Any advice and/or mark given would be greatly appreciated!
This is a link to the article (from the 2008 english exam)
http://cscyr12english.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/a-word-from-our-coach2.pdf A word from our coach – 2008 Language analysis examFollowing concerns about the poor behaviour of spectators in the previous season and the increased difficulty of attracting volunteers to the club, debate has been sparked regarding the way in which certain parents are influencing their children’s behaviour on the sporting field. In his newsletter entitled ‘A word from our coach’, Sam (the coach) contends the aggressive behaviour that is being demonstrated by adults ‘before, during and after the game’. Supporting this contention, the accompanying image attests that such behaviour is seen as barbaric and animalistic as an ass is portrayed yelling from the stands at what can be seen to be his daughter. This issue is set to provoke discussion concerning parenting methods their influence regarding sportsmanship.
Throughout the article, the author adopts a direct and pragmatic tone to persuade his target audience of parents and supporters of the local sports club that hostile behaviour demonstrated by some parents must be dismissed in the coming season. By initially adapting an accusative tone with colourful language like ‘toxic parents are poisoning our club’, the intended readership of parents are firstly positioned to take a strongly negative view point of such parents and are therefore encouraged to dismiss their ideas and viewpoints. Rhetorical questions are also abundant throughout the newsletter, with questions such as “what sort of parent are you?” and “isn’t good sportsmanship a model for life?” this, combined with the accusative tone, can imply the answer is obvious and that anyone who disagrees with the authors contention is imprudent. After he initiates an accusative sentence followed by a rhetoric question, the writer adopts a more pragmatic tone in order to provide an informative message to the readership. This is evident as, following a rhetorical question, he informs the parents and supporters of the club, “Good sportsmanship occurs when team-mates, opponents, coaches and officials treat each other with respect.” This use of reason and logic attempts to position the reader to accept the writer’s viewpoint as objectively true because it is not just a personal opinion or emotional reaction. After reading this article in its entirety, the reader is intended to feel aware of the appropriate way in which to address children involving the subject of sport. Corroborating the coach’s contention in the newsletter, the accompanying image depicts a sanctimonious ass yelling from the stand in a basketball match. This ass, barbarically yelling from the sideline is a clear representation of some parents who ‘yell abuse’ at their children whilst they play sport. This satirical cartoon is portrayed from the viewpoint of the article, clearly contending phrases such as “why waste our Saturdays with louts like these?” as the cartoonist has depicted every other parent in the image with an irritating look of disgust on their face.
Reinforcing this concept, the author immediately attempts to position the parents to respond with fear as he provides an anecdote of 8-year-old Emily who was ‘distraught’ after ‘her dad yelled at her…for failing to shoot the goal and save the game’. In opening the newsletter with this anecdote, the writer has attempted to position readers to take notice and accept the informative information that is yet to come. Moreover, the author then aims to position every parent reading the article to feel that they are not the ones to whom this article is being aimed at through the constant use of the inclusive pronoun ‘we’ and generalisations. Statements such as “They’re not the parents we want” and “I know all our parents help their children to understand that good sportsmanship includes…” are constructed to position the readership to regard and judge others in a narrow, stereotyped way. Finally, the author uses scaremongering in an anecdote about ‘parents at our club’ that ‘were banned from attending matches’ as they would ‘yell abuse at their own team members’. This implementation was done to sustain credibility whilst attempting to evoke guilt and shame in the readership. It was then immediately followed with the rhetorical question “why waste our Saturdays with louts like these?” Through the use of inclusive language, accusative language followed by informative language, the writer attempts to portray his viewpoint as the correct one whilst urging the readers to dismiss “toxic parents”. Furthermore, a speech bubble is incorporated in the image, as one of the parents says “I wish these sports-aggressive parents could see themselves as we do!” as he looks at the “defeat is death” printed on the ass’ t-shirt; this portrayal is linked to the sentence in the newsletter “So when does winning take over from the thrill of just being part of the team?” The composition clearly depicts an imbalance of “good parents” and “toxic parents”, which attempts to position the viewer to see themselves as apart of the majority, and thus agree with the accompanying article, this imbalance appeals to the viewers desire to avoid exclusion or judgement. Finally, the cartoon is portrayed in such a way that could be seen as a visual representation of the anecdote at the start of the newsletter; this emotive imagery is aimed to reinforce the guilt and shame that was provoked in the reader at the start of the newsletter.
Both the article and the image enhance one another in their aim to portray the deplorable behaviour that occurred during last years sport season. In the newsletter, the author uses impassioned language to construct clear and stark sides to the argument by which the reader either falls into good sportsmanship parents or intolerable, overly aggressive animals. Similarly, the cartoonist appeals to the viewer’s sense of humour and moral rectitude to evoke outrage at the actions of the ‘ass-like’ parents. This issue is set to ignite further debate concerning the way in which parents should act with their children in regards to sporting conduct.
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