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Task2(CriticalReading).
RobPettitAccesstoHE(Science)C0099/Bgroup.
EvaluationReportof
2EbolaTexts.
Name:
RobPettit.
Tutor:
BeverleyHancockSmith
Submissiondate:
22/04/2015
UngradedassignmentCBF650EnglishforAcademicStudy.
Task2(CriticalReading).
RobPettitAccesstoHE(Science)C0099/Bgroup.
Contentspage.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Abstract.
Introduction.
Summary.
3.1.
SummaryofTextOne
3.2.
SummaryofTextTwo
Keyfacts.
4.1.
KeyfactsofTextOne
4.2.
KeyfactsofTextTwo
AudienceandPurpose.
5.1.
AudienceandPurposeofTextOne
5.2.
AudienceandPurposeofTextTwo
Evaluationoflanguagechoicesusedtocreatebias.
6.1.
TextOne.
6.2.
TextTwo.
Conclusion.
Appendix1.
UngradedassignmentCBF650EnglishforAcademicStudy.
Task2(CriticalReading).
RobPettitAccesstoHE(Science)C0099/Bgroup.
1. Abstract.
Abriefsummaryofthewholereportincludingwhatthereportsetouttodo
anditsfindings.Itiseasiertowriteyourabstractlast.
Thisreportattemptstoanalysethestructure,contentandstyleofcontrasting
journalisticattemptstoportraytoreadersthedevelopmentoftherecentEbola
outbreakinAfrica,andthestoriessurroundingit.Hopefully,itdemonstrates
howandwhycertainpublicationsreportnewsinordertostereotypeand
manipulatethemindsetsoftheirtargetaudience,whileothersattemptto
challenge,educateandengage.Thiscanbeseenfromthepropagandaand
scaremongeringononeside,totheaffirmationofmansincreasing
understandingandcontrolofnatureontheother.Forcertainpublications,
withoutcontroversythereisnonewsandimpartialitydoesnotsellcopy.
2. Introduction.
Ashortparagraphintroducingtheaimsofthereportandwhatitwillcontain.
Theaimsofthisreportaretosummarisetwotextstakenfromdifferent
publicationswrittenabouttheEbolaoutbreakinWestAfrica.Thereportwill
outlinethemainargumentsputforward,andevaluatethosetextswithregard
tothelanguagechoicesandtechniquesemployedinordertocreatebias.
Additionally,theintendedaudienceandpurposeofeachtextwillbediscussed
andalistofkeyfactsfromeachtextwillbeidentified.
UngradedassignmentCBF650EnglishforAcademicStudy.
Task2(CriticalReading).
RobPettitAccesstoHE(Science)C0099/Bgroup.
3. Summary.
3.1
SummaryofTextOne
(Ashortsummaryofthemainargumentsputforwardintextone.The
summarymustbeinyourownwords.Thesummarycannotinclude
quotes.300wordsapprox.)
ConcernisincreasingoveradeadlyEbolavirusoutbreakinAfrica.Theworst
spreadisinWestAfrica,withover1,200peoplebecominginfectedresultingin
670deaths.
ExpertsnowfearthatitcouldbetransmittedfromcountriessuchasLiberia,
GuineaandSierraLeonetootherpartsoftheworld,includingtheUK.
DoctorsacrossBritainarenowonthelookoutforvictimsofEbolaHemorrhagic
Fever,thediseasecausedbytheEbolavirus.Thevirusisoneofthedeadliest
knowntoman,comparablewithrabiesandanthrax,althoughitisthoughtto
becontainableindevelopedcountries.
AmanrecentlydiedofthevirusafterflyingfromLiberiatoNigeria,raising
concernsthatinternationaltravelwillaidtransmissionacrosscontinents.
Thereisnovaccineandnospecifictreatmentforsufferers,andtheviruskills
between5090percentofvictimsdependingonthestraincontracted.
