[[Patterns 13e: e-Reading for Argumentation]]
Dear Motorist
Dear Motorist: Pledge to Share the Road
Dear Motorist is a campaign to promote bicycle safety and increase driver awareness of cyclists. Started by the sports technology company Endevr, dearmotorist.com invites users to tell their stories and take a pledge to be safer by being more aware of others while driving and cycling.
[video goes here]
Source: http://www.dearmotorist.com/
Questions
Watch “Dear Motorist: Pledge to Share the Road,” and respond to the following questions.
Comprehension
What is everyone’s “worst fear,” according to the video?
This video includes a person who is not a cyclist. What is his reason for being in the video?
Purpose and Audience
What is the purpose of the video?
What attitude does this video take toward its audience?
Mode
At one point in the video, viewers see an image of a family with a small child, as a voice-over discusses a driver who killed a cyclist. What is the effect of this juxtaposition?
The video shows different people reading letters to motorists. What effect do the different voices have? Would the argumentative aspect of “Dear Motorist” be more focused and effective if it was presented by a single voice? Why or why not?
Writing Workshop
The title of this video is “Dear Motorist: Pledge to Share the Road,” and the letters are primarily addressed to those who drive cars. Write your own letter called “Dear Cyclist,” which addresses cyclists from the point of view of a driver.
This video is an appeal from cyclists to automobile drivers. Do you engage in any hobbies or activities that require the understanding of those who do not necessarily partake in the activity? Write an essay that addresses them, beginning with “Dear ______.”