Reflection on blog

READING 4.3 – WHAT IS EVIDENCE

This reading is focuses on what is the evidence is all about. Evidence here means anything that makes or gives a reason for believing that makes clear or proves something. It tells how important is the evidence in many of the things that we take for granted, whether it is small or big evidence, each of them plays the most important roles in proving us from any guilty and clear everything that causing suspicion towards us. Besides that, this reading also includes the case about the kidnapping of the infant son of Charles Lindbergh and examines the evidence, wholly circumstantial, that led to the conviction and execution of Bruno Hauptmann. Other example can be seen is in the article 1.1 entitled “convicted killer back at work”. In this article stated that Deborah Perry was been released from the judgment because of does not have enough evidence to show and proved her guilty in that case. So, from here we can see that evidence is very important in making the decision whether someone is guilty or not. Base on the presentation, the group had explain about the reading clearly and they also had include the necessary elements in critical literacy that related with the reading in their presentation. The example that was been used in the presentation also gives the clear view about what is evidence is all about.

READING 4.4 - STATISTICS

This reading is talking about the using and also the misusing of statistics and is intended to concern us as a reader into more informed response to text which is related with facts and figures. It starts with the explanation and definition of terms, mentioning a number of domains where statistics are widely used. The importance of statistics on human affairs is obvious from our tendency to associate facts closely with figures. It refers to information about any phenomenon or activity expressed in mathematical form and the statistics is also the tool for us to make the maximum use of quantitative measurements and assessments. Based on the presentation, the group did not include the necessary critical literacy elements in it, but they manage to explain about the topic clearly. From the reading, they can add some elements that related with the critical literacy like the rhetorical function which is purposely written to tell us to be careful with the numbers or percentages that given in text because sometimes it is not a real number of the result. The use of graphs and chart sometimes are use to cover up the real result.

READING 4.5 – CROOKED AND FALLICIOUS THINKING

This reading argues about crooked and fallacious thinking is not only evidence of illogical mental processes and poor communication skill but is also a manipulative tool in the hands of speakers and the writers wishing to influence and affects the judgments of their listener or readers. Much human misunderstanding and mistake occurs because many people are not aware of the fact that their style of thoughts and thus their communication processes are frequently mixed-up, irrational and fallacious. But while such innocent, though troublesome, blunders may well be good humouredly regarded as part of human weaknesses, we should be aware that there are thinking people who consciously take advantage of the general ignorance and weaknesses of others. Overall, the presentation did explain what are the reading is all about clearly. There are also some of the elements that the group included in their presentation from the reading that were related with the critical literacy which are crooked and fallacious thinking can be lead to misunderstand between writer and reader and it is important to be able to question the logic contained in the argument in a text.

READING 5.3 – TYPES OF EXPOSITION: “PERSUADING THAT” AND “PERSUADING TO”.

In this reading the writer is focuses on a type of text that called “exposition”. It is attempting on justifying something in providing reasons to support some thesis that was been made. There are two types of exposition which is categorized based on its differences in the purpose to achieve which are “analytical” and “hortatory” expositions. Analytical exposition are often associated or used in academic writing and speaking whereas hortatory exposition was included in the texts such as political speeches, letters to the editor and office memo designed to change employee behavior. At the center of exposition is some form of reasoning, so the function is to interpret and explain something in a text itself. Besides that, metaphor also was been used in and typically found in expository writing and throughout this chapter also reference has been made to differences between speaking and writing. Many people have the mistaken idea that speaking is simpler than writing and this is one of the reasons why writing is hard to be learned. In fact, both speech and writing make use of complex linguistic patterns, although the complexity tends to be of different kinds. Overall, the writer purpose or aims is to examine how the producers of expositions employ reasoning, personality and metaphor to achieve their ends. The group that presents this topic did include other elements such as the positioning and also the impact of this text towards the audience.


