ATAR Notes: Forum

VCE Stuff => VCE English Studies => VCE Subjects + Help => AN’s Language Analysis Club => Topic started by: heids on February 24, 2016, 05:51:51 pm

Title: [2016 LA Club] Week 1
Post by: heids on February 24, 2016, 05:51:51 pm
Welcome to the first week of our spanking new LA Club!

As a reminder of how this is working...

1. Each Wednesday, I post a new thread with *something* for you to analyse. (That's this!)
2. You write a short analysis and post in this thread.
3. You give feedback on someone else's analysis.
4. I link your masterpieces here.

And check out this post for heaps more details, and remember to ask any questions if you're not sure how it's working!

Remember to uncheck anonymity just before posting if you're happy for people to know who you are (and want to snag some cheeky upvotes ;)).

Background: The Government has decided that 267 asylum seekers who are in Australia for medical treatment must be sent to detention camps in Nauru, to defend its offshore processing policy and thus save lives at sea.  This provoked several public rallies and protests.

Lifesaving spirit lost

The government has argued that if the 267 asylum seekers in Australia for medical treatment were allowed to stay, people smugglers would be encouraged. Essentially, therefore, the government is in favour of denying people the care and protection they need as advised by medical professionals if this denial could prevent a future tragedy at sea. This is un-Australian. If a person swam out too far at the beach and got into serious trouble, one of our surf lifesavers would not respond: "I am prepared to let this person suffer so that future swimmers will be discouraged from swimming out too far. I may have prevented more deaths, so I am comfortable with my decision."

Our surf lifesavers are heroes and we laud them as quintessential Australians because they risk themselves to save others, regardless of who that person is and what misfortune or error of judgment may have led to their predicament. The government must explore the alternatives to mandatory detention and the prevention of people smuggling that academics, "think tanks" and lawyers have presented to it for more than a decade.

- Nicola Barnett, Aspley, Qld

Look forward to reading your responses!  Reply below; who's going to be first? ;)
Title: Re: [2016 LA Club] Week 1
Post by: Anonymous on February 24, 2016, 06:23:30 pm
alright this aint my best work (eating chocolate in my bed rn not even making this up) but this club seems like fun so imma hit it up

Through the comparison of asylum seekers to Australian heroes, Barnett seeks to undermine the government's decision to return asylum seekers back to Nauru. Barnett claims that the government is being 'un-Australian,' claiming that the logic implemented is 'denying people' basic human rights, ultimately infringing basic and fundamental rights. The use of 'un-Australian' invites the audience to relate to the issue on a personal level, as their ethics and morals are being questioned. Barnett claims that 'our lifesavers' would not respond in this fashion, claiming that it's unreasonable as they would save people 'regardless' of their background. The use of 'our' positions the reader to take a stance towards the issue. Through the use of inclusive language, the author seeks to unify the audience, as they are all ultimately "Australian,' tugging on their patriarchal sense. Moreover, Barnett attempts to use the bonds earlier created to make her solutions appear more appealing. She firmly states that the government "must explore the alternatives." The use of 'must' indicates the urgent nature of this issue to the audience. She proposes that there are solutions to this that "have presented" themselves. The audience is positioned to believe that there is a way to humanely resolve this urgent issue.

Could elaborate more but I got other stuff I gotta do -- Ik this isn't that great but let me know what you think and ANY FEEDBACK IS HELPFUL sooo hmu :) <3 ilys
Title: Re: [2016 LA Club] Week 1
Post by: FallingStar on February 24, 2016, 08:43:47 pm
I know that this may not be you best work. I will do my best to give you feedback.

Generally speaking, you were better at the end than the start.

Quote
Through the comparison of asylum seekers to Australian heroes, Barnett seeks to undermine the government's decision to return asylum seekers back to Nauru.

What's the effect of this? A technique (comparison) has been stated but there is no effect, or examples.

Quote
The use of 'un-Australian' invites the audience to relate to the issue on a personal level, as their ethics and morals are being questioned. Barnett claims that 'our lifesavers' would not respond in this fashion, claiming that it's unreasonable as they would save people 'regardless' of their background.

Very good at the end of that paragraph.

I think there this is an significant appeal that is not very obvious in the piece.
Spoiler
This is an appeal to patriotism. (though I think this technique occurs throughout)

Other than that, pretty good. Also, mention the lawyers and academics. What does that imply?

Most importantly, I have been told by my teachers to focus on the effect. This is where you will get the most marks.

I hope this helps.



Title: Re: [2016 LA Club] Week 1
Post by: Anonymous on February 24, 2016, 10:05:25 pm
Ahh first time I'm posting on AN, took a while to work out how I reply... should've looked for 'REPLY' lol. Just gonna put them into dot points since I'm having trouble saying it all in a sentence that sounds good.

-Barnett contrasts the government to "quintessential" surf lifesavers and their reactions to people at sea. Ridicules Gov. by replacing the government's mindset into the lifesavers and it sounds pretty stupid = government's stupid.
-Barnett mocks the government by calling them 'un-Australian', implying that being Australian is to be like the "quintessential Australians" we call lifesavers -> be like the lifesavers who save people regardless of who they are and how they ended up like that.
-Call to action in the last sentence.
-"the government is in favour of denying people the care and protection they need as advised by medical professionals ..." this makes the gov look bad hence supporting her contention.

I think Ill just stick with identifying this kind of stuff before persuasive devices and tone :) byebye
Title: Re: [2016 LA Club] Week 1
Post by: qazser on February 24, 2016, 10:10:43 pm
Through the use of patriotism, Nicola Barnett has presented a thought-provoking and contentious piece that urges her fellow Australians to take action on the recent refugee plight to prevent future tragedies.  She outlines that ‘267’ asylum seekers are in Australia seeking medical treatment, intending to appeal to sympathy. Having mentioned this, she informs us of the consequences of “allowing asylum seekers to stay” and attempts to evoke a sense of fear of what could result. Barnett reaffirms her previous sentence using repetition, reminding the reader once again of this ‘immoral’ act. Portraying the audience as ‘Un-Australians’ should they conform to such a decision, she attacks our sense of patriotism, our ethics and morality (Ty Anon) to the land we live in. Through the use of an analogy, Barnett aims to present her contention in another way, enticing the audience into seeing the issue as a point of view. She also attacks our moral soul by using the phrases ‘prepared to let this person suffer’ but justifies her decision by coaxing the reader that she has now ‘prevented more deaths’. The reader is then made to feel as though they are part of this article through Barnett’s use of ‘our livesavers’ and ‘we’, forms of inclusive language.  Barnett attacks the reader again through the use of a cliché where she lauds lifesavers as ‘good Australians’ because they risk themselves to save others before their own safety. Furthermore, she uses it as an analogy, attacking the reader’s sense of morality, comparing the reader to an ideal ‘Aussie’, ‘one who risk themselves in order to save others’. Reaffirming her point, she imposes on her reader to reconsider their views on the issue, through the word ‘must’. Barnett finishes off by presenting honorary examples of people (lawyers, academics,” think tanks”) who have contributed to a notion for an alternative, challenging the reader to stand up with these people and confront the issue at heart.  (Anon just called it Call-To -Action, must make note . TY ANON :) )

I’m in Y11, no clue what a language analysis really is, so whipped this baby out. Use of repetitive words is overly common in my piece. Feel free to roast this LA, no offence will be taken 

That was me below, forgot to check username/anonymous checkbox

Title: Re: [2016 LA Club] Week 1
Post by: Anonymous on February 24, 2016, 10:19:42 pm
alright this aint my best work (eating chocolate in my bed rn not even making this up) but this club seems like fun so imma hit it up Welcome!

Through the comparison of asylum seekers to Australian heroes (good), Barnett seeks to undermine the government's decision to return asylum seekers back to Nauru. Barnett claims that the government is being 'un-Australian,' claiming that the logic implemented is 'denying people' basic human rights, ultimately infringing basic and fundamental rights. The use of 'un-Australian' invites the audience to relate to the issue on a personal level, as their ethics and morals are being questioned. Barnett claims that 'our lifesavers' would not respond in this fashion, claiming that it's unreasonable as they would save people 'regardless' of their background. The use of 'our' positions the reader to take a stance towards the issue. Through the use of inclusive language, the author seeks to unify the audience, as they are all ultimately "Australian,' tugging on their patriarchal sense. Moreover, Barnett attempts to use the bonds earlier created to make her solutions appear more appealing. She firmly states that the government "must explore the alternatives." The use of 'must' indicates the urgent nature of this issue to the audience. She proposes that there are solutions to this that "have presented" themselves. The audience is positioned to believe that there is a way to humanely resolve this urgent issue.

Could elaborate more but I got other stuff I gotta do -- Ik this isn't that great but let me know what you think and ANY FEEDBACK IS HELPFUL sooo hmu :) <3 ilys

Some things i took out of this,
Disclaimer: Just wrote first LA, this piece of feedback might not be logical

-Repeated repetition of 'use of' - need to find alternatives
-State full name of Author once at the start before using Surnames/pronouns after
-Too many 'Barnetts', use she or restructure sentence
-Idk how language analysis works but your written piece seems to hop from parts of Nicola Barnett's piece. Maybe(idk) try to analyse sentence by sentence in order of the her piece.


