CAL Movie Class

Game Change—Part I

Class Goals

Discourse Focus: Description, Narration, and Argumentation

Warm-up

A. Choose description, narration, or argumentation to each of the following

definitions.
a) To tell a story or recount an event or a series of events.
( ) Description ( ) Narration ( ) Argumentation
b) To recreate, invent, or visually introduce a person, place, event, or an action so
that the reader can make a mental picture of the subject.
( ) Description ( ) Narration ( ) Argumentation
c) To prove the validity of an idea or a point of view by showing sound reasoning,
debate, and explanation.
( ) Description ( ) Narration ( ) Argumentation

B. If you want to convince or persuade someone, which Discourse Type are you more
likely to use?

Activity 1 Discourse Type

A. Analysis of Discourse Types

a) In which texts are you most likely to find Description, Narration, and Argumentation?

b) Which of those Discourse Types do you consider the most neutral? Why?

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c) In your opinion, what’s the prominent Discourse Type in speeches? Why?

B. Analysis of a Scene
a) Which Discourse Type is used in Obama’s speech in Berlin?

b) Which Discourse Type is used in Obama’s following lines, “The scale of our
challenge is great, the road ahead will be long” and “We are a people of improbable
hope with an eye towards the future, with resolve in our heart”? Why?

c) Do you think a piece of discourse can be considered—as a whole—a Description,

Narration, or an Argumentation?

d) What’s the speaker’s intention when using Description and Narration in a political speech?

e) Debate this question with your classmates and justify your answer: is it possible to
have neutral discourse as a whole?

Activity 2 Taking a Deeper Look

A. Read the following paragraphs about democracy and dictatorship.

Democracy is a form of government in which all eligible citizens participate equally—either

directly or indirectly, through elected representatives—in the proposal, development, and
making of laws. It encompasses social, religious, cultural, ethnic, and racial equality, as well
as justice, liberty, and fraternity.

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 Dictatorship is a form of government where political authority is often monopolized by a
single person or a political party and exercised through various oppressive mechanisms.

a) Which Discourse Type is used in the two previous texts? Is it neutral?

b) Take a look at the texts again and think carefully.

Do you really believe that those two texts are neutral? What’s the implied meaning in
them? What language features can you spot in them that could reveal a point of view?

B. Steve Schmidt states that Senator John McCain is pro-life, but he considers some
exceptions. Take a look at the following texts.

The Pro-life Issue Spectrum

To say that someone is “pro-life” is to say that one believes that the government has an
obligation to preserve all human life, regardless of intent, viability, or life-quality concerns.
A comprehensive pro-life ethic such as that proposed by the Roman Catholic Church and
similar religious organizations prohibits:
• Abortion
• Euthanasia and assisted suicide
• Death penalty
• War (with very few exceptions)
In cases where the pro-life ethics conflicts with personal autonomy, as in the case of abortion
and assisted suicide, it is conservative. In cases where the pro-life ethics conflicts with
government policy, as in the case of death penalty and war, it is liberal.

The Pro-choice Issue Spectrum

To be “pro-choice” is to believe that individuals have unlimited autonomy with respect to
their own reproductive systems as long as they do not breach the autonomy of others.
A comprehensive pro-choice position affirms that all of the following must remain legal:
• Celibacy and abstinence
• Contraception use
• Emergency contraception use
• Abortion (for the first two trimesters of pregnancy)
• Childbirth

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 In the United States, the pro-choice position is perceived as “pro-abortion.” In China, where
abortion is sometimes required by law, the pro-choice position would be perceived as
“anti‑abortion.” The purpose of the pro-choice movement is to ensure that all choices remain legal.

a) Which Discourse Type is used in the two previous texts? Is it neutral?

b) By stating someone is “pro-life” or “pro-choice,” what is impliedly stated to an

individual of each of those groups?

C. Based on what you’ve analyzed, answer the question again: do you think it’s possible
to have a completely neutral piece of discourse? Why (not)?

Activity 3 Opinion Masqueraded as Facts

A. Take a look at the following text.

Journalism’s first obligation is to the truth

Good decision-making depends on people having reliable and accurate facts put in
meaningful context. Journalism does not pursue truth in an absolute or philosophical sense,
but in a capacity that is more down-to-earth.

Do you believe the previous text reflects what you read in newspapers, magazines, and
other vehicles of mass communication? Why (not)? Can you name some publications
to support your opinion?

B. Watching a Scene
Do you believe they were just narrating an event or a situation? Do you think that’s
correct? Why (not)?

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C. Take a look at the following newspaper article.

Barack Obama arrives in Brazil on Latin America trip

Mr. Obama has started his tour in Brazil—a major market for US goods—where he hopes
to bolster ties with new Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff.
Brazilian authorities have raised security for Mr. Obama’s visit and police in Rio closed a
number of streets in preparation.
In a joint news conference, both leaders flagged up Brazil’s rising economic power.
Ms. Rousseff promised that there would be opportunities for the US and Brazil to work
together in areas such as genetics, biotechnology, finding renewable-energy sources, and
deep-sea oil exploration.
“Combining our most advanced capabilities in the fields of research and innovation will
certainly bear the best fruits for both our societies,” she said.
Mr. Obama said that both he and the Brazilian leader regarded the trip as a “historic
opportunity” to put the two nations on a path toward even greater cooperation.
One of Mr. Obama’s aims was to increase energy trade between the two countries, and he
has previously noted that Brazil’s newly-discovered oil reserves could be even larger than
America’s.

Now your teacher will assign your group a role and you are supposed to retell this
article to a friend using the following guidelines:
a) You are a left winger and hate the United States capitalistic government and policies.
Also, you are pro-socialism.

b) You are a supporter of the ideas mentioned, that is, you think Brazil is growing and
see this as a historic moment for the country.

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 Follow-up

What is persuasion? Can it be present in any Discourse Type? Is there any difference
between persuasion and manipulation? If so, what is it? In which case one or the other
is used? Why?

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