Comparative argument analysis example PDF

Preview

Summary

random...

Description

Comparative Language Analysis ‘Black Lives Matter needs to be more than a social movement’ compared to Brgelman cartoon *Introduction here because Mr. Robinson is too sad about the football to write his own* Gallagher’s opinion piece, ‘Black Lives Matter needs to be more than a social movement’ opens by demanding Australia takes the movement as ‘an opportunity for real change’. Gallagher notes that this ‘real change’ can only occur if ‘we as a nation are prepared to address racism head on’. By using inclusive language, Gallagher aims to remind the audience that defeating racism is a collective challenge, not one that is limited to those directly affected by it. Gallagher’s use of ‘unless’ also implies that currently, Australians are not united as a Nation, and therefore racism is not being addressed ‘head on’. Gallagher continues on to acknowledge the recent murder of George Floyd at the hands of American police occurred in the same week Australia acknowledged their progress towards Reconciliation with their Indigenous Australian citizens. However, Gallagher is quick to appeal to the reader’s sense of justice, reminding the audience that the death of Floyd ‘spoke to our own colonial injustice’- referring to how the colonial history of Australia has continued to lead to oppression of Indigenous Australians, just like how America has continued to oppress its African-American population. Gallagher continues on, reflecting on the racial injustice she has faced herself, from the time she ‘was a very little girl’, to her son being ‘reluctant to display the Aboriginal flag on his car’ for fear of racial targeting by the police. By noting multiple examples of anecdotal evidence, Gallagher forces non-Indigenous Australians to acknowledge that Australia has a long-standing problem with racism, which is all the more reason for the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement to be not just a movement, but an opportunity for real change. Gallagher’s piece then shifts to a focus on uniting non-Indigenous Australians and urging them into action against racism. Gallagher reaffirms that the movement is a ‘wake-up call’ that Australians can no longer ignore, and that it is a ‘stark reminder of the violence and racism that plagues our own society’. By using emotive language and describing racism in Australia as a ‘plague’, Gallagher presents racism in Australia as one that will continue to spread and infect others, causing wide-spread harm and suffering if nobody acts on stopping it. Gallagher states that without this action from all Australians, ‘we will never see improved health and wellbeing outcomes’ for Indigenous Australians. By using repetition of the same line she uses in the opening of her piece, Gallagher positions the audience as definite and consistent in her intentions, which encourages them the audience to believe that it is their inaction, not Gallagher’s, is the cause of continued systemic racism. Gallagher notes that Indigenous Australians only take up 3% of the entire population. This use of statistics makes it clear to the target audience of non-Indigenous Australians that by sheer number alone, they are able to control and change Indigenous Australian

health and wellbeing outcomes through their advocacy and voice as it is their ‘fight for a better future, too’. Gallagher closes her piece by acknowledging the 231 years since the colonisation of Australia by the British. This use of evidence highlights to the audience that there has already been 231 years of inaction and suffering, and encourages the audience to believe that this year is the year they need to make change in by advocating for the Black Lives Matter movement to be ‘more than a social movement’. In light of the recent rise in Black Lives Matter protests, both texts respond to and explore the role of non-Indigenous Australians in encountering and defeating racism. While Gallagher asserts her experiences of racial injustice as an Indigenous woman, she contends that the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement should be more than just a movement, but also a genuine opportunity to unite Australian society and improve outcomes for Indigenous Australians. This can be compared to the comic by ‘BRGELMAN’, which reflects similar sentiments around the Black Lives Matter movement in Australia, and criticises the response of non-Indigenous Australians. However, BRGELMAN focuses instead on contending that White Australians are hypocritical for criticising the racial injustice in the United States of America, as they are failing to acknowledge that their own country participates in and benefits from the mistreatment of Indigenous Australians, just like the United States. Ultimately, the contentions of both pieces acknowledge the importance of non-Indigenous Australians in alleviating racism, but while Gallagher’s piece assumes they are already aware of their role, Brgelman suggests many non-Indigenous Australians are not aware of their role in contributing to racism. Both texts address the fact that Indigenous Australians are oppressed through racist attitudes in Australian society. While Gallagher introduces personal anecdotal evidence of her experiences to demonstrate the racist attitudes of Australia, such as when she is targeted for bag inspection while wearing an ‘Aboriginal t-shirt’ and an ‘Aboriginal bag’, Brgelman takes a different approach in his cartoon. Instead of using anecdotal evidence, Brgelman uses the element of size to demonstrate Australia’s oppression of their Indigenous Australian populations. Brgelman’s cartoon depicts two non-Indigenous Australians sitting on a large beanbag in the shape of Australia and an Indigenous Australian man being ‘crushed’ underneath their weight. The non-Indigenous Australians and the beanbag are significantly larger than the Indigenous Australian underneath, demonstrating the significant power imbalance between non-indigenous and Indigenous Australia, and the pressure or ‘weight’ Indigenous Australia is put under by Australia’s colonial past. This encourages the non-Indigenous audience to recognise that the non-Indigenous Australians depicted in the cartoon are wrong, and that Australia also battles with systemic racism, just like the United States of America. While Gallagher demonstrates her personal experiences of racism, Brgelman explores it in a critical use of size. Ultimately, both texts conclude that Indigenous Australians are targets of racial profiling in Australia just like African-Americans are targets of racial profiling in the United States of

America, and that it is the responsibility of non-Indigenous Australians to address their privilege. Additionally, Gallagher’s text and Brgelman’s cartoon both target non-Indigenous Australians as their intended audience for their respective pieces. While Gallagher’s piece focuses on encouraging non-Indigenous Australians to join the fight against racism by ‘amplifying [Indigenous] voices’ and pushing for Treaty, Brgelman targets non-Indigenous Australians who do not realise that it is not just America that mistreats their black populations. While Gallagher targets audiences with a candid tone that reflects on her own experiences and encourages the audience to vow these events do not continue to happen, Brgelman takes a more critical tone when highlighting the irony of Australians acting as if racism is strictly an American issue. Gallagher’s text, ‘Black Lives Matter needs to be more than a social movement’ contends that non-Indigenous Australians need to use the Black Lives Matter movement as a way to make genuine racial change. This can be compared to the cartoon by Brgelman, which also targets non-Indigenous Australians, but instead encourages them to see the hypocrisy behind Australians criticising America’s racial climate. Although both pieces target the same audiences of non-Indigenous Australians, the pieces differ in how Gallagher implies non-Indigenous Australians are capable of creating change, whilst Brgelman implies they are currently unable to make change due to their ignorance. Although both pieces target the same audiences of non-Indigenous Australians, the pieces differ in how Gallagher uses [written technique] to [effect], while Brgelman uses [visual technique/element] to [effect]....