Activity 1

 

Research a current social, moral or ethical issue and find a text written by an author with a clear position on the topic. Examine the conventions in the text and determine:

 

• The position of the writer.

• Whether or not you think the text is effective.

• How you might make it more effective.

 

Activity 2

 

Read the following article, which appeared online for a women’s e-zine and analyse the text structure, language features and context. Suggest how this might position the readers.

(The context for this article is that it appeared online on a website with a targeted audience of young women; the underlined passages are links to explain or back up certain terms or claims.)

 

No Debate: Vaccinations are Great

 

This article might be a step away from our usual content, but if you read about just one serious topic today, I urge you to make it this one. One thing I happen to feel very strongly about is the need for childhood vaccinations. You might be asking why, since it usually goes without saying that we are all vaccinated as infants and if we aren’t then really, what’s the big deal?

The big deal is that an increasing number of parents in Westernised countries are electing not to have their children vaccinated, despite the vaccine being readily available. This is especially true of wealthy areas, as reported by this news article in the Sydney Morning Herald. This is a major problem because while rates of infectious diseases have dropped since vaccinations were introduced, many of them have not been eradicated and we are only ever a few holes in the system away from an epidemic.

This is due to a concept known as ‘herd immunity’ which is what we rely on to protect members of the community who cannot be vaccinated, such as the very young, people with compromised immune systems or people with allergies. If enough people are vaccinated there are not enough places for the disease to find a strong hold and the likelihood of vulnerable members of the community coming into contact with them is statistically unlikely.

The trend towards not vaccinating infants and children is a major concern with the Australian Medical Association reporting that parents are indeed putting their children’s lives at risk by not vaccinating them. The misinformation helping contribute to the anti-vax movement includes the now debunked claim that vaccinations are in some way related to the onset of autism. This claim became relatively widespread after a Dr. Wakefield published a research paper in 1998 that incorrectly linked the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccination to autism. The paper was later discredited, much like the doctor himself.  

Now that’s not to say that some people don’t have a minor reaction to vaccinations or that some people don’t have such severe reactions that vaccinating is not recommended. It is however, a very small number of people who experience such issues and the diseases themselves are much scarier than the potential side effects.

Make no mistake, these are diseases that kill. I find it ironic that on the one hand, we can lament the prevalence of childhood disease in less developed countries and on the other; have members within our own community who are so blasé or misinformed that they willing risk the exposure of their own children. Sure, disease might not be as common here, but that won’t be true for long if vaccination rates continue to fall. Besides, what if unvaccinated children want to travel later in life, or are exposed to foreign carriers of the disease? Many of these diseases aren’t things that the immune system just ‘builds up a tolerance’ to. They are fully capable of killing otherwise healthy people in a very short time.

So people can do what they want with their kids… That’s true. But the problem is that this decision can impact the community as a whole. Children under a certain age cannot be fully vaccinated, which means that all babies are at risk of exposure, whether their families choose to vaccinate or not. This means that when someone chooses not to vaccinate they are not just playing Russian Roulette with their own family, but with the community around them too. Here is just one example of a baby who died after contracting whooping cough, whose parents are now urging everyone who comes into contact with infants to be immunised.

I can’t imagine what it feels like to lose a child, especially to an otherwise preventable disease, but I know that it must be so frustrating to know that some people still choose not to take precautions that could save the lives of other children. Our grandparents grew up in a time when these diseases could not be prevented. They saw family and friends die or become crippled and disfigured from horrors we no longer need to imagine. Their parents would have killed for access to the vaccinations we have now. The problem is that we have forgotten how real the danger is.

 

Comprehension Questions:

 

• What is the position of the writer?

• Who is the article intended for and what is its aim?

• What persuasive techniques were you able to identify?

• What purpose might the hyperlinks serve for an online article?

• Do you find this article persuasive? Why/Why Not?

 

Activity 3.1

 

Read the following poem and note the persuasive language or techniques that you can identify. Share your findings with the person next to you. What is the ‘voice’ or tone of this piece?

 

My Country

 

I did not choose             

any more than you             

the nature                            

of my inhabitancy               

  

nor have I known         

another life                         

than this one                      

afforded to me                  

  

 privileged                 

some say stolen             

I don’t know better      

so apologize                   

  

yet I have loved               

and thanked                        

the mother, provider         

as have we all                     

  

then how, friend 

may I give it back 

when I have 

no other?

 

Comprehension Questions:

 

• What is the poem about?

• What is the position of the writer?

• What assumptions can we make about the writer?

• Why might the writer have chosen this format for their argument?

 

Activity 3.2

 

Attempt to write your own persuasive poem of 6-10 lines on a topic of interest to you. You should be trying to elicit an emotional response in order to convince your audience.