Article 1 - Accentism
The first noticeable feature that is introduced to the reader in this article is in the heading 'Accentism is a real thing - just ask us Brummies'. The stative verb 'Accentism' used immediately makes you think of similar words ending in the short phrase 'ism'. This could refer to the word racism therefore suggests that people who are Brummies take the ridicule against their Birmingham accent way too seriously as they are relating it to such as serious, controversial topic such as racism. Additionally, because people making racist remarks is always going to be completely unacceptable in society, the fact a university student, Dr Alexander Baratta, has created this word similar to it could imply how much backlash the Brummies receive from their accent.
However, this is debatable because as the article begins, an informal register is established; 'continually rips the piss out of'. This could suggest that despite the mockery Brummies receive from other citizens, they have gotten used to it by now therefore the author hasn't used a more formal tone as although they think it's becoming a serious matter, it seems to also be a laughing one. Following this, the author has again emphasised the informal register through the verb 'memes', and the phrase 'the aural equivalent of a kick in the balls or the world's shittest roast dinner' to make what they're writing relatable to their intended audience, who could specifically be those of the younger generation who use social media as their way of mocking those with a Birmingham accent. Furthermore, the article has clearly been written from a Brummie's perspective as they share all their views and experiences throughout, but specifically how Greg Woodin has used the adverb 'painfully' tells us that it's not a pleasant experience having the 'ugliest, least intelligent-sounding, least attractive accent in the UK'.
Article 2 - Teachers Accents
In this article, similar to the previous article on Accentism, Dr Alexander Baratta states that no matter where you come from or what profession you are in, you can always experience prejudice against your accent. This is proven through trainee teachers from Northern England being told to modify their accents for the benefit of the children they teach as they could find it hard to understand. Agreeably, some accents are more difficult to understand than others, but being told to 'go back to where you came from' when trying to strengthen a child's education is not acceptable and is only asking to create a bigger divide in society. Additionally, the fact that the author of this article has written about multiple trainee teachers perspectives on the discrimination they receive, such as those from Leicester and Nottingham, and being told that they 'don't speak properly' show how widespread this prejudice is occuring in the North. The adverb 'properly' also indicates the sense that in society, some seem to think that there's only one way it is acceptable to speak, despite the fact we live in a country full of people of different cultures. So the idea of speaking 'properly' just does not exist, and people are going to have to learn how to accept this until it leads onto more bigger issues.
Sunday, September 30, 2018
Analysis of 'An Ode to the Hoody'
'An Ode to the Hoody' is an opinion article written by Minsky, who created the piece to express his views on the controversy over how we should dress in society. He also addresses the unnecessary conflict an inanimate object, a hoody, can cause. The article is directed towards teenagers or young adults which is proven through the fairly explicit humour and taboo language used at the beginning in the first paragraph; 'mouth drier than a nun's chuff'. The verb 'Arrrgh' opening the article immediately informs the reader with a social contact as it creates an informal tone.
Furthermore, the reader becomes even more involved into the situation described in the article through the personal pronouns such as 'you've' and 'your' used by Minsky to directly address the reader and make them read on. The author then uses a negative lexical field such as 'enemy', 'intrusive', 'plight' and 'conspiring' to suggest that the hoody has violent connotations. Hyperbole is then used through the metaphorical sentence 'rumbling grey clouds mock you'. This is done through the verb 'mock' as it evokes a sense of intimidation and further adds to the informal tone the article portrays while presenting it as a shared experience with the audience.
As the second paragraph is introduced, we are first made aware of the hoody, an inanimate object which slowly transforms into some type of character, through the abstract noun 'ally'. This has been used to personify the hoody, as well as the adverb 'patiently' and adjectives 'undemanding presence' and 'always willing to serve' to describe it's actions. These evoke a positive effect the hoody brings in comparison to the mood created in the previous paragraph. Also, the fact that the author has used additional personal pronouns for example 'he' and 'him' to describe the hoody, it makes it seem even more realistic as if the item of clothing is so significant that it could fit in to a part of society itself. Moreover, the sematic field of adjectives 'pen pushing', 'mackintosh sporting', 'jag driving' and 'pompous' to describe the politicians tell us that interestingly even though the older generation agree with the hoody, the younger generation on the other hand do not. Clearly, the author is trying to reinforce that he is pro hoody as he criticises those of higher status such as politicians he negatively labels, as they feel threatened by such a simplistic piece of clothing, and that Minsky doesn't understand the reasons behind the people in society who want to get rid of it.
