Jack Ivie Ivie 1 

Cooper 
English III 
26 July 2017 
 
SOAPStone Analysis of Articles 

(Karen Attiah “What if Western media covered Charlottesville the same way it covers other 

nations”, ​The Washington Post​, August 16, 2017) 

Speaker 

From the article it is easy to identify Attiah’s liberal bias. Her beliefs heavily impact her 

writing and how she portrays other nations. 

Occasion 

The events in Charlottesville caused the writing of this article. Using fiction is a popular 

method to discuss controversial topics, like race. 

Audience 

This article is directed at those that might need something new to get past the constant 

digital media covering Charlottesville. It is also directed at those that don’t fully understand how 

prevalent racism is in the United States 

Purpose 

The purpose of this article is to expose the mentality of white supremacists, not let it hide 

under the guise of free speech.  

Subject  

The article is a hypothetical coverage of the events in Charlottesville, in the same style 

that we cover other countries. The result of the writing is a frank view of our society in ways we 

would not usually consider. From this viewpoint our politics seem primitive.  

Tone 
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The article is is very patronizing, similar to how we treat “underdeveloped” nations. This 

choice of tone establishes the idea of the U.S. being a dysfunctional culture.  

(Glenn Hodges “First Americans”, ​National Geographic​, January 2015) 

Speaker 

The research Hodges presents was supported with funds partially from National 

Geographic. Since he his writing for National Geographic, he would want to portray the findings 

in the research as important and the scientists conclusions as fact.   

Occasion 

During the last ice age a land bridge connected North America and Asia, but was only 

passable 14,000 years ago. Recent discoveries have found that humans migrated much sooner 

and this has lead scientists to rethink the theory of human migration to the Americas.  

Audience 

This article’s audience are those curious about where different ethnic groups came from. 

It could also be interesting for people of Native American ancestry who want to learn about their 

origin. 

Purpose 

Hodges wrote this article in order to collect all the recent developments in the theory of 

human migration to the Americas. 

Subject 

The main subject of the article is the new genetic tests performed on ancient human 

remains in North and South America. For many years the origin of Native American’s was 
 Ivie 3 

thought to have been solved. The Clovis people migrated into North America across a land 

bridge from Asia 12,000 years ago. New discoveries have been made of human remains and 

artifacts up to 16,000 years ago, before the land bridge was traversable. The new theory of 

coastal migration along the Pacific Coast is now the most supported by archaeological and 

genetic evidence. 

Tone 

Hodges tone is educational, he is here to teach the reader not argue. The result is that the 

article is readable to those that might initially be hesitant to accept his ideas. 

(Claire Miller “The Long-Term Jobs Killer Is Not China. It’s Automation”, ​The New York Times​, 

December 21, 2016) 

Speaker 

Miller writes about gender and the future of work. Her article uses many first hand 

accounts from employees who lost their jobs to automation. These peoples bias influence the 

writing. 

Occasion 

The inciting incident of this article is the growth of automation. This growth has caused a 

widespread loss of jobs, mainly among manual labor jobs. 

Audience 

The audience of this article is those that are not convinced automation is a threat to the 

job market. People that are unsure of their job security could also find this article interesting.  

Purpose 
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Miller wrote this article in order to inform people about the threat of losing their jobs to 

automation. 

Subject 

The article tells several first hand accounts of job loss to automation. It then quotes 

experts in economics and their studies as evidence for the imminent loss of jobs by automation. 

It also includes comparisons to job loss due to globalization to disprove arguments against 

automation.  

Tone 

The tone of the article is cautionary. The tone is able to effectively communicate the 

threat of automation. 

(John Pomfret “China’s odious manipulation of history is infecting the West”, ​The Washington 

Post​, August 23 2017) 

Speaker 

Pomfret was the Washington Post chief in Beijing. His bias as a Western citizens shows 

when examining the Communist party of China. He has also been personally affected by the 

events he writes about. 

Occasion 

The Cambridge University Press removed and then later returned around 300 articles 

from the Chinese Quarterly, one of the most respected journals on Chinese affairs. These events 

also directly influenced the author, whose visas to China have now been blocked. 