Positive Notes to take from this piece
-The use of 'un-Australian' invites the audience to relate to the issue on a personal level, as their ethics and morals are being questioned. (Great sentence, "relate" is a good alternative for inclusive language)

Sorry for such short piece of feedback, no clue what is needed in an LA :)
Title: Re: [2016 LA Club] Week 1
Post by: Anonymous on February 25, 2016, 03:51:56 pm
alright this aint my best work (eating chocolate in my bed rn not even making this up) but this club seems like fun so imma hit it up

Through the comparison of asylum seekers to Australian heroes, Barnett seeks to undermine the government's decision to return asylum seekers back to Nauru. Barnett claims that the government is being 'un-Australian,' claiming that the logic implemented is 'denying people' basic human rights, ultimately infringing basic and fundamental rights. The use of 'un-Australian' invites the audience to relate to the issue on a personal level, as their ethics and morals are being questioned. Barnett claims that 'our lifesavers' would not respond in this fashion, claiming that it's unreasonable as they would save people 'regardless' of their background. The use of 'our' positions the reader to take a stance towards the issue. Through the use of inclusive language, the author seeks to unify the audience, as they are all ultimately "Australian,' tugging on their patriarchal sense. Moreover, Barnett attempts to use the bonds earlier created to make her solutions appear more appealing. She firmly states that the government "must explore the alternatives." The use of 'must' indicates the urgent nature of this issue to the audience. She proposes that there are solutions to this that "have presented" themselves. The audience is positioned to believe that there is a way to humanely resolve this urgent issue.

Could elaborate more but I got other stuff I gotta do -- Ik this isn't that great but let me know what you think and ANY FEEDBACK IS HELPFUL sooo hmu :) <3 ilys

'Claims' comes up a lot as well as 'the use of' like the other other anon said I bolded the claims and underlined the 'the use of' so you can see how much it pops up! (in the quote)

-From other anon :)

Title: Re: [2016 LA Club] Week 1
Post by: Anonymous on February 25, 2016, 05:41:31 pm
An appeal to the audience’s sense of patriotism is invoked by Barnett’s use of the term “un-Australian” in describing the government's actions, intimating such actions contravene with the reader’s national identity, thereby seeking to alienate them from the political administration’s defence of their off-shore policy. Likening the present condition of the refugees to “surf lifesavers”, the Aspley resident strives to accentuate the purportedly flawed logic of the government. That Barnett should employ this iconic Australian image suggests that to be “Australian” would have been to approach the issue of asylum seekers with the same zeal to aid a swimmer in distress. This analogy evinces the Aspley resident’s notion denying the asylum seekers residency in Australia would be akin to allowing one swimmer to die with the expectation it would prevent future incidents, appealing to the audience’s reasoning and logic to galvanise them to perceive the proposed solution as ludicrous. In essence, Barnett seeks to engender the audience’s scepticism and preclude them from readily accepting and supporting the government’s attempt at rationalising their off-shore detention policy.

For some reason, I feel like this should be at a higher standard, especially considering I'm a year 12 student and the fact that I want to do well in VCE English.
Title: Re: [2016 LA Club] Week 1
Post by: HopefulLawStudent on February 25, 2016, 05:42:49 pm
The above one was me. Please credit me for my work where plausible and necessary. I forgot to tick the stupid box.
Title: Re: [2016 LA Club] Week 1
Post by: Anonymous on February 25, 2016, 06:36:07 pm
The above one was me. Please credit me for my work where plausible and necessary. I forgot to tick the stupid box.
dude do you have a thesaurus nearby when you write or like did you swallow one coz ur vocab is on fleek -- how you do that?
Title: Re: [2016 LA Club] Week 1
Post by: Anonymous on February 25, 2016, 06:37:09 pm
dude do you have a thesaurus nearby when you write or like did you swallow one coz ur vocab is on fleek -- how you do that?
yo shit why are my posts all anonymous
Title: Re: [2016 LA Club] Week 1
Post by: HopefulLawStudent on February 25, 2016, 08:16:43 pm
Under the "Attachments and other options" box, there's a "Post with your username?" bolded. If you don't want your post to be anonymous, tick the square next to it.

I can assure you I did not access a thesaurus (or a dictionary for that matter) while writing up the mini paragraph. All word-related errors are mine. I personally attribute my vocabulary to my English/Literature teacher who has a thing for expression and being articulate and eloquent. I can't say for sure if I have never swallowed a thesaurus though I did have a little bit of a thing when I was a little kid for chewing paper (no lie, my mother has the photos to prove it).
Title: Re: [2016 LA Club] Week 1
Post by: Anonymous on February 27, 2016, 11:31:07 pm
An appeal to the audience’s sense of patriotism is invoked by Barnett’s use of the term “un-Australian” in describing the government's actions, intimating such actions contravene with the reader’s national identity, thereby seeking to alienate them from the political administration’s defence of their off-shore policy. Likening the present condition of the refugees to “surf lifesavers”, the Aspley resident strives to accentuate the purportedly flawed logic of the government. That Barnett should employ this iconic Australian image suggests that to be “Australian” would have been to approach the issue of asylum seekers with the same zeal to aid a swimmer in distress. This analogy evinces the Aspley resident’s notion denying the asylum seekers residency in Australia would be akin to allowing one swimmer to die with the expectation it would prevent future incidents, appealing to the audience’s reasoning and logic to galvanise them to perceive the proposed solution as ludicrous. In essence, Barnett seeks to engender the audience’s scepticism and preclude them from readily accepting and supporting the government’s attempt at rationalising their off-shore detention policy.

For some reason, I feel like this should be at a higher standard, especially considering I'm a year 12 student and the fact that I want to do well in VCE English.

I dont even understand what you said since half of those words is new to me... Damn Daniel
Title: Re: [2016 LA Club] Week 1
Post by: Anonymous on March 02, 2016, 10:17:02 am
Nicola Barnett, from Aspley, Queensland, has written an article, Lifesaving Spirit Lost, about the government not wanting to ‘save’ asylum seekers to prevent people smugglers. Barnett stated that the government should explore other options to help these people. This is evident when she uses an appeal to patriotism, ‘un-Australian’. She is trying to suggest that us as Australians will connect the feelings of pride we have to our country. Barnett also uses a comparison to compare the government with lifesavers of Australia. This helps the article prove the logic the author is trying to convey, the government should be like those who save people while risking their own lives, a.k.a lifesavers.

yea.. I'm pretty bad at Language Analysis.. but i won't mind if you give me constructive criticism..
thanks :) :)
Title: Re: [2016 LA Club] Week 1
Post by: HopefulLawStudent on March 02, 2016, 01:36:51 pm
"This is evident when she uses an appeal to patriotism, ‘un-Australian’."
Perhaps need to explore this more and the connection between "appeal to patriotism" and "un-Australian"?

"She is trying to suggest that us as Australians will connect the feelings of pride we have to our country. "
That's what an appeal to patriotism does. So? How does this position readers?

"a.k.a"
I feel as though this was used just because it isn't a formal piece of writing but just in case it wasn't... Don't write this in your sac... I imagine teachers/assessors don't like it?

First time analysing a language analysis attempt and giving criticism. I may have just screwed up giving criticism so someone correct me if my feedback is wrong. Overall, you have a whole lot of potential and clearly know your stuff. So good job! :)
Title: Re: [2016 LA Club] Week 1
Post by: literally lauren on March 02, 2016, 01:55:02 pm
Awesome stuff happening so far, and the feedback has been on point.

To tidy up a few loose ends (though obviously anyone's welcome to come back to earlier weeks and attempt that material later in the year) I'll add a few comments to any pieces that haven't yet been commented upon by others, but I'll just isolate three or so key points rather than doing a full dissection. Anyone else keep to give feedback is still more than welcome to - mine will not be at all conclusive :)

An appeal to the audience’s sense of patriotism is invoked(1) by Barnett’s use of the term “un-Australian” in describing the government's actions, intimating such actions contravene with the reader’s national identity, thereby seeking to alienate them from the political administration’s defence of their off-shore policy. Likening the present condition of the refugees to “surf lifesavers”, the Aspley resident strives to accentuate the purportedly flawed logic of the government.(2) That Barnett should employ this iconic Australian image suggests that to be “Australian” would have been to approach the issue of asylum seekers with the same zeal to aid a swimmer in distress. This analogy evinces the Aspley resident’s notion argument(?) denying the asylum seekers residency in Australia would be akin to allowing one swimmer to die with the expectation it would prevent future incidents, appealing to the audience’s reasoning and logic to galvanise them to perceive the proposed solution as ludicrous. (3) In essence, Barnett seeks to engender the audience’s scepticism and preclude them from readily accepting and supporting the government’s attempt at rationalising their off-shore detention policy.
(1) - 'invoke' = to call upon an idea, or to cite a person
eg. 'When I was arguing with my parents, they invoked the old 'respect your elders' saying'
     'Religious fanatics frequently invoke God to support their arguments'
     'She invoked the words of Margaret Thatcher in her speech to the House of Commons'
'Evoke' works better for Language Analysis because it refers to an author eliciting certain emotions
eg. 'The author attempts to evoke a sense of patriotism.'

(2) I'm not sure the author is likening the refugee situation with the surf lifesavers. If anything, she was creating a link between the government and lifesavers to imply that the former were failing in their duties.

(3) Be even more specific here - how is this situation ludicrous or illogical? Why would the author make this particular comparison?

