Writing allows us to focus our attention through sustained reflection that furthers our understanding and improves our critical thinking abilities. Writing is essentially about understanding and developing our ideas through careful analysis. Engaging in the writing and research process is a part of that analysis and critique.

An analysis, then, invites us to break down or examine a topic considering the historical, personal, political, economic, social, cultural, or geographic contexts. An analysis is often more fact-driven.

A critique invites us to use what we have learned in our analysis and carry the conversation one step further by evaluating, hypothesizing, inferring, or drawing conclusions about a topic.

Students, though, often think that offering analysis and critique is critical. There is a difference between a critique and criticism, just as there is a difference between offering an argument and being argumentative. Criticism is often rooted in a negative observation or is often viewed as being antagonistic.

However, for students writing an analysis and critique essay, it is essential to approach the assignment from a position of openness. One way to engage in a stance of openness is to engage in rhetorical listening, or listening to understand, comprehend, or, in the Platonic sense, strive toward “Truth” with a capital T. We can’t grow as students and scholars if we only listen to voices that we agree with or to people who have similar backgrounds. Krista Radcliffe explains that rhetorical listening is a “stance of openness” that a person may choose to assume (1). To engage in rhetorical listening means to listen not “for intent but with intent” (Ratcliff 15). Dr. Radcliffe explains that agreement is not necessarily the goal when engaging in rhetorical listening. We often disagree; however, rhetorical listening means that we recognize others’ points of view as different and work toward understanding, not agreement (Ratcliff 33).

When writing your analysis and critique essay, then consider the following questions:

Why is [this] important?
How did we get to [this]?
Who is/was most impacted by [this]?
What are the implications of [this]?
How does [this] impact us today?

Need some ideas? Consider the following questions as illustrative examples:

What can we learn about the harsh conditions of pioneer life, segregation, or settler/Native American conflicts from our local cemeteries?
What can we learn about a community based on access to the arts, museums, and libraries?
What do we know about German immigration from towns like Muenster during the turn of the century? Or Czech immigration in West, Texas? Or how cities such as Houston are considered one of the most ethnically diverse in the country?
What was the historical significance of the confederate monument in Denton, Texas? What should readers know or understand regarding the efforts to remove it?
What is the historical significance of Quakertown in Denton, Texas, near Texas Woman’s University? What should readers know or understand regarding efforts to preserve its history?
How did the Trinity River in Dallas or I-35 in Austin preserve segregation efforts? How do those efforts impact the areas today?
Why do so many courthouses in Texas resemble Victorian architecture with a limestone facade? What is significant about the downtowns’ layout?
What is the significance of public memorials like the one in Oklahoma City? What function do memorials serve to the community?
What can we learn about a community’s history and economy from feed silos or cattle stockyards (e.g., Valley View, Saginaw, Fort Worth)? How does that economy manifest itself in the communities’ population?

This assignment will be approximately 750 - 1000 words.