REFLECTION ON CRITICAL LITERACY

This subject is extremely fantastic as it suit my wishes in a path to be a critical thinker. The basic aspect which included in the content of this subject likely to be pulse of Critical Literacy such as rhetorical function, perspective, positioning, impact and the essential one is the audience as the exact target for each writer of every article that published in any kind of media. From this subject, I just got something valuable to be applying not in every assignment for this subject only but able to use some sort of skills during everyday reading session. As stated in the preface in Critical Literacy: Study Guide, the skill could be on how texts or articles are constructed and how readers are positioned to understand the text. Then, it may become useful in writing critical reviews of academic writing. Before this, I never know the purpose of the writer in writing various articles in publishing field. Then, I have to bare in my mind that writing or reading an article is not as easy as ABC. Probably, there is something hidden in it. I certainly enjoy in learning this subject. Further, the course aims that is to enable students to manage the demands of literacy in a critical manner in a university environment is confirmed to be successful by the way I feel while learning this course.

REFLECTION ON THE ARTICLE ‘DRUGS OR GUNS’

After read and analyze the article of Drugs or Guns, something like injustice and cruelty did conquer the political control in South Africa. This valiantly can be proven from the article so as to the South Africa government was facing two legal cases. The two cases are the weapon-acquisition deal and making anti retroviral freely available in the country. After been examined, it is clearly shows that the government is bias towards the citizen when it comes to drugs issues where the governments have to spend a lot of money in order to make an anti-retroviral freely. Meanwhile, the government considered more about the weapon deal. This is because the deal allowed them to gain so much benefit when it comes to the collaboration with the bigger country. As mentioned in the article, the government people are involved in corruption, the dirty politics’ money, shows the world what they do. It can be seen that this unwanted action had been done for their own sake only not the citizen. Government’s responsibility is nowhere if it is still lead by the particular person or individual. The South Africa’s President Thabo Mbeki surely became the worst example for the other countries’ leader. At the same time, all of his true action and bad behavior had affected the clean reputation of the majority of worlds’ important leader. At last, citizen needs to be the final victim. They have to accept the thing that they don’t deserve.

READING 7.1- ‘Dieting: a waist is a terrible thing to mind’

1. Topic
The article focuses on the dieting issue as the main subject of the discussion.

2. Content
The article covers a large scope of the hot potato among women, which is the trend of weight control. The issues very close to physical and mental health in addition to the role played by the weight loss products provider. The writer also includes newest information based on the recent research of weight loss.

3. Source
The article comes from ‘What you can change and what you can’t’ in The complete guide to self-improvement, by Martin Seligman.

4. Audience
The article is written for people who feel they are suffering from some particular problem relating to social or medical insufficiency or bad conditions that affect their life.

5. The rhetorical functions
The article is designed to inform people about how danger that the weight loss programs that is available nowadays. In spite of the danger, the weight loss programs also full of pitfalls that always hiding from the eye of the weight loss users. Besides, the article give warning to the readers to avoid them from easily believe in the claims that made by the product providers and to reassure them that their current weight is already good enough.

6. Purpose
The article aims to inform, warn and reassure the readers who are really concern about the weight to slow down their action in purchasing the expensive weight loss product. Furthermore, the article aims to make the people feel comfortable and satisfied with their current weight.

7. Perspective
The writer supports his argument by highly criticize both commercial weight loss products and any other weight loss programs. He argues that weight loss products does not work that much and never give satisfaction to the users.

8. Positioning
The article describes weight loss as only a commercial strategy for the providers to gain much more profit rather than give the kindest benefits to its users.

9. Impact
The effect on readers is likely to be broke the myths of ideal weight that is typically manipulate the people’s mind. To have and appreciate the recent weight is the best solution to live life happily.

10. Visual literacy
The visual aspects of the text are significant because the title did its work by obviously stating that diet is such the worst thing that should be totally vanished from people’s mind.