Other than that, your vocabulary and sentence structure are very impressive, and you seem to have a good grasp of the contention :)

Nicola Barnett, from Aspley, Queensland, has written an article, Lifesaving Spirit Lost, about the government not wanting to ‘save’ asylum seekers to prevent people smugglers. (1) Barnett stated that the government should explore other options to help these people. This is evident when she uses an appeal to patriotism, ‘un-Australian’. (2) She is trying to suggest that us as Australians will connect the feelings of pride we have to our country. Barnett also uses a comparison to compare the government with lifesavers of Australia. This helps the article prove the logic the author is trying to convey, the government should be like those who save people while risking their own lives, a.k.a lifesavers. (3)
(1) It's a bit tough to judge here since we were mainly concerned with the language and the background information was intentionally brief, but this isn't quite accurate. The sentence structure you've got here is a bit confusing - it'd be more accurate to say that the government were refusing to 'save' asylum seekers in order to deter people smugglers. But, admittedly, this is an issue with a length and complicated socio-political history behind it, so I'm not too worried about the contextual information.

(2) Not only could these two sentences easily be integrated to form one, but you should also aim to integrate that quote in your writing. For example: 'Barnet's appeal to patriotism as evidenced by her use of the word "un-Australian" forms part of her attempt to imply that the government need to seek other options.' You also need to be more specific about the connection here, ie. how does her use of the word "un-Australian" create this effect?

(3) Firstly, never use the word 'prove' in English - teachers hate it because it's way too definitive :P Use something like 'suggest/imply/depict/engender' etc. 'A.k.a' is also very informal. Secondly, what is the logic here? I can see that you've understood the function of the author's comparison/analogy, but you haven't quite made that clear, and you'd need to flesh out this appeal to logic in a bit more detail. In this case, what was the author trying to suggest by comparing the government to lifesavers? And what else in that analogy might you analyse?


edit: typed up feedback for the second one before I realised HLS had already covered it :P
@HLS: your comments were totally right though so don't worry! :)
Title: Re: [2016 LA Club] Week 1
Post by: Anonymous on March 02, 2016, 02:01:53 pm
Nicola Barnett, from Aspley, Queensland, has written an article, Lifesaving Spirit Lost, about the government not wanting to ‘save’ asylum seekers to prevent people smugglers1. Barnett stated2 that the government should explore other options to help these people. This is evident when3 she uses an appeal to patriotism, ‘un-Australian’. She is trying to suggest that us grammar: we as Australians will4 connect the feelings of pride we have to our country. Barnett also uses a comparison to compare5 the government with lifesavers of Australia. This helps the article prove the logic the author is trying to convey6, the government should be like7 those who save people while risking their own lives, a.k.a8 lifesavers.

Underlined what I thought could use changing. Keep in mind that I'm not an English student so my criticisms probably aren't as well informed as others. Also suggestions, but again, take those with a grain of salt.

Spoiler
1. Sentence is a bit long. Also, having 'save' in quotation marks implies a sort of mocking tone.
"Nicola Barnett, an Australian citizen, is critical of the Government for being 'in favour of denying people the care and protection they need'".

2. Minor issue - tense. In the rest of your piece, you use current tense (jumps, runs, hikes) instead of this past tense (jumped, ran, hiked). I'd change it to 'states'.

3. A bit of an awkward transition between your sentences. You could take out the 'this is evident when' and it would flow a lot better. It also may be better to use 'Barnett' or 'the author' but that might be personal preference.

4. I think 'will' is a bit clunky there. 'Should' fits better (imo) and has stronger connotations that relate to the article.

5. Phrasing? I feel like 'comparison' is one of the techniques or something but it comes off a little clunky. Just 'compare' is fine, I doubt anyone will be getting their knickers in a knot about not using specific forms of a word when the meaning is the same.

That, or:
"Barnett uses a comparison to emphasize the difference in values between the Government and Lifesavers of Australia."

6. Phrasing again. Honestly not sure how I'd change it, so maybe my criticism is unwarranted.

7. Sounds a bit colloquial to me. Changing it to something less so takes away some of the feeling though so this one's a matter of preference.

8. Seconding HopefulLawStudent, this feels a bit iffy. You could take it out and the meaning out be exactly the same, too. Final cut's up to you of course.



Overall it's good. I know what you're talking about when I read your analysis so there's no glaring issues, it's mostly just structural/stylistic stuff in your writing that draws away from your work. It was a short article, but I would've liked more quotes and a little more explanation on your interpretations. :)
Title: Re: [2016 LA Club] Week 1
Post by: HopefulLawStudent on March 02, 2016, 05:10:23 pm
(2) I'm not sure the author is likening the refugee situation with the refugees. If anything, she was creating a link between the government and lifesavers to imply that the former were failing in their duties.

What do you mean? #confused.
Title: Re: [2016 LA Club] Week 1
Post by: literally lauren on March 02, 2016, 05:33:31 pm
What do you mean? #confused.

Ah, that was my own brain melt - I meant to say 'likening the situation with surf lifesavers' ~my bad! :P
I'll edit it out so it doesn't confuse others.

Basically, to take your original sentence:
Likening the present condition of the refugees to “surf lifesavers”, the Aspley resident strives to accentuate the purportedly flawed logic of the government.
...you've stated that the author likens the condition of the refugees to lifesavers, which isn't strictly true. She is using an analogy and making a comparison, but in that example, the author was implying that the government refusing to help the refugees would be the equivalent of a lifesaver letting someone drown at sea.

So, metaphorically, the government are 'lifesavers' who are refusing to save lives, which is designed to elicit ridicule and frustration at the illogicality of the situation (- they're literal job is to save lives, so the idea of a lifesaver not doing that is clearly designed to evoke disbelief and fury,) so by equating this with the government's inaction, the author is implying that the same antipathy should be directed towards them for failing in their duties. <-- It seemed like that was what you were hinting at, but the structure of your sentence didn't reflect that clearly, so a small change would just help bring your idea to the surface for your assessor.

Hope that makes sense!
Title: Re: [2016 LA Club] Week 1
Post by: Anonymous on March 02, 2016, 06:21:17 pm
Could someone pop some suggestions for mine pls?  ;D
Title: Re: [2016 LA Club] Week 1
Post by: qazser on March 02, 2016, 06:25:09 pm
Edit: That was me, prev msg
Title: Re: [2016 LA Club] Week 1
Post by: MightyBeh on March 02, 2016, 09:34:08 pm
Through the use of patriotism, Nicola Barnett has presented a thought-provoking and contentious piece1 that urges2 her fellow Australians to take action on the recent refugee plight to prevent future tragedies3.  She outlines that ‘267’4 asylum seekers are in Australia seeking medical treatment, intending to appeal to sympathy. Having mentioned this, she informs us of the consequences of “allowing asylum seekers to stay” and attempts to evoke a sense of fear of what could result5. Barnett reaffirms her previous sentence6 using repetition, reminding the reader once again of this7 ‘immoral’ act. Portraying the audience as ‘Un-Australians’ should they conform to such a decision, she attacks our sense of patriotism, our ethics and morality (Ty Anon) to the land we live in. Through the use of8 an analogy, Barnett aims to present her contention in another way, enticing the audience into seeing the issue as a point of view9. She also attacks our moral soul by using the phrases ‘prepared to let this person suffer’ but justifies her decision by coaxing the reader that she has now ‘prevented more deaths’. The reader is then made to feel as though they are part of this10 article through Barnett’s use of ‘our livesavers’ and ‘we’, forms of inclusive language.  Barnett attacks the reader again through the use of a cliché11 where she lauds lifesavers as ‘good Australians’ because they risk themselves to save others before their own safety. Furthermore, she uses it as an analogy, attacking the reader’s sense of morality, comparing the reader to an ideal ‘Aussie’, ‘one who risk themselves in order to save others’. Reaffirming her point, she imposes on her reader to reconsider their views on the issue, through the word ‘must’12. Barnett finishes off by presenting honorary examples of people (lawyers, academics,” think tanks”) who have contributed to a notion for an alternative, challenging the reader to stand up with these people and confront the issue at heart.  (Anon just called it Call-To -Action, must make note . TY ANON :) )

I’m in Y11, no clue what a language analysis really is, so whipped this baby out. Use of repetitive words is overly common in my piece. Feel free to roast this LA, no offence will be taken 

I also have little to no clue what a language analysis actually is, but I figured I'd give it a shot anyway (and we analyse language in literature? Surely I can at least add something relevant? ::) ).

Point by point breakdown

1. What makes it thought provoking? Is it the inclusion of statistics (267), her rhetoric, the tone (which is heavily influenced by connotations??), or whatever?

2. Similar thing - what about the article urges people to take a stance on the issue?

3. What future tragedies? This one's a bit nitpicky because it's implied in the article though.

4. I see what you're trying to do here by including her statistic, and it works to a level. A number on its own (as much as it pains me to say, I love numbers) is still just a number - it doesn't posses any inherent emotional value to the reader. Easy fix is just to extend your quote a bit.

5. What exactly could result?

6. tbh I don't want to go back to the article and read through it again to work out what exactly the last sentence was. soz fam

7. Clarify - what is 'this' immoral act, exactly?

8. You mentioned it yourself but you do a lot of repeating of this phrase and I thought I'd remind you.  ;)

9. Sounds deep but I don't actually know what it means. Doesn't an issue generally consist of conflicting points of view? Also I'm not 100% sure but I feel like 'point of view' might be too colloquial to fit with your piece.

10. Same as 7, what's 'this'? Don't worry about sounding repetitive, it's better than being ambiguous.

11. What is the cliche? Is it that Australians are often portrayed as good mates who'll do a solid for anyone? If that's it, stereotype or archetype might be a better fit.

