sm commentary

When I took the SM, the school library leaflet, I noticed that the colours reflected the school 'house style' , and use blue and gold. I wanted to this in my own leaflet to ensure that it would be appropriate for its target audience, which i have identified as sixth formers. Using the school colours would make it seem an integral part of the school literature, as would the use of photos of members of staff such as Mrs Paddock.

               Photos and images are naturally more appealing to a reader, and since the purpose of the text is to inform, a photo would give an instant , visual idea of some of the options available in the library. Therefore the images i chose were 3 students smiling and laughing because it relates to one of the learning resources that can be used in the library. There is a pragmatic implication contained within the picture, which shows that studying in the sixth form can still be enjoyable.
                     Whilst reading the SM I noticed that it was written using informal register(standard english) This is appropriate for a leaflet aimed at year 7, but as my leaflet is aimed at sixth formers i realised that i would have to use more formal language, to keep the audience and engaged, but without making it overly formal and detailed, because many people become disinterested if they have to read for long periods of time. As a result of this i decided to use bullet points for some of the most important/informative sections of the leaflet. I realised that this would be the best way to get information across using as few words as possible. Despite this I had to include enough information, as A level and BTEC students would need a broader variety of resources and more information about the facilities and resources available in the library, as some are only relevant to them and exclude the rest of the years of the school.    
      The discourse structure of the SM made the text more accessable and easy to read. Obviously it is more essential that words are spaced out for younger students, but the layout of the SM helped me to design my leaflet.  I used columns in a newspaper type layout. The formality of the layout and graphology of my leaflet was directly comparable with the formality of my word choices in my leaflet, as opposed to the informality of the SM leaflet.

Spoken Discourse

Spoken Discourse Homework
Lance Armstrong Interview With Oprah Winfrey

Oprah Winfrey: Every article I've seen and everything I've written begins with the word disgraced. Do you feel disgraced?

Lance Armstrong: "Of course but I also feel humbled and I feel ashamed. This is not good stuff."

What was the most humbling moment that brought you face-to-face with yourself?

"I believe it was a Wednesday. [Sponsors] Nike called - this isn't the most humbling moment, I'll get to that - and they said basically that they were out. OK? And then the calls started coming. Trek, Giro, Anheuser-Bush..."

On the same day, the same couple of days?

"Yeah, a couple of days. Everybody out, still not the most humbling moment. Not a fun period."

How did that hit you, though?

"You know, in a way I just assumed we'd get to that point. The story was getting out of control, which was my worst nightmare. I had this place in my mind that they would all leave. The one I didn't think would leave was the [Livestrong] / Foundation.

"That was the most humbling moment. To get that phone call - first to step down as chairman and stay on the board, but that wasn't enough for the people and for our supporters and then a couple of weeks later the next call came to step aside. They said 'we need you to consider stepping down for yourself' and I had to think about it a lot.

"The Foundation is like my sixth child and to make that decision and to step aside was big. It was the best thing for the organisation but it hurt like hell. That was the lowest."

Of everything that has happened in this entire process, in this fall from grace, has that been the toughest?

"That was the lowest, the lowest."

Can Livestrong live without your story?

"I certainly hope so. Yeah, I hope so."

Because your story transcended sports and gave hope to so many people fighting cancer. I have this email that a friend sent to me after finding out I was going to be doing this interview and it said 'I have heard that he is a real jerk but I will always root for Lance. He gave me hope at a very dire time. My first-born son had just been diagnosed with leukaemia two weeks before his first birthday. I'm in intensive care barely able to breathe and my brother sends me Lance's new book, It's Not About the Bike, I read it cover to cover through the night, it showed me that there was hope for my son to not only live but to thrive. I had a choice to make that night on how I would respond to my son's illness and teach him how to face the world. My prayer to Lance is that as he faces his demons he remembers it's not about the bike.

"Amen."

Are you facing your demons?

"Absolutely. Absolutely, yeah. It's a process and I think, you know, we're at the beginning of the process."

What has been the financial cost? Have you lost everything?

"I've lost all future income. You could look at the day and a half when people left. You asked me the cost. I don't like thinking about it but it was a $75m day. All gone and probably never coming back."

How did it hit you?

"I've been to a dark place that was not my doing where I didn't know if I would live a month, six months, a year, five years, 10 years and it has helped me now. This is not a good time but it isn't the worst part of my life. You can't compare this to an advanced diagnosis. That sets the bar. It is close but I'm an optimist and I like to look forward. This has caused me to look back and I don't like that. I'm like my mother like that. We don't talk about the past. I've never spoken about my biological father."

So you came back and you didn't believe it was possible to win seven Tours without doping but you came back not going to dope and you expected to win still?

"Yes, because I thought and still think the sport was very clean. There really was a major shift in the mid-2000s with the biological passports. I thought I was competing on a level playing field.

"I didn't expect to finish third - I expected to win like I always expected and at the end I said I just got beat by two guys who were better. It doesn't sound like what I would say."




The discourse follows a  very formal structure, of standard turn-taking. Lance Armstrong has come under intense pressure following the allegations of his drugs cheating being proved true, and this is shown in the text. Oprah uses long detailed sentences which imply that she is trying to pick Armstrong's mind, almost as a way to put him under pressure and to interrogate him.

World War Poetry and Phonology

Wilfied Owen-'Dulce et Decorum Est'


;'Bent double, like old beggars under sacks,
Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge,
Till on the haunting flares(2) we turned our backs
And towards our distant rest(3) began to trudge. '

Owen uses a variation of vowel lengths in this passage to connote towards the mental imagery that he wants to reader to see. The word 'bent' is short and sharp, which insinuates that the soldiers were crooked, distorted or physically misshaped because of what they had to endure. This is supported by the text that follows, 'like old beggars under sacks'. This implies that they were curled up and strained. The word beggars sounds harsh and sharp and consolidates the fact that the soldiers are in poor, barren conditions/states of mind.

'Knock kneed' is an example of alliteration showed by Owen, and when read as a whole line it has a rhythmic pace, which symbolises the way the soldiers were trudging through the mud. Owen expresses the conditions the soldiers were by using 

Connotations in advertising

 
 
 
 

This particular advert has the purpose of persuading and convincing males that if they wear this deodourant then they will attract females. It is made clear by the caption 'pocket pulling power'. It is a short sharp sentence which is clear and makes it easy for the reader/ buyer to decipher exactly what it is about. The alliteration used also adds to the effect of the advert, and makes it more appealing and interesting to the reader.

The advert is done in black and white which makes it look simple, however these standard colours can be more appealing and look more professional/formal than other adverts.Overall, the advert is not extremely complicated or long and confusing, therefore someone may be more likely to stop and look at it. All of the intended information that Lynx wants to get across get be read and processed in a matter of seconds, which means that someone who sees it whilst in the car or on the bus and is just passing by will still recognise and acknowledge the advert and the line 'pocket pulling power' will stay in their mind.
The 'bullet' is being held by a hand, and relates quite well because the position of the hand insinuates that the bullet is a gun or a weapon of some sort which can be used to 'pull' women. The words 'pocket pulling power' are written in capital letters. This is graphologically appealing and eye catching because it is big,bold and stands out. You are always going to read or at least look at something that catches your eye so this is a good grapohlogical technique used by the creator.


 

Grammar and Syntax
Newspaper Headlines that contain Noun Phrases

• "More water cuts in city"      
• "LPG price hike after polls"
• "Over 100 killed in blast"
• "Terror strikes police base"
• "Militants gun down villagers"
• "Old man scales Everest"
• "Six killed in explosion"
• "Terror alert in capital"
• "More power cuts"
• "Trade figures improving"