Number the paragraphs
This is from Cycling Plus,
like the Death Valley piece. We can expect, therefore, that it will be
biased in favour of cyclists and against the plan to make cyclists have
their bikes licensed and registered. This does, indeed, prove to be the
case. Look at the opening paragraph; it’s full of negative vocabulary.
“Admitted” carries connotations of being in the wrong and “force”
suggests bullying and coercion.
What prefix is used twice in paragraph 1 to convey negativity?
This negativity continues in paragraph 2 with “dangerous offences” and “problem”, but now it is the cyclists being charged with the negative behaviour, “riding on pavements and through red lights.”
“But” is used at the beginning of paragraph 3 to signal a change in the direction of the argument. The negative vocabulary is once again applied to the registration scheme: “rejected”, “practical problems”, “discourage”, “difficult last resort”.
Paragraph 4 opens with “Instead”; an alternative is being offered. The two pronged approach balances carrot and stick, with words like “encourage” and “advise” being balanced against “”catch” and “refuse”. These approaches would be aimed at cyclists and drivers alike.
In paragraph 5 we hear from a cyclists’ organisation, the CTC http://www.ctc.org.uk/
With any luck you can find out what the acronym stands for. I can’t.
The
point, however, is that we have an authoritative source here, giving
credibility to the viewpoint. Not too much credibility, though, in my
opinion; he’s bound to be biased in favour of cyclists.
Find the unfortunate pun in this paragraph.
Roger Geffen continues to speak in paragraph 6, revealing the extent of his bias.
(Maybe what I’m doing here is revealing the extent of mine!)
Note the unbalanced parallel between “errant cyclists” and “dangerous
drivers”. The use of inverted commas to surround “bad behaviour”
implies that really the cyclists are just being a bit naughty, as
opposed to the drivers who are downright “dangerous”.
There is a parallel between “bad behaviour” and “good cycle training”. One could be seen to balance out the other.
The picture communicates the oppositional message of the article using the visual joke of the message on a number plate and the transport related metaphor in the caption.
Summarise this article in 7 sentences, one per paragraph.