FINAL REFLECTION

Finally, this would be the very last blog that I have to write about. Initially, thank you very much to Madam Jamilah for teaching me with full of dedication and commitment. Besides, thank you also to my classmates for all the funny things that we laugh and shared together. Love you all! Lastly, kudos to me for study hard! I hope so much that I will get an A for this subject.

In my point of view, critical literacy is one of the simple and easy courses. As I study through this subject I recognize that we are doing the same and similar tasks which are all about portfolio. It is because everything must be including ten key areas which are from ‘Topic’ until ‘Visual literacy’. Besides, this subject is one of my favourites subject for this semester. It is true because honestly I have no difficulties and problems in completing and finishing all the assignment.

Furthermore, it improve my skills and ability in speak and write in English. Therefore, my English become fluent whether in communicates with others or writing on papers. Besides, my self confident is higher than before. It is clear that this subject is a very good subject. Thus, it helps me lots!

Essentially, everything that I have learned in critical literacy is new and fresh. It is true that I have learned a lot of new things including to be very critical and significant with every texts and articles that I have read. Besides, I have learned to try to be on the writer or author shoes in order to understand and beware of his or her view point, perspective as well as ideology. Moreover, I also learned about perspective which is how to understand the writer’s stance by words that he or she emphasize and stress, giving my point of view and recognize the hidden agenda. Additionally, I have learned about positioning where the writer gives roles to the participants in the text. Lastly, I also study about argument and evidence that we should discover and find out before believe and accept everything as true in the text then come out with any conclusion.

I think this subject is good enough to be improved and enhanced. It is for the reason that everything is complete, excellent, interesting and remarkable. However, if I have to consider anything that should be improved is maybe you can change and alter the cover book of our critical literacy study guide as well as reading. It would be very good for students as well as lecturer. It is because the cover page for critical literacy is quite uninteresting and dull. As we all know, the content is interesting and remarkable enough. Hence, the cover book itself should be much better rather than now to show the quality as well as the eminence.

UNIT 10 (ASSIGNMENT 3)

I am on my way finishing my third assignment. Basically, I have chosen my article entitled ‘Special Care’. It is focuses on special care that should be treated towards the disabled and elderly on polling day. The article comes from a daily newspaper, The Star in Lifestyle section on Thursday, 6th March 2008 on page 7. It has been written by Anthony Thanasayan. It is one of interesting and attractive articles after the most exciting general elections in recent years. Lastly, I have to submit this assignment on Monday, 21st April 2008.

UNIT 9 (APPLYING SKILLS IN CRITICAL LITERACY: DRAFTING ASSIGNMENT 3)

In this unit, we have discussed how to plan and write the first draft of our assignment 3. It is clear that this unit really help me in completing my third assignment where it supports me applying my skills in critical literacy. We discussed this unit in a very easy and straight forward way with madam. It is because basically we already know how to do it where it is just the same like the previous assignment except we should omit and eliminate the sub heading. Thus, it would be a complete critical review essay.

There are two tasks which we have discussed in class. First task is we are asked to select a text or an article to a review for our final assignment which is critical review. There are several guidelines that we should follow before choose any texts or articles. First, the source of text should be a newspaper, magazine, journal or other publication. Second, the author of the text should be named. Then, the text should be around 500 words in length. Lastly, we must include a copy of the text with our assignment. Moreover, the second task is asked us to write our first draft of the assignment which is including the ten key areas from topic until visual literacy. I am very pleased and happy doing it. It is because it would be my very last assignment for this subject.

UNIT 8 (PRODUCING AND EVALUATING CRITICAL WRITING: PART 2)

This unit focuses on the article entitled ‘Drugs or guns’ which has been written by Peter Hawthorne on page 54-55. Apparently, the article is quite long where it covers about two legal cases which are drugs and guns that The South African government faces and challenges its priorities. Essentially, there is an argument regarding to spend and expend money on drugs or guns. Obviously, there is no good reason in spending billions on weapons for a state which is doubtful ever to face up to a foreign military threat. On the other hand, it is reasonable and sensible to spend on the antiretroviral drug nevirapine to all HIV-positive expectant mothers in order to avoid the transmission of HIV from mother to child.

Fundamentally, the meaning of drug according to Oxford dictionary is an illegal substance that some people smoke or inject for the physical and mental effects it has. A drug, broadly speaking, is any chemical substance that, when absorbed into the body of a living organism, alters normal bodily function. Additionally, there is no single, precise definition, as there are different meanings in medicine, government regulations, and colloquial usage. Besides, the meaning of gun according to Oxford dictionary is a weapon that I used for firing bullets or shells. The word "gun" is also applied to some more or less vaguely gun-like or gun-shaped tools such as staple guns, nail guns, and glue guns.

Moreover, Madam Jamilah and we had discussed this unit in class in order to develop our skills in produce and evaluate critical writing. Hence, in this unit, I have learned the further techniques and skills on how to produce and evaluate critical writing. Besides, to further prepare for my third assignment, I have to write a critical review regarding this article. Additionally, I have the opportunity to critique a fellow student’s writing and as have my own writing critiqued. The rationale of doing this is for me to take time to reflect on what I have learned and to evaluate the progress that I have made. It seems that, this unit will help me in doing my third assignment which is critical review.

