Unit 8

This unit is about the critical review ‘Drugs or Guns”. This article is about the issues in South Africa’s country whether to focus on the medicine to cure AIDS or to buy weapon for the country. The leadership of the government also been questioned. There are also many statistical and facts have been included in the text. The difficulties and obstacles that I have encountered in this topic are to identify the purpose and rhetorical function of this article. The writer did not clearly state about his or her intention in this article. This article also included many content and did not focus on topic only. The topics are about the drugs and weapon, government of South Africa and also about the country policies. The aspect that I found valuable is the perspective of the writer. The perspective of the writer is clearly can be seen as condemning the South Africa government and its policies and the writer support the drugs for AIDS. The statistical and facts included in the article is used by the article to support her stance but it is not effective because how evidence is used in the text to support the evidence does not been included. The positioning of the participants in the article is clearly can be seen. The Mbeki government and policies have been described as bad character while the drugs to prevent the AIDS have been support by the writer. In this unit, the aspect that I found difficulties in this article is the impact to the readers. It is difficult to identify because the writer has not covered satisfactorily on the likely impact. This is also related with the rhetorical function or purpose, the writer did not explain about the purpose and rhetorical function clearly and effectively.

Unit 7

Unit 7

This unit is about the critical review and commentary of dieting. The information that I find interesting is the critical review of dieting. The text covers wide range of current issues relating to the phenomenon of weight control regarding physical and mental health. In the text, information regarding based on the research into weight loss. This article is about the people who suffer from some social or medical deficiency which has negative effects to their life. The danger and negative effects of weight lost programmed also included in the text. The writer is highly condemning the weight loss programmed. He has included many medical research and studies in term of medical aspects. We can see that the writer describes the weight lost programmed as taking advantage to the consumers. The consumers have been giving roles as the victims of the weight loss. The concept that is hard to understand is the “natural” weight in the argument of the writer. This argument has not been fully explained in the article. The approach that I take in ‘dieting’ article examined it by searching the stance of the writer and the style of text that have been used by the writer. The writer clearly condemning the weight loss programmed, we can see in this article as being mention before there are many studies have been included to support his argument. The impact and positioning of the article had been examined in the article. The difficulties in this unit are how to identify the roles that have been given by the writer to the character in the text. The role of the readers is hard to figure as it is not clearly stated by the writer in the text. The only clear roles of character in the text is only the weight loss programmed and the consumers.

unit 6

The unit 6 is about the invasion of the baby snatchers. The information that I found interesting is about the positioning of the character in the article. The children have been in danger of the child violence and they have been described as weak and innocent. The media have been said as manipulative. They are trying to get advantages by manipulating and the increasing of child abduction cases. The other interesting information is the perspective of the writer. The writer has been condemning not only the children kidnapper and murderer but also the parents and mass media. The writer is neutral about the police and he also have positive stance towards the community and public. The other interesting information is about the audience and impact. It can surely be seen that the audience of this article is the mass media and parents while the impacts will be massive and influential to the public. The information that I learn from this unit is the text language and style that deliver its message. The writer is trying to persuade people to believe that the cases of child abduction are increasing day by day. The uses of strong words such as fear and confusion are important in delivering the message. In this article we can seen that the mass media is a powerful tools that affects the community. It can cause peace or disorder. The concept and terminology that is hard to understand is the argument and evidence that have been used in the text. The writer stated that child abduction is increasing and the mass media is manipulating this issue but there are no statistics that can show that the child abduction is increasing and the writer perspectives towards the mass media also not well supported. There is no evidence that can strengthen his stance.

Topic 5

Information in the unit that I find interesting is the exposition. The element and style of the text is to support and justify some thesis statement. There are two types of exposition, ‘analytical’ and ‘hortatory’ expositions. Hortatory exposition is related with the text such as politic, letter and memos while the analytical exposition related with the academic writing and speaking. The exposition employ the reasoning and metaphor as it want to persuade people in believing something. The concept that is hard to understand is the metaphor. Metaphor plays a role in helping us constructing what we want to talk about and also it can be help in influences the reader. It delivers communication through the language and not just flowery sentences. Metaphor is usually been used when we encounter something new and not familiar with it. The metaphor that we used represents our value and cultural perspectives. It is hard to determine the intention of the writer when he used metaphor because everyone has their own perspective. Sometime the metaphor can be misinterpret and defer from the intention of the writer. In identifying the metaphor, people need to discover and examine carefully in determine what is the writer wants to deliver. The approach that I took in ‘out of puff’ is determined the writer stance and true intention. The writer purpose and how the writer is influence the reader. The metaphor also been examined and carefully identify. The area that is still become problematic is the crooked and fallacious thinking. This area is hard to understand because in order to influence the reader we need to have manipulative tools, but sometimes it is hard to influences the people because every people have their own attitude and behavior. Sometimes people will not agree with our stance and cannot be influence.

