G. M. Shepherd Analysis

G.M. Shepherds illustration of Bill Cummings’ behaviour portrays to the reader how sport is taken too seriously in Australia. Shepherd exhibits through Bill’s “rabid” and obsessive behaviour over his son’s sporting career, how the attitudes of sport obsessed Australians can integrate sport into their identity as well as in their culture; through this Shepherd also implies that those that do not participate in sport are excluded. Shepherd suggests how it is essential for boys to succeed in sport for their parents to be proud of them, resulting in a disregard and shunning of other extracurricular activities. Ultimately, Shepherd emphasises on encouraging other opportunities so that “whether Nick Cummings wanted to be…an avant-garde playwright …show more content…
Shepherd and Waleed Aly differ in perspectives on the place of sport in Australian culture and identities by proposing conflicting views. Shepherd believes that sport should be “good-natured fun” whereas Aly believes that sport is an important and defining part of Australian culture. Both authors juxtapose in their beliefs about sport in Australia’s culture; Shepherd argues that other more important opportunities can be expanded upon, such as medicine, education, etc. Aly, however, fully supports sport as a defining point in Australia’s culture; Aly refers to other countries building their cultures around a certain practice, such as art, and how Australia’s ‘art’ is sport. Thus, both authors differ drastically in their opinions on sport in Australian culture, Shepherd believes that other things should also be supported and Aly believes sport should be the main …show more content…
Shepherd utilises inclusive language to make the reader feel a sense of responsibility when “they place all the eggs of our identity into [the] basket of sport.” Similarly, Aly uses inclusive language along with an appeal to patriotism to persuade he reader that sport is important in Australia’s culture and identity; Aly does this by highlighting how the “pillars around [our] culture” are built off of our choice “to present ourselves and our culture to the world in the packaging of sport.” Shepherd, however, emphasises how cultivating other fields and disciplines could offer “a diverse range of achievements,” Shepherd also appeals to patriotism by suggesting how through these other fields Australia could become “a great nation in its diversity.” Additionally, Aly, further appeals to patriotism with the use of the rhetorical device of logos to show the reader how obvious it is to enjoy and support sporting events, Aly discusses how people “need only contemplate the relative smallness of our population and the relative magnitude of our sporting success to see evidence of…[how] we are probably the world’s most successful sporting nation,” the use of inclusive language includes the reader and creates a sense of pride within the reader. Therefore, both authors implement inclusive language as well as