Friday, October 2, 2015

Analyzing the Message in "Remembering a Golden Age of Cheap Cars"

In this post I will analyse the message in the opinion piece entitled Remembering a Golden Age of Cheap Cars posted on Esquire and Road & Track with the help of the Student's Guide.

The picture is a Mazda 323 GTX rally car which was based on one of the cars that are referenced in the article.
Jim Culp "Raymond Ridge" December 3, 1986 via Flickr
non-commercial reuse with attribution no-derivs
Does the author?
  • Express an idea or opinion?
The author certainly expresses and opinion. He is of the opinion that twenty five years ago, automakers operated on the principle that if you offered something that your youngest customers could afford, they would have customers for life. The author then extends his belief that this care for younger customers created a different sort of youth car culture that no longer exists today.
  • Respond to a particular occasion?
The author does not really respond to a situation besides reminiscing about his teenage days when he got his first new car.
  • Inform the reader about a misunderstood topic?
The author does not in particular make an effort to inform readers about a misunderstood topic, he simply relates his own experiences.
  • Analyze, synthesize, or interpret?
The author does not analyse, synthesize, or interpret in this article as he instead draws on his own experiences to paint a picture for readers.
  • Reflect on their topic?
The author certainly reflects on his time as a teenager. He converts his own experiences into a more general reflection on how particular practices in the automotive industry appear to have changed and how priorities seem to have shifted away from what the author considers to be a particularly beneficial ethos.
  • Advocate for change?
The author does not outright advocate for change in the current priorities of children and parents and car companies but subtly you can tell that if a more retroactive change occurred, the author would not be displeased.
  • Move the readers to feel a certain way?
This article is certainly tinged with some aspects of nostalgia. The author wants his readers to experience some of the same appreciation for what he terms a "Golden Age of Cheap Cars."

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