Download
1 / 8
120 likes | 264 Views
Feed back for Language Analysis . Common mistakes. General statements. You must be specific in your analysis. We know the text is trying to persuade us, so don’t be that obvious. Eg : “this is persuasive.” “it persuades the reader” “this makes us agree with the reader”
E N D
Common mistakes • General statements. You must be specific in your analysis. We know the text is trying to persuade us, so don’t be that obvious. • Eg: • “this is persuasive.” • “it persuades the reader” • “this makes us agree with the reader” • “this appeals to the reader”
Think about why that specific technique has been employed. INCORRECT: Imagery is used to persuade the reader to agree with their point of view. INCORRECT: Imagery is used so that we can imagine what happened to bin Laden. CORRECT: The writer uses imagery so that the reader associates the way bin Laden was killed with a ‘a tall man on the mountain’, this forces the reader to consider the pride that he would feel as he was shot ‘mid-jihad’ and leads the reader to consider that fact that this may not have been a punishment at all. Robertson then gives the reader the image of a ‘hate-filled old man screaming from the dock or lying in the witness box’, the contrast between these two images is designed to make the reader consider the fact that facing a trial could have been a far more harsh and uncompromising way to punish the El-Qaeda leader.
Techniques that you should know/are easy to identify • Emotive language • Connotations • Repetition • Evidence, Anecdotal, Statistics • The structure of the writing, eg: how does the reader start/end? What points are referred to throughout piece? What are we left thinking? • Tone • Attacks • Use of expert opinion • Imagery • Appeals – how is the author trying to make you feel? • If you don’t know at least these – well, GO BACK TO YOUR BOOKLET AND REVISE/ASK QUESTIONS
Link back to contention • Every point the author makes is to further the readers contention. • Link back to contention in your analysis. • Eg: The author appeals to our sympathy by highlight the thousands of innocent people killed at the hands of bin Laden. By provoking our sympathy for the victims of his crimes, it makes us feel less remorseful for his death as our emotions are redirected. The reader is then more open to feel anger towards him and be less compassionate about his death, leaving us open to support the idea that his death was justified.
Structure • DON’T • Start with a persuasive technique the focus of your writing is not persuasive techniques but how the author uses them to further their point of view. • Try to cover too many ‘techniques’ in one paragraph • DO • Unless you are really confident with the structure. Start with the supporting argument, then explain how the author convinces us of this. • Ensure most of your paragraph is analysis.
What does this mean for your SAC? • Steps to plan • 1. Read through article twice – with no annotations • 2. Read through again and identify: • Issue • Contention • Supporting arguments • Audience • Purpose • 3. Read through again and annotate how the author persuades you to agree, what persuasive techniques are used? • 4. Decide how you are going to structure your response • What are the most prevalent devices used? • What are the most convincing? • Which elements of the argument stand out to you? • You could color code these things to help you in the SAC
And remember… What we are teaching you is a life skill. Question what you are being told and the validity behind the argument. Think smart and critically. Notice and appreciate the nuance and craft in writing a new a good persuasive piece!
