DESCRIPTIVE VS CRITICAL WRITING

 Descriptive writing

Descriptive writing is about using the power of words to arouse the imagination, capture the attention, and create a lasting impact in the mind of the reader. In this article, you’ll learn how to employ descriptive elements in your writing, tips to enhance your descriptive writing skills, and some exercises to better yourself at it.

Descriptive writing is a literary device in which the author uses details to paint a picture with their words. This process will provide readers with descriptions of people, places, objects, and events through the use of suitable details. The author will also use descriptive writing to create sensory details as a means of enhancing the reading experience. If done effectively, the reader will be able to draw a connection through the use of sensory details that include seeing, hearing, smelling, touching, and tasting. These techniques will assist you in becoming not only a better writer but will also make your writing more engaging for readers.

 

Good descriptive essays include:

1. Sensory Details: appeals to all senses

2. Figurative Language: compares two, unlike things. Examples:

Simile- comparing two things using like or as: busy as a bee.

Metaphor- comparing two things without using like or as: her eyes are vast stars.

3. Dominant Impression: the central theme that connects to the thesis.

4. Precise Language: use vivid vocabulary and good word choice.

5. Organized: by time, location, etc.

 

Critical writing

Critical writing is writing that analyses and evaluates information, usually from multiple sources, to develop an argument. A mistake many beginning writers make is to assume that everything they read is true and that they should agree with it since it has been published in an academic text or journal. Being part of the academic community, however, means that you should be critical of (i.e. question) what you read, looking for reasons why it should be accepted or rejected, for example by comparing it with what other writers say about the topic, or evaluating the research methods to see if they are adequate or whether they could be improved. To write critically, you need to use a range of sources to develop your argument. You cannot rely solely on your ideas; you need to understand what others have written about the same topic. Additionally, it is not enough to use just a single source to support your argument, for example, a source that agrees with your own view, since this could lead to a biased argument. You need to consider all sides of the issue.  

The most characteristic features of critical writing are:

• a clear and confident refusal to accept the conclusions of other writers without evaluating the arguments and evidence that they provide;
• a balanced presentation of reasons why the conclusions of other writers may be accepted or may need to be treated with caution;
• a clear presentation of your own evidence and argument, leading to your conclusion; and
• a recognition of the limitations in your own evidence, argument, and conclusion.

 

Thank u for reading my blog! 😊

Name : Arisya Putri

Class : 4 A

NIM : 2223200027

 

Sheffield Halam University (2020) Critical Writing. Available at: https://libguides.shu.ac.uk/criticalwriting (Accessed: 1 September 2020).