Reflection Unit 9

Overall in this subject, I do think that this subject really makes me think critically. Although I had problem to understand what it is all about in the very beginning, I do manage to understand about it, with the help of my lecturer and friends. I do believe that by understanding well the critical literacy 10 elements, it will eventually help me to be more critical thinking in any article I might read in the future, as I have taken this course of English Communication, a critical thinking is definitely vital for me. Basically, this subject is vital for this particular course as it will be needed in the future.

As in this subject, I have learned about something I do not familiar with before, such as rhetorical function. Before I learned critical literacy, I have no clue what it is all about, later I knew about it and understood well. It is same goes to perspective and positioning, as well as visual literacy and other six elements. With the understanding of those 10 elements I have manage to complete all the assignments given, in order to complete this subject. There are also differents method to do critical literacy, like what have been assign to me, in assignment one and two, I was asked to do the 10 element, based on article given by the lecturer and also in the book. In assignment three, I was assign to find an article on my own and do the critical review, without the topic of the 10 elements, and merge all the elements needed. I’ve also been assigned to critic on my friend critical review on her article, in order to make sure that I am fully understood on critical literacy subject.

Reflection Unit 8

In reading 8.1, ‘Drugs or guns’ by Peter Hawthorne had highlighted the issue happened in Cape Town, South Africa. The issue is about the leader of the country that pointed by Peter as the one who did not doing his work, despite, he eventually made wrong decisions when it comes to drugs and arms issue. In Cape Town, both of these issues is mainly well concern by many authorities, that figures the real problems in their state and wanted to help victims involved.

The author point out that the government are facing a battle with non-governmental arms reduction organization in managing the arms issue. At the same time, the national AIDS activist group is forcing the government to supply free drugs to all HIV-positive pregnant women in the country. The arms purchase also had been asked the necessity by the political opponents towards the government. The arms issue also related to corruption, which there are sides who had been benefited from the arms deal and the government seems to refuse to deal with this issue. The government policies on AIDS also had been question by many fronts. One of the fronts, TAC had proposed government in the reason of the drug need to be proved the effectiveness and insufficient resources. While Mbeki government seriously focusing on the arms, in the economic crisis situation, the real issues that the country facing, is against AIDS.

Basically the author had chose this article to be published specifically in a magazine, might be because he wanted the audience, who always read the magazine, knew about what he is trying to convey, as he already surveyed on the target readers. Obviously he wanted the audience to agree with him that the Mbeki government is not doing their job very well, as he mentioned many involves party and highlight their position in the article. It is likely that he wanted to give such a big impact to his audience when they read his article by placing such meaningful pictures in the article.

Reflection Unit 7

For reflection on unit 7, ‘Dieting; a waist is a terrible thing to mind’, by Seligman, Martin (1994). This article focuses on physical and mental health. In this article, Seligman has condemned on commercial weight loss programs by outlining several points. He convinced the readers that weight loss product does not work, by stated the study on people frequently gains weight back and it is harder to lose weight again. He also told the readers that their weight is probably an ideal weight. Seligman also argues that medical views which support the dietary product are wrong. He explain this by, when people knew about the ideal weight charts to identify ideal weight problems, they will tend to do anything to reduce their weight, such as spend large amount of money to but weight loss products.

Next Seligman mention about ‘natural weight’, however, he did not stress on this term precisely. He only state that ‘natural weight’ is when the weight cannot be reduce anymore. Generally, the readers might be in vague state. Seligman might have hidden agenda, because he once failed to lose weight. This leads to a look back through the evidence given. He also views the commercial dietary product companies as those who only knew how to make benefit from weight issue. He insists that, it is not the consumer who had the benefit, they may even be harmed, but the producers who make money by utilizing weight issue on consumers.

Seligman positioned the consumers as a victim, who cannot accept their natural weight, however they cannot be blamed as, they received false information on weight by the weight loss industry and the general beliefs about maintaining ‘ideal weight’. Then Seligman also make the readers feel sorry for those who fail to attempts diet, and again convince the readers that their weight might be ideal for them. His article may give two impact; first is that, the impression on the weight loss company, which they give wrong information to promote their product, and second; he convinced the readers and those who had failed to diet, that, it’s not their fault, and their weight is probably just fine.

