REFLECTION TOPIC 8

Topic 8 is the last topic in the chapter which is discussed about an article ‘Drugs or Guns’. The interesting part in this article whenever the publics argue the government decision that they choose to buy weapon rather than the citizens’ health. The writer also looks like not agree with the government because in the last paragraph he mentioned that the real war for the country is to against the AIDS. However, the government has its own reason through this matter because they believe that the first thing that they need to do is the country be in safe position. This is because of the country have the unstable political system.

Next, the thing that makes me to think is that why the government not over comes both problems? In order to protect the country externally, at the same time they could put the trust to their people to handle the internal problem which is the AIDS and HIV matter by helping the AIDS activist that willing to help those people who need them. This group I think just need some budget for them to do their job to over come the problem for short or long term.

Eventhough, the approach that I could comment in this article is the government and the public should have a connection in order to maintain the political system of the country. The government also should give the positive impression the citizens so that they could trust on their leader ability to conduct and control the country. Indeed, it is not an easy thing make all people satisfied but as the body that have the authority, deep observation should be done so that the problem could be over come in nicely way.

REFLECTION TOPIC 7

Unit 7 covers about ‘Dieting: a waist is a terrible thing to mind’ written by Seligman, Martin (1994). The things that touch on my attention is about ‘Depression and Dieting’. According to the reading, the depression could appear in dieting whenever a person failed to set up his or her diet properly. They might not achieve their goal in order to decrease weight and finally they become depress and women are the group who are dominant with this problem. From here, we could see the significant relationship between depression and dieting that could be effect the weight. This is because feelings play the important role to a person in order to be the winner or loser.

Moreover, something that always is the question mark in my mind is why the diet pills can contribute to the increase of weight. Indeed, some of diet pills are helpful in order to weight loss. However, it could gaining the weight and risk to the health. It supposedly to help people who want to weight loss, but it simply do not work to them. Other than that, the diagram used by the writer is quite difficult to understand and need for the concentration whenever to analyze the diagram.

From the reading I found that the writer are not agree with the medical way in order to get nice body shape such as taking the diet pills and I do agree with the write according to that. Moreover, it is some a good approach taken by the writer by putting the strong evidence according to the wrong doing of dieting such as the bulimia nervosa and so on. It is make the readers realize that the side effects of false diet set up and obsesses to achieve the weight loss.

REFLECTION TOPIC 6

From unit 6 we have discussed on the article ‘Invasion of the Baby Snatchers’ written by Kim Walter (2002, August 26) from Time Magazine on page 40. The thing that attracted me through this article is the sub headline itself which is question about the ‘lost’ children. Here, I could describe that the lost children is those who are abandoned by their parents. Those children according to what the writer said that there are the kids who cannot disappear because they are already lost. The media exposed a lot for the missing child but they are also abundant the children who are left by parents, dumped onto social services or left in care of irresponsible adults and their story sometimes only been known by their neighbours or the societies or people just not care about them at all.

I did not find too many difficulties in this topic because it has been discussed in the class members and also the lecturer. Somehow, I am not quite agree with the writer that he only put the picture of the missing child but not focus on the issued that he himself questioned it up which is about the ‘lost’ children. Other than that, in the content of the article also the writer state that people or media should be alert or take attention the kidnap cases. However, at the end of the article, the writer looks like want to focus more the abundant child.

Overall of the article is telling about the missing children and if they are unlucky it could be the victim of murder cases. I would like to strongly agree with the writer that he suggest the public or even the media itself do expose the story or news about the abundant child that might be until now did not get the justice according to their destiny of life in the future. In my view towards this, it must be have some difficulties to help those children because nowadays people are being selfish and care only their priorities.

REFLECTION TOPIC 5

In unit 5 the subtopic that I interested most is reading 5.3 which is explain about types of exposition. There are two types of exposition discussed in this part which ‘persuading that’ and ‘persuading to’. From this, I could see the different between them both when the writer clearly explained that the two types of persuading has been categorize into hortatory and analytical exposition and it included with examples. The most subtopic that attracted me is the Personality in Exposition. The writer has been discussed that in conversation or dialogue our feelings and attitudes could be seen just look at the structure of the sentence or words used in the sentence. One another elements could be seen is the expressions of our words such as Yuk and Pah that has been stated in the reading on page 23.

Besides, whenever we have to discuss the metaphor part, I could not clearly understand. In this chapter, the writer discussed on the function of the metaphor in making sentences and to recognized the words used to another similar meaning. It is quite hard to identify what are the similar and suitable words to be replacing.

Next, regarding to reading of ‘Out of Puff’ that talk about an approach to stop smoking. This article is a good approach in order to advise the readers to stop smoking and also avoid from being a smoker. The article explains a lot about the advantages of smoking such as disease that could be infected by smoker and unconsciously the people around them could be infected too. Other than that, the writer also provides some way that could be followed for the smoker slowly to stop their smoking habit in the kicking butt box. There are also having stated the organization in way to help them by giving nicotine replacement therapy, medication, and the support. The most important thing that the writer do is he storied about other people experienced like Lisa and Caroline so that readers could take it as a lesson.

REFLECTION TOPIC 4

In this unit, I interested with the first reading (Reading 4.1) ‘Body language that speak to muggers’. The writer come out with the body language of a pedestrian could cause them to be a victim to the muggers. The way muggers see someone who got the potential to be the victim or not is based on the way their walk whether they easy to get rip-off or hard. By told this to the readers, they could aware on their surrounding especially to the pedestrian who walks alone or even with partners.

