2008 Crit Lit Workbook 1

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CRICOS Provider No: 02010D

SOUTHBANK INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

CERTIFICATE IV IN ADULT TERTIARY PREPARATION39100QLD

LANGUAGE AND LEARNING SKILLS ATP200B

CRITICAL LITERACY

INTRODUCTORY BOOKLET

NAME_______________________________________________

Critical Literacy Workbook 124 December 2011


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CRITICAL LITERACYCritical literacy looks at written, visual, spoken, multimedia and performancetexts and considers the attitudes, values and beliefs that lie beneath the

surface.

Text: The individual results of media production: a movie, a TV episode, abook, an issue of a magazine or newspaper, an advertisement, a stageproduction, artistic image.

As users of language we shape it and it shapes us it is never static.Language is not neutral, it is constructed. Choices are made in theconstruction of texts and it is these choices that give meaning to the text.

Students of Critical Literacy will:

1. Examine meaning within texts2. Consider the purpose of the text and the writer/composers motives3. Understand that texts are not neutral, and they represent particular

views, silence other points of view and influence peoples views4. Analyse the power of language in contemporary society5. Understand there can be multiple readings of the same text as people

interpret texts based on their own beliefs and values.

6. Identify the techniques used to give texts meaning

1 Critical Literacy Terms

Critical: Reflecting on the meaning, biases or value messages of a text.

Critical Viewing is the ability to use critical thinking skills to view, question,analyze and understand issues presented overtly and covertly in movies,videos, television and other visual media

Construction: As a verb, the process by which a media text is shaped andgiven meaning. This process is subject to a variety of decisions and isdesigned to keep the audience interested in the text.

Deconstruct: To take apart, analyse, or break down a media text into itscomponent parts in order to understand how and why it was created.

Discourse: This refers to all the language associated with a particular lifeexperience or identity construct (e.g. race, social class, gender, sexuality,age, etc.). Individuals can belong to a wide and ever changing number ofdiscourses and they all can affect the way we made meaning of texts.



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Gaps and Silences: These occur frequently in texts. They are createdwhen the author, intentionally or unintentionally, chooses to include somepieces of information and omit others.

A gap is a place in a text where something is left out and it is up to thereader to fill in (or maybe not fill in) the blank.

A silence is when the viewpoints/voices of a certain person or group isleft out or never heard.

Dominant Position: Values, attitudes, beliefs and assumptions held by themajority of people as expressed within textual products of that society. Forexample; it is argued that competitiveness is a dominant value withinAustralian society

2 Why is Critical Literacy important?

Our lifestyles are changing rapidly in a high tech world. We are able toaccess information from a wide range of sources. We are swamped bymasses of information from sources across the globe. Somehow we needto make meaning from the huge array of multimedia, music and sound as

well as written and spoken words we are confronting each day.

READING 1Read the article The misinformation age by Phillip Adams (WeekendAustralian Magazine April 19-20 2003)

Questions:

What is the main idea of the article?

What is your understanding of these sections of the article?

It reminds us that data isnt information. Information isnt knowledge.And knowledge isnt wisdom.

My concerns are different. Far from filling the world with knowledge andwisdom; the new technologies seem to be creating a black hole thatsucks the intelligence into it where it is instantly and utterly destroyed. I

see this, hear it and read it every day, almost every time I turn a page orchange a channel, or as e-mails inundate me with nonsensicalresponses to the great events of our time.



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Approach every political proclamation, every prognostication of a TVexpert and, yes, every newspaper column with scepticism. Otherwise,whats left of the truth will be blown away on the 21st centurys electric

winds, replaced with the clichs, the slogans, the platitudes, thenonsense that so many of us are willing, even desperate, to embrace.Read more widely, see more clearly, think more deeply. Challengeauthorities on every issue. More importantly, challenge yourself.

3 Making Meaning From Texts

There are many language techniques to give meaning to texts. Thedefinitions below and readings should help you understand techniques used

to give texts meaning.