Finally, the author's seriousness towards the subject is also emphasised through the graphology of the article as it has been printed in black and white, black being a dark colour therefore acting as a symbol of the prejudice against the hoody or society. Eye catching, bold titles and 'edgy' fonts have also been used as well as words stated in capital letters here and there to ensure the message is getting across distinctly to the reader. For example, the stative verb 'SURVIVE' has been highlighted in the subheading of paragraph three to add emphasis and to be used as a discourse marker to separate the article up. This is from speaking about the hoody's characteristics in the second paragraph to 'kings and queens' and 'world wars' in the third through more hyperbolic language. This is because the hoody has been used for a variation of years before, so they state as if it's similar to the time period when kings and queens were around and the significant world wars, but all of a sudden people are now deciding that they want to ban it for no valid reason.
Furthermore, the reader becomes even more involved into the situation described in the article through the personal pronouns such as 'you've' and 'your' used by Minsky to directly address the reader and make them read on. The author then uses a negative lexical field such as 'enemy', 'intrusive', 'plight' and 'conspiring' to suggest that the hoody has violent connotations. Hyperbole is then used through the metaphorical sentence 'rumbling grey clouds mock you'. This is done through the verb 'mock' as it evokes a sense of intimidation and further adds to the informal tone the article portrays while presenting it as a shared experience with the audience.
As the second paragraph is introduced, we are first made aware of the hoody, an inanimate object which slowly transforms into some type of character, through the abstract noun 'ally'. This has been used to personify the hoody, as well as the adverb 'patiently' and adjectives 'undemanding presence' and 'always willing to serve' to describe it's actions. These evoke a positive effect the hoody brings in comparison to the mood created in the previous paragraph. Also, the fact that the author has used additional personal pronouns for example 'he' and 'him' to describe the hoody, it makes it seem even more realistic as if the item of clothing is so significant that it could fit in to a part of society itself. Moreover, the sematic field of adjectives 'pen pushing', 'mackintosh sporting', 'jag driving' and 'pompous' to describe the politicians tell us that interestingly even though the older generation agree with the hoody, the younger generation on the other hand do not. Clearly, the author is trying to reinforce that he is pro hoody as he criticises those of higher status such as politicians he negatively labels, as they feel threatened by such a simplistic piece of clothing, and that Minsky doesn't understand the reasons behind the people in society who want to get rid of it.
Finally, the author's seriousness towards the subject is also emphasised through the graphology of the article as it has been printed in black and white, black being a dark colour therefore acting as a symbol of the prejudice against the hoody or society. Eye catching, bold titles and 'edgy' fonts have also been used as well as words stated in capital letters here and there to ensure the message is getting across distinctly to the reader. For example, the stative verb 'SURVIVE' has been highlighted in the subheading of paragraph three to add emphasis and to be used as a discourse marker to separate the article up. This is from speaking about the hoody's characteristics in the second paragraph to 'kings and queens' and 'world wars' in the third through more hyperbolic language. This is because the hoody has been used for a variation of years before, so they state as if it's similar to the time period when kings and queens were around and the significant world wars, but all of a sudden people are now deciding that they want to ban it for no valid reason.
Friday, August 31, 2018
Opinion Pieces
1) 'These aren't people. These are animals.'
https://www.vice.com/en_uk/article/nekb3k/these-arent-people-these-are-animals
This piece is about Donald Trump's immigration policies and stating all the wrongs about it. The intended audience seems to be American citizens, mainly adults. I know this as the article continuously refers to all the ugly and prejudice remarks Trump has made about immigrants, innocent people who are being referred to as 'animals' as stated clearly in the title. Therefore, the author wants readers who would most likely be American citizens, to be aware of who their president really is which is also the articles purpose. Finally, I like this article as the author includes a lot of factual information on the topic which implies that he is passionate about it, and compares Trump's actions and statements to Obama to make the opinion piece even more of an argument and to further hook the reader, making them think.
