Resource to analyze for bias: the Marxists Internet Archive
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Students need to learn that all texts are a perspective on, or an interpretation of, events. This understanding is firmly embedded in the syllabus.
How do we support students to identify bias?
It is the subtle use of language that constructs the filters and
the explicit awareness of language devices that enable the detection of
assumptions, beliefs and value positions of a text. A knowledge of the
resources of language that are available for making judgements about
people, events and issues, and an understanding of the relationship
between these language resources and the context of the text, will help
students to deconstruct an interpretation and to see how they, as
readers, are being positioned. A knowledge of the cultural and social contexts in which a
source was produced plays a vital role in facilitating students use of
critical literacy skills. For students to fully understand the
interpretations and perspectives of a source, they need to be aware of
the cultural values operating at the time, the relationships between
the producers and audiences, the field of the text and the way language
(visual, graphic and spoken) is used in the source. At times students may not have ready access to the surrounding
context of a source. However, a knowledge of the language resources
used to position the reader will enable the students to speculate about
both the cultural and social context of a source. This language
knowledge will also assist students in recognising varying
interpretations and be able to speculate on the reasons for them. Where
the context of a source is available, it will enable students to
predict and better understand the language resources being used, and
how they construct differing interpretations. The language resources used to subtly position the reader are: Emotion, Judgement, Personal Perspective and Amplification. Certain words 'colour' the quote below so that the reader is likely
to feel an emotional response as it is read. These words are
highlighted in purple.
Why should not the name of an Australian citizen be equal to that of a Briton?…Why should not the name of an Australian citizen be equal to that of a citizen of the proudest country under the sun?… But there is something more. Make yourselves a united people, appear before the world as one, and the dream of going ‘home’ would die away…We should have home within our shores. Extract from speech by Parkes to the Australasian Federation Conference, Melbourne, 1890. Source: (1998) Discovering Democracy Middle Secondary Units, page 113, Curriculum Corporation
The language resource of emotion deals with an emotional
response to an event. It can be directly stated in words that are
obviously subjective, e.g. ‘he yelled piteously’, or implied where
events activate certain emotional responses, for example the cartoon
image of the octopus is represented as an oriental face ensnaring its
victims, thus engendering a feeling of fear. Also the date 1890 is an
important contextual clue as it draws on people's fears of ‘unknown’
monsters from the deep, and this matches the unfounded fears. These are words that directly state or suggest the writer is making
a judgement about the outcome of an action or decision. These words are
highlighted in red. The only way to keep undesirable immigrants out of Australia is to bring plenty of desirable immigrants into it. The only way to secure the standard of living of the white man in
Australia is having enough white men to defend it. This continent has
the vastest areas of unoccupied or slightly occupied lands on
earth...In our present state we invite invasion. Victorian Land Settlement Division of the Immigration League 1907, The Peril of Melbourne (pamphlet) We are convinced that migrants have the right to maintain their cultural and racial identity and that it is clearly in the best interests of our nation that
they should be encouraged and assisted to do so if they wish. Provided
that ethnic identity is not stressed at the expense of society at
large, but is interwoven into the fabric of our nationhood by the
process of multicultural interaction, then the community as a whole will benefit substantially and its democratic nature will be reinforced. Review of Post-arrival Services for Migrants (Chair: Frank Galbally) 1978, Migrant Services Program, AGPS, Canberra, p.104. Sources: (1998) Discovering Democracy Middle Secondary Units, page 147, Curriculum Corporation Making judgements about behaviours can be done explicitly by
inscribing a judgement, e.g. ‘undesirable migrants’, or implicitly by
inviting a judgement that constructs a particular interpretation of an
event, e.g. smiling faces of ‘Beautiful Balts’. Also included in
judgement is how something is portrayed from a particular perspective
or how it is valued, e.g. ‘will benefit substantially’. Personal perspective words have the effect of enabling the writer or
speaker to adjust his/her language so it becomes more or less definite
depending on the purpose and audience. It is captured in words that
relate to the degrees of certainty (definitely, probably), usuality (never, sometimes, frequently), inclination (am willing to, determined) and obligation (would, must, might). These are commonly referred to as modality words. Modality words suggest how certain or definite the writer in in his/her opinion. They are marked in the quote below in green. There is only one argument left for a strict White Australia policy. That is, that race prejudice within Australia is so intense that to admit even a small number of non-Europeans would lead
to tension. There are also Australians who know that race prejudice is
a 'squalid' ['mean', 'dirty'] absurdity, but who think it exists here
in such a degree that relaxation of the present policy would be unwise. This, if true, would be a terrible indictment to Australia… Why should we be the only white country that needs to adopt such an attitude?
Immigration Reform Group 1960, Control or Colour bar Melbourne The frequency with which the assertion has been made, that
Australia is in danger of being 'swamped' by 'hordes' or 'millions' of
coloured aliens [foreigners], has evidently caused it to be regarded by
some people as a strong argument; whereas it is merely one of those silly scares and bogeys which a little calm examination will disperse… The advocacy of a 'White Australia'… is not only absurd to the last degree; it is
diabolical [devilish]. It is an assertion of the right of men of one
colour to take a country away from people of another colour, and then
refuse admission, on the grounds of their colour only, to people of the
same colour as those they dispossessed. Gizen-no-teki 1903, Colorphobia, RT Kelly, Sydney, p.65 Amplification refers to turning the volume of words up or down in an apparently neutral, objective and unbiased way, e.g. abandoned instead of left, or overcrowded instead of swamped.
It is possible for words to show more than one language resource
at the same time. For example in the second text below we see the
underlined words can be simultaneously coded as amplification and
judgement: not only absurd…it is diabolical. Amplification
words usually appear with words that show personal perpsective. In the
quotes below we can see the two working together to present a point of
view. Amplification words are marked below in blue and personal perspective is marked in green. There is only one argument left for a strict White Australia policy. That is, that race prejudice within Australia is so intense that to admit even a small number of non-Europeans would lead to tension. There are also Australians who know that race prejudice is a 'squalid' ['mean', 'dirty'] absurdity, but who think it exists here in such a degree that relaxation of the present policy would be unwise. This, if true, would be a terrible indictment to Australia…Why should we be the only white country that needs to adopt such an attitude? Immigration Reform Group 1960, Control or Colour bar Melbourne The frequency with which the assertion has been made, that Australia
is in danger of being 'swamped' by 'hordes' or 'millions' of coloured
aliens [foreigners], has evidently caused it to be regarded by some
people as a strong argument; whereas it is merely one of those silly
scares and bogeys which a little calm examination will disperse…The
advocacy of a 'White Australia'… is not only absurd to the last degree; it is diabolical [devilish].
It is an assertion of the right of men of one colour to take a country
away from people of another colour, and then refuse admission, on the
grounds of their colour only, to people of the same colour as those
they dispossessed. Gizen-no-teki 1903, Colorphobia, RT Kelly, Sydney, p.65
Appealing to Emotion
Making Judgements about Behaviours
Personal Perspective
Source: (1998) Discovering Democracy Middle Secondary Units, page 146, Curriculum Corporation
Source: (1998) Discovering Democracy Middle Secondary Units, page 146, Curriculum CorporationAmplification
Source: (1998) Discovering Democracy Middle Secondary Units, page 146, Curriculum Corporation
Source: (1998) Discovering Democracy Middle Secondary Units, page 146, Curriculum Corporation
THE WORLD OF 1919
1919 - 1933
1933 - 1945
1945 - 1963
1963 - 1991