3.1 Techniques\Terms emotive language, bias, positioningthe reader

Emotive Language: Language that targets the heart not the head elicitsemotional response in the reader. Look for descriptive words and phrases(adjectives / adverbs).

Bias: Not impartial. An unbalanced argument. Leaning to one/point of view.Subjective.

The task of thinking clearly often requires that we identify the emotive wordsorbiased wordsthat people use. Such words do more than just conveyinformation: they carry overtones of meaning that suggest that something isgood and bad. It is important to be able to detect when people use wordswith overtones of approval and disapproval in their communication otherwise we may be influenced without being aware of it.

From an early age emotive words are used to position the reader. Thismeans the writer is trying to influence the reader towards a particular positionor point of view.

Below is an extract from the text of the well-known fairytale Cinderella.

Once upon a time there was a young woman who was kind andgood. She lived with her mother and father, but one day her mother

died suddenly. Her father married a woman with two daughters ofher own.



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The first description views the subject in a positive light while the secondreading takes the same characteristics and uses uncomplimentary languageto describe the person. Bias words can change the representation of

people, places and events.

Exercise 1Sort the following columns of words into their correct pairs. In each case,circle the more emotive term.

LIST ONE LIST TWOFood CompromisingOverweight Work-shyPredictable FastidiousLazy CarefulFlexible GrubDerelict StinginessUnadventurous RigidHaving principles FatDrab ReliableTidy Homeless personParsimony Colourless

Below is a newspaper report about a State of Origin game.In which state do you think it was published?

First Blood Blues miracle falls short26 May 2005It was a miracle comeback. But it just wasnt enough for the Blues.In an electrifying match in the State of Origin opener, NSW did theseemingly impossible to claw back to a 20-20 draw at full-time. ButQueensland sealed victory with a try in extra time, nailing the game

24-20.NSW were down 13-0 at half-time and then 19-0 soon into thesecond half but they fought back to secure the most unlikely one-

point lead in the final 10 minutes at Suncorp Stadium. They scoredfour blazing tries to make it a 20-19 lead with less than 10 minutesto go. But with four minutes into extra time Matthew Bowenintercepted a Blues pass and ran 40 metres to steal victory fromNSW.

Questions:

How would this news report be different if it was written from theperspective of supporters of the other team?

Rewrite this report from the point of view of the other side.



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3.2 Visual Media and Representation

The visual media can influence the viewers opinion in many ways. Throughtheir representations the media may present a point of view to the viewing

public which may not always be consistent with the truth.

Irony: Use of language to convey an opposite or different meaning.

Watch the Frontline episode Heroes and Villains

Discuss these questions:

How are the doctor and researcher portrayed in the Frontlineprogram? What was the motivation of the program for developing

these portrayals? Was it a fair representation? Why or why not?

What is the irony of the shows personnel representing the researcheras a racist?

What serious issues related to the medias power is this programraising?

Suggest people in todays media who are portrayed as heroes orvillains. Do you think these portrayals are fair?

3.3 Techniques/terms tone, pathos, anecdote, dominantposition, assumptions, attitudes, beliefs underlying texts

Tone: indicates the writers attitudes and feelings towards their subject,audience and themselves. In oral work, tone is communicated through howthings are said as well as what is said, where as in written texts, the tone iscommunicated through what is written and how it is constructed. Adescription of tone usually uses words to describe human emotions e.g. sad,

jubilant, disgusted, annoyed.

Pathos: the use of language to incite pity or sadness

Anecdote: a short account of an entertaining or interesting event

Values: ideals and ideas held within high esteem

Attitudes: opinions

Beliefs: assumptions about ways of knowing and understanding the world



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Assumption: the act of coming to an understanding based on culturalnorms and normalized representations

Read the speech Address to the reception for the Beaconsfield Communityby John Howard.

