Shanessa Fakour's Manifesto

A critic offers a confident and knowledgeable opinion on the fine arts. The role of the critic is indeed critical, as many times the fine arts are the first programs cut from schools and the first sections cut from newspapers. The critic gives a wake up call to people who think they do not care about the fine arts. The critic’s assertive, inquisitive opinion reminds others of their own critical voice, which is easy to forget sometimes. Through music, performance, book, movie and food reviews, critics do their part to hold artists to standards and inform audiences if their time should be spent elsewhere.

Before taking this critical writing course, I admired and respected critics. I read book, movie and music reviews online and in print. However, I felt skeptical that I could be an effective critic. I worried that my opinions would seem uninformed or even incorrect. One of the first things I learned from this course is that it is okay to go against the grain. People are interested in a critic’s honest and informed opinion. If I could learn to trust my instincts and feelings toward a piece of art, then I was capable of writing a solid review on it, even if my interpretation of the art varied wildly from the majority’s interpretation. Professor Boyd taught me that there is no wrong opinion. As long as a critic can support his or her opinion, then it is one worthy of being published.

If I was hired as a critic at a newspaper, I would approach my job with excitement, enthusiasm and open-mindedness. I would feel excited that in this struggling economy, newspapers are still hiring critics to fill their fine arts sections. My enthusiasm would be carried into each assignment, as I love being involved with the fine arts. I would want to remain open-minded as a critic because I expect to receive negative and positive feedback from my editors and audience on my reviews. As hard as it may be to give a negative review of something, I suspect it is harder to hear negative comments on my writing. However, if I continue to learn from critiques, I will grow as a writer and a critic. There is no need to fear others' opinions or my own because at the end of the day we should all remember that opinions are like assholes – everyone has one.