Take notes as you read the text. Underline sentences or sections that speak to you, or seem to encapsulate issues that are central to the text as a whole. Use your notes as an easy reference for text citations and plot summary.
Brainstorm about the central focus of your paper. You'll want to narrow the focus of your critique to a few core concepts to make the paper more succinct and insightful. Honing in on specific issues and sections of the text also makes the paper easier to write as you won't be overwhelmed by attempting to cover too much material. Some good options for a focal point include sexism, racism, culture shock, politics, economic repression or imagery in language.
Use direct citations from the novel to support your arguments and lend credence to your point of view. Return to your notes and underlined sections of the text to look for examples that can be added to your arguments as you write. Be sure to follow any citation guidelines that accompany your assignment. The most common form of in-text citation requires you to put the author's last name and the page number of the citation in parentheses following any direct quotation.
Examine dialog and character interactions to get a sense of the way in which the characters grow, mature and change throughout the novel. Esperanza is a good character to focus on in this way. At the beginning of the novel, Esperanza is young and naive. She responds to the death of her father by escaping into daydreams. By the end of the novel, Esperanza has experienced many hardships and managed to forge a new life for herself in the United States. As the novel progresses, she loses much of her naivety and has learned to fend for herself and critically assess her life situation.
Write your critique with a clear internal organization. Open with an introductory paragraph that provides basic information about the plot, setting and characters. Use smooth transitions between paragraphs to increase readability and tie together disparate concepts. Support your thesis statement throughout the paper by returning to it with each new point. Ensure that the conclusion of your paper provides a succinct summary of each of your major arguments and brings the critique to a final point that supports your initial thesis statement.
Proofread your first draft looking for grammatical, mechanical and spelling errors. Pay close attention to the way each paragraph transitions into the next. Consider the readability of your paper to an outside eye. Does the paper make clear points and support them with strong citations? Does the paper provide enough background information to make sense to someone who did not read the novel? Does the introduction catch the reader's attention? Does the conclusion fit with the arguments made throughout the paper? Once you can answer "yes" to all these questions, the critique should be ready for submission.