READING 5.4 – METAPHOR

Metaphor is a tool of the poetic imagination and the metaphorical increase which is a matter of extraordinary rather than ordinary language. It is typically viewed as characteristic of language alone, a matter of words rather than thought or action and metaphor is persistent in everyday life, not just in language but also in our action and thought. Metaphor is clearly crucial to the way in which we talk about and create our world. At a somewhat higher level, metaphor illustrate on our knowledge of the physical world of existing objects and spatial relationships in order to structure a great variety of experiential area. Overall, this reading is about the relationship between the writer’s choices of metaphor and how these choices may influence the reader and the writer’s points are illustrated using a range of text including a detailed analysis of the role of metaphor in the discourses associated with nuclear weapons or “nuke speak”. From the presentation, the groups that present this topic already explain the content briefly and clearly and they also did include some of the necessary elements in critical literacy to show the relation about this subject.

Reflection on blog

PERSPECTIVES

Perspectives are also one of the ten elements that we have in critical literacy. Perspectives means the view or thoughts or the writer’s condemn the actions or attitudes towards some issue or story that they write in their article. There are five key questions that been asked in these elements. Those questions that always been asking in this elements are about the stance taken by the writer, what are the writer’s belief from the stance taken by them. Other than that, it also discussing about what are the evidence used by the writer to show or prove their writings to convince their reader that what are they writes is all true and right. It also invites us on giving or expresses our opinion and view whether we agree or disagree with the writer’s argument about their writings. Generally, perspectives is all about to make us think from the side of the writer as the person who involved in the situation and writes the story or news and also want us to consider what will be the view as a reader towards the writings.

READING 2.2

This reading entitled “Language, perspective, ideology”. This reading is about; firstly the writer explains a set of key terms and the meaning for perspectives and ideology. Then, the writer proceeds with the explanation about how these concepts are connected to the choice made by the writers in the construction of text. It means that every writer has their own ways, perspective and also ideology in writing their text. It is because every people have their own interpretation and styles towards something, especially in writing text. In this reading, the writer aims to show how careful reading of text can reveal the ideological assumptions which inform their production. Based on the presentation, the presenter did explain briefly about the reading and the other students did understand and get what they are trying to explain in their presentation.

READING 2.3

This reading entitled “Text and textualities”. This reading is explain about text always socially constructed to have certain meanings, means that every text has its own story and point that is going to explain and tell to the reader. From this reading, we as the reader can learn a great deal about a society by examine its customs as well as its verbal and visual texts. In this reading also shows how a text can encourage readers to favor one set of values and meanings rather than another. Besides that from this reading also we can know how, by examining a writer’s choice of vocabulary, sentence structures and other pattern language, can come to discover important information about the writer’s values, attitudes and perspectives also the audience for whom the text is intended. Its means that how people can make a statement about who they are and also the patterns of language that they used to represent their thoughts towards the statement made by them. Based on the presentation, the presenter did explain briefly about the reading clearly, but they did not include some of the ten elements in critical literacy that also can be used in the reading like the impact of this article towards the reader.

POSITIONING

Positioning means how the writer illustrates or states the participants in their text or writing. Besides that, in this element also is about how the writer positions or places their reader. It means that how the writer wants to persuade and convince their reader to read the article and gives feedback towards their article. There are two key questions that were been asked in this element which are how does the writer construct the people referred in the text and also how does the writer construct the reader.

READING 3.3

This reading entitled “Critical literacy: a linguistic perspective”. The writer tries to dig out what is the ideological positioning and open up space for a number of critical readings, by provide the basis of informed debate, analysis and critique. It means that the writers is tried to develop the linguistic tools needed by the reader to enable them to recognize certain key elements that were been used in the text. The writers also include and explain about the elements “genre”, “field”, “tenor”, “mode” and “ideology” by telling their meaning and functions in the text. Overall, the article is to illustrate some knowledge about language by telling how it works and how it can be used as a useful tool in writing a text, which means that how the usage of language that were used in critical reading helps the reader more understand about what are the writer trying to explain. Regarding the presentation, the presenter used the wrong format of the presentation but, they continued on trying to present and explain what are the article is all about towards the audience. They also include some of the ten elements that are useful to the reading towards the audience.

