viernes, 14 de junio de 2013

Written task; Paper 1

The text 'Why Antigua and Barbuda' from the website wheretostay.com, is an informative and non-fiction text with a varied audience. We can say this because the text presents specific information of this place, such us 'Antigua is the larger of the two islands...', the twin nation of Antigua and Barbuda...', etc. information that is real about this nation, a real place (isn't a fictional place). About the audience we can say that this text present different options of what to do in Antigua and Barbuda, as I will explain later.


This text present a very interesting structure. First, above the name of the text we have an outline with some words highlighted. What does those words mean? The words are: Beaches, Antigua. Barbuda, Luxury. These words represent the words that define a section of the audience, the one that people who like to relax in a luxury hotel near a beach. Also reinforcing this idea, in the comparison between both islands, we can notice some words like 'rich', 'famous', that support the idea of this of a section of the audience with interest in luxury.


The use of image is very important in this text, when we read something, we imagine what we are reading, but if we have an image, it reinforces our perspective, in this case, of the 2 islands that the text describes. Also, the use of image helps with the idea or purpose of the text: convince people to go to Antigua and Barbuda. It helps, because, for example, if  I read 'the long reach of the British Empire is still evident' or '...the beaches are beautiful' I can imagine many things about what I just read, but they might not be what the place it really is. The use of image give us a real impression of what the place is about and also it helps to join the good things that the text is saying about the place with a real image of it. So we can say here that the image is a persuasive element, that shows the beauty of a place attracting people (a very powerful one).

Another persuasive element is when in the description of Barbuda, it says that the resort K-club is a secure place (private) that sometimes hosts rich and famous people. I think that is kind of a persuasive technique to say 'come and feel like a rich or famous', because it's giving you an invitation to be or go where our idols or important people go. I mean, we always try to be like people that we see on the TV or important people (use of celebrities: persuasive technique). Mentioning this, it reinforces again what I said in the beginning about this section of the audience (those who are looking for luxury, relax and in this case also privacy)


During the description also the author also puts some information about cultural aspects of this tourist destination (British influence) and interesting places, such us Nelson's Dockyard, the Frigate Bird Sanctuary in Barbuda, etc. Why did the author put this information? As I said in the paragraph, the text have a varied audience. The author mention this cultural aspect to involve more aspects than only the beaches and the luxury of the resorts, because maybe somebody isn´t looking only for beaches, so it presents more options (cultural option) to convince people that Antigua and Barbuda isn't only stay all the day resting in the beach.


Concluding this informative and non-fiction text, tries to convince people to go to Antigua and Barbuda, trying to include also the cultural aspect, in stead of describing only the beaches and the luxury of the place. In the structure it present some interesting elements such us the Outline of the beginning that present some words highlighted that shows us a section of the audience (the one that is looking for luxury). Also it have some persuasive elements such us the use of celebrities (when it mention famous people), the rule of three ('...is wild, woolly and barely inhabited) and the use of image. The last one is very important because it helps us to make a good and real image of what the place is about, something that helps to the purpose of the text: convince us to go to Antigua and Barbuda.


lunes, 22 de abril de 2013

FOA Planning Guide


Class Concepts

  • Persuasive Language in Media
  • Ideas from different political speeches (Obama-Keneddy), different ads, and essay of Iris Breuer & Melanie Napthine with Rosemary O’Shea,etc.

Sources

http://www.insightpublications.com.au/pdf_preview/Persuasive-Language-in-Media-Texts-10-pages.pdf
http://changingminds.org/techniques/language/persuasive/persuasive.htm 
http://www.managetrainlearn.com/page/an-appeal-from-Aristotle 
http://medialiteracyproject.org/language-persuasion 
http://www.famous-speeches-and-speech-topics.info/speech-topics/persuasive-speech.htm 
http://www.speechgems.com/persuaders.html 
http://www.famous-speeches-and-speech-topics.info/presidential-speeches/john-f-kennedy-speech-we-choose-to-go-to-the-moon.htm
  • Thesis: Language is not only superficial. When we read somethin we have to be aware that language in Media have many hidden message to convince or persuade people, with different techniques.
  • Media trying to persuade us is something that affect all of us nowadays, because of the world we are living in it. Persuasion is a very powerfull and frequent element.
TEXT
  • This investigation would help me to understand better and know some new techniques uses by the people and the Media, to persuade us.
Research
  • In this presentation we will present our point of view, supported with our analysis based on what we have learned.
  • The important elements of this presentation would be the verb 'to persuade', the techniques uses such us emotive language, the 'three rule', etc.
  • Iris Breuer & Melanie Napthine with Rosemary O’Shea, are the author that we extract the ideas from.

sábado, 20 de abril de 2013

Tobacco Cartoon analysis


Language used in this ad,  may convince people, trying to say that in this world health isn't the most important thing. It's related with what we see in young people nowadays 'you only live once', so they live their lifes in a crazy way without taking care of their health. Cigarettes marke generates a lot of money and it's very powerfull nowadays. Some countries and doesn't allowed to advertise cigarretes. I think this is ok, with small steps they are destroying cigarret market. This cartoon it's more like a parody, created by Morris, in which he criticates the way tobacco people think about, giving more importance to money in stead of health of people.

internet research


  • Anti-advertisment: brake all rules about what ads are about.
  • Philanthropy: love to human, human as the center or point of interest or more important thing to analyze.



  • Jamming: cultural balance.  to "expose the methods of domination" of mass society to foster  progressive change.
  • Parody and Pastiche: parody is kinda joke of something. For example we have Scary movie, that is a parody (they laught about) of other real scary movies.




Rule of three research

The rule of three is a technique that is used to persuade people. We can find it in many political speeches, religion, public safety, comedy, fairy tails etc.. The effect that it generates is to create a phrase, in a funier way, that remain in our head, for example it can be a rhyme. 
Now I will put some examples of the rule trhee, that I find more linked to the political aspect:

  • “Duty – Honor – Country. Those three hallowed words reverently dictate what you ought to be, what you can be, and what you will be”- Gen. Douglas MacArthur
  • “This is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning” - Sir Winston Churchill
  • “Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”- th e American Declaration of Independence

Activity page 168

Ad Analysis


The tone of this text is ironic, trying to show that Volkswagen present a first-class products and service. The register is formal reffering to the 'high standar of quality of the company'. But, also it makes kinda a joke when it reffers to '1974 model...' and the date of the ad is January of 2008. The way the text is writtern and it's context grab our attention, because when we see this text we wait for a serious information, not a joke. But I think that this is a good way of grabbing the attention, convining a joke with the real purpouse of the ad: to let us know the high quality of the Volkswagen products.

Mass Communication Mindmap



Communication Models

1)Shannon-Weaver model: Sender-Channel-Reciver
2)Plural transmition: Print media, Sound and motio picture recording, broadcast media, new media.
3)Harold Lasswell: questions: Who communicator? Says what? In which channel? To whom? With what effect?