2) 'What's Right, and Wrong, With Social Media' https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/05/opinion/facebook-social-media.html
This next article focuses on what the wrongs and rights of social media are. It's target audience could be very varied as at some points in the article they are adressing the creators, and how they should make changes to their privacy settings, but also address social media users, mainly the younger generation, when stating the positives that social media has brung. So, the purpose of the article is to show how there are both positive and negative sides to social media, which makes me like it as the author has created a balanced argument about these two sides instead of making it seem biased.
3) 'Stress and serious anxiety: how the new GCSE is affecting mental health' https://www.theguardian.com/education/2018/may/17/stress-and-serious-anxiety-how-the-new-gcse-is-affecting-mental-health
The subject of this article is about how the new gcse system is affecting students mental health, therefore it's target audience could be parents and teachers to ensure they are aware of this reoccurring issue. Also, it is mainly their responsibility to help students who are struggling throughout exam season, so the articles purpose is to prove that pressuring students and giving them an excessive work load can damage their mental health massively in the long term, so something needs to change. I like this article as people are beginning to break the stigma around mental health as it is starting to be spoken about more, creating awareness.
4) 'The observer view on cyberbullying' https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/nov/13/observer-view-on-cyberbullying
This opinion piece is about how we should be creating awareness for the victims of cyber bullying and how we can support them, which is why I like it because I feel that the subject needs to be spoken about much more to prevent it from happening as frequently. It is aimed at all ages as any individual can be experiencing cyber bullying or have had experienced it considering social media is used by millions of different people all over the world. Although the purpose of the article is to show how children are most particularly the victims of cyber bullying, which is proven through the example at the beginning about a 17 year old who killed himself because of this issue and the facts and statistics the author has used later on to support this.
PEE Analysis:
The article is introduced with a group of three rhetorical questions to immediately make the reader feel questioned on their decisions about what they choose to post on social media. The repetition used in this opening statement “Is it true? Is it necessary? Is it kind?”also makes you feel almost like a victim of this serious matter as the author uses it in a slightly threatening tone through a direct address. Also, the statement having come from another source such as an 'open letter' written by an advocate against cyber bullying gives it a more supported argument. This helps the reader understand how much of a deep rooted problem cyber bullying is, and helps to reinforce who the intended target audience are as cyber bullying can affect those of all different ages but most primarily teenagers. Therefore, parents need to be informed on how the digital word can impact their children's lives.
Additionally, the adjective 'pernicious' used in the short sentence at the beginning of the second paragraph seems to have been purposefully used to over emphasize the extent of which cyber bullying can majorly effect an individual. This is also proven as the adjective has been repeated again 'Cyberbullying is particularly pernicious when it comes to children' to reinforce the damaging effect this topic can have on people, especially those of the younger generation, who tend to use social media much more frequently than those older, therefore have less experience in dealing with the backlash this form of bullying causes.
5) 'Banning slang willy only further alienate young people, innit' https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/oct/16/banning-slang-harris-academy-alienate-young-people
The last article I found is about how banning slang is not a useful move, and that we should 'not mute pupil's voices, but look for better ways of motivating them'. Therefore, the intended audience are schools and I know this through the term 'pupils' being used in the subtitle of the article. I like this article as it holds a well balanced debate over when and where slang should be used, and the slang word 'innit' in the title makes it more humorous, making the reader want to read on. Although the word 'further' also in the title could be a term used to mock to young people, as they're stating that we are already alienated, so the article could be primarily aimed at adults so the author can try and relate to their intended audience.
https://www.vice.com/en_uk/article/nekb3k/these-arent-people-these-are-animals
This piece is about Donald Trump's immigration policies and stating all the wrongs about it. The intended audience seems to be American citizens, mainly adults. I know this as the article continuously refers to all the ugly and prejudice remarks Trump has made about immigrants, innocent people who are being referred to as 'animals' as stated clearly in the title. Therefore, the author wants readers who would most likely be American citizens, to be aware of who their president really is which is also the articles purpose. Finally, I like this article as the author includes a lot of factual information on the topic which implies that he is passionate about it, and compares Trump's actions and statements to Obama to make the opinion piece even more of an argument and to further hook the reader, making them think.
