Task1A

In this speech given by a British politician we find many literary devices. Typically, these are used to highlight the message and push it forward - when used right, they're really effective.

Throughout the speech, the use of adverbs, adjectives and nouns to describe the refugees and the situation are all well used and they work good. "These are the forgotten, the abandoned and the forlorn" is a sentence that stood out. Here the politician creates a poor image of the refugees to kick-start a feeling of sympathy in the audience.

The text also starts with a rhetorical question "what do we do in the face of this unspeakably horrible catastrophe?". This is a great way to start a speech as it immediately draws the audience in and creates a suspense.

In addition, the text displays a clever use of contrast and comparison with sentences such as "The former teachers, office workers, shop owners, business people - now refugees, sleeping in bus stations, paying gangs to ferry them by night".

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By using the comparison of their previous normal lives and their current awful situation the speaker provokes sympathy while highlighting the comprehensiveness of the case.

Nevertheless, the most noticeable literary device used in the speech is repetition. Repetition is primarily used to make an idea clearer and more memorable. Here we see the words "children" and "people" multiple times throughout. When used at the beginning and the end of a paragraph it makes the message, the point, in that specific paragraph seem more prominent and therefor it sticks with us.

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Near the end of the speech, the person gives arguments wanting to create a feeling of shame and compassion in us. By starting each argument with the word "stuck" he manages to create a bit of irony in this serious matter which again leads to us realising that we have not done enough to help and that we need to stop hiding behind troubled politics and start acting.

Furthermore, the very ending of the speech is great. Here she used an association - "the British way". This is a British politician, talking to a mostly British audience. By adding that final association at the end, she's appealing to their patriotism. We all want our country to be associated with good things, to be known as a good and fair country. So here she is making a point that this recent way of thinking and acting is not something that she would be proud of, and it's not something she will consider "the British way".

Task 1B

Both cartoon portrays attitudes towards boat-refugees. They both work as criticism towards the EU and their response to the crisis. The first one is a reference to EU's restraint to open their boarders. While the second sheds a light on how people's hope are shattered and how we ultimately have the wrong focus.

The first photo portrays a lifeguard from the EU shouting "Go back!" at an arriving boat of refugees. Normally lifeguards are people that we have faith in, we believe that they will save us. The contrast between the common perception and the attitude shown in the picture is therefore huge. The sketch works well as a critique of the EU's restraint to open their boarders and help.

Furthermore, the second sketch shows a huge rescue/military boat surrounded by refugees wanting to embark. The dialogue sheds a light on the irony of the EU's response to the crisis. The first box is an indication of compassion and hopefully a good start to an even better outcome. However, the tables turn in the second box as is shows that we are more concerned with the smuggling business and it brings the problem to Europe. The last box imply that we'd rather hide their suffering abroad then help and see it up close.

Task 2A

Global warming and how to prevent it

We see it every day. We feel it. We can even smell it. The hot, thick air. The never-ending winter. The extreme weather changes we're now experiencing is a result of global warming.

Global warming is one of the greatest concerns for the modern society and the future generations. The phenomenon refers to the increase in earth 's average temperature due to the emission of greenhouse gases such as methane and carbon dioxide or from deforestation. The earth's temperature and the occurrence of extreme weather has gradually increased ever since the industrial revolution and fossil fuels discovery. Scientists and environmentalists now warn that the earth is in danger if we keep up our current human activity level, as temperatures will continue to rise and devastate the whole planet CITATION Chr19 l 1044 (Nunez, 2019). The earth is the only known planet that supports life, and destroying with deforestation, it will lead to catastrophic consequences for human, plant and animal life. Human activities such as carbon release, deforestation and certain agricultural labor are some of the most prominent causes behind global warming. Therefore, adopting global human prevention strategies such as afforestation and carbon restriction may help slow it down or even combat it completely CITATION Uni l 1044 (Union of concerned scientists, u.d.).

One of the more pragmatic solutions to global warming is the adoption of policies that discourage the use of carbon. This method specifically applies to governments and other public offices. If they adopt various policies that discourage the use of coal, carbon pollution will reduce significantly. The governments should instead encourage and promote the use of alternative and natural sources of energy such as solar and wind power. One idea that can lure businesses to adopt this strategy is giving those who use clean energy tax incentives and increasing the business costs for those who don't. in addition, allocating more funds towards clean energy research will likely also help reduce the use of coal as a fuel CITATION Uni l 1044 (Union of concerned scientists, u.d.).

Another high-profile solution to global warming is the adoption of policies that discourage deforestation. As previously described, plants absorb carbon from the atmosphere and store it. However, with deforestation, the plants release the carbon into the air. Therefore, countries should adopt policies that encourage afforestation. These projects can help reduce global warming in the short term as forests are the most effective carbon sinks. To make this happen governments should allocate land for afforestation, encourage citizens to plant trees and include stricter laws for the protection of current forests. This solution will not only reduce global warming, it will also preserve the natural ecosystem making it a great solution for the problem CITATION Gra12 l 1044 (Grantham Research Institute, 2012).

Of the two solutions, afforestation seems to be the most feasible one. First, many governments have the power to plant and preserve forests in their territories. The only thing needed is the political will. Secondly, the cost of tree seeds is not high, and therefore, afforestation is a cheap method of fighting global warming. Furthermore, it is possible for governments to subsidize tree seedlings and thereby make it possible for citizens to plant trees in their farms. Afforestation will help buy time for researchers to innovate and discover other effective and cheap sources of energy to fully replace the coal CITATION Ann14 l 1044 (Nilsen, 2014).

In conclusion, human activities such as deforestation, agricultural activities and burning of fossil fuel all contribute to global warming. Adopting policies that restrict carbon emission and discourages deforestation can help reduce global warming. Afforestation is the most feasible method that can help combat global warming on short term while scientists continue to look for alternative sources of clean energy. However, there is an urgent need for extensive research to determine the best strategies for combating global warming as this is a seriously pressing issue that we have ignored for far too long.

Sources

  • BIBLIOGRAPHYGrantham Research Institute. (2012, 11 29). The Guardian. Hentet fra theguardian:
  • Nilsen, A. S. (2014, 1). Science direct. Hentet fra science direct:
  • Nunez, C. (2019, 1 16). National Geographic. Hentet fra National Geographic:
  • Union of concerned scientists. (u.d.). Union of concerned scientists. Hentet fra ucsusa:
Updated: Oct 10, 2024
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Speech by a British Politician. (2019, Nov 30). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/speech-by-a-british-politician-essay

Speech by a British Politician essay
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