UngradedassignmentCBF650EnglishforAcademicStudy.
Task2(CriticalReading).
RobPettitAccesstoHE(Science)C0099/Bgroup.
3.2
SummaryofTextTwo
(Ashortsummaryofthemainargumentsputforwardintexttwo.The
summarymustbeinyourownwords.Thesummarycannotinclude
quotes.300wordsapprox.)
ThecurrentEbolaepidemicinWestAfricahasresultedinmorethan670
deathsinwhatisnowtheworstoutbreakofthediseaseinrecenthistory.The
majorityofcaseshavebeeninSierraLeone,GuineaandLiberia.
Itisfearedthatpeopletravellingfromthosecountrieswillbecarryingthe
diseasewiththem,causingittospreadevenfurthertoplacessuchasLagos,
Africa'slargestcity.Withapopulationofaround21million,anoutbreakthere
wouldbedisastrousasmanyoftheresidentsliveincrampedconditionswhere
thediseasewouldspreadrapidly.
Scientistsandhealthworkersreturningfromtheaffectedareassaythatthe
priorityshouldbetotraceallcontactsofinfectedindividualswhohavelanded.
Victimsexperienceacutefever,musclepain,weakness,headaches,asore
throat,vomitinganddiarrhoea.Astheinfectionworsensitleadstoexternal
andinternalbleeding,asthevirusdamagesthecellwallsofbloodvessels
causingthemtoleak.
Thevirusisthoughttobetransmittedbetweenspecies,whichmaybethe
reasonthenumbersinfectedhasproliferated.
Identificationofcarriershasbeendoneverbally,bysimplyaskingpeopleif
theyhavesymptomstotakingtemperatures.Nobloodtestsarebeingdone
despitesymptomsbeingverysimilartothatofotherdiseases.Treatment
generallyinvolvesrelievingthesymptomsofthedisease.
Ignorancesurroundingtheconditionhascausedvictimstoberemovedfrom
hospitalbytheirfamilies.SomenursesinSierraLeonehavebeentoldby
landlordsnottoreturnhomeastheyriskbringingthediseasebackwiththem.
UngradedassignmentCBF650EnglishforAcademicStudy.
Task2(CriticalReading).
RobPettitAccesstoHE(Science)C0099/Bgroup.
4. Keyfacts.
4.1
KeyfactsofTextOne
1.Anumberedlistofkeyfactsfromtextone
2.Ideally5or6keyfacts:
1. Theviruskillsonaveragesixintenvictims(60%).
2. Over1,200peoplehavebecomeinfected.
3. Therehavebeen670deathsinLiberia,GuineaandSierra
Leone.
4. Victimsdevelopsymptomsbetweentwodaysandthreeweeks
aftercontractingthevirus.
5. Thereisnovaccineandnospecifictreatmentforsufferers.
4.2
KeyfactsofTextTwo
1.
Anumberedlistofkeyfactsfromtexttwo
2.Ideally5or6keyfacts
1. TherecentEbolaepidemicinWestAfricahassofarclaimed
morethan670lives.
2. Ebolaishighlycontagiousandhasa90%fatalityrate.
3. Currently,thereisnocure.Treatmentgenerallyinvolvessimply
relievingthesymptomsofthedisease.
4. A32yearoldhairdresserfromthecapitalofSierraLeonewas
thefirstknowncaseamongresidents.Shelaterdied.
5. Onehospitalwardwasreportedashaving55confirmedpatients
butonlyonenurse.
UngradedassignmentCBF650EnglishforAcademicStudy.
Task2(CriticalReading).
RobPettitAccesstoHE(Science)C0099/Bgroup.
5. AudienceandPurpose.
5.1
AudienceandPurposeofTextOne
Describethetypeofpublicationthisis.Whoistheaudienceforthis
publication?Whattypeofarticlesdotheynormallypublish?