12. No complaints, but I thought it was a convenient plug for the oft-neglected, but very wonderful, connotative language.


Overall: It was pretty good, you had the right ideas and structurally everything was solid. You used plenty of quotes without being it being distracting or filler. Only real complaint is that some of your points aren't elaborated on enough for me to fully understand why exactly you picked them to write about in the first place. :)

Edit: Highlighted the things I really liked in yellow because I didn't think it was clear enough <3
Title: Re: [2016 LA Club] Week 1
Post by: qazser on March 02, 2016, 09:38:37 pm
I also have little to no clue what a language analysis actually is, but I figured I'd give it a shot anyway (and we analyse language in literature? Surely I can at least add something relevant? ::) ).

Point by point breakdown

1. What makes it thought provoking? Is it the inclusion of statistics (267), her rhetoric, the tone (which is heavily influenced by connotations??), or whatever?

2. Similar thing - what about the article urges people to take a stance on the issue?

3. What future tragedies? This one's a bit nitpicky because it's implied in the article though.

4. I see what you're trying to do here by including her statistic, and it works to a level. A number on its own (as much as it pains me to say, I love numbers) is still just a number - it doesn't posses any inherent emotional value to the reader. Easy fix is just to extend your quote a bit.

5. What exactly could result?

6. tbh I don't want to go back to the article and read through it again to work out what exactly the last sentence was. soz fam

7. Clarify - what is 'this' immoral act, exactly?

8. You mentioned it yourself but you do a lot of repeating of this phrase and I thought I'd remind you.  ;)

9. Sounds deep but I don't actually know what it means. Doesn't an issue generally consist of conflicting points of view? Also I'm not 100% sure but I feel like 'point of view' might be too colloquial to fit with your piece.

10. Same as 7, what's 'this'? Don't worry about sounding repetitive, it's better than being ambiguous.

11. What is the cliche? Is it that Australians are often portrayed as good mates who'll do a solid for anyone? If that's it, stereotype or archetype might be a better fit.

12. No complaints, but I thought it was a convenient plug for the oft-neglected, but very wonderful, connotative language.


Overall: It was pretty good, you had the right ideas and structurally everything was solid. You used plenty of quotes without being it being distracting or filler. Only real complaint is that some of your points aren't elaborated on enough for me to fully understand why exactly you picked them to write about in the first place. :)

Ty
Title: Re: [2016 LA Club] Week 1
Post by: Anonymous on March 02, 2016, 11:03:50 pm
I also have little to no clue what a language analysis actually is, but I figured I'd give it a shot anyway (and we analyse language in literature? Surely I can at least add something relevant? ::) ).

Point by point breakdown

1. What makes it thought provoking? Is it the inclusion of statistics (267), her rhetoric, the tone (which is heavily influenced by connotations??), or whatever?

2. Similar thing - what about the article urges people to take a stance on the issue?

3. What future tragedies? This one's a bit nitpicky because it's implied in the article though.

4. I see what you're trying to do here by including her statistic, and it works to a level. A number on its own (as much as it pains me to say, I love numbers) is still just a number - it doesn't posses any inherent emotional value to the reader. Easy fix is just to extend your quote a bit.

5. What exactly could result?

6. tbh I don't want to go back to the article and read through it again to work out what exactly the last sentence was. soz fam

7. Clarify - what is 'this' immoral act, exactly?

8. You mentioned it yourself but you do a lot of repeating of this phrase and I thought I'd remind you.  ;)

9. Sounds deep but I don't actually know what it means. Doesn't an issue generally consist of conflicting points of view? Also I'm not 100% sure but I feel like 'point of view' might be too colloquial to fit with your piece.

10. Same as 7, what's 'this'? Don't worry about sounding repetitive, it's better than being ambiguous.

11. What is the cliche? Is it that Australians are often portrayed as good mates who'll do a solid for anyone? If that's it, stereotype or archetype might be a better fit.

12. No complaints, but I thought it was a convenient plug for the oft-neglected, but very wonderful, connotative language.


Overall: It was pretty good, you had the right ideas and structurally everything was solid. You used plenty of quotes without being it being distracting or filler. Only real complaint is that some of your points aren't elaborated on enough for me to fully understand why exactly you picked them to write about in the first place. :)
LOL that feedback was really enjoyable to read :P! Why can't everyone give feedback as fun as that
Title: Re: [2016 LA Club] Week 1
Post by: qazser on March 06, 2016, 04:35:54 pm
Edited Piece for LA
Thanks Beh for the suggestions :)


Through the use of patriotism, Nicola Barnett has presented a contentious piece that attempts to persuade her fellow Australians to take action on the recent refugee plight to prevent the loss of more lives at sea.  She argues that we should allow ‘267 asylum seekers seeking medical treatment to stay' intending to appeal to sympathy. Having mentioned this, she informs us of the consequences if “asylum seekers are allowed to stay,people smugglers will be encouraged”,which evokes a sense of fear in the reader for the lack of justice. Using the words 'denying' and 'denial' when elaborating on the government's options further attacks the reader's appeal for sympathy. These connotations of cruelty and apathy also serve to reinforce Barnett's attempts to label us readers as 'immoral' should we conform to the government's plans to send sick asylum seekers back to Nauru without treatment. Portraying the audience as ‘Un-Australians’ should they agree to such a decision, she attacks our sense of patriotism, our ethics and morality to the land we live in. Barnett uses an analogy about 'lifeguards' to present her contention in another way, attempting to illustrate a different stance on the issue to the readers. She also attacks our moral soul by using the phrases ‘prepared to let this person suffer’ but justifies her decision by coaxing the reader that she has now ‘prevented more deaths’. The reader is then made to feel as though they are supporting her contention through Barnett’s use of ‘our lifesavers’ and ‘we’, forms of inclusive language.  Barnett attacks the reader again through the use of a cliché where she lauds lifesavers as ‘good Australians’ because they risk themselves to save others before their own safety, alike the stereotypical Aussie who would do anything for his 'mates'. Furthermore, she uses it as an analogy, attacking the reader’s sense of morality, comparing the reader to an ideal ‘Aussie’, ‘one who risk themselves in order to save others’. The author's use of the word 'must explore' when persuading the audience forces the audience to consolidate their thoughts. These connotations of 'thinking outside the box' and 'look for alternatives' serve to reinforce the authors contention for asylum seekers to remain in Australia for treatment and curb encouragement of people smugglers. Barnett finishes off by presenting honorary examples of people (lawyers, academics,” think tanks”) who have contributed to a notion for an alternative and calls for the reader to stand up with these people and confront the issue at heart. 

Me below again, forgot tick
Title: Re: [2016 LA Club] Week 1
Post by: HopefulLawStudent on March 06, 2016, 05:47:40 pm
Didn't realise we were supposed to edit our paragraphs after feedback was given. So I did a last minute edit-job.

Spoiler
An appeal to the audience’s sense of patriotism is employed through Barnett’s use of the term “un-Australian” to describe the government's actions, intimating such actions contravene with the reader’s national identity, thereby seeking to alienate them from the political administration’s defence of their off-shore policy. Likening the government’s decision regarding refugees to “surf lifesavers”, the Aspley resident strives to accentuate the purportedly flawed logic of the government. That Barnett should employ this iconic Australian image suggests that to be “Australian” would have been to approach the issue of asylum seekers with the same zeal to aid a swimmer in distress. This analogy evinces the Aspley resident’s argument denying the asylum seekers residency in Australia would be akin to allowing one swimmer to die with the expectation it would prevent future incidents, appealing to the audience’s reasoning and logic to galvanise them to perceive the proposed solution as ludicrous. This is because lifesavers are employed to save lives; the idea that they would choose not to evokes the disbelief and fury of the audience. The author thereby seeks to direct this antipathy toward the government, implying this institution was similarly failing to fulfil their duties. In essence, Barnett seeks to engender the audience’s scepticism and preclude them from readily accepting and supporting the government’s attempt at rationalising their off-shore detention policy.

Off-topic(ish):

Barnett finishes off by presenting honorary examples of people (lawyers, academics,” think tanks”) who have...

Are we allowed to give extra info in brackets? Like qazser has? I have this same issue every single time I sit down for language analysis and I never know. Lauren, or Heidi, or whoever, please weigh in on this?
Title: Re: [2016 LA Club] Week 1
Post by: Anonymous on March 06, 2016, 06:27:08 pm
Didn't need to edit, i just felt like doing so ahah  ;D

Regarding brackets, could integrate into sentence if needed to.

of people such as bla bla bla who have
Title: Re: [2016 LA Club] Week 1
Post by: Anonymous on March 06, 2016, 09:09:46 pm
Recent controversy has arisen over the Government’s decision to send asylum seekers who are in Australia for medical treatment to detention camps in Nauru. In her opinion piece, Lifesaving spirit lost, Nicola Barnett contends in a critical tone that the response of the government is “un-Australian” and suggests that they must seek “alternatives to… [the] detention and prevention” of people smuggling.

Through a series of emotional and loaded language, Barnett suggests that the government is in favour of “denying” asylum seekers “the care and protection” they “need”. This depicts asylum seekers as vulnerable and readers are encouraged to feel sympathetic and concerned for the well-being of asylum seekers. In contrast, Barnett discredits the government in their denial of asylum seeker welfare and her mention of “medical professionals” suggests the incompetence of the government to undertake their responsibilities and thus readers are compelled to view the government as cruel and uncaring.

