Critical response essay/ writing (400 - 500 words)

I. INTRODUCTION:
1. Background/ general information (introduce topic area)
Gender issue has been a burning topic in society.
2. Introduce the article (author, title…)
In his article entitled “As women progress, men fall behind”, (published in Sunday Viet
Nam News on March 30, 2014) Joseph Chamie – the former Director of the United
Nations Population Division - discusses f positive changes of females in different areas
of education, work and earnings.
3. Briefly summarise the main overall view of the author (about one or two sentence): the
name of the author, the source, controlling idea
4. Thesis statement (This essay will…. This essay is a response to …)

This essay challenges/ is a response to Mr. Chamie’s argument about these changes which he
considered as an advancement in society.

II. BODY
1. Summary (100 words)
2. Evaluation:
- Author, source
- Argument and evidence
- Language
- Style, tone
3. Synthesis
III. CONCLUSION:
1. Restate author’s main idea(s)
2. Give a brief summary of the main strengths and weaknesses of the
author and (based on this) which is stronger overall
3. Considering the views if the author, give your own comments on the
topic:
a. Your opinion
b. Recommendation
c. Final thoughts on the topic
Comment on picture if there is any

1. What does the picture show?

2. Who and/or what are in the picture?
3. Any foreground or background in the image? Any effect of it?
4. Any shading/ colour… special in the picture
5. Image title and its effect?
6. Connection between picture(s) and content of the article
7. Overall evaluation of the image
Summary:
STATE
EXPLAIN
ARGUE
DISCUSS
DESCRIBE
SAY
I. INTRODUCTION:

1. Background/ general information (introduce topic area)

Gender issue has been a burning topic in society.
2. Introduce the article (author, title…)
In his article entitled “As women progress, men fall behind”, (published in
Sunday Viet Nam News on March 30, 2014) Joseph Chamie – the former
Director of the United Nations Population Division - discusses f positive changes
of females in different areas of education, work and earnings.
3. Briefly summarise the main overall view of the author (about one or two
sentence): the name of the author, the source, controlling idea
4. Thesis statement (This essay will…. This essay is a response to …)

This essay challenges/ is a response to Mr. Chamie’s argument about these changes which he
considered as an advancement in society.

II. SUMMARY

In his article, Joseph Charmie discusses in what fields women and girls are moving
faster than boys and men in both developed and developing countries. As regards to
education, the number of women engaged in secondary and higher education is
larger compared to the past. As far as politics is concerned, women have also gained
moderate achievements as more of them now are voting and even nominated in
legislative and executive bodies. Nevertheless women are still behind men in main
aspects such as income and employment. This problem, Joseph argues, is due to
“glass ceiling” – preventing women to reach the highest level at workplace and “glass
floor”- limiting men.

III. EVALUATION

- Author, source
- Argument and evidence
- Language
- Style, tone
1. Author, source

The author of the article, Mr. Joseph Charmie, is the former Director of the United Nations
Population of Division. In addition, the article is published in Viet Nam News, the officially
biggest newspapers in English in the country. These two facts can make us feel more
comfortable in receiving information provided in the article.
 2. Argument and evidence
A number of facts and many figures are presented in the article. They cover countries in
various continents and areas in the world such as Africa (Nigeria, South Africa), Latin
America (Brazil, Cuba, Argentina), North America (Canada, US), Europe (Belgium,
Sweden), Asia (China, India), Middle East (Iran, Saudi Arabia). This wide range of figures
can serve as most reliable evidence to support the author’s argument in the
advancement of women in education and political areas. His concern about women’s
involvement in politics compared to men’s is illustrated by figures: global average only
22% and 40% in several countries such as Belgium, Cuba, South Africa…

Joseph Charmie’s points out some possible solutions, particularly creating freedom for
both male and female to choose their career. This is a good solution though I believe that
it might be not always feasible in most countries. Traditional beliefs and cultural barriers
cannot easily overcome if the governments do not act an active role in it.

3.Language and style

The language used in the article is formal. The author does not use any specific jargons
and technical terms which might hinder the audience from understanding his points.
Some conceptions being used are fully explained and many examples are provided. Clear
formal language and simple style make the ideas in the article straightforward. All in all,
audience may find it an enjoyment to read this

[REFLECTION – OPTIONAL// DO IT IF UNDERLENGTH]

IV.CONCLUSION

In conclusion, Joseph Charmie’s in his article highlights the achievements of women in

education and political life. This article may attract wide audience as it discusses one of the
burning issues in modern life – gender equality with many facts and figures as hard evidence.
His concern relating to some inequalities and his possible solutions to this issue, however, are
still debatable.