READING 3.4

This reading entitled “Speech and speakers: the formation of individuals in discourse and genre”. From the reading, it explains about how the texts construct particular identities for their readers through a process called “positioning”. This reading is telling us about our ability to use and understand language which reflects how text have shaped us s people and also our understanding of who we are and our attitudes to other people and the world in general. The writer also argue about the text shaped the behavior and attitudes both of participants within them and of the reader who access them by include some important terms like “ideal reader”, “subject position”, “reading position” and “construction”. Talking about the presentation, the presenter did explain it clearly and they also include the necessary critical literacy elements in their presentation. Overall, their presentation is good and everybody gets and understands what they are trying to explain about the reading. They also manage to answer some of the question that was asked by the audience by giving a satisfied explanation.

Reflection on blogs

1. Reflection on what we have already learn and what do you understand from it.


Based on my understanding in this Critical Literacy subject, introduction becomes one of the ways of approaching and understands a text critically. At this stage, it is more focusing on the text itself, where something that was been produced by someone (the writer), for someone else (the reader) and mainly published for a particular purpose or reason. The most important thing is that it enabling us to understand the whole text or writing and capable to distinguish that it has been produced and published in a particular context because of has been motivated by a particular needs. Overall, the key questions that mainly been used and asked at this stage is to know who wrote the text (the producer), who is the intended reader (the consumer) and also why was it been produced. Besides that, there are ten elements that can be used in helping understand more the text, especially at this introductory stage. The first one is the topic, which this element gives you the first view or impression about what generally the text all about and giving its main focus by look at the picture and the headline of the text. For example, in reading 1.1, “Convicted killer back at work” (1998, 22 September), the writer put a picture of a woman that wearing a uniform and a headline, so that the reader can guess who and what will the article is about. The second one is the content where at this element you have to go through the whole article by using the “W” questions like what, who, where and when. This should be a brief summary and precise understanding of the main points to the reader without having to read the whole article. The third element is the source which is the details where usually the text is been located and published whether in daily newspaper, internet or so on. The fourth element is the audience where the question likes “who is the article written for” usually been used and asked. It means that who is the target reader for the text. The fifth elements is the rhetorical function, the identifying of what the writer of the article is trying to do with the text whether to inform, advise, warning, entertain and so on to their reader. The sixth element is the purpose of the text by saying what will be the effect from the article towards certain groups or individuals. For example, the purpose of the article “Convicted killer back at work” is to warn the reader that Deborah Perry, a convicted killer, is now allowed to work as a nurse in England. The seventh element is the perspective. This part is to know what is the writer’s perspective and what features of the text tell us like the writer condemns the decision to allow Deborah Perry back at her work as a nurse. The eighth element is the positioning where it discusses about how the writer views the characters and views the intended audience again with some evidence and also examples from the text. Next, the element is the impact on the effectiveness of the writer in achieving the purpose in giving reasons for their views. It means that, whether the reader understand and can feel what are the writer is going to achieve from his/her text like in reading 1.1, the writer wants the reader agree with him/her that Deborah Perry is really guilty and should not been allowed back at work. The last element will be the visual literacy which refers to the usage of some images, headlines and so on that creates the visual effect in the text.


2. What can you understand from the presentation.

READING 1.2 – STORIES AND FACTS

Based on my understanding from the text and also from the presentation, this reading is talking and explores about the relationship between the function and form of different types of writing. It focuses on forms of factual writing like description, recount, procedure and report in writing for and by children in order to illustrate the link between form and purposes. Other than that, the reading is also explains about the way that we as a reader judge the value or the quality of a piece of written material and decide whether it follows to the right rules or formats of the genre selected. My comments towards the presentation are the group that presents this reading already done a good job on explaining the reading to me. Nevertheless, there are some of the ten elements in critical literacy not being included during the presentation like who the audience for this type of reading and the writer’s positioning in this text.

READING 1.3 – RULES AND REGULATION

Based on my understanding from the text and also from the presentation, this reading is talking and explores about how the rules and regulations can control and manipulate readers in their beliefs and actions. It means that how the writer put or states their rules in the text to influence and attract their readers to read their reading. Furthermore; it is also talking about how the ways language is organized can tell us about the relationship between the writer and the intended audience (the reader). My comments towards the presentation that presented by this group is that they really do a very good job in explaining the text and they also explained the text by using all the ten elements in critical literacy. Although they present it without one of their member, but they still manage to present and do their presentation to the whole class with a good explanatory. So, keep the good effort in the future and next presentation.