2) 'What's Right, and Wrong, With Social Media' https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/05/opinion/facebook-social-media.html
This next article focuses on what the wrongs and rights of social media are. It's target audience could be very varied as at some points in the article they are adressing the creators, and how they should make changes to their privacy settings, but also address social media users, mainly the younger generation, when stating the positives that social media has brung. So, the purpose of the article is to show how there are both positive and negative sides to social media, which makes me like it as the author has created a balanced argument about these two sides instead of making it seem biased.
3) 'Stress and serious anxiety: how the new GCSE is affecting mental health' https://www.theguardian.com/education/2018/may/17/stress-and-serious-anxiety-how-the-new-gcse-is-affecting-mental-health
The subject of this article is about how the new gcse system is affecting students mental health, therefore it's target audience could be parents and teachers to ensure they are aware of this reoccurring issue. Also, it is mainly their responsibility to help students who are struggling throughout exam season, so the articles purpose is to prove that pressuring students and giving them an excessive work load can damage their mental health massively in the long term, so something needs to change. I like this article as people are beginning to break the stigma around mental health as it is starting to be spoken about more, creating awareness.
4) 'The observer view on cyberbullying' https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/nov/13/observer-view-on-cyberbullying
This opinion piece is about how we should be creating awareness for the victims of cyber bullying and how we can support them, which is why I like it because I feel that the subject needs to be spoken about much more to prevent it from happening as frequently. It is aimed at all ages as any individual can be experiencing cyber bullying or have had experienced it considering social media is used by millions of different people all over the world. Although the purpose of the article is to show how children are most particularly the victims of cyber bullying, which is proven through the example at the beginning about a 17 year old who killed himself because of this issue and the facts and statistics the author has used later on to support this.
PEE Analysis:
The article is introduced with a group of three rhetorical questions to immediately make the reader feel questioned on their decisions about what they choose to post on social media. The repetition used in this opening statement “Is it true? Is it necessary? Is it kind?”also makes you feel almost like a victim of this serious matter as the author uses it in a slightly threatening tone through a direct address. Also, the statement having come from another source such as an 'open letter' written by an advocate against cyber bullying gives it a more supported argument. This helps the reader understand how much of a deep rooted problem cyber bullying is, and helps to reinforce who the intended target audience are as cyber bullying can affect those of all different ages but most primarily teenagers. Therefore, parents need to be informed on how the digital word can impact their children's lives.
Additionally, the adjective 'pernicious' used in the short sentence at the beginning of the second paragraph seems to have been purposefully used to over emphasize the extent of which cyber bullying can majorly effect an individual. This is also proven as the adjective has been repeated again 'Cyberbullying is particularly pernicious when it comes to children' to reinforce the damaging effect this topic can have on people, especially those of the younger generation, who tend to use social media much more frequently than those older, therefore have less experience in dealing with the backlash this form of bullying causes.
5) 'Banning slang willy only further alienate young people, innit' https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/oct/16/banning-slang-harris-academy-alienate-young-people
The last article I found is about how banning slang is not a useful move, and that we should 'not mute pupil's voices, but look for better ways of motivating them'. Therefore, the intended audience are schools and I know this through the term 'pupils' being used in the subtitle of the article. I like this article as it holds a well balanced debate over when and where slang should be used, and the slang word 'innit' in the title makes it more humorous, making the reader want to read on. Although the word 'further' also in the title could be a term used to mock to young people, as they're stating that we are already alienated, so the article could be primarily aimed at adults so the author can try and relate to their intended audience.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)