TheDailyExpressisadailynational
middlemarket
tabloid
newspaperin
the
UnitedKingdom
.InMarch2014ithadanaveragedailycirculationof
488,246.Itisanopensupporteroftheconservativeparty,butinrecent
yearshassupportedtherightwingand
eurosceptic
politicalparty
UKIP
.
ManyofitsarticlesfeaturepropagandasurroundingtheRoyalFamily,
immigration,Islamicterrorismandotherleadingstoriesofthedayandithas
lostan
unusuallylargenumberofhighprofilelibelcasesoveritsreportingin
theseareas.AccordingtothenewYouGovprofilingapp,readersofthe
DailyExpressarepredominantlyrightwingmalesaged60+livingnorthof
theMidlands.Theytendtobeworkingclass(C2DE)andworkinmale
dominatedprofessions,suchasthemilitary,constructionandengineering.
5.2
AudienceandPurposeofTextTwo
Describethetypeofpublicationthisis.Whoistheaudienceforthis
publication?Whattypeofarticlesdotheynormallypublish?
The
NewScientist
isa
UKbasedweeklynon
peerreviewed
English
languageinternationalsciencemagazineandalsoavailableonline.Itis
soldinretailoutletsandonsubscription.Themagazinecoverscurrent
developments,news,reviewsandcommentaryonscienceandtechnology.
Readerscancontributeviaaletterspageoronlineforum.Itiswrittenby
professionalsciencejournalistsforscientificprofessionals.Coveringall
areasofscience,itkeepsitsreadersuptodatewiththeworldsofbiology,
chemistry,physics,technology,healthandpublicpolicy.Themajorityof
readerstendtobeinformedmoderateindividuals,educatedtodegreelevel
andfromamiddle/uppermiddleclassbackground(ABC1).Witha
relativelyyouthfulreadershipofpredominantly1824yrolds,theNew
Scientistmagazinehasanauditedcirculationof150,574andareadership
ofover855,149scienceenthusiastsworldwide.
UngradedassignmentCBF650EnglishforAcademicStudy.
Task2(CriticalReading).
RobPettitAccesstoHE(Science)C0099/Bgroup.
6. Evaluationoflanguagechoicesusedtocreatebias.
6.1
TextOne.
Evaluatefivetechniquesthewriterhasusedtocreatebias.Giveanexampleof
eachtechniqueandanexplanationofhowithascreatedbias.Usethechartinthe
backoftheworkbooktohelpyoustructureyouranswer.Writeinfullsentences.
Techniqueused:
Examplesfromtext:
Whyhasthewriterused
thistechnique?
Factsandstatistics.
Thevirusisoneofthedeadliestknownto
man,killingonaverage
sixintenvictims
.
Inordertoaddscientificweight
totheargumentandtoenable/
drawcomparisons.
Expertwitnessand
quotes.
CambridgeUniversitysDrPeterWalsh,a
lecturerinarchaeologyandanthropology
andEbolaexpert,said:"Itspossible
someoneinfectedwillflytoHeathrowhaving
infectedotherpeople
sittingnextto
them..
Inordertogivethestory
credibilityandabasisinfact
(thereforeitmustbetrue?)
Medicaland
technicaljargon.
DoctorsacrossBritainhavenowbeen
warnedtowatchoutforvictimsofEbola
HemorrhagicFever
,thediseasecausedby
theebolavirus.
Inordertogivefurther
credibilityandincreasepublic
concern.Ithasaname,
thereforeithastobemore
serious?
Exaggerationand
repetition.
ThisstrainofEbolaisprobablythesecond
mostdeadlyvirusintheworldafter
canine
rabies
.Ifyougetcaninerabies,
youre
goingtodie
.
"Thisisworsethan
anthrax
.."
Toemphasiseperceivedfears
andtoscaremongerwithout
goodqualitydatatobackup
anyclaimsmade.
Powerofthree
Victimsdevelopsymptomsbetweentwo
daysandthreeweeksaftercontractingthe
virus.Theseincludea
fever,throatand
musclepain,andheadaches
.