Furthermore, Barnett attempts to strengthen her argument in her analogous example of Australian surf lifesavers and the government. She states that if a person swam too far out at the beach and “got into serious trouble”, a lifesaver would not “let this person suffer” even though “more deaths… [could have been] prevented”. In equating the experience of a person in trouble at the beach with asylum seekers, Barnett intends to educate readers with a more personable and relatable experience. Moreover, Barnett links her example to the governments need to “explore alternatives to… the prevention of people smuggling” and readers are left under no misapprehension to the importance of the care required by asylum seekers and the neglect of the government.
Title: Re: [2016 LA Club] Week 1
Post by: literally lauren on March 07, 2016, 09:19:28 pm
Off-topic(ish):

Barnett finishes off by presenting honorary examples of people (lawyers, academics,” think tanks”) who have...

Are we allowed to give extra info in brackets? Like qazser has? I have this same issue every single time I sit down for language analysis and I never know. Lauren, or Heidi, or whoever, please weigh in on this?
BRACKETS ARE FOR THE WEAK!!

Not really... they're perfectly grammatical punctuation marks in the real world, but who says VCE English prepares you for real life? They're considered quite informal by a lot of assessors, so you should try to avoid them in formal essays.
For T.R. and L.A. (and Context if you're writing expository pieces,) just don't use them.
^Shut up. I'm allowed to use them. I'm a grown up.

A better alternative would be to use the double dash - which I'm quite fond of - to embed extra information in a sentence like I just did. So long as you make sure the sentence is still grammatical even when you take out the information bound by the dashes, you should be fine.

eg. 'The author uses a variety of techniques - including rhetorical questions - to persuade readers' = fine
but 'The author uses a variety of techniques - some of these include rhetorical questions - these techniques are evident throughout the piece' = NOT FINE

There's also the single dash, which works differently, but I won't bring that up here since it performs a pretty different function.

Basically if you want to use brackets, try and restructure your sentence so that you don't need them. And if you really want to use brackets, use dashes instead. Because you might get some stuffy old prescriptive grammarian as your marker at the end of the year, and you really don't want to make people like that even more unhappy than they already are on the inside :)
Title: Re: [2016 LA Club] Week 1
Post by: Anonymous on March 07, 2016, 09:41:46 pm
Well I'm glad I've never used it now. My scary VCAA assessor teacher who has probably been marking since dinosaurs still roamed the Earth would've murdered me.
Title: Re: [2016 LA Club] Week 1
Post by: Anonymous on March 19, 2016, 11:03:41 pm
Okay, so kinda late to the party but here's my attempt at language analysis (It's really basic, I know, but hey, at least I tried :P):

In her passionate and disparaging letter to the editor, Nicole Barnett castigates the government’s decision to send asylum seekers requiring medical treatment in Australia back to Nauru. Barnett’s appeal to patriotism throughout the letter in associating the government’s proposition with ‘un-Australian’ values instils doubt in the reader towards the ethics of returning these refugees to Nauru. Barnett’s analogy of surf lifesavers portrays the ‘quintessential Australian’ as people who risk themselves to save others regardless of their circumstances, in stark contrast to the government’s action against the refugees. This analogy interprets the return of refugees to Nauru as ridiculous and unreasonable, which promotes audience support of Barnett’s position in condemnation of the government’s proposition. Furthermore, Barnett’s inclusive language in discussing ‘our’ lifesavers transfers responsibility to the reader and compels the audience to act upon the Australian values of fairness and compassion in opposing the government’s return of asylum seekers to Nauru. Finally, Barnett’s indignant tone gives way to one of authority when she calls for the government to act upon the alternatives presented by ‘academics, “think tanks” and lawyers’. By presenting her alternative solution as one supported by intelligent and accomplished professionals, Barnett strengthens audience approval of her seemingly fairer, more reasonable and more favourable proposition than that of the government, convincing the reader to reject the government’s actions.

I know that I have a problem with being concise in my writing and also using more extensive vocabulary, so if anyone could give me some pointers on that - or anything really - I'd be super grateful!!
Title: Re: [2016 LA Club] Week 1
Post by: Anonymous on March 20, 2016, 05:51:34 pm
Excite :D
First time giving feedback btw you have been warned.
Anyway, hope this helps!

Spoiler
Recent controversy has arisen over the Government’s decision to send asylum seekers who are in Australia for medical treatment to detention camps in Nauru. In her opinion piece, Lifesaving spirit lost, Nicola Barnett contends in a critical tone ( totally correct but its better to have more specific words than simply critical ) that the response of the government is “un-Australian” and suggests that they must seek “alternatives to… [the] detention and prevention” of people smuggling.

(Easily covers all the bases for an introduction :D )

Through a series of emotional and loaded language, Barnett suggests that the government is in favour of “denying” asylum seekers “the care and protection” they “need”. This depicts asylum seekers as vulnerable and readers are encouraged to feel sympathetic and concerned for the well-being of asylum seekers. (Repeated asylum seekers twice in the same sentence so the flow feels a bit off) In contrast, Barnett discredits the government in their denial of asylum seeker welfare and her mention of “medical professionals” suggests the incompetence of the government to undertake their responsibilities ( This part is worded strangely. Also a bit of a jump in logic. Yes, she mentions medical professionals, but how does simply this reflect incompetence in the government's actions? Maybe be more clear. ) and thus readers are compelled to view the government as cruel and uncaring. ( Spot on job identifying the techniques and the effect on the readers! However, where does the author's contention fit into this? How do these emotions lead the audience to feel about it? )

Furthermore, Barnett attempts to strengthen her argument in her analogous example of Australian surf lifesavers and the government. ( I don't think analogous example can be used like that. But to be honest I have no idea; it just sounds a little strange ) She states that if a person swam too far out at the beach and “got into serious trouble”, a lifesaver would not “let this person suffer” even though “more deaths… [could have been] prevented”. (And what does this mindset show about the government's regarding asylum seekers? ) In equating the experience of a person in trouble at the beach with asylum seekers, Barnett intends to educate (Not sure educate is the right word here. Educate about what? ) readers with a more personable and relatable experience. Moreover, Barnett links her example (Not super clear what this example is. Is it about the lifesavers? If so, why does their example lead to the government's need to change their policies? ie. Maybe focus more on the patriotic side and explore how the government is not setting a good example to fellow Australians, especially when compared to the lifesavers. ) to the governments need to “explore alternatives to… the prevention of people smuggling” and readers are left under no misapprehension to the importance of the care required by asylum seekers and the neglect of the government.
(Again, where is the effect these techniques have on the reader's opinion on the contention? This is probably the part most English students forget though, and sometimes I struggle to fit it in without sounding too clunky too. But if you can get this right, immediate boost to the examiner's impression on your essay :D )

Overall v nice~
I'm super picky about expression and flow and such, but other than the parts I highlighted your piece reads quite smoothly

Title: Re: [2016 LA Club] Week 1
Post by: Marmalade on March 20, 2016, 05:58:37 pm
Above was me~~

Barnett voices her thoughts on the Australian Government's recent announcement concerning the fate of asylum seekers seeking medical aid in Australia in an appalled, disgruntled tone, mainly focusing on the lack of Australian Spirit the government is displaying. She first laments their denial of ‘care and protection’ to the asylum seekers- a basic human right- and their disregard of the advice of ‘medical professionals’, thus portraying the government as morally corrupt and invalidated in their decisions. Not only does this lead the audience to lose trust in them, but also evokes emotions of outrage and disapproval towards them, degrading their credibility and urging readers to agree with the author’s contention in face of these atrocities. This is further extrapolated upon in Barnett’s following statements as she juxtaposes the unjust actions of the government to ‘our surf lifesavers’, revealing the vast dichotomy between their merits and lack thereof. Not only does the use of the inclusive pronoun ‘our’ allow the author to connect with the audience further by associating with them together as a nation, but also purposely excludes the government from this group, following their ‘un-Australian’ nature. This appeals to the patriotism of the audience, and encourages them to criticize the government as they are not living up to their responsibilities as an Australian. As a result, readers are drawn to look down upon the government and instead support the author’s contention, in accordance with their sense of patriotism.

