VCE · Language Analysis
Language Analysis: Feature Article: Our Future with…
VCE Language Analysis essay scoring 87.5%: Our Future with Robots - 2018 NHT With the growing ubiquity of robots and automation in our lives, there has…
Our Future with Robots - 2018 NHT With the growing ubiquity of robots and automation in our lives, there has been significant debate surrounding the notion of robots coexisting with humans in our everyday lives. In a reproachful yet objective feature article titled: “Our Future with Robots”, a well-known writer on social concerns, John Jones, emphasises that robots and humans cannot coexist because of the capacity for technological innovation to displace humans from their rightful place in society. Targeting the readers of a daily newspaper, the feature article, alongside a visual, aims to encourage readers to demand legislation against robots and automation. In response, Ashley O'Hara published a letter in the newspaper the following day, shedding light on the benefits of AI and discrediting Jones’ argument in a vehement yet rational manner, imploring readers to approach the future with an open mind. From the outset, Jones appeals to the importance of human autonomy, overlaying a humanitarian argument in which they establish the gravity of the situation, detailing the “problem in the increase of automation in our workplace and homes”. By strategically placing such an argument first, Jones immediately bolsters the dangers of transhumanism, drawing upon the connotations of relentlessness and assault from the word “bombardment”. In doing so, Jones immediately positions the readership to look upon robots and automation with skepticism, since they could pose a threat to human livelihood. Reinforcing this, Jones imbues the audience with a sense of fear through the cold, procedural element of robots “perform[ing] surgical procedures” evoking a mechanistic approach to human wellbeing, unnerving readers by eliminating emotional care from medical treatment. Indeed, by juxtaposing the inhuman characteristics traditionally associated with robots with the hospitality and tenderness experienced during surgery, Jones implies that having faith in robots to enhance our lives and wellbeing could even result in death. Thereafter, Jones briefly acknowledges the potential that robots may have in enhancing our wellbeing, noting that “we all like the idea of a robot cleaning our house for us”. In doing so, Jones bolsters their ethos by portraying themselves as someone who has considered other facets of the debate, appearing as a holistic and objective individual to the newspaper readers in their argument to allay their potential scepticisms against Jones. Jones appeals to the human need for privacy, detailing how robots can “retain and share our later affairs”. Indeed, Jones leverages the forceful and unwelcoming connotations of the word “prying” to suggest that robots have the potential to completely invade our lives and personal details which could lead to unwanted locations. Compounding this, Jones’ extended metaphor, involving the use of “Big Business”, then “science fiction novel come to life” and “Big Robot is watching!”, functions to warn the audience who reads the newspaper and are likely to read widely, about the dystopian threat that faces humanity if we espouse robots into our everyday lives. Evidently, by making an implicit reference to a well-known dystopian novel, Jones’ extended metaphor suggests to the audience that advocating for transhumanist ideals means humanity tending towards dystopia. Hence, Jones elevates the audience’s feelings of fear and apprehension for the future, positioning them to acknowledge the writer’s forthcoming points with greater proclivity.
Score: 87.5%
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