Contentions! So what is the author trying to tell you?
What is a contention?What is a contention you ask? Well good question! A contention can be thought of as the authors opinion. A contention will show where the author stands on an issue; if they are against the issue, or if they support it.
The author tries to show his or her contention/opinion/point of view in their text. (that is: in their movie, book, graphic novel, YouTube clip, blogs and so on. |
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What does a contention look like?
Remember how to write an essay? If not, click the button over here and have a little look to refresh your memory.
Ok, looked? Good! A contention is exactly the same as a thesis statement, which is used to tell/show the audience what your opinion is. (In this section, your opinion becomes important,so express it well!) Some examples of a contention may look like this. (look back at the article in the summarising section) Think about what you remember from it. |
"The young men who opened fire at Columbine High School, at the cinema in Aurora, Colorado, and in other massacres had this in common: they were video gamers who seemed to be acting out some dark digital fantasy. It was as if all that exposure to computerised violence gave them the idea to go on a rampage – or at least fuelled their urges. |
Do you see the author's contention? It may not be as clear as you might find in an essay, but it's there (never forget it's there).
The opening paragraph informs the reader what the issue is: Violence is linked to video games. But then the author questions this by saying, "But did it really?" Contention! => The author doesn't not believe that there is a link between violence and video games |