Title: Re: [2016 LA Club] Week 1
Post by: literally lauren on March 23, 2016, 01:05:03 pm
In her passionate and disparaging letter to the editor, Nicole Barnett castigates the government’s decision to send asylum seekers requiring medical treatment in Australia back to Nauru. Barnett’s appeal to patriotism throughout the letter in associating the government’s proposition with ‘un-Australian’ awesome job at actually clarifying what the appeal to patriotism is rather than just being like 'there's an appeal to patriotism' and leaving it at that values instils doubt in the reader towards the ethics of returning these refugees to Nauru. Barnett’s analogy of surf lifesavers portrays reeeeally minor point, but the word 'portrays' only really works in the context of an active agent or person portraying something. So you can say 'The author portrays his life story,' but you can say 'His life story portrays hardships' if that makes sense. A person portrays things; things can't portray other things :P In this context, you could say 'Barnett portrays...' but not 'Barnett's analogy portrays...' the ‘quintessential Australian’ as people who risk themselves to save others regardless of their circumstances, in stark contrast to the government’s action against the refugees. This analogy interprets again, verb choice doesn't quite work since an analogy can't interpret things. It can convey something, or express something, so try to use more active verbs the return of refugees to Nauru as ridiculous and unreasonable, which promotes audience support of Barnett’s position in condemnation of the government’s proposition v. good! Furthermore, Barnett’s inclusive language in discussing ‘our’ lifesavers transfers responsibility to the reader and compels the audience to act upon the Australian values of fairness and compassion in opposing the government’s return of asylum seekers to Nauru. Finally, Barnett’s indignant tone this is a little bit list-y since your transitions are just like 'Furthermore, the author's >technique< in doing X leads to Y' so mixing up your sentence structure would be ideal just to prevent that sense of repetition gives way to one of authority when she calls for the government to act upon the alternatives presented by ‘academics, “think tanks” and lawyers’. By presenting her alternative solution as one supported by intelligent and accomplished professionals, Barnett strengthens audience approval of her seemingly fairer, more reasonable and more favourable proposition than that of the government, convincing the reader to reject the government’s actions. Really good discussion of the effect; you've got a great understanding of the author's intent both in terms of the argument and how he wants the readers to respond.
You've got the process of analysis under control, so you're probably at the stage now where you can start being a bit more confident in varying your sentence structure. You don't have to start with the effect and backtrack to the language or anything weird like that, but even something as small as altering the way you introduce a point can stop the assessors from acknowledging the pattern/formula you're using

eg. 'The author's use of X as seen in "Y" engenders readers' sense of Z'
--> The X evident in "Y" forms part of the author's attempts to engender Z
--> The author's declaration that "Y" is an example of X, which contributes to readers' sense of Z
--> X is also employed by the author in the phrase "Y" in order to engender a sense of Z
               ...and so on

Devising your own variants of the above should help you incorporate alternations in your analysis.

The other thing to look out for is your verb usage - words like 'portrays' and 'interprets' have limited applicability in Language Analysis and you'd probably be better off using the kinds of words here under the first two tabs in particular.

Let me know if that vocab explanation didn't make sense :)

Other than that, you definitely seem to be on top of the whole 'showing your workings' stuff and you're providing a good amount of explanation. Because this is a small scale task, it's a little tough to judge things like concise-ness, though perhaps you could afford to cut down on some of the more similar effect statements.

eg. instead of saying:
the technique A which elicits feelings of B forms part of the author's attempt to C
+ also the technique D elicits feelings of E, also contributing to the author's attempt to C


you could just say:
the technique A elicits feelings of B
+ the author also uses technique D which elicits feelings of E
--> this further strengthens the author's attempt to C

If the overall effect/intention is the same, then you can group them to prevent having to restate points or repeat yourself.

Well done :)

Barnett voices her thoughts on the Australian Government's recent announcement concerning the fate of asylum seekers seeking medical aid in Australia in an appalled, disgruntled tone, mainly focusing on the lack of Australian Spirit no capitalisation needed here the government is displaying. Little bit verbose; you could just say 'Barnett employs an appalled, disgruntled tone to condemn the lack of Australian spirit shown by the govt. to asylum seekers.' What you've got here at the moment is like 'The author talks about X in a tone that is Y, focusing on argument Z' but that initial 'talks about X' is a bit unnecessary. We're more interested in the author's argument than the subject matter of their argument, if that helps. But this might've just been an issue because it's a short, introduction-less piece, in which case it's totally fine :) She first unless the chronology is important, don't draw attention to it. The fact that she does this "first" isn't something you unpack or analyse as being persuasive, so it's basically a wasted word in this context laments their denial of ‘care and protection’ to the asylum seekers- a basic human right- and their disregard of the advice of ‘medical professionals’, thus portraying the government as morally corrupt and invalidated in their decisions phrasing is a bit clunky, but analysis is solid. Not only does this lead the audience to lose trust in them, but also evokes emotions of outrage and disapproval towards them, degrading their credibility and urging readers to agree with the author’s contention what part of their contention?? Never say this unless you're instantly going to be more specific like 'to agree with the author's contention THAT THE ASYLUM SEEKERS DESERVE BETTER TREATMENT' in face of these atrocities. This is further extrapolated upon in Barnett’s following statements as she juxtaposes the unjust actions of the government to ‘our surf lifesavers’, revealing the vast dichotomy between their merits and lack thereof I know what you're suggesting here, but grammatically, it's unclear who has merits and who lacks them. Not only does the use of the inclusive pronoun ‘our’ allow the author to connect with the audience further by associating with them together as a nation, but it also purposely excludes the government from this group, following do you mean 'because of'? Just a little unclear on the meaning here their ‘un-Australian’ nature. This appeals to the patriotism of the audience, and encourages them to criticize the government as they are not living up to their responsibilities as an Australian Australians (since you're talking about 'the government' which is an intrinsically plural noun in this context - you say '...criticise the government as they...' not 'the government as he/she/it'). As a result, readers are drawn to look down upon vocab the government and instead support the author’s contention, in accordance with their sense of patriotism. slight repetition of 'patriotism' here but otherwise okay.

Excellent discussion of how the elements of this piece combined to have cumulative effects on readers. There were a few phrases here and there that could've been refined to maximise clarity or efficiency, so watch out for your grammar and word choices.
(+see link above to Heidi's awesome vocab post!)

Also, make sure you're providing the right amount of information - or, more accurately, that you're hitting that balance between specificity and generalisations in the right place.

Your first sentence contains a little too much info to the point where a bit of it is kind of redundant. But that sentence where you say 'urges readers to agree with the author's contention' needs MORE!

Aside from that, you're definitely on the right track, and you've got a really solid foundation for your interpretation, so keep it up! :)
Title: Re: [2016 LA Club] Week 1
Post by: Marmalade on March 25, 2016, 06:02:58 pm
Thanks for the feedback Lauren! :D

Wow I realise that I do that really vague 'urging readers to agree with the author's contention' a lot actually xD. I'll try to work harder with that!

I just wanted to ask for a bit more clarification on what you mean by balance between specificity and generalizations. Do you mean analyzing the article and what the author is trying to say, but not assuming things about them? I'm not quite sure. 
Title: Re: [2016 LA Club] Week 1
Post by: literally lauren on April 04, 2016, 08:13:00 am
Thanks for the feedback Lauren! :D

Wow I realise that I do that really vague 'urging readers to agree with the author's contention' a lot actually xD. I'll try to work harder with that!

I just wanted to ask for a bit more clarification on what you mean by balance between specificity and generalizations. Do you mean analyzing the article and what the author is trying to say, but not assuming things about them? I'm not quite sure.
No worries - the vagueness is something a lot of people struggle with, but now that you're aware of it, it should be a lot easier to spot.

Regarding that balance: basically you don't want to be too far on either side of the spectrum. So you wouldn't want to be overly/ unnecessarily specific by saying something like 'this technique would likely appeal to people who suffer from anxiety or have a nervous disposition because their perception of the government would radically shift if the author undermined their credibility' or 'the author targets people who live in Mowbray because he makes reference to John Smith who grew up in Mowbray'... that's where things get weird. But you also don't want to make things too general, as in, 'this aids the author in persuading readers of his contention' or 'thus the author seeks to drive public discourse towards his views.'

So the balance you need to strike involves talking about the target audience (when provided) and the intended effect, but not extrapolating outside the boundaries of the task and using a bunch of external knowledge to supplement your discussion. Technically everything you need to get a high score in L.A. will be on the pages in front of you, so the fact that you know that, say, the residents of Mowbray are particularly invested in the hospitality industry shouldn't be necessary unless that fact has been provided for you.

Hopefully it won't be too much of a concern, but I've found that when students are told to stop being so general/vague, then they tend to overcorrect and end up forcing those weirdly specific comments in the middle of their analysis. Just something to look out for in future :)
Title: Re: [2016 LA Club] Week 1
Post by: Anonymous on May 01, 2016, 11:16:45 pm
WOOPS IM REALLY LATE BUT HERE IT GOES:

Barnett makes a distinct appeal to the Australian audiences’ sense of patriotism to disparage the government’s current stance regarding asylum seekers. The situation having been specifically described as “denying people the care as advised by medical professionals” in combination with the succinct “This is un-Australian” is likely to elicit a feeling of injustice and nationalism. By distinguishing the clear lack of respect towards respected members of society and also to Australian morals, Barnett generates a sense of hatred towards the government as their position is illustrated in an inhumane manner. The act of “denying” and “denial” which is repeated twice is a repetitive employment in which Barnett links to Australian values the portrayal of the government’s injustice is also represented as intentional as if to almost indicate there is a clear motive to go against such. The sort of betrayal that the readership are manipulated to feel therefore act as a galvanizing tool to induce a sense of uproar as to fervently rally against this motion that is so clearly undermining the Australian way of life. Introducing the analogy involving a life saver, an appeal is once again made to the stereotypical Australian and the customs they abide by. The life saver to which is synonymous with Australian culture, therefore adjusts the readership to perceive the image of every Australian as tolerant, helping and friendly and to contrast the staunch difference between what the government has done and what our nation stands for. An additional element to author’s advancing contention is the engagement of the readerships sense of logic. The notion of being “prepared to let this person suffer” is intended to create a sense of bewilderment and bemusement as witnessing pain will urgently call upon any average Australian to help nevertheless a lifeguard and thus the audience are again pushed towards accepting an alternative policy as Barnett stigmatizes the current with illogicality and nonsensicality . The additional juxtaposition made between the “quintessential Australians”, “heroes” and altruistic nature of lifesavers compared to the previously unsympathetic one may incite the audience into shuddering at the continuation of the “off-shore processing policy”. That scathing tone directed towards the governments incompetence in understanding its people probes through the many flaws existing within the current process that hence prompts reconsideration in the audience to a solution far from a “detention camp in Nauru”.



