John Lee's opinion piece, 'Oprah loot will line our own pockets too' published in The Age on the 20th of January 2011, elucidates Australia's viability as a tourist destination. Lee achieves this through using Oprah's recent visit to Australia, as instrumental to the success and popularity of tourism in Australia. As a result, the author adopts and educated and measured tone throughout the article and in an attempt to coerce The Age readership, he appeals to their reason and better judgement, as a plateau on which to argue.
Lee begins the article with the heading 'Oprah loot will line our own pockets too'. This headline seeks to involve the reader into the debate, in an attempt to coerce one to sincerely believe that they too are affected by Oprah's costly tour of Australia, with the use of the word 'our.' In addition, Lee incites anger and disgust amongst the audience through the employment of 'our own pockets', as he appeals to the hip-pocket of Australian citizens. Thus, stirring deep thoughts in the minds of readers as to whether Oprah's arrival in Australia, is worth the funds from tax-payers. In comparison, the author incorporates a juxtaposition into his piece. ' Howls of protest' and ' unbridled enthusiasm won over many' are utilised in order to contrast two disparate scenarios and ultimately, adorn a sense of confusion amongst readers; that such distinctive occurrences could happen. In addition, Lee arouses contempt and anguish in readers, knowing that such an audience would not condone two opposing points of view.
Lee also implements statistical evidence throughout his editorial. Evidence such as '302 audience members,' '200 crew' and 'more than 700 hours of footage,' conjure a sense of scale in reader's minds, as to the dear price of endorsing a trip of one of many American talk show hosts. This, in turn, is designed to intensify the sheer dislike and mistrust held by readers, towards the Australian Government in making decisions about enhancing the tourism opportunities of Australia as a whole and improving its economic potential.
The use of a rhetorical question is also utilised by Lee in his opinion piece. For instance, 'how do they know what is or isn't being done to capitalise on the opportunities?,' seeks to impose an obvious answer in the audience. As a result, the author provokes one to ridicule the people of whom make such allegations and therefore, impair their reputation as reliable and trustworthy sources of advice. Additionally, their status and rights are scrutinised as a result. In comparison, repetition is also employed by the author in his editorial. Phrases such as 'Some claimed the money would be wasted...' and 'Some Americans do...' reinforce the importance of the 'some' people involved. Because of this, Lee pressures readers to believe that it is the responsibility of these individuals and thereby, taunts the audience into testing their capacity for patience.
Lee's opinionative article uses a formal and reasoned tone to provide a case supporting the decision to bring Oprah and her entire show audience, to Australia. He attempts to contend his point of view by the use of many persuasive devices such as, inclusive language, juxtaposition, statistical evidence and repetition among others, in order to sustain a coherent and logical argument, in praise of the promotion of Australian tourism.
Home
Help
Search
Login
