See: “Time to put a foot down”, Professor Markson, p. 62
Paragraph 1:
Key arguments and views/supporting reasons/persuasive purpose
- Professor Markson criticises parents because they are irresponsibly facilitating/condoning teenage (binge) drinking
- Professor Markson contends that retail companies can distribute alcohol on-line and flout regulations by failing to perform stringent identity and age checks.
- Presented as a problem-solution style of argument, Professor Markson believes that parents are indirectly, or directly, encouraging under-age drinking.
Big picture: Persuasive devices;
- Attacking/critical devices; (parents and retailers); “proof of age is not strictly enforced”; parents are succumbing to pressure from their children and fear the “scorned party pooper” image; parents are depicted as ineffective; (shaming tactics)
- In other words, he uses cause-and-effect reasoning strategies to suggest that parents are contributing to, rather than curbing, the drinking problem.
- Persuasive appeals: appeal to leadership and duty of care: (shame the parents who fail to fulfil their responsibilities as care-givers).
- Word level: colloquial statements and idioms “put their down and the brakes on”; parent’s “laissez faire attitudes” – facilitate a social culture of permissible drinking
Metalanguage: synonyms for attack; rebuke; reprimand; chastise (parents/retailers); to condone (overlook); shaming tactics in order to marginalise; isolate parents for being weak-willed and ineffective.
(Once again, write two shorter comparative paragraphs, or a longer-merged paragraph.)
Paragraph 2
Key argument: Professor Markson advocates the implementation of stricter measures to curb teenage drinking habits. He believes that policy-makers must also conduct education campaigns that focus on the physiological impacts of drinking.
- Key persuasive strategy (embedded in the main contention): criticises the defence of parents and retailers who opt for a relaxed system of government regulations; they are “ignorant” and self-interested;
- Tone: upstanding; the professor adopts the high moral ground
Word level analysis: “to spout the nanny state”; colloquial; idiomatic phrase; used in a derogatory or demeaning sense to shame the parents and retailers who lack the will to solve the problems; inclusive language (“we need to run smarter education campaigns”) to refer to teachers/policy makers and education officials as well as parents who must implement leadership programs to combat dangerous drinking episodes.
Metalanguage: idioms; figurative and colloquial terms; derogatory phrases to demean parents; to condone
- See Comparative Paragraph: Dr Carr-Gregg and Professor Markson
- Return to Exercise 22, Dr Carr Gregg, p. 63
- Return to Analysing Arguments: now turn to exercise