Title: Re: [2016 LA Club] Week 1
Post by: literally lauren on May 06, 2016, 02:21:16 pm
Barnett makes a distinct appeal to the Australian audiences’ sense of patriotism to disparage the government’s current stance regarding asylum seekers. Excellent starting sentence :) The situation having been specifically described as “denying people the care as advised by medical professionals” in combination with the succinct “This is un-Australian” is likely to elicit a feeling of injustice and nationalism the notion of injustice seems to be more central to your discussion here. Try and keep your analysis targeted to the most relevant effects rather than mentioning all possible options that you can extract from that language. By distinguishing the clear lack of respect who's lack of respect? towards respected members of society and also to Australian morals, Barnett generates a sense of hatred towards the government as their position is illustrated in an inhumane manner I'm being super picky here, but your choice of words implies that the author is doing this illustration in an inhumane way, as opposed to depicting their position as inhumane. The act of “denying” and “denial” which is repeated twice is a repetitive employment in which Barnett links to Australian values the portrayal of the government’s injustice bit confused as to your sentence structure here is also represented as intentional as if to almost indicate there is a clear motive to go against such this is a bit too general. The sort of betrayal that the readership are manipulated to feel therefore acts as a galvanizing tool to induce a sense of uproar as to fervently rally against this motion that is so clearly undermining the Australian way of life v good :). Introducing the analogy involving a life saver, an appeal is once again made to the stereotypical Australian and the customs they abide by. The life saver to which is synonymous with Australian culture specifying that the author was equating life savers with Australian heroism rather than 'Aus culture' in general, therefore adjusts the readership to perceive the image of every Australian as tolerant, helping and friendly and to contrast the staunch difference between what the government has done and what our nation stands for excellent!! An additional element to author’s advancing contention is the engagement of the readerships sense of logic. This seems like a needlessly roundabout way of saying 'The author also employs an appeal to logic' - try and go for simpler expressions if in doubt. The notion of being “prepared to let this person suffer” is intended to create a sense of bewilderment and bemusement as witnessing pain will urgently call upon any average Australian to help nevertheless a lifeguard and thus the audience are again pushed towards bit colloquial accepting an alternative policy as Barnett stigmatizes the current with illogicality and nonsensicality. The additional juxtaposition made between the “quintessential Australians”, “heroes” and altruistic nature of lifesavers compared to the previously unsympathetic one which one? and who's nature was unsympathetic? may incite an easy way to avoid this problem of having to say 'may' or 'perhaps' is to focus on the intention of the author rather than the possible reception of the audience (which is actually more in keeping with the criteria of Language Analysis). So changing this to 'through XYZ, the author seeks to incite...' or 'XYZ is intended to incite...' will neatly bypass this issue the audience into shuddering try and concentrate more on the emotional response. What would shuddering be indicative of? at the continuation of the “off-shore processing policy”. That scathing tone directed towards the government's incompetence in understanding its people probes through the many flaws existing within the current process that hence prompts reconsideration in the audience to a solution prompts readers to consider a different solution far from a “detention camp in Nauru”.

In short, your analysis is really awesome in sections. Minor clarity issues occasionally bog this down a bit, but the main thing to focus on is your specificity! It's perfectly fine to refer back to previous points of analysis (i.e. "The author emphasises about the kindness of lifesavers. Hence, the author contrasts this kindness of lifesavers with the unsympathetic one of the govt.") <-- but that last part has to be specific in order for you to receive credit for this comparison.

Specificity is key! Aside from that, you're definitely on the right track with your analytical skills :)
Title: Re: [2016 LA Club] Week 1
Post by: Anonymous on September 23, 2016, 12:26:41 pm
Super super late, but could I have a go?

Barnett encourages Australian readers to defend Australian values by opposing the Government's new proposal. Barnett creates a dichotomy between Australian supporters and dissenters of the new proposal by dubbing the act of denying medical care to asylum seekers as "un-Australian". The latter audience is positioned to cement their disapproval at the ruling as it is depicted as contradictory to Australian values, leading them to believe that it is unacceptable in our culture. However, supporters of the ruling is guided to feel threatened and shamed as they are casted off as not an Australian but as the 'other'. This readership is likely to reflect upon their opinion about the proposal as they believe themselves to be disapproved by rest of the society, and are thus more inclined to change their stance on the issue to save their reputation. Furthermore, by depicting the proposal as lacking human pathos, Barnett attempts to discourage not only Australian reader, but a broader audience. The phrase, "I am prepared to let this person suffer" creates a monotonous, matter-of-fact tone due to the simple, clear sentence structure which when contrasted with the horrific meaning, intensifies the moral degradation of what is being suggested. Thus, readers are guided to feel disgust at the government. Ultimately then, Barnett's readership is guided to feel as though the proposal contradicts their Australian pride as well as humanity, perhaps spurring them to demand for a new ruling from the government.
Title: Re: [2016 LA Club] Week 1
Post by: literally lauren on October 24, 2016, 11:53:30 am
Barnett encourages Australian readers to defend Australian values by opposing the Government's new proposal. Barnett creates a dichotomy between Australian supporters and dissenters of the new proposal by dubbing the act of denying medical care to asylum seekers as "un-Australian". The latter audience is positioned to cement their disapproval at the ruling as it is depicted as contradictory to Australian values, leading them to believe that it is unacceptable in our avoid first person pronouns in L.A. essays, if possible. Just saying 'Australian culture' would be fine here culture. However, supporters of the ruling is are guided to feel threatened and shamed as they are casted off bit colloquial - what do you mean by this? rejected? belittled? dismissed? disregarded? etc. as not an Australian but as the 'other'. This readership is likely to reflect upon their opinion about the proposal as they believe themselves to be disapproved by rest of the society, and are thus more inclined to change their stance on the issue to save their reputation. Furthermore, by depicting the proposal as lacking human pathos, Barnett attempts to discourage not only Australian reader, but a broader audience. The phrase, "I am prepared to let this person suffer" creates a monotonous, matter-of-fact tone due to the simple, clear sentence structure which when contrasted with the horrific meaning, intensifies the moral degradation of what is being suggested like that you're unpacking the language so closely here, though be careful to always take explicit care in showing your workings for stuff like this - skipping from 'the clear sentence structure' to 'moral degredation' would be a bit of a leap otherwise'. Thus, readers are guided to feel disgust at the government. Ultimately then, Barnett's readership is guided to feel as though the proposal contradicts their Australian pride as well as humanity, could probably collapse these into one concluding statement about the effect perhaps spurring them to demand for a new ruling from the government might be a bit of a stretch; saying 'perhaps' lets you get away with this, but if in doubt, stay close to the material and just talk about what consequences the author is seeking to bring about :).
Title: Re: [2016 LA Club] Week 1
Post by: Anonymous on December 07, 2016, 01:04:35 pm
Not sure if I can post on this kinda old thread ...

Um and who do I give feedback to? I’m pretty sure most people who posted are year 12s who never want to see language analysis again lol

The government’s decision to force 267 asylum seekers undergoing medical treatment in Australia back to detention camps in Nauru has sparked a furore over the exigency to save these lives. In the letter to the editor “Lifesaving spirit lost”, Nicola Barnett admonishingly contends that other alternatives to mandatory detention and the prevention of people smuggling (basically copied this from the text, is that okay?) must be considered by the government. The readers to whom the piece is directed is the government, although members of the general public may welcome it to help provide them with a clearer perspective of the ramifications for these asylum seekers, who bear the brunt of this decision.

Barnett argues that asylum seekers are in need of support. By casting asylum seekers’ plight as one predicated on “misfortune or error of judgement”, Barnett accentuates the notion that their current situation stems from bad luck or a poor decision; factors for which they should not be chastised. Readers may react with compassion to this unfortunate quandary, and thus, may castigate the government who afflict further sorrow upon them. In addition, the negative words "serious trouble" reinforce the grave issues that asylum seekers must endure, alluding to a possible danger or risk they must face. Readers are positioned to not simply disregard or dismiss their circumstances as negligible, and instead, consider its significance.

Barnett also argues that the government’s actions are abhorrent and deplorable. The negative word “deny(ing)” denotes the government’s refusal to grant their plea. By appealing to values such as equality and fairness, concerned members of the public may find their judgement morally repugnant and share Barnett’s indignation in depriving asylum seekers of the basic rights to which all humans are entitled to. Additionally, Barnett highlights the legitimacy of the asylum seekers’ health issues as they are supported by “medical professionals”. Hence, readers may take into account their implied expertise in diagnosis as regarded, reputable and unbiased professionals. In so doing, readers are challenged to consider the necessity for the asylum seekers to be granted stay in Australia for their needs are fulfilled, given their vulnerable state. Furthermore, Barnett dubs the government’s actions as “un-Australian”. This pejorative term negatively connotes their behaviour, which violates typical Australian cultural norms and fundamental values. Through this condemnation, Bennett accentuates the irony that underpins their behaviour: the government, who is purportedly patriotic, does not have the nation’s interests at heart with such a decision. Thus, Bennett attempts to instil a sense of shame in Australian readers who share the government’s resolve to turn back ill asylum seekers in need, whilst other readers may decry this choice because it undermines Australian values.

note: i haven't finished, still need to write a paragraph on how barnett depicts the surf lifesavers and the conclusion
Title: Re: [2016 LA Club] Week 1
Post by: j.wang on December 07, 2016, 01:05:56 pm
That was me, sorry!
Title: Re: [2016 LA Club] Week 1
Post by: HopefulLawStudent on December 14, 2016, 11:50:34 am
Not sure if I can post on this kinda old thread ...

