Conflicting Perspectives Essay
'All representations are acts of manipulation.’
To what extent does your study of conflicting perspectives support this statement?
Manipulation is present in any representation, as a result of an authors inherent bias towards their own perspective. This bias causes an author to attempt to influence the perspective a reader will take on the text, whether this influence is intentional or otherwise. Geoffrey Robertson is one such author, whos collection of essays titled The Justice Game contains a number of techniques in order to sway readers to support his perspective on the legal cases which he writes about. Paul Waterhouse's current affairs story Would you let your kids do this? Is a television segment on the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and its rising popularity as a sport, in which Waterhouse's bias against the sport is notably evident.
The Trials of Oz is an essay in The Justice Game in which Robertson recounts his perspective on a court trial in which the editors of Oz Magazine are defending a series of obscenity charges. Robertson's bias towards the editors is evident through his representation of judge Michael Argyle as harsh and unreasonable, and prosecutor Brian Leary as a condescending bully. One of the first things readers are told about Judge Argyle is his well known catch-cry “We just don't do this sort of thing in Birmingham!” This immediately conveys to readers that Argyle tends to base his judgements on his own moral perspectives, rather than legal jurisdiction. This unfair impression is built upon when Robertson describes the lengthy prison terms that Argyle is known for sentencing thieves and vandals to. Argyle's harsh nature is confirmed when he quotes the Bible “Those who lead children astray deserve to be drowned in the depths of the sea, with millstones around their necks.” Robertson's bias towards the Oz editors is also evident through his portrayal of Brian Leary as a condescending bully. In the opening paragraph of the
To what extent does your study of conflicting perspectives support this statement?
Manipulation is present in any representation, as a result of an authors inherent bias towards their own perspective. This bias causes an author to attempt to influence the perspective a reader will take on the text, whether this influence is intentional or otherwise. Geoffrey Robertson is one such author, whos collection of essays titled The Justice Game contains a number of techniques in order to sway readers to support his perspective on the legal cases which he writes about. Paul Waterhouse's current affairs story Would you let your kids do this? Is a television segment on the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and its rising popularity as a sport, in which Waterhouse's bias against the sport is notably evident.
The Trials of Oz is an essay in The Justice Game in which Robertson recounts his perspective on a court trial in which the editors of Oz Magazine are defending a series of obscenity charges. Robertson's bias towards the editors is evident through his representation of judge Michael Argyle as harsh and unreasonable, and prosecutor Brian Leary as a condescending bully. One of the first things readers are told about Judge Argyle is his well known catch-cry “We just don't do this sort of thing in Birmingham!” This immediately conveys to readers that Argyle tends to base his judgements on his own moral perspectives, rather than legal jurisdiction. This unfair impression is built upon when Robertson describes the lengthy prison terms that Argyle is known for sentencing thieves and vandals to. Argyle's harsh nature is confirmed when he quotes the Bible “Those who lead children astray deserve to be drowned in the depths of the sea, with millstones around their necks.” Robertson's bias towards the Oz editors is also evident through his portrayal of Brian Leary as a condescending bully. In the opening paragraph of the