Audience 
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The article is directed at those that are interested or worried about government controlled 

media. China’s government has complete control over information given to the public and 

rewrite history to favor their political party. 

Purpose 

Pomfret wrote this article in order to serve as a real world example of fake news that 

could become a reality in the United States and other countries. 

Subject 

The article is about how recent writing of revisionist history in China were censored by 

the Cambridge University Press. They eventually returned the articles after a large amount of 

backlash. This has also to exclusion of Western journalists in China. 

Tone 

The article has a tone of irritation. His visas to China have been blocked and American 

media could influenced by the communist party of China. 

(James Surowiecki “Robopocalypse Not”, ​WIRED​, 2017) 

Speaker 

Surowiecki distances himself from bias, using facts and statistics to backup his claims. 

He takes the role of the skeptic, trying to calm fears of the “robopocalypse”.  

Occasion 

There is no specific incident that sparked the need for this article, the world has seen an 

overall growth in automation. The recent loss of factory jobs has lead many to fear or hope for a 

jobless society. 
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Audience  

The article is directed at the next generation and anyone else worried about losing their 

jobs to machines. The audience's wants to be reassured that the future holds potential careers.  

Purpose  

The author wrote the article in order communicate that overwhelming automation isn’t 

going to happen. 

Subject 

The article's main focus of the text is how there seems to be little evidence supporting the 

idea of a loss of jobs caused by automation. The article also focuses on what caused the panic 

over automation, the loss of jobs due exportation to China. 

Tone 

Surowiecki’s tone through the article is of irritation. Surowiecki finds the public's panic 

unfounded in reality. 

(Luci Tapahonso “For more Than 100 Years, the U.S. Forced Navajo Students into Western 

Schools. The Damage Is Still Felt Today”, ​Smithsonian​, July 2016) 

Speaker 

Tapahonso is a poet of Native ancestry, and fully embraces her culture as she is fluent in 

Navajo. She has a bias toward issues involving Native Americans. 

Occasion 

Daniella Zalcman is a photographer that wanted to explore how American expansion 

affected Native peoples. To accompany her photographs she needed a first hand account. 
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Audience 

The audience of this article is for those that don’t have a first hand account of Native 

American suffering. This could range from those with no Native heritage or those that do, but are 

no longer as strongly discriminated against.  

Purpose 

Tapahonso wrote this article in order to give a first hand account of Native American 

suffering. 

Subject 

The article focuses on the history of early America and how Natives were forced into 

school that only allowed english and tried to eliminate Native culture. As the article concludes 

she tells of how modern schools teach Native languages and history.  

Tone 

The tone of the article is very somber. This effectively communicates how devastated 

Native cultures were and still are. 

Works Cited: 

● Attiah, Karen. “What if Western Media covered Charlottesville the same way it covers 

other nations”, ​The Washington Post​, 16 August 2017, 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/global-opinions/wp/2017/08/16/what-if-western-

media-covered-americas-white-tribalism-the-same-way-it-covers-other-nations/?utm_ter

m=.b0af34a26fdc​, 20 August 2017. 

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● Hodges, Glenn. “First Americans”, ​National Geographic​, January 2015, p. 124-137. 

● Miller, Claire. “The Long-Term Jobs Killer Is Not China. It’s Automation.”, ​The New 

York Times​, 21 December 2016, 

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/21/upshot/the-long-term-jobs-killer-is-not-china-its-au

tomation.html?mcubz=1​, 27 August 2017.  

● Pomfret, John. “China’s odious manipulation of history is infecting the West”, ​Thw 

Washington Post​, 23 August 2017, 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/global-opinions/wp/2017/08/23/chinas-odious-m

anipulation-of-history-is-infecting-the-west/?utm_term=.146eb68fc120​, 27 August 2017.  

● Surowiecki, James. “Robopocalypse Not”, ​WIERD​, 2017, 

https://www.wired.com/2017/08/robots-will-not-take-your-job/​, 20 August 2017. 

● Tapahonso, Luci. “For More Than 100 Years, the U.S. Forced Navajo Students Into 

Western Schools. The Damage Is Still Felt Today”, ​Smithsonian​, July 2016, 

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/decades-us-government-forcibly-placed-native-

students-western-schools-effects-felt-today-180959502/​, 27 August 2017.