English II Unit 7 - Bias, Media, and Persuasion

What loaded words does the first section (the first three paragraphs) of the article contain?

slaughter, outcry, beloved

Media messages both shape and reflect ______ and cultural views.

social

Bill and Lou's big brown eyes, curving horns and gentle but massive girth have made them minor celebrities on campus and beyond.

sympathy for the oxen

The ____ of a media message contains the actual words, while the _______ is the underlying message of the media message.

text, subtext

What argument does Roosevelt present in the first paragraph?

that sports have the potential to injure an athlete

What specific act of government does Thoreau speak against in the first paragraph?

the Mexican-American War

What is Roosevelt saying in the following sentence? /Understand me, I should think mighty little of you if you permitted chagrin to make you bitter on some point where it was evidently right for you to suffer the chagrin./

Don't let the humiliation of not playing make you bitter.

What country does the speaker refer to in his last sentence of paragraph 31?

England

What objection does Thoreau express concerning the military?

They don't act on common sense

How do media messages impact audiences in ways different from traditional written texts?

stirs a person's emotions more

color

suggest emotions or meanings

Paragraph 19 satirizes the mistreatment of ______.

the elderly

degenerate

to deteriorate, to diminish in quality

What is "the only obligation" Thoreau says he has "the right to assume"?

to do what he thinks is right

What is the speaker's proposal?

to eat the children

censure

to express strong disapproval

What is the effect of the final paragraph of the letter?

Roosevelt's strong character comes through.

knave

a dishonest or untrustworthy person

lighting

the intentional use of light and shadows to suggest certain moods and feelings

aquiesce

to agree, to yield

Select the two opposing viewpoints about this issue.

1. Many believe that the oxen should not be slaughtered, but should be sent to a sanctuary instead. 2. Many believe that it is right to slaughter the oxen because of Lou's injury. The oxen can provide valuable food for the campus.

What three specific examples does Roosevelt give to support his argument in the second paragraph?

1. The British officers in the Boer War were not as efficient as they could have been because they played sports too often. 2. Pliny's letter to Trajan 3. Roosevelt's own soldiers were more athletic than he, but he had more endurance and leadership ability.

Choose the six advantages to his proposal the speaker discusses in paragraphs 21-26.

1. The new food would improve the food and business in taverns. 2. In addition to parents gaining money by selling their children, they would also save money by not having to take care of them after the first year. 3. It would give the poorer tenants something valuable to pay their landlords with. 4. It would increase the nation's stock and bolster the economy, as well as introduce a new dish. 5. The plan would increase mothers' care for their children and husbands' tenderness toward their wives, decreasing abuse of women and children. 6. It would greatly lessen the number of Papists, or Roman Catholics.

What argument does Roosevelt present in the second paragraph?

Athletics should never take the place of intellectual development.

__________ is a personal and often unreasoned judgement, opinion, belief, or inclination.

Bias

What benefits does the speaker discuss before introducing his proposal?

Children will be able to help.

What bias forms the foundation of Thoreau's essay?

He's biased against the government.

___________ refers to a means of communication intended to reach and influence a large group of people.

Media

What is Roosevelt's claim or position?

Sports have their place

chagrin

a feeling of humiliation

straw man

a misrepresentation of the opposing viewpoint, making it easy to attack

ad hominem

a personal attack on another individual in an attempt to distract the audience from the issue at hand and to cause them to view the individual in a negative way

sound effects

added to the media message during editing; intended to make a scene seem more realistic and to convey meaning and emotion

fallacy

an error in reasoning that produces a flawed argument

prodigious

an extraordinary amount

Choose the indicators of bias in a text.

loaded words, the inclusion or exclusion of information, an overly positive or negative tone

By using many facts and statistics, the speaker is appealing to _____.

logos

A media message is intended to affect the thoughts, _________, and actions of a specific audience.

attitudes

Being media literate makes a person more ________ the message that is getting across to the audience.

aware of

Thoreau compares the actions of the legislators to ____.

blocks on the railroad

What are the three main types of media?