Unit 4

The information that I find interesting in this unit is about what is the evidence? This topic is about the issue of evidence. There is about the cases of kidnapping of Charles Lindbergh son, it continues with the investigation and lead to the execution of Bruno Hauptman. It stress on to the reader to have deeply thinking of everything in the cases, the evidence, past event and the history that related to the cases. We need to figure out about the true meaning of evidence before make a conclusion in something. In every case, there are sometimes hard to figure out whether the evidence is concrete and in some part, the evidence can be doubted. The topic that I find hard to understand is the statistic. The topic is stress on to the reads to give more responses to the text that have facts and statistic also to show about the use and misuse of statistics. There are many place that statistic can be use on especially on the text. The statistics in the text is develop to influences the readers decision and stance toward something. It is hard to identify whether the statistics that have been used in the text is purposely to influence the reader or not. In the reading “burning out nine”, I have take approach to analysis the evidence that the writer used to influence the readers. It is by looking by any quotation and analysis that maybe appear in the text. The area that problematic is the crooked and fallacious thinking especially in context where there is intent to persuade people towards particular belief. It is hard to figure out what is the crooked and fallacious thinking to the reads because every reader is different and we did not know whether the crooked and fallacious thinking happen or not.

Topic 2

In this unit the information that I find interesting is the relationship between linguistic and the perspectives that have been taken by the writer. The particular of selection and omission of particular linguistic feature can deliver the specific stance that the writer takes. The textural structure of the text can also be related with the stance of the writer. The perspectives can be said as mediated through textual structures and textual process. The text will contain linguistic features that become as “markers” or medium that showed the stance of the writer. In order to identify these features, the interactions between these features need to be understood. The choice of grammar and vocabulary also related with these matters. The concept that is difficult to understand is the text always social constructed to have its certain meaning and a society can be learn by researching their custom. In the text, specific choices and pattern is being used to deliver its meaning. But it is difficult to identify the meaning and the values of the text. This socially constructed is important to controls and influence the readers response but it is difficult to control the reader response because people have it own opinion and ways in interpreting the text and meaning. The first time I read battling the bullies is Mary Watson’s son have been bullied and the schools is responsible for this because their do not solve this effectively but after I approach it in the portfolio task I think that the school is not wholly fully responsible. It is everyone responsibilities to solve this problem. The element that becomes problematic in this unit is to understand the meaning of linguistic in the text that have been taken by the writer. The meaning that the writer want to deliver is maybe differ from what we interpret.

Topic 1

In this topic the information that I find interesting is the critical thinking standards clarity, precision, accuracy, relevance and others. With this we can figure out the best way in achieving critical thinking. Others people opinion or argument can be effectively evaluated and can be easily understand. This will also help not just help the clarity of language but also the maximum clarity of thought. The other aspects that can be improved are the clear perception of our goals and objectives, our real ability and talent. And our understanding of problems and chance we have with the clarity of thought. Critical thinking can help us in making wrong decision in life. Peoples have to make decision in their life regarding relationship, private matter and many others. The concept that is difficult to understand is the barriers to critical thinking. These are egocentrism, sociocentrism and unwarranted assumptions and stereotypes. This is because every people will have its own problem in getting critical thinking. Its hard to determine what is the real problem that people have to face. Many people are facing this problem even the highly educated and intelligent people. The reasons are quite complex and problematic. The first time I read the “convicted killer” is that Deborah Parry is look guilty and evil killer. The decision to allow her to work again is a wrong decision and not appropriate but in the portfolio task the Deborah Parry charged is doubtful and her being allowed to work again is somewhat I agree on. This is because she is not confirmed guilty and she has been freed from the charged. The area that has been problematic for me is approaching the text in a critical way. There are many types oof writing styles that been used by the writer t show the purpose of the text. It is difficult to identify each writing style and the meaning behind it.