Nevertheless, there are some difficulties on my reading in reading 4.4 on page 61. In the reading, the writer comes out with four examples of common statistical slips that might consciously or unconsciously. The last example, misleading presentation get my attention to question it because how the statistical could be misleading when it in graphs. From my own knowledge, I found that there is an axis ‘y’ and ‘x’. So, the statistical should not easy to be manipulated because the shape or the exact condition will show that is totally wrong. People will realize the mistake just by they performed the graphs.

Based on the reading 4.2, the writer reported about the overscheduled or overworked among kids until them running out of time for fun, I totally disagree towards the approach taken by parents. This is because their children should have time for fun and be like normal kids. The overscheduled had been doing by parents can cause to negative growing process because they are treated like a teenager or an adult style and it was wrong. They is way how to teach and treat children according to their age level and parent should be alert and have knowledge so that they know how to use the appropriate way to teach their child.

REFLECTION TOPIC 3

REFLECTION 3

In unit 3, the information that I find interesting mentioned in the article ‘Truth about youth’ are the approach had been doing by Youth Alive spokesman Terry Stuart to help the youngsters in way giving counseling to them in facing their life problem such as suicide. Furthermore, the signs mentioned as a warning such as previous suicide attempts, verbal threats of suicide, any changes in behaviour, giving away personal possessions, substance abuse and so on should be alert by recognized all the criteria might have in their friend that have potential to suicide.

Nevertheless, there are some tasks that I could not understand. From my over view towards the article, the heading and caption itself already explained about the issue that usually happen to the young people. But, the writer used an example about a nuclear dump and it was stated in paragraph 32 at the first line. A question come to my mind, why the writer used the example even the media said it not related to the young people issue that has been discuss on in the article. The caption stated ‘Young people have identified youth suicide, road deaths and the environment as the most concerning issues in their lives. Education……….’ The writer should closely example about some issue that might relate to the environment.

In the reading the approach that I have take is the important to get know what happen in our surrounding not just to our self, also the others and the nature or environment. The youngsters himself should know how to help friends by alert to their surrounding and the issue happened. The writer showed the example of the issue that involved by youth. The spokesman and the public such as neighbour mostly look up this issue as quite serious matter because they concern that the young people also part of the society.

REFLECTION TOPIC 2

Topic 2 covered three reading which is ‘Language, perspective, ideology’, ‘Texts and textualities’ and ‘Battling the bullies’.

I was interested to over view the article ‘Battling the bullies’. Battling the bullies storied about bully cases happened on a school children who has been tortured by schoolmate. Ms Watson son always gave reason to not go to school session because of the dilemma he faced at school. Sometimes he asked his mother to pick up him, showed his petrified faced so that he could stay at home. The most interesting one is whenever Ms Watson spy out her son at school to find out what exactly happened to her son. After she got the cause of her son behavior change, she referred the problem to the principle. Unfortunately, there is no action taken. She is very responsible mother and concerned about her child routine in all day to give the best education to him. She also makes sure that her son will get the best treat for his own future. For instance, she transferred her son to another school and as the result, her son are looks forward to school each day.

However, there is some part that I difficult to understand in the readings. Based on my reading 2.2 ‘Language, perspective, ideology’, I quite confused about the concepts used of the white perspective, black journalist and the black audience or readers and the relationship between writing and readers perception.
Moreover, words used are high lexis and the examples given are not much in elaboration to the used of the concepts or term mentioned in the reading. The writer should used example by using other different way, so that, readers could understand more such as picture and words together to make a situation or elaboration could be seen clearly.

Next, my over view towards the reading ‘Battling the bullies’ for the firs reading are not too clear. It started in paragraph fourteen because the printed article has some missing words. I tried to predict the words, so that could I understand the article better. Unluckily, I could not understand it perfectly. However, after discussed it back in the class, the help from friends and lecturer to complete the article, I could understand the overall story in the text. Additionally, when I am completing the port folio part in the study guide, my view towards the article being better by doing critical thinking.

REFLECTION TOPIC 1

In this particular topic, I interesting about the article ‘Convicted killer back at work’. The writer come out with an uncommon story to be tell to the reader and exposed the killer picture to the public who is still free out there at the most save place for people get their treatment that can save their life. However, their safetyness cannot be guarantee anymore by the hospital organization because they hired a killer. In my view, the authority of the hospital did not put the patient as their priority. Other than that, the last reading in the topic one, the rules and regulation, looks interesting to me whenever the writer used the example of rule at the swimming club. In the number of rule listed, all the members of the club follow the rules. It is not only to the parents but also to the kids who being the club members. That showed the power of rules created by human its own.

However, there is some concepts that I not really clear about it. It is in the second reading in the topic ‘Stories and facts’ at the fifth subtopic about ‘Explanation’. I might confuse about the writer point of view, the usage of explanation is rare. I am questioning why we did not need to explain thing all the time or for every single point? Because to me, by explaining, it could increase the understanding of readers and should be include by concrete evidence and examples.

About the reading of the article ‘Convicted killer is back at work’, on my first reading, could not understand what the writer trying to say. I just only understand about a nurse, Deborah Parry who killed her colleague in Saudi Arabia. Additionally, she hired back at one of the English hospital in London. Moreover, the article said that she is freed from any of punishment in Saudi Arabia and also in London because lack of strong evidence to her crime. And then, after I completed the portfolio task text in the study guide, I could see the different in way of understanding and think in critical way. I have to think deeply to answer the entire question the task. From that, I could see what the article all about whether it is implied or fated by read it once again.