broadcast media, the internet, print media

special effects

computer-generated and manipulated images, including fast and slow motion; used to catch the audience's attention and convey certain feelings

camera angles and shots

control the perspective or viewpoint from which the audience perceives the subject

music

conveys certain emotions and messages

A(n) ____________ is an argument presented by the opposing viewpoint and refuted by a persuasive text.

counterargument

In the __________ , the speaker addresses that some may argue that his proposal would lessen the number of people in the country.

counterargument

By his strong ________, the effect is that he makes people seem like animals.

diction

Who does Thoreau say should be able to determine right and wrong?

each person

Media messages are often manipulated to increase the _________ effect.

emotional

Media _________ is the ability to analyze and evaluate media messages.

literacy

By speaking of his own experience in being a leader in the Spanish-American War, Roosevelt uses the appeal to ______.

ethos

The speaker use of his appeal to _________ increases his credibility.

ethos

Choose five loaded words in the final paragraph of the selection.

evil, unendurable, oppression, unjustly, tyranny

A persuasive argument does not require that you include any logical reasons or valid evidence.

false

The article presents both sides of the issue equally.

false

Thoreau states the first step in obtaining a better government is to ask experts what they think is best.

false

To deconstruct a media message is to create a message that includes pictures and sounds for a mass appeal.

false

posterity

future generations

unscrupulous

having no regard for right or wrong

What is the purpose and effect of the final paragraph?

increases the irony

commonly held opinion

indicates that because many people believe something is true, then it must be true

What three things does Thoreau say the government does not do?

keep the country free, educate, settle the west

Select all the "loaded language" found in the headline of this article.

kill, protest

liable

likely; susceptible

The following __________ helps to enhance Roosevelt's position. "Athletic proficiency is a might good servant, and . . . a mighty bad master."

metaphor

integrity

moral character

Media messages convey values, ______, and principles.

morals

Do the loaded words Thoreau wrote have an overall positive or negative connotation?

negative

appeal to fear

occurs when a person tries to gain support by arousing feelings of fear

appeal to pity

occurs when a person tries to make the audience feel sympathetic toward a person or idea

false dilemma

occurs when a situation is described as if there were only two possible choices, when there are actually several

plain folks

occurs when the speaker presents himself or herself as just an "average" person in order to win the support of the common people

benefactor

one who helps a person or cause

commodity

product or item for sale

A media message is constructed by a specific person or group for a specific _______.

purpose

It is apparent once the reader reaches paragraph 9 that this is a ________ essay.

satirical

The entire text is _________ of the wealthy upper class, the government, and the poor.

satirical

Roosevelt's tone throughout this letter is mostly ______.

serious

What tone does the speaker use throughout the essay?

serious

deplorable

shockingly terrible

What problem does the speaker discuss in the first several paragraphs of the essay?

the problem of poverty

editing and sequencing

the selection and arrangement of camera shots to create a motion picture; create a dramatic, emotional, and persuasive effect

voice-over

the voice of an unseen narrator; sometimes used to associate a product with a well-known individual

Whom does the speaker satirize in presenting the "advantages" listed in paragraphs 21-26?

the wealthy

flay

to remove the skin of

Advertisers can change the ______ of the commercial to best fit their target audience by adjusting the sound, images, and language.

tone

After reading the article, the reader can say that the headline accurately reflects the focus of the article.

true

In a persuasive text, logos is the strongest appeal.

true

The claim of a persuasive text is a writer's position, opinion, or belief about a particular topic or issue.

true

inexpedient

unjust, unable to advise

In paragraph 29, Swift uses _________ because he writes what he actually means.

verbal irony

A media message reflects the __________ and set of values of the person or group that constructed the message.

viewpoints

Using ________ and sound techniques is important when creating a tone to a specific target audience.

visual

Swift hoped to get the attention of the ________ who mistreat the poor.

wealthy upper class

What are the grounds for "honest men to rebel and revolutions," according to Thoreau?

when a sixth of the population of a nation is composed of slaves, and the country is controlled by a foreign invading army and ruled by military law