Understanding each step CRITICAL READING Understanding each step

The first step: Am I really thinking about what I’m reading? Next: CONSIDER THE SOURCE! What kind of publication is this? What is the author’s background in this subject (Do I know?)? To whom is the author writing? [audience]

INTENT What is the author’s purpose? What did he hope to accomplish by writing this? Did he hope to amuse, to ridicule, to arouse sympathy or pity? Did he intend to convince the reader of something, refute an opponent, or prove something? Was the author telling a story, stating facts or opinions? Did he intend to spread gossip, to accuse someone of something, to moralize or to teach?

Attitude What does the author feel about the topic? Does the author consider this topic to be a serious problem for future consideration, a serious problem for immediate action , a problem which could be serious if not solved? Does he consider the topic to be interesting or dull, heavy or lighthearted, serious or nonsense, important or unimportant, worthy or unworthy of his attention? What are his personal feelings about the subject? How does the author feel about his readers? Is his writing directed toward individuals who are not as informed as he is, those who are more informed or those equal to him?

Tone How does the author express himself? Is he being serious, light-heartedly humorous, ironic, sarcastic, logical, emotional, condescending? Is he trying to impress the reader with his intelligence? Does he use words whose connotations are filled with innuendoes not otherwise implied?

BIAS Can we tell that the author has a definite opinion? Considering the topic, what factors would be potentially biasing no matter who wrote about them? Does the author appear to be one-sided about any of these? Is he being objective or subjective? Is he stating fact or opinion? How well are his opinions substantiated? Or are they unsubstantiated? Does the tone of his writing suggest that he may be biased?

RECOGNIZING ASSUMPTIONS Does the author make inconsistent statements? What has the author assumed to be true? Which of these assumptions are stated? Unstated? What does the author imply? Insinuate?

ANALYZING ARGUMENTS Does the author write emotionally? Using sentiment? horror? name-calling? Which of the author’s statements does he support? What conclusions does the author reach? Of the author’s conclusions, which are justified? Which ones are not justified?

A CRITICAL READER DOES – - not believe everything he reads. - question everything which doesn’t make sense to him - question some things even though they do make sense to him - reread when he thinks he may have missed something - consider the type of material he is reading before deciding how much weight to give it

AND - admits that the effect of what the author says may be caused more by the author’s style of writing than by the facts presented - analyzes arguments - discounts arguments based on faulty reasoning - has good reason for believing some things and disbelieving others—for agreeing with some authors and disagreeing with others

So, CRITICAL READING is: 1. Thinking about reading 2. Considering the source 3. Considering the author’s intent 4. Considering the author’s attitude 5. Considering the author’s tone 6. Considering the author’s bias 7. Recognizing the author’s assumptions 8. And Analyzing the author’s arguments