Denne study guide giver dig hjælp til at analysere Jonathan Liews artikel “English football is consumed by racism and hatred. Can the cycle be broken?” Teksten blev brugt ved den skriftlige eksamen i Engelsk A den 19. maj 2022. Ud over hjælp til analysen finder du også et summary af artiklen samt hjælp til at diskutere den.
Through direct address, Liew attempts to make readers aware that all people are involved in the issues he mentions: “And whether you like it or not, we’re all tangled up in it” (, l. 31). Here, the plural “we” shows that Liew believes individuals should not dismiss racism and discrimination and treat them as someone else’s problem.
In another example, Liew uses direct address to show readers that everyone is involved in the issues of racism and discrimination:
If we see politicians rise to power despite making openly racist or sexist comments, if the restraining influence of peers and social groups is devalued to the point of irrelevance, if we see the most obnoxious and attention seeking online behaviour rewarded with likes and followers, it follows that these traits will filter into everyday currency. (ll. 107-111)
Here, the author draws attention to the fact that we should hold politicians and people in power more accountable for what they say and what they do, and refuse to accept racist jokes and comments.
The same idea is expressed in the final paragraph, where Liew offers two possible alternatives: “Either we complain that the task is too monstrous (…) and draw the curtains. Or we conclude that if football is a microcosm of society, then by fixing the part we can start to fix the whole” (ll. 130-132). In general, direct address helps Liew illustrate that racism in football is only a symptom of a larger problem in society as a whole.
