Critical Analysis of an Article - Essay Example

Critical Analysis of an Article Introduction The essay presents the critical analysis of the article Can Earth Hour Galvanize the Global Warming Fight written by Bryan Walsh. The article was published in Time Science Magazine in 2009. It is mainly focused on the issue of global warming and the significance of idea of Earth Hour to combat the challenge of global warming. The author Bryan Walsh analyzed in his writing that every social movement has a starting point. He supported his idea with the examples of civil movements, anti-war movements, and environmentalism. He conveyed that each of the issues under these categories had victims, an impact on society, and a solution that was somehow discovered. The main idea of the article is the practical value of Earth Hour. The author says that it was not about the social movements, but about an issue of the same kind which has not been looked into yet – global warming. Some of the pictures that were supposed to strike the people hard like spreading deserts and drowning polar bears have failed. This is not because they are not powerful enough, but because they did not prove to be a sort that would give rise to a social movement. The fact remains that there are still no victims of global warming, but it is feared that when there will be, it will become too late to start a movement. The author has tried to convince the audience that the importance of Earth Hour is in the contribution to stop the global warming. Where he writes about the reasons why the Earth Hour was started by the WWF and is celebrated across the globe, he also spots the arguments that are held against it. He closely relates the Earth Hour to the global warming. Examples of different kinds of reasoning in the text There are several different types of reasoning used in the scholarly writings: inductive, deductive, causal, and analogical. In this article, the author has presented two types of reasoning: causal and inductive. The author strives to explain the causes behind the idea of the Earth Hour and its effects on environmental conditions through causal reasoning. He has taken the approach of cause to affect reasoning, as he starts with the causes to think about the Earth Hour and then proceeded towards explaining its effects. At the same time, the article also exhibits deductive reasoning, as the author has attempted to apply general rules to the specific situation of global warming. The article suggests that when it comes to climate change, the Earth Hour can play an important role. Though the reasoning may not sound logical to many of the protestors, yet the Earth Hour is a common celebration around the world. It is celebrated around the world today, but few of the people realize the true reason behind this frame of joy. This is a movement against the global warming and climate change. One of the major points that strengthen this issue is the popularity of the Earth Hour. The popularity of the Earth Hour, according to the writer, was a main boost in the movement started by the WWF. At first, only 400 cities participated; after 2 years, 4000 cities join hands in this movement. Along with outlining this major and factual reason behind the Earth Hour, the writer has also discussed the other part of the story. He believes that no matter what the reason is for every individual, as far as this act shows unity, there is no clarification. The opposition of many groups is not meaningless. The author does not oppose this thinking, but does not support it either. These conservative think-tanks, as written, suggest that the Earth Hour does save energy, but it does no contribution to the climate change. Most of the productive work is done during the day; this Earth Hour rather stops production and business, causing losses. They also argue that global warming is not caused by man, we are not responsible for it and we do not hold the responsibility to stop it. However, they do take part in taking it as a celebration. The author has suggested the two different ideologies of groups supporting the Earth Hour and opposing it. Both show the logics and are momentous. The popularity of the Earth Hour and it being a global happening is the strongest reason why the Earth Hour is successfully spread around the globe. Assumption The article is based on the assumption that, as per WWF, the Earth Hour is a symbolic act just like many other historic acts that become tipping points. The assumption is that the Earth Hour will become either a tipping point or a starting point of the movement for climate change. The whole discussion sums in the assumption that the views of the people need to change. They still think that the Earth Hour is a matter of celebration, though this is not the actual reason. The moment people will start to realize that the Earth Hour is for a major reason, it will be considered a starting point of a movement against global warming. If not, it will remain as one of the symbolic acts in the history. However, the facts suggest that at the moment there are no victims of global warming, but soon there can be. That will be the moment when the people will realize the importance of the Earth Hour. The Earth Hour will prove to be a tipping point which will change its meaning in the eyes of the people from being a minor frame of joy to going up to the level that triggers a more significant change globally. Symbolism has always mattered and that is why the Earth Hour is a globally successful act induced by the WWF. The author also suggests that global warming can never get its perfect picture, and the Earth Hour is just the closest thing that can be done. One principle strength and one important weakness Critically analyzing the writing of the author, one can see that he has used many different viewpoints that do not support one another. Where he has discusses reasons and benefits, he has discussed the views of the conservative think-tanks that are equally important. However, there are some major strengthening points that support the whole discussion. In the fight with global warming, the Earth Hour is the best that we can do. Though many people around the world, especially Americans, may have different views about it, the truth is that the Earth Hour is celebrated at one time all around the globe. This shows unity and the message that it conveys – we are not alone. Earth Hour is that one of the movements in which the world participates as a whole. Though it may not make people feel that they are taking part in a social movement, it brings out the feeling that we are united in this cause. There are weaknesses too in the matter of this subject. It does not seem to be as convincing and simple as it sounds. Many conservative think-tanks oppose the Earth Hour and in return celebrate a Human Achievement Hour in the same period. This can be misleading for many of the people who support the Earth Hour. They argue that productive work cannot be done with lights shut, and so this is a threat to the production and businesses. This can be a major weakness in this movement, especially if the opposition groups increase in number and start misguiding people.HHour is H References Walsh, B. (2009). Can Earth Hour Galvanize the Global Warming Fight? Retrieved from http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1888239,00.html#ixzz1xvliCMZJ Read More