my critical romance

Reflection (UNIT 8: PRODUCING AND EVALUATING CRITICAL REVIEW WRITING – PART 2)

After we learn on how to produce critical review in the previous unit, we have to learn on how to comment the critical review. This unit will stress more in this chapter, how to comment the critical review. The most interesting part in this chapter is we have to comment our friend’s critical review.

I found that it is difficult to comment our friend’s critical review because of we have to read and understand their critical review without read the first article. We have to analyze their critical review in order to make sure they have state all the criteria such as Source, Audience, Rhetorical Function, Purpose, Perspective, Positioning, and Impact. We also have to state the weakness of the review on the table.

In this chapter, we have to read the article “Drugs or Guns”. I found that it is very difficult to do the critical review on that article. I do not have any idea what the article is all about but after our lecturer explained to us, we finally understand about the article. I also have to comment on my friend’s critical review in order to complete our assignment. I had comment on Nabil’s critical review.

GROUP COMMENT

Ili Haznim, Tun Amirah, and Mardiana have presented units 8. From their presentation, I do not understand every single things what they are talking about. Although they have photo step the “Drugs or Guns” article, I am still do not understand and do not have the idea how to comment the friend’s critical reviews. After the presentation, the lecturer had explained again to us regarding about this topic. After the explanation, I am clearly understood and know how to comment my friend’s critical reviews.

my critical romance

Reflection (UNIT 7: PRODUCING AND EVALUATING CRITICAL WRITING – PART 1)

In this unit, we had been exposed in a very different way on how to writing a critical review. In the previous chapters, we had learned writing the critical review in the point form but after learn this chapter; we have to make it in the essay format. We also learned on how to do critical comment and evaluate the article.

I had found that, there are many difficult and terminologies in this chapter. I have to combine the ten elements in the portfolio into different paragraph. It is also difficult because we have to learn on how to create the introduction of models of critical reviews and commentary of these.

In this chapter, I had learned the article of “Dieting”. This article is hard to understand because of the writer had divided the article into different sub-topic and using so many figures to shows the data. The writer also does not include any pictures and this can be difficult to me to get the idea what this article is all about.

GROUP COMMENT

This week, Amira Syafinaz, Mariam Aisyah, and Wan Zahidah have to present about this chapter. Although they had performed a very good presentation, I still cannot understand what this topic is all about. But after our lecturer explained to us, finally I get an idea on how to do the critical review in the essay formats.

my critical romance

Reflection (UNIT 5: AUDIENCE AND IMPACT)

In this unit, I have found so many interesting formations. This unit focuses on how we o about establishing who the audience is, and calculating the likely effect a text will have. It is also interesting on how to predict the impact on the audience itself because different people will give different perceptions. This is because texts often circulate throughout society in unexpected ways. For example, it is not easy to predict who will be the readers of the magazine that you pick up and read in the doctor’s waiting room, or junk mail delivered to your post box. Likewise, we should be continuous about judging the impact of texts as readers will vary considerably they bring to understanding and responding to texts.

The concept and the terminology in this topic are easy to understand. Hence, I do not have any problems in order to complete my portfolio regarding to this topic. However, there is certain thing that I found quite difficult to understand. I found that it is difficult to predict what people will judge and think about the article. It is also difficult to predict who will be the readers to the article.

In this chapter, I had learned the article “Are Gay Relationships Different?” This article is about the gay relationships between the writer and his partner. From this article, I found that it is hard to predict who the target reader. From this article, our lecturer trained us how to predict the target reader and the impact for the specialist and the non-specialist audience after they read the article.

GROUP COMMENT

The presentation for this unit had been done by Farah Aida, Nadia, and Syahida Syuhana. They had come with very creative idea on how to attract us. Syahida Syuhana had shown us the pictures from the reader digests and wants us to predict what the article will talk about. After the presentation, I can understand how to predict who the target reader is and know that the picture can bring the significant effect to the reader.

my critical romance

Reflection (UNIT 4: ARGUMENT AND EVIDANCE)

In this chapter, we have had focus more on argument (opinion) and evidence. First, we have to know about these concepts is that not every text includes arguments and evidence. Generally, these are found in text which presents a case, typically for or against a proposition. We can find these text throughout academic journal, journal of all disciplines, policy documentation and legal literature, as well as reports of many variety.

I have to consider much type of key questions in this chapter for example:

· What is the argument or case being stated?

· What evidence is provided to support the argument?

· Does the evidence support the argument?

I had found so many difficult terminologies in this chapter. It is very difficult to me to understand about this chapter because I have to find what the evidence that provided to support the argument is?

In this chapter, we had learned “Spinning a web”. Story a boy who condemning his own government. I had found some difficulties to understand this article in order to do my portfolio, but when the lecturer explained to us what this topic is all about, I had understand a little bit and can do my portfolio.

