5. Perspective What is it? Why is it important?
How can it change understanding?

6. Introduction to critical lens theory
Lenses help you SEE a text.
Lenses offer different PERSPECTIVES.
The way one lens sees a text is different from the way another lens sees it.
In literature, critical lenses are used to analyze texts in different perspectives.

7. 3 Critical Critical Lenses
Feminist Lens
Marxist Lens
Psychological Lens

8. Feminist Lens How does gender matter/function in the text ?
How are women portrayed/depicted in the text?
How are women limited or privileged?
How does maleness define roles and limit men?
What argument does the text make about gender roles?

9. Marxist Lens (Social Class)
How does social class matter in this text /
How do social classes interact with each other/
Is the system oppressive to its members? Or generous?
Are characters treated differently because of their class? (upper or lower)
How does race/ethnicity/culture tie into social class?

10. Psychological Lens
How do characters’ desires, impulses, and feelings affect their behaviors?
Why do characters act the way they do?
What motivates the characters?
What motivates the author?
Think of the range of human emotions. How do they come to play in the text? (happiness, anger, depression, indifference, confusion, etc.)
How does the text address moral, ethical, or social issues?

11. Upon Seeing an Orange
Feminist theory asks: What possibilities are available to a woman who eats this orange? to a man?
Marxist theory asks: Who owns the orange? Who gets to eat it?
Psychological theory asks: Who wants to eat the orange? Why do they want to eat the orange? What does eating the orange say about them?

13. Analyzing “Zootopia” through critical lenses
Choose a lens to focus on.
View the film through your lenses – inside your glasses, write down examples from the movie that pertain to your critical perspective.
Outside of the lenses, write a summary of the text through your critical lens perspective (you may want to consider using the questions to ask on your handout to guide your writing).