Um and who do I give feedback to? I’m pretty sure most people who posted are year 12s who never want to see language analysis again lol

Hey sorry for the late post. Don't bother giving feedback to anyone; they're probs not even checking this thread anymore. I'm fairly sure that there will be a LA club running again next year. So save your feedback for then. :P

The government’s decision to force 267 asylum seekers undergoing medical treatment in Australia back to detention camps in Nauru has sparked a furore over the exigency to save these lives.too evaluative? Remember the point of LA is to be as objective as possible In the letter to the editor “Lifesaving spirit lost”, Nicola Barnett admonishingly contends that other alternatives to mandatory detention and the prevention of people smuggling (basically copied this from the text, is that okay?)Yeah. Should be fine? Fairly sure a good proportion of my year level used background info almost verbatim (just like throw in some synonyms or something so that it's less obvious if you're iffy about copying fr the text must be considered by the government. The readers to whom the piece is directed is the government, although members of the general public Your audience is never never NEVER "the public" EVER may welcome it to help provide them with a clearer perspective of the ramifications for these asylum seekers, who bear the brunt of this decision.

Barnett argues that asylum seekers are in need of support. By casting asylum seekers’ plight as one predicated on “misfortune or error of judgement”, Barnett accentuates the notion that their current situation stems from bad luck or a poor decision; factors for which they should not be chastised. Readers may react with compassion to this unfortunate quandary, and thus, may castigate the government who afflict further sorrow upon them. In addition, the negative words Rule of thumb for LA (if you wanna be safe) is to just avoid stuff like "negative" words and "positive" words. I swear every time I used it, my teacher lost his marbles (and not in a good way)"serious trouble" reinforce the grave issues that asylum seekers must endure, alluding to a possible danger or risk they must face. Readers are positioned to not simply disregard or dismiss their circumstances as negligible, and instead, consider its significance.

Barnett also argues that the government’s actions are abhorrent and deplorable. The negative word “deny(ing)” denotes the government’s refusal to grant their plea. By appealing to values such as equality and fairness, concerned members of the public may find their judgement morally repugnant and share Barnett’s indignation in depriving asylum seekers of the basic rights to which all humans are entitled to. Additionally, Barnett highlights the legitimacy of the asylum seekers’ health issues Too evaluative. You probs need a qualifier like "Barnett highlights the perceived legitimacy..."as they are supported by “medical professionals”. Hence, readers may take into account their implied expertise in diagnosis as regarded, reputable and unbiased professionals. In so doing, readers are challenged to consider the necessity for the asylum seekers to be granted stay in Australia for their needs are fulfilled, given their vulnerable state. Furthermore, Barnett dubs the government’s actions as “un-Australian”. This pejorative term negatively connotes their behaviour, which violates typical Australian cultural norms and fundamental values. Through this condemnation, Bennett accentuates the irony that underpins their behaviour: the government, who is purportedly patriotic, does not have the nation’s interests at heart with such a decision. Clumsy. And seems unnecessarily verbose. Thus, Bennett attempts to instil a sense of shame in Australian readers So you're saying the audience is Australian readers? (Please don't, it's like saying the audience is the public.) Pick an audience and stick by it; don't start changing up who the audience might be mid essaywho share the government’s resolve to turn back ill asylum seekers in need, whilst other readers may decry this choice because it undermines Australian values.

note: i haven't finished, still need to write a paragraph on how barnett depicts the surf lifesavers and the conclusion
Title: Re: [2016 LA Club] Week 1
Post by: Gogo14 on December 16, 2016, 05:36:35 pm
Bit late to the party, but oh well...

Following the controversial decision of the Government to ship asylum seekers requiring medical assistance to Nauru, Nicola Barnett condemns the justification of the government’s motives in her condescending article “Lifesaving spirit lost”. She adopts a belligerent tone by juxtaposing the government to a undutiful lifesaver analogous to the context of saving asylum seekers by granting “ the care and protection they need”.

Barnett disparages upon the credibility and liability of the government to draw prudent decisions in this affair by asserting that their decision opposes the advisory of “of medical professionals”. As such, the government is portrayed to be deliberately opposing an expert opinion, who have the credentials to make the best informed decisions in this dilemma. Hence the audience is positioned to perceive the government’s action to be irrational and not in the best benefit of everyone. Furthermore, this notion of irrationality is accentuated by the analogy of the Government being selfish lifesavers who is “prepared to let this [asylum seeker] suffer” . The analogy serves to illustrate the government’s defence of “[preventing] a future tragedy at sea” to be logically flawed as the irony of lifesavers deliberately letting swimmers drown allows the readers to question the lifeguard’s decision to be inhumane, rash and poor. As the title implies, the “lifesaving spirit lost” in the analogy juxtaposes with the poor decision making of the government.

Also, Barnett appeals to Australian’s sense of nationalism by not only using an analogy which epitomises Australian culture, but the stark word “un-Australian” isolates the government figure to not be Australian. This segregation manipulates readers to believe that the decision of the government contradicts the virtues of Australia, thus stripping them of their national identity . Furthermore, connective pronouns like “our” and “we” groups the readers to find common ground with the author as are both Australian. Therefore, the audience is aligned to have a sense of pride and communal integrity as they recognise that the “heroes” are “Australians”. Ultimately this appeal to nationalism isolates the government to be unconstitutional and the readers to possess a shared viewpoint of the situation.
Barnett saturates the article with connotative words in attempt to collimate the reader with her stance. Lifesavers are depicted as “heroes” and are “[lauded] as quintessential Australians” . the word “hero” reconnects the readers to themes of self sacrifice, bravery and nobility, thus implying that these are quintessential characteristics of Australians. This connotes lifesavers to be an embodiment of these characteristics, therefore leading the audience to believe that the situation should be approached with these values. In contrast to the government’s decision,  Bartnett is implying that Australians should rather “risk themselves to save others” and ultimately grant asylum seekers requiring medical needs access to Australia. This alternative is reinstated by an imperative “must” adding urgency to the situation to position the audience to believe that the Government has belittle the issue.
Barnett initially disparages the decision through her analogy and appeal to nationalism, but then unites with the audience by using connotative words and pronouns to urge the government to seek an alternative that is more constitutional of Australia’s values.
Title: Re: [2016 LA Club] Week 1
Post by: Anonymous on February 13, 2017, 09:52:37 pm
Its back ❤
Title: Re: [2016 LA Club] Week 1
Post by: Anonymous on May 17, 2017, 05:38:16 pm
Due to government’s decision in sending asylum seekers, who are in Australia for medical treatment, back to the Nauru detention centre, sparks Nicola Barnett’s opinion piece “Lifesaving spirit lost”. Barnett contends that the government is no longer following the Australian values and should reconsider mandatory detention centres and prevention of people smuggling. Barnett’s tone is factual and sarcastic, speaking her mind, and saying it straight to the point. By declaring that sending asylum seekers back to Nauru is “un- Australian” appeals to the reader’s Australian values. That Australian citizens do not believe and want to be culprit in the emotionless decision by the government. Barnett creates a bad connotation being un-Australian and therefore that it is unkind to send the asylum seekers back to Nauru.
Barnett also points out that the medical professionals, the experts, are “advising” asylum seekers to get treatment. The inclusion of experts, and their opinions persuades the reader that treatment is what is necessary for these people, and the fact that the government is denying these people from medical help, may result in a life or death situation. This creates the task to be more urgent and necessary to solve, before many other innocent lives are lost.
Barnett continues, and creates a hypothetical situation from the perspective of the life guard. A life guard represents Australian values, protects others before themselves, and helps the weaker. By creating a hypothetical situation of the lifeguard not saving the one person, because it will discourage others from coming. It allows the reader to clearly understand the foolishness and self absorbed motives of the government, rather than the actual medical saving the asylum seekers require.
Title: Re: [2016 LA Club] Week 1
Post by: Anonymous on December 18, 2019, 11:48:08 am
I tried to do this in a structure similar to how I would respond to the SAC/exam.


During a scathing response to the Australian government's recently exposed prerogative to send asylum seekers requiring medical attention to Nauru detention camps, Nicola Barnett contends that the government "must explore the alternatives to mandatory detention". 

Barnett opens her piece by highlighting how the government's reasoning for the deportation of the asylum seekers was "un-Australian", which is intended to portray to the reader a sense of betrayal towards their country, therefore inciting them to estrange themself with the policy. She compares the government's reasoning to a more relatable moral dilema with a single swimmer being stranded at sea in order to further an emotional connection between the reader and the recent policy. In the analogy she lauds surf lifesavers as "heros" and claims that not a single one of them would have done what the government did, and, in conjunction with using inclusive language when referencing "our" surf lifesavers, attempts to tie the reader to what she claims is all surf lifesavers' morals. Barnett portrays the asylum seekers as people like us who had just lost their way, people who had "misfortune" or made an "error or judgement", in order to illicit empathy from the reader towards the asylum seekers and their plight.

Throughout her piece, Barnett mainly used an appeal to patriotism to persuade the reader to be sympathetic to the asylum seekers' case and to support alternatives to future government actions regarding asylum seekers.