You must be clear about the purpose and impact of an author’s views and persuasive techniques. See “Sentence Patterns” to help you accurately zoom in on the purpose. See p. 73.
Step 1:
Identify the author’s views, values (appeals) and supporting reasons. See pp. 5 and 8.
Which words best reveal the following:
- the author’s evidence and purpose for writing
- the depiction of the main stakeholders and emotive language
- the author’s values, appeals and priorities.
Turn to Exercise 18, “Remember her? Don’t let it be you”, p, 30.
View and tone: The author states that the Toddler Tag is a useful tool for parents because it helps them to protect their children from danger.
- The author adopts a solicitous tone to remind parents about the dangers of the “cruel” world.
- He also appears high-minded by constantly reminding parents about their duty and sense of responsibility towards their children.
Language examples: how do they persuade the audience to use the Toddler Tag and what is the impact?
Step 1: Find examples of the following techniques and explain their impact:
(1) an appeal to fear and an appeal to duty of care.
(2) a real-life example:
(3) words and style: a rhetorical question: colloquial language: and words with positive connotations; generalisations.
Step 2: From your notes in your workbook and the techniques above, group together the techniques that seek to create a climate of fear.
- The author uses the anecdote in order to present a cruel and dangerous world. The recount of Madeleine McCann provokes parents’ anxieties.
- The colloquial reference to the child being “snatched from under her parents’ nose” implies that the parents may be reckless. This phrase also highlights the difficulties associated with trying to provide constant supervision.
- The author asks rhetorically, “Do you really want this to happen to you?”, to focus our attention on the consequences of the child’s disappearance.
- The author uses negative words to describe a “cruel world where perverts and kidnappers lurk.”
- The generalisation about mischievous children also creates fear. The suggestion is that children naturally attract harm.
Step 3: From your notes in your workbook and the techniques above, group together the techniques that seek to reassure parents about the use of the tag.
- Mr Toffler presents the hypothetical situation that Madeline would have been safe so as to provoke guilt in some parents and predispose “sensible” and concerned parents to use the Tag.
- The author seeks our approval for the tag by directing our sympathy towards Madeleine. He also earns our trust by showing that he is most concerned about safety and the welfare of children.
- The author minimises (or downplays) the tag’s intrusive nature. “They don’t feel a thing”. “How easy is that?”
- The author uses a generalisation to depict children as naturally mischievous. Once again, this shows that such a tag is necessary and therefore parents should not be embarrassed or ashamed to use such a device.
- Appeal to family values and leadership: parents are depicted as sensible, and responsible if they use the tag.
- Emotional appeals: Parents are also “spared the pain” that arises from disastrous occurrences.
Write two paragraphs based on your notes. Refer to Lesson 4b: people and paragraphs.
- Back to Green Workbook: summary page
- Lesson 5: author’s attack (Ex. 22 – 27)
- Go to series of Now Turn To Exercises