Tohammerthepointhome.To
increaseconcernandfear.It
mustbeserious?
UngradedassignmentCBF650EnglishforAcademicStudy.
Task2(CriticalReading).
RobPettitAccesstoHE(Science)C0099/Bgroup.
6.2
TextTwo.
Technique
used:
Examplesfromtext:
Whyhasthewriter
usedthistechnique?
Inordertoinstilla
senseofofdisgust,
horrorandfear.
Emotivelanguagesells
newspapers!
Useofgraphical
/descriptive
language.
Astheinfectionworsens,itleadstoexternal
andinternalbleeding,asthevirus
breaks
downtheepithelialcellwallofblood
vessels,causingthemtoleakfluid
.
Useof
references.
Thevirusisthoughttobetransmitted
betweenspecies:
fruitbats
(
Nature,
doi:10.1038/438575
a)maybethe
naturalhostsofthevirus
,
Togivetheimpression
thatthisisaserious
scientificarticlethatcan
becorroboratedacross
peergroups.
SowhatisEbola?
Ebolaisahaemorrhagicvirusitcauses
extensiveinternalbleeding,andcanlead
tothoseinfecteddyingfromshock.
TheNewScientisttextis
setoutlikeascientific
reportwithheadingsand
subheadings.Thesetake
theformatofanFAQstyle
document.
Scientificstyle/
structure.
Speculative.
Personification
andmetaphor.
Bauschthinksitisunlikelythattheoutbreak
willspreadthroughEuropeortheUSif
someoneinfectedgetsonaninternational
planetotheseplaces."Couldithappen?I
thinkitcould.Wouldwegetsustained
transmission?Idon'tthinkwewould
.
Toinstilafearofthe
unknown.Toraisefalse
hope.Toprovokediffering
opinionwithinthe
readership.
......
y ousimplycan't
model
allofthefactors
involvedinthespread(ofthedisease)
......
Togiveeffecttoa
statement.
To
model
isnormallya
wordassociatedwitha
physicalprocess,buthas
formanyyearsbeenused
asametaphorinthe
abstractsensefortesting
theoreticalconceptsin
science,mathematicsand
medicine.
9
UngradedassignmentCBF650EnglishforAcademicStudy.
Task2(CriticalReading).
RobPettitAccesstoHE(Science)C0099/Bgroup.
7. Conclusion.
Aparagraphdrawingtogetheryourideasonbothtextsandhowthey
havecreatedbias.Nonewideastobeincludedinhere.
Althoughbotharticlesappearverysimilaronfirstreading,theDailyExpress
usesfarmorespeculativeandemotivelanguagethatintendstoleavefear
andcontroversyinitswake.Itsscaremongeringlanguageisbasedupon
propagandaintendedtosellnewspapersandcreatebiasinsupportofany
hiddenagendaitmaysupport(forexamplesupportforUKIPsanti
immigrationpolicymaybethereasonithasemphasisedrepeatedlyinthe
articlethedangersofimmigrantsbringingthediseaseintotheUK).
TheNewScientistontheotherhandattemptstogiveabalancedview
baseduponfactsprovidedbypeersandexpertwitness.Itissympathetic
tothehumansideofthestory,bothvictimsandcarers,andthelives
affectedbythistragedy.Itlooksattheoriginsofthediseaseandthe
reasonswhyitissocontagious,leadingittospreadoutofcontrol.Italso,
inabalancedway,giveshopeforthefutureinthatbyadoptingthecorrect
proceduresthespreadcanbeslowedandeventuallystopped.Fearsofa
pandemicarealsoallayed.
10
UngradedassignmentCBF650EnglishforAcademicStudy.
Task2(CriticalReading).
RobPettitAccesstoHE(Science)C0099/Bgroup.
8. Appendix1.
Putacopyofthebookletcontainingthetwotextsinappendixone.
11