Reflection Unit 6

For reflection on, ‘Invasion of the baby snatchers’, by Walter Kim, this article mainly about lost children whose always been reported in mass media, especially in U.S and Britain. The reason that the media often report about this kind of news might be because, to draw attention on the audience from other issue that cannot be solve such as war. The media just focus on those who are being reported to be missing, but seems to ignore about those children who are being abandon and harmed by irresponsible adult. Reporters knew that people are easily touched by this kind of issue.

For reflection of role plays, the first role play is, Apocalypse, from my understanding, the article is mainly about those commenter, who just comment without really think about what others feeling on their commenting. Their comments sometimes lead to severe situations on people, such as those are been commented, might feel very down and do not dare to state their opinion anymore. For the second role play, the Gangsterism, the idea is that, gangsterism is bad, and the ministry had construct several plans to tackle this problem.

For the third role play, which is ‘Burning Out at Nine?’ mainly about children who are force by their parents to have full time scheduled, starting from early morning till night. Those child are suppose to have their play time like other child, but their mother give the reasons that, if they did not started to study everything in their early age, it will be too late for them. In the role play, the members of the group have made comparison with different types of mother who give time to their child to have their own leisure time rather than learning all the time in a tight schedule.

For the fourth role play, the ‘Out Of puff’, the presentation,resembles that an irresponsible father who let her daughter smoking although he knew that smoking is bad. The counselor is not giving the right advice, and he even questioning why women are afraid to quit smoking. The topic is mainly about women who smokes, the reason and why they are afraid to quit. In the fifth role play, ‘Without any warning’, it is about water shortage in Kuantan, Pahang which had made the consumer really mad. Their presentation is very interesting, with the interview of a reporter to all involved party of the situation. Overall, for all role plays, I understood each of them.

Reflection Unit 5

For reflection in unit 5, the articles focus on the skills of audience and impact. For these focus skills, there are three different articles. The practice text is in reading 5.1, ‘Australia’s methadone madness’. Reading 5.3, Martin (1987) ‘Types of exposition’, and reading 5.4, Lee (1992) ‘Metaphor’ are the backgrounds reading for this particular unit.

For practice text which is, ‘Australia’s methadone madness’, basically, the article is about the misuse of methadone drug. It suppose to be a good drug to help heroin addict, but turn to be misused by the addicts. The writer tries to explain that the audience should know about the information given as it will give the impact that methadone usage is getting severe among addicts.

In reading 5.3, ‘Types of exposition “persuading that” and “persuading to”,’ the article is mainly tells the audience about the definition of exposition. Basically exposition is divided to two types which are analytical and hortatory expositions. Analytical is an exposition which force the audience to believe something is true, while hortatory exposition is one which persuades audience to do something. Both types of exposition,lead to different impact.

In reading 5.4, ‘Metaphor’, Lee trying to say that in certain circumstances, there are words which we cannot deliver just like that, so we are using metaphor as substance. Metaphor also is not only a device for literature usage but it makes the communication easier throughout the language. Metaphor in nukespeak is how we use a word in a situation and wanted others to accept it. Overall I understood those three articles,although reading 5.3, 'Types of exposition' seems hard to understand at first.

Reflection Unit 4

In unit 4, the focus skill is argument and evidence: what is the argument and what evidence support it? For this unit, basically it’s all about argument, and how people support it with. There are two practices text for this particular unit, the first one is ‘Body language that speaks to muggers’ and ‘Burning out at nine’. For background reading, there are three texts, which are ‘What is the evidence’?’ Statistic’ and ‘Crooked and fallacious thinking’.

In reading 4.3, ’What is the evidence’, I noticed that this chapter is focusing on the argument that used in the court which is supported by the evidence. There are two types of evidence, that are circumstantial evidence and testimonial evidence. Both types of evidence are important to support an argument on a particular event. In critical reading, the evidence is use to support our point as it support the argument given.

In reading 4.4, ‘Statistic’, the author is focusing on how some text can manipulate readers to believe their article by stating some statistics. Normally readers will believe that every information support by fact and figure is true. However some text describes ‘statistical slips’ which can be made by the author. For example, a survey has been conducted saying something about university students, while the statistic given in the report is based on college student’s survey. The readers wouldn’t know about this and blindly believe that the report is true because there is statistic given.

In reading 4.5,’Crooked and fallacious thinking’ I do understood that this text stressed that some media may lies to the audience, which meant, the idea that people believe to be true but the fact is false. There are five types of fallacious thinking, which are, transfer device, circular argument, false analogy, equivocation, either or assumption. Basically this chapter is to influence audience into some particular belief which made by the author himself.