This speech was delivered to a reception at Parliament House for ToddRussell and Brant Webb and the rescuers who saved these two men afterbeing trapped underground at the Beaconsfield mine in Tasmania.

READING 2This is an extract from the speech transcript.

What we saw in the rescue of Brant and Todd was the Australiancharacter at its very best. We saw all of the things that we prideourselves on as distinctively Australian characteristics at work. Wesaw guts, we saw resilience, we saw courage, we saw strength andwe saw enormous endurance.

We can't of course on an occasion like this, do justice to the otherreal heroes of this event, and that is the men who rescued them.The way in which they risked their lives day after day, knowing allthe peril and all the difficulty of a rescue in a mine, knowing the

dangers of further falls and further explosions, knowing from theirlong history in the industry of what might occur, their courage wasabsolutely outstanding. And the responsibility they carried and theresponsibility carried by the mine management and Matthew Gillwho every day had to give a report knowing that he carried theultimately responsibility for the rescue. Through all of it, theydisplayed a tremendous professional skill, but above all enormouscourage, and it was a wonderful demonstration of Australianmateship.

And I want, in that vein, to pay tribute to the fellow members of theminers of Brant and Todd, the members of the Australian WorkersUnion who were there in their numbers to give strength and supportand solidarity to their mates and their fellow union members. Andthat was a very important part of the great community effort thatwas mounted.

But not only was there great support given by the rescuers, by their

fellow workers and their fellow mates, but the wonderful response ofthe community. I think that had as great an impact on your fellow

Australians around the country as much as anything else. Becausewhat we saw on display in that community was everything that was



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good about the Australia that we love and the Australia we want topreserve and the Australia we want to make better because thesedramatic events reminded us of the basics of life.

They reminded us of the importance of family. As I watched thevideo of Brant and Todd's interview on 60 Minutes after I got backfrom overseas, the many things they said, the comments that reallyhit home to me were the remarks they made about their families.

As Todd spoke of writing messages to Carolyn on his overalls andon his arms, of how he wanted to communicate to his wife andchildren, his love for them, and how if it didn't go well he'd watchover his young boys...he played football and he made sure that hemade a good job of playing his football. It was a reminder to me asa father that at the end of the day that no matter what else you do inlife, having a close bond with your children and caring for them, isthe most important thing. And in those simple words I think thosetwo men resonated with the parents, and particularly the fathers of

Australia, in a way that I don't think two men have ever quite beenable to do.

I think these events also reminded us of the tremendous importanceof mateship, as is broadly defined in our community. We sometime

fling it around rather carelessly. But on an occasion like this it wason full display. Everybody was working together, differences ofoccupation and background, religious and political belief were putaside. A whole community was united in its determination toachieve a result and they did it and did it magnificently. We'rereminded of course of the strength of that local community andrepresented here today by Barry Easther, who gave tremendousleadership as the Mayor of West Tamar.

And can I finally say in relation to the reminder of life basics that theevent also reminded us of the importance of faith. Now we allvarying degrees of faith, some do and some don't, some have it tovarying degrees, but there was tremendous community leadershipgiven by the churches of Beaconsfield on this occasion - greatleadership - and I pay tribute to them and I know that so many ofthem are represented here today.

So the whole event brought together, as a reminder, those basics of

our life and how important all of them are to us. And in a waybrought out what I've always seen as the great duality of the Australian character. We can be as tough as tungsten, and asdurable as anybody, and nobody has been tougher, and nobody



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has been more durable than these two men. It is an amazingachievement. It is an achievement beyond the beliefs of so many ofus so long ago, let's face that. I know there are many in this

gathering that never gave up hope, and God bless them for nothaving given up that hope, and they have had their wonderfulreward as a consequence.

