Dahello & Bestie, I'll address your concerns together:
To clarify: this contention isn't just that detention centres are horrible places, it's a commentary on the reaction of the general public to deaths in custody as opposed to deaths at sea in boat accidents. He questions the imbalance of outrage over one death compared to another, and regards this as an almost sadistic catharsis.
Bestie: with regards to your analysis, those are some good starting points, but you need to clarify the contention^ before you launch into discussion. Focus on his critique of the masses; Aly isn't talking so much about asylum seekers as he is talking about the asylum seeker
debate. Or, more specifically: the public's acknowledgement of horror (link to the title.)
The start and end may be important (and if that's your task then focus on them) but you shouldn't ignore the rest of the article, as it provides much needed context to help work out what the contention and general appeals are. Have another look at those phrases with this in mind and tell me if you need more help.
Dahello: those phrases:
is a phrase that means the same thing as 'we're counting on it' or 'we're relying on it.' In this case, we're relying on the conditions at Manus island to be atrociously inhumane to deter refugees from seeking asylum.
- Let's make this calculus finally explicit
Dont know why he calls it calculus...maybe because he was talking about Greek tragedy...? Anyway, he's saying let's bring this discussion to the forefront of media discourse, rather than ignore the issue. You could comment on this mathematical terminology as a critique of the government;s view of people as numbers rather than individual humans I suppose, beyond that I'm not sure.
- boats hardly worthy of that description
ie. boats that aren't even worth calling boats. This refers to the poor/dangerous standard of transport used by asylum seekers.
Let me know if you need clarification on any of that