GROUP COMMENT

This week, Azila, Hazwani, and Siti Farrah Diana have done the presentation. Although they had performed very well during the presentation session, I am still cannot understand what this topic is all about. However, after the presentation I can understand a little bit about the argument or case being state in the text, the evidence provided to support the argument and to know whether the evidence support the argument or not.

my critical romance

Reflection (UNIT 3: POSITIONING)

In this unit, I had learned how does the writer construct the participants in the text and how is the reader constructed. The lecturer also teaches us on how to develop the way to understand the ability to identifying the element of positioning.

There are some terminology that I found it is very hard to understand for example how to construct the reader in the article. There is also some difficult terminology in the article “Briefing” for example itinerant, compensation, and stolen generation.

In this chapter, we had learned “Briefing”. In this article, we learned on how to identify the way writer constructs the reader. I found this article is quite easy to understand because the writer uses simple words in writing the article. I also found that it is quite difficult in order to identify the positioning and perspective because in perspective we have to find what stance is taken in the text and for positioning; we have to find how the writer constructs the participants in the text. Overall, I found it is quite easy to define the topic, content, source, audience, rhetorical function, purpose, perspective, positioning, impact, and the visual literacy although there are some parts that are quite confusing to me.

GROUP COMMENT

This week, Thuraya, Yusafiza, and Qursya have to present about this chapter. After listening to their presentation, I found that positioning are the most important in order to attract the reader. The positioning follows logically from the writer perspective. If we construct the reader, the reader will easily have an effect when read the article. They had performed the good presentation.

my critical romance

Reflection (UNIT 2: PERSPECTIVES)

In this chapter, I had learned that in every article, the writer will state their stance and will supported it by giving some research finding and some quotation from the journal. The interesting information about this topic is we can develop our basic skills in critical literacy on a sample text. The key questions to ask in this topic are:

· What stance is taken in the text?

· What does the stance tell us about the writer/producer’s beliefs?

· What implications does this have for our understanding of the text?

In this chapter, we had learned ‘Battling the bullies’ by Simos, Martina (2003, April 8). The Advertiser, page 31. It this article, we learned how to identify the writer’s perspective by searching the evidence in the article. The interesting part of this unit is, we can learn on how the writer supports his stance by condemning other people.

From this topic, I have learned new information regarding on how to support our stance when we write an article. I also learned that the purpose of this last stage of the unit is for me to take time on what I have learned in this unit and to evaluate the progress I have made, as well as to identify any difficulties or obstacles I have encountered.

I also have to be aware that the issues introduced in this chapter will be returned to repeatedly in the course, and each time I will gain a ‘layer’ of understanding and practice in applying the skills I learn.

I found this unit is not too difficult to understand and the article also is quite simple compared from the other units because the writer had used simple terminologies in order to represent his/her perspective toward the issues.

GROUP COMMENT

First of all, I would like to say I am fully understood what the group is explaining about. Dalila, Zalikha, and Fatihah had explained about the perspective of the writer in ‘Battling the Bullies’. They also had explained on how the writer supports his/her stances. They also had state the meaning of myths. Myth is a set of signs which implies extremely familiar and influential social structure thinking. They also give some meaning for difficult terminologies for example paradigmatic, connotation, denotation, and so many more.

my critical romance

My Critical Romance

From the introduction to critical literacy, I do not have any idea what this subject is all about. When the lecturer give the brief explanation to us, then I have get the idea and get curious to learn this subject in order to get an A for Critical Literacy (COM 4623).

Reflection (UNIT 1: Introduction to Critical Literacy)

This unit had introduced me to a whole new way of approaching a text critically and how to asking a series of key questions. I also focused on a particular kind of awareness that it is important to bring to any reading for example:

· How the author has produced the text?

· With what consumer in mind, and for what purpose?

Being prepared with insight into these factors provides an excellent launch pad for a critical literacy approach.

This unit had stressed more on the text as a product: produced by someone, for someone else, and for particular purpose. This is a very important thing in critical literacy. There are also some interesting questions that had to be considered in this chapter for example:

· Who wrote the text?

· Who is the intended reader?

· Why is it produced?

In this chapter, we had learned ‘The Convicted Killer back at work’ (1998, 22 September). The Daily Paragraph, page 20. From this article, we had learned that picture and heading can give the first expression to the reader on what the article is all about. We also learned the purpose of the article and who write it. The lecturer also had stressed more on the connection between heading and picture of the article.

From this topic, I have learned new information regarding on what is the connection between the heading of the article and the picture, why the article had been published and how is the target reader.

There are a few terminologies that are difficult for me to understand because the writer for “Convicted Killer” had used many terms to explain who Deborah Parry is such as:

· ‘Convicted killer’

· ‘Angle of death killer nurse’

· ‘Convicted of an awful murderer’