory. If you’re writing a critical essay, you have to know everything there is to know about that subject.
Research your subject well. Leave no stone unturned and view every angle of your theme. Read about what other critics have to say about it and understand which angle is the most debatable.
Think out of the box. Try to think about the things that could have been improved in a subject. You can mention in what way the theme could have been improved. Try to relate the topic with current affairs.
- What are the impacts that it has on society?
- For whom is the subject most relevant?
- Does it include diversity?
- Is it offending any part of society?
These are some of the questions a critical thinker would think about while writing their essay. You can formulate your questions according to the theme of the essay. Critical thinking is a common trait found in successful people.
Hence, through writing a critical essay, you can improve your intelligence and become a better version of yourself.
You can also find more Essay Writing articles on events, persons, sports, technology and many more
Steps Of Writing A Critical Thinking Essay
- Select a Topic: The first thing you should focus on is finding an appropriate topic. If it is a school or college project, you will get the subject from your teacher or your professor in most cases. If you don’t receive a topic from your teachers, you can select your own. The most suited in critical thinking topics are books, a movie, art, a law, etc. You can rely on the latest news reports and do a critical thinking article on it. Since most people will know it, others can be influenced by your writing. You can portray your knowledge by sharing your views on controversial topics and discuss why you support your claim. Be honest with your opinion, and your readers will surely catch the vibe of your article.
- Research: If you venture to speak about a recent incident that has impacted you, you will need some research to fill up the essay. You should not only think about fulfilling the word count given to you, but you should also provide your essay with hard facts and pieces of relevant information. While expressing your view, talk about the positive and the negative side altogether. It would be best if you’re not biased with your research. Write about whatever evidence you find. Don’t try to hide one side of your research and portray every angle of your subject. Does it represent modern or postmodern themes? Is it part of any historical background? What questions come up when you watch or read your subject? Write these questions down and answer them in the body paragraphs. Observe the stylistic feature of the topic.
- Features: Research the topic and find out about the unique features of your topic. How is your theme special? Highlight the answer to this question, and you can form a unique essay. Speak about what the differences are between your subject and the similar works in the same genre. Discuss how the two bodies of work are similar and how they differ. A comparison makes your writing more interesting.
- Outline: You should consider writing a rough outline of the subject. An outline not only helps you to organize your thoughts, but it also helps to arrange your train of thoughts on the right path. It also helps you to arrange your essay in such a way that your essay has a smooth flow or rhythm to it. You will be able to imagine what the best order or arranging the information should be.
Thoughts come in form random directions, but you can discipline them with an outline. You are recommended not to skip this step.
The easiest way of outlining is by jotting down whatever comes into your mind; this is also called brainstorming. The next step is to number the points and arrange them in a particular order. This gives you the basic outline.
You can further polish your outline by adding more information to the points. You can also write down and highlight the most important findings from your research by underlying them. You could always strive to make your essay unique hence highlight the information which is not known by most people.
- Develop a Thesis: A thesis statement is added in the introduction. A thesis statement should be strong. Your thesis should be controversial, and you should be able to provide ample reasons to support your answer. The thesis should hold the entire essay together.
- Select the Compelling Evidence: Select the evidence from the list of your researched list from the outline. To select the most delicate pieces of evidence, ask these questions and select only the ones answering them. Which ones support your thesis the best? Which one of the shreds of evidence will be most recognizable by authorities on the subject? Which ones have more authors and specialists who support the same idea? The answers will help to frame your article.
Critical Thinking Essay Writing Format
- Introduction: All essays have introductions. A critical essay requires an introduction too. You can grip your readers’ attention with a hook statement at the beginning.
Mention the necessary details about the topic and its importance. There are a few more points to remember while writing a critical essay’s introduction. First, you need to introduce the author or artist behind the theme.
Next, you need to state the creator’s main intention while creating the project. You can mention the thesis of the article after this. Finally, you can end the introduction with any background details the readers might need to know to connect with your article and understand it in depth.
Don’t assume that your audience is familiar with the theme of your subject. Hence, it is up to you to add the necessary information.
- Body Paragraphs: After the introduction, you need to move on to the body paragraphs of the essay. It is the most descriptive and elaborate section of the essay. Each paragraph should address critical detail.
Provide the following information in the next paragraphs. The first paragraph should be the summary of the work, which you are describing and evaluating. You need to explain the overall theme and background of the subject. Do not add any personal opinions in the first paragraph.
It should be dedicated to only the description of your topic. The second paragraph should contain your evaluation on the subject. Write about the features that strike you the most. Describe how accurate the theme is and what its weak points are.
Mention your personal opinion on how it could have been improved.
Are there any controversies arising or any bias found in the piece? Has the creator been able to communicate the central theme with clarity? Are there any inconsistencies in their work?
What are the fallacies of the creator? After discussing these points, ask yourself, which points do you agree with, with the author? Can you label their work as authentic or standard? What makes or does not make it standard?
Your interpretation of their work is what makes the essay unique from someone else’s. Support your critical statements with pieces of evidence. This makes your interpretation credible.
- Conclusion: Remind your readers why your selected body of work is unique and essential, in the conclusion.
Combine your understanding of the piece with your evaluation to gauge the overall strength and weaknesses of the subject. Mention what factors make that particular work popular or standard.
You can finish the conclusion with a personal note. You can discuss why that piece of work inspired you or influenced you and how it has had a personal effect on you.
You can use transition statements to move from a statement about strength to weakness or vice versa. The last line can be a quote or an observation which is your personal favourite and share why it is so close to you to add a memorable personal touch to the formal piece of writing.
FAQ’s On How To Write A Critical Thinking Essay
Question 1.
In which style should I write a critical thinking essay?
Answer:
A critical essay is a type of formal essay writing. Hence it is recommended to use only formal and academic language in a critical essay. Critical articles are meant to be read by intellectuals or people in search of information. Hence, it is best to avoid the use of any colloquial terms. Your piece of writing will not be credible if you do not use formal language here.
Question 2.
How do I write a critical essay on a movie?
Answer:
Just like other topics, watch the movie several times and engage in it critically. Ask questions about its integrity, its messages, the portrayal of women, etc. to evaluate the movie.