Overall I felt as this unit is about, an argument is supported by any evidence to make it more concrete. Statistic is one of the ways the audience would believe in some text, because it is a fact. However it is to be noted that the author have certain purposed in structure their text, some might give the fallacious thinking to the audience. These entire elements are just to influence the audience to their beliefs.

Reflection Unit 3

In the reflection of unit 3, the focus skill that has been learned is positioning. As far as I’ve learned, position happened when the author tried to label or put the participant in some name or situation. To understand more about this skill, I’ve been tasked to do the ten element as I’ve mention in reflection on unit 1,on the practice text, ’Please let me go to your school’ and ‘Truth about youth.’ This text was tasked to make sure the understanding of positioning is better than before. For background reading, there are two for this focus skill, they are, Reading 3.3, Wignell (1995) ‘Critical literacy’ a linguistic perspective, and Reading 3.4, Kress (1994) ‘Speech and speakers.’

For the practice text, Please let me go to your school, the author focusing on a six-year-old child, Scarlett, who is eventually had been discriminated by The Hills Grammar School, because she is physically disabled. The author position Scarlett as the victim of the situation, and the school as the participant that refuses to enroll Scarlett into their school. For the practice text, ’Truth about youth’, the author is focusing on the result of the survey, that shows suicide, road death and environment is the three major element which strongly affect teenage life.

For reading 3.3,Critical literacy a linguistic perspective, the overall point that I understood is although a text seems simple, it always have certain deep meaning beyond that text, it shows how the author give the position to the participant in the text, that can give different perspective to the readers. In reading 3.4, Speech and speakers, however, the text explains how the author manipulate the readers,which is, by positions the reader to become the ideal reader. Each text has their own genre, however, I’m quite confuse, what is the relation between genre and positioning at the beginning,but manage to understand about it after the lecturer explanations.

Reflection Unit 2

In unit 2,the main focus skill is perspective. Perspective is a point of view from the writer. The practice texts from this unit is ‘Battling the bullies’. This text shows the audience about the seriousness of buulies in Australia, based on the writer stated so many statement that contribute to the negative sides of bullies. This shows how the writer want to tell us about the severe of bullies.

In reading 2.2,Lee(1992)’Languange,perspective,ideology’ have stress that from the language usage,it will manipulate the readers mind and through that will make readers think of certain point of view that is created by the writer themselves. When a perspective being formed the ideology will be created. Ideology here is, an idea for readers to evaluate certain article or texts.

In reading 2.3, Thwaites et al (1994)’Text and textualities’ explained that how actually a text can give impression or belief to the readers. By visual text,the writers try to deliver some belief that close to myth. Any text will have certain meaning of something. However,the writer cannot fully control the readers mind by the text because there will be a scope in some readings.

Overall , to see the ‘Battling the bullies’ by perspectives focus skill,it is clear that the writer is trying to make some manipulation over the readers. The writer create the ideology from the perspective to make the readers belief what the writer wants to.

Reflection Unit 1

In this blog, I was assigned to do a reflection on unit 1;Who Produce This Text ,For Whom and Why? Critical Literacy is mainly about how the author of an article trying to elaborate the article to the audience. To be a critical literacy student, we must be critical in every single element in focus skill. This blog is going to discuss about the focus skill, practice text and my opinion towards this topic.

The focus skill that are needed in order to do critical reading are; topic, content source, audience, rhetorical function, purpose, perspective, positioning impact and visual literacy. These ten elements contribute to do the critical reading. In reading 1.2, Martin (1987)’stories and facts’, he mentions the purposes affect the author choices are relevant to facts in general. Meanwhile in 1.3,’Rules and regulations’, Fowler focus on how an article can actually manipulate readers.

The practice text for this unit is ‘Convicted Killer’. The practice text is the text which I have to state the ten elements to be criticize on. ‘Convicted Killer’ is an article about a nurse, Deborah Parry who was accused to murder her colleague, Yvone Gilford. She had been set free after doing some payment about $ 1.7 million to the victim’s brother and was allowed to continue her nursing job in an English hospital. The author of this article was trying to convince to the readers that Parry was guilty, based on the author statement of quotations from some related people in the case.

In doing the critical reading, there have been several difficulties about the ten elements. One of it is that, I’m not quite sure about the positioning and perspective of ‘Convicted killer’. However after some consultation with the lecturer, I was managed to complete the critical reading including positioning and perspectives.