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Ms. Craig, Block 1A
Creative Analysis (Written Task 1) Topic Proposal
IB Language & Literature HL 1
Be sure you save this document; you will eventually turn it in to a written rationale
of 200-300 words.
Here is what IB says about your rationale:
The rationale is not included in the word count (800–1,000 words) for the written task
and should be 200–300 words in length.
In their rationale students must explain:
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how the content of the task is linked to a particular part of the course
how the task is intended to explore particular aspects of the course
the nature of the task chosen
information about audience, purpose and the social, cultural or historical
context in which the task is set.
The rationale should not only include knowledge about the text or topic studied, but also
about the formal conventions of the text type produced and how they relate to the aims of
the task.
Answer
Question
Elizabeth Craig
What is your name?
Michael Moore’s Sensationalism
What is the proposed title of your
creative analysis?
Part 2 - Language & Mass Communication
Is this written task for part 2 (mass
media) or part 4 (literature) of the
course?
(Delete the part you are NOT
addressing and keep the one you
ARE).
Part 2:
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What topic is the focus of this task?
Textual bias (bias, propaganda,
sensationalism, counter-propaganda)
Use of persuasive language
(sensationalism, propaganda)
(Delete the topics you are NOT
addressing and keep the one you
ARE).
Part 2: Bowling for Columbine and Roger and Me What is the source text for your
creative analysis?
I will write a speech for graduating students of
Michael Moore’s old university for the school of
journalism.
What text type will you use to
present your analysis? Be as specific
as possible. For example, if you’re
doing a newspaper article, be specific
about what type [op-ed, obituary,
etc.].
*Remember that a formal essay is
NOT an acceptable text type.
I select a speech because Michael Moore often
Why have you selected this text
gives speeches, and as a journalist, it seems likely type? Why does it make sense to
that he would speak to a graduating class of the
present your analysis in this way?
school of journalism. By using this text type and
audience, I am able to express Michael Moore’s
views on journalism, including why he used
sensationalism and propaganda in his
documentaries. I also think that I will be able to
capture Moore’s voice by viewing his other
speeches and researching his background.
I will need to use ethos, pathos, and logos. I will
need to use parallel language. I will have to have
a thesis or main argument and support my thesis
with examples from Moore’s life. I will have to
have transitional phrases to indicate to the
audience when I am moving onto the next point. I
will need to grab the audience’s attention. I will
need to use anecdotes. I will have to end with a
strong conclusion that reiterates my thesis or
main point.
What are the formal conventions
of the text type that you will
emulate? (You may need to do
some research to familiarize
yourself with the text type.)
My intended audience is graduating students
from the school of journalism. My purpose is to
persuade them that they can use journalism to
change the world.
What is the intended audience and
purpose of your text?
My task is set in present day. The cultural context In what social, cultural, or historical
is a university – specifically the school of
context is your task set?
journalism. Therefore, the social context is
educated students between the ages 21-25 who
are ready and excited to start the next chapter of
their lives.
I want to focus on the following learning
How does this task reach a learning
outcome: show an awareness of the potential for
educational, political or ideological influence of
the media. I will seek to reach this learning
outcome by analyzing the effect or influence of
media or more specifically, journalism, on ideas
(media and violence) and politics.
outcome for language or literature?
I will use this task to explore propaganda,
sensationalism, and bias in popular
documentaries that were created by a popular
(albeit controversial) journalist/writer. I will
investigate the impact these journalistic
techniques have on the public and the specific
targets of the documentaries (for instance, WalMart and Nike in the case of Michael Moore’s
documentaries). I want to decide on their
effectiveness, and whether or not it is sometimes
ok to use propaganda and sensationalism. Or if it
is ok to be biased sometimes if your purpose is to
ultimately “do good.” Ultimately, I want to
explore the role of language in journalism,
specifically documentaries.
How is the task intended to explore
particular aspects of the course? In
other words, what will you do in this
task to help explore language or
literature?
I am going to show the “grey areas” of using
propaganda, sensationalism, and bias in
journalism. As we talked about in class, relying
on these forms of journalism is usually wrong
and filters, masks, or exaggerates the truth. For
instance, Michael Moore relies on these
techniques, including counter-propaganda, to
sway public opinion in his documentaries. He
uses biased information, and in the case of
Bowling for Columbine, he did not truly research
the correlation of media and violence. Yet, he
was able to be a catalyst in changes made by
Wal-Mart and Nike. If this is the result, does it
make propaganda and bias ok?
Briefly describe what you intend to
do with this task. (1-2 Paragraphs)
Using Michael Moore’s voice as a platform, I
will bring these journalistic techniques into light
and have him explain why he used them. He will
argue that it was necessary at times to break the
rules of “good journalism” in order to change the
world.