But it was an extraordinary act of bravery and strength and will anddetermination, the like of which this nation has not often seen andindeed something that preserves the honour that I hope is beingtransmitted by this gathering here today. But the event also broughtout that other aspect of the Australian character, and that is ourwarmth and our softness and our compassion. We saw in theresponse of the community, we saw in the open candid remarks ofBrant and Todd in their interview, that combined with their strengthand their manliness and their toughness, is an enormous depth ofcompassion and softness towards those they love most and thosewho mean most to them in their lives. And they together summariseso much of what we believe about ourselves, about our character,about what the climate of this country means to us.

Questions: What is the purpose of the text?

What is the tone? Show examples to support your answer

Find examples of emotive language, anecdote, pathos in the text

What values and attitudes underlie this text? Give reasons for youranswer

Would you agree or disagree that the speech is underpinned by thedominant values and attitudes of modern-day Australia?

What gaps, related to values of modern Australia, were in the speech?



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3.4 Techniques/terms simile, metaphor, sarcasm, rhetoric,stereotype, rhetorical question

Simile: The comparison of two things using words like, as to show they aresimilar in a significant way helps the reader form an understanding of whatthe writer is describing based on familiarity e.g. he groaned like a tiger.Positive as graceful as a gazelle

as strong as a lionNegative - as cranky as a bag of tomcats

as mad as a bull

Metaphor: The comparison in which one thing is identified with another effect similar to similes e.g. a dead calm.Positive - a jewel of an idea

a man of steelNegative a train wreck about to happen

a dogs breakfast

Sarcasm: an extreme use of irony to deliver a scathing remark, sometimesused in humour

Rhetoric: clever, creative use of language that is designed to persuade orimpress

Stereotype: (verb) attribute characteristics based on a fixed or standardizedrepresentation (e.g. all footballers are boofheads)

Rhetorical question: a question that is asked not to illicit information or ananswer but for effect (the reader will know the answer e.g: Q: Who cares? A:

No-one!

Personification: attributing human attributes to inanimate things e.g. thesea groaned like a sleeping dog.

Pun: humorous use of a word to suggest different meanings



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READING 3Read the article on celebrity by Phillip Adams Are our lives so meaninglessthat we have to waste our time, money and neurons on this human trash?

Questions:

What is the bias of this text?

Do you think the attitudes of the author reflect the dominant position inAustralian society? Explain your response.

Find examples of the above techniques.

Choose three of these techniques and show how their use has beenused to position the reader.

Whose view has been silenced in the text?

3.5 Techniques clich, slang/colloquialisms, generalisation,hyperbole

Clich: Stereotyped expression

Slang / Colloquialisms: use of Australian idiom; establishes a friendly /

informal relationship with the reader can create the atmosphere of thewriter speaking with the reader.

Alliteration: repetition of consonant sound at the beginning of words (PeterPiper picked a pickled pepper

Generalisation: (verb) to attribute a general character; not specific (acrossthe board statements) generalisation (noun)

Hyperbole: Is the use of deliberate exaggeration in order to emphasisesomething it is used to emphasise to make more dramatic or vivid; it is notintended to deceive



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READING 4Precious athletes wasting out tax dollarsHow is it that a country apparently obsessed with sport, we

managed to send so many duds to Athens? Why do so many ofour top athletes break down, over medicate, trip over, sink,collapse within a sniff of finishing line or simply have hissy fitswhen theyre (so often) beaten?

A more serious question is why should the Aussie taxpayer beexpected to foot the bills for their lives of luxury and ego-stroking,as well as the inevitable big bucks theyll make out ofendorsements?

Thorpe or Pittman can do but one thing better than me: I, on theother hand can do numerous things far better than either. who isthe more deserving of the accolades?Its about time we took a look at ourselves. Its about time these

precious pampered pets are made more accountable to theAustralian public.OZGeoff

Melbourne

QUESTIONS What is the point of view of the writer?

Whose position has been silenced in this text?

Is the text fair? Why or why not?

Find examples of clichs, colloquialisms, generalisation, hyperbole,alliteration

Choose one of these techniques and explain how its use has beenused to position the reader.


2008 Crit Lit Workbook 1

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