UNIT 7 (PRODUCING AND EVALUATING CRITICAL WRITING: PART 1)

This unit focuses on the article entitled ‘Dieting: A Waist Is a Terrible Thing to Mind’ which has been written by Martin Seligman on page 174-197. Obviously, the article is pretty lengthy where it covers about a wide range of recent topics relating to the phenomenon of weight control. Honestly, it is one of uninterested articles which I have read before. Therefore, I easily got bored, tedious and dull while reading it.

According to Oxford dictionary, diet is a limited variety or amount of food that you eat for medical reasons or because you want to lose weight. Besides, according to Wikipedia, dieting is the practice of ingesting food in a regulated fashion to achieve or maintain a controlled weight. In many cases the goal is weight loss, but some athletes aspire to gain weight (usually in the form of muscle) and diets can also be used to maintain a stable body weight. Actually, I have my own experience in dieting when in my early nineteen. I just want to be very skinny and thin. I really hate my body that I think is fat and ugly even my friends say I already thin. Hence, my friends start to talk about me who looks like a walking skeleton. I really do not know what had happened to my brain on that time. I just think that if I am getting skinnier, I will feel greater with myself. Now I can think rationally and sensibly about my body as well as weight.

Moreover, Madam Jamilah and we had discussed this unit in class including a practice text reading, a sample of a critical review and a commentary explaining the features of this review. Besides, in this unit, I have learned the skills on how to produce and evaluate critical writing. At the beginning, it is significant to me to realize and understand that this review models the format and style of a critical review. Furthermore, the aim of this review is not to give me the ‘right’ or ‘exact’ answer. However, it is to provide me with a model of the genre of the critical review. To sum up, the vital thing is this unit will help me in doing my third assignment which is critical review.

UNIT 6 (ASSIGNMENT 2)

This unit focuses on the article which is taken from TIME magazine in the viewpoint section entitled ‘Invasion of the Baby Snatchers’. It has been written by Walter Kirn. The article is essentially covers about the cases of child abductions which have seemed rampant and out of control nowadays. Besides, it is also have a discussion on the cases of “lost” children which have been abandoned and discarded by irresponsible and negligent adult. Sincerely, this article is pretty interesting and attractive to read which is probably because of the short length. Hence, I got excited and eager to go through the reading.

Regarding Wikipedia, child abduction is the abduction or kidnapping of a child (or baby) by an older person. While cases have been reported from antiquity, this phenomenon has recently taken on greater awareness as a result of movies and television series (example: Without a Trace) depictions of the premise of people who remove children from strangers to bring up as their own often after the death of their own child. Therefore, there are a lot of things that everyone should do especially parents, community as well as government. Parents should take a good care and give lots of attention to their children. Besides, community should be alert and aware with any missing children cases. Then, the government should tighten the law and give horrific and terrible punishment to the criminal in order to warn others to not do the same thing.

Furthermore, Madam Jamilah and we had discussed the article in class regarding ten keys area which we have learned before (from Topic until Visual Literacy). After that, she asked us to do our own critical literacy regarding the article. The goal of doing this is to apply the techniques and skills which we have learned in the previous class. Besides, it is as an exercise to complete and carry out the second assignment. To come to the point, the fundamental thing is this unit will help me in doing my second assignment which is critical response.

UNIT 5 (AUDIENCE AND IMPACT)

In reading 5.1, we have been discussed the article entitled ‘Australia’s methadone madness’ which has been written by Siobhan McMahon on page 19-25. Obviously, the article is pretty lengthy where it covers about methadone, a drug that one has to swallow once a day to stave off heroin’s withdrawal symptoms. However, methadone can be fatal and deadly when one takes overdose same goes like heroin. Consequently, there is another irony that methadone does not stop or end addicts using other drugs. Therefore, the only best and superlative choice that gives addicts hope for a normal life is quitting.

In reading 5.3, Farhana and Azziela were presented topic entitled ‘Types of exposition: “persuading that” and “persuading to”’. In this topic, I have learned that there are two types of exposition which are ‘analytical’ and ‘hortatory’. Analytical expositions are to persuade the recipient that something is true. Besides, it is frequently linked with academic speaking as well as writing. On the other hand, hortatory expositions are to persuade the recipient to do something. Besides, it is include texts such as political speeches, letters to the editor and office memos designed to change employee behaviour. Moreover, I have to recognize both the nature of the writer’s argument as well as its strength and validity when developing a critical analysis of any texts. Therefore, it will allow me to find out a writer’s viewpoint, ideology and purpose as well as to evaluate the argument presented.

In reading 5.4, Hartini and Ili were presented the topic entitled ‘Metaphor’. In this topic, I have learned that there is a relationship between the writer’s options of metaphor and how these options may influence and manipulate the reader. It is because metaphor plays a key role in allowing us to talk about and create the world. Besides, it allows language users the flexibility to manage with quickly changing situations. To put it more simply, it is not simply a tool rarely employed by poets. However, it is facilities communication all the way through the language. Furthermore, as I go through the reading, the types of metaphor are probably effects on listeners or readers. In addition, I am able to make sense of our world as well as communicate that sense to others by using metaphor. Moreover, I also can use what I already know as metaphor to explain and portray things which are new to me. Hence, the option of metaphorical language in a text can help me understand and recognize the writer’s perspective and ideology.