Language Analysis “Delta is dull and contrived on The Voice” 2/5/12 Herald Sun SAC Essay

Delta is dull and contrived on The Voice Fiona Byrne, Herald Sun, May 2, 2012

SHE might be sitting on top of the world with her current single, but Delta Goodrem is decidedly out of tune as a coach on The Voice. Perched on her red chair and flanked by international stars the calibre of Seal, Joel Madden and Keith Urban, Goodrem is looking like little more than a pretty accessory. With her sparkly gowns, flawless makeup and acres of flowing blonde tendrils, she is like an expensive piece of tinsel decorating the coaches' panel.

The Voice is now into its third week and it is a ratings behemoth. Millions are tuning in to see gifted singers taking their shot at the prize. Their passion, determination, desire and deep yearning that this be their moment to step from the shadows of obscurity into the spotlight of stardom makes for compelling viewing.

But I would be cursing my luck if I were on Team Delta. I feel like I am about to kill Bambi but, in the context of all the raw emotion, Goodrem is a bore on the show. She seems all style and little substance. She comes across as bland and contrived. Her comments feel dull and expected. Even when she is supposed to be struggling with a tough decision, her actions seem rehearsed and calculated. And she seems to always have one eye on the camera: she is acutely aware of her best angles.

In fairness, Goodrem is the junior member of the coaching team and the one who has made as much mileage out of her image as she has her songs during her career. She has produced three albums in eight years - her next album is due sometime this year - and most of her success has happened in Australia.

By comparison, Seal, who is so earnest and committed to his charges, has four Grammy Awards, 11 albums and two greatest-hits packages to his name. I suspect he is a demanding and possibly intimidating taskmaster, but he has already shown he can identify a weakness in a performance and give the singer the tools to overcome it.

The charming Urban has nine albums, one greatest-hits compilation and three Grammys. He has shown honesty in his critiques so far. While he finds positives in most performances, he has shown he is prepared to point out flat spots and misfires. And Good Charlotte's Madden (five albums, two greatest-hits compilations) has been a real surprise. He has owned the role of mentor.

I suspect Goodrem would be great at telling her charge where to get the best hair extensions, false eyelashes and a streak-free spray tan. She would know all the tricks about being paparazzi-ready, building a profile and keeping yourself in the news. She is definitely a gifted singer and has created some memorable music. But on this show, what we want is to see the real Delta Goodrem - one not so hyper-conscious of her image that she has erased any sense of spontaneity.

We want to see someone with flaws, and high and lows, who can impart that experience and emotion to their charges. And we want to her to be entertaining.

She often spoke in the past about being earthy, organic, passionate and real. But, interestingly, the glossy plastic princess we see on screen is exactly the opposite of what she preaches. It is time for Goodrem to step it up and find her voice.

Language Analysis

In her opinion piece “Delta is dull and contrived on The Voice” (Herald Sun, 2/5/12), Fiona Bryne contends that Delta Goodrem comes across as boring and unnatural on the reality competition television show “The Voice”. Bryne presents her arguments to the general public, especially those who are familiar with the TV show “The Voice” by alternating between a critical tone when discussing Goodrem and a praising tone when comparing Goodrem to the context of the television show and the other judges.

This critical tone is expressed on the blunt headline of the article which complements the opening paragraph but initially seems to contradict the image which accompanies the piece. The headline clearly addresses the issue and uses alliteration to capture the audience’s attention. It claims that Goodrem is “dull” but this appears to contradict the image of a glamorous Goodrem showing off her beauty, styled hair and flawless skin in a complimenting sparkly red dress. The image serves to put the headline into context, give meaning to the headline and remind the audience of the extent of Delta’s good looks as she holds a microphone but is not singing. This image complements the writer’s opening paragraph where the description of “sparkly gowns, flawless makeup” matches the image. Despite the recognition of Goodrem’s beauty, the writer subverts Goodrem’s positive aspect by using language with negative connotations in “pretty accessory” and “perched on her red chair”. This suggests that Delta is unnecessarily superior to the audience and subtly forces the audience to make associations between a woman being a “pretty accessory” and the negative image that his portrays for progressive feminists. Consequently, the audience is already made to feel disapproving of Goodrem due to the combination of the headline and image which reinforces the argument in the first paragraph.

Following this, Bryne presents the context of Goodrem’s position on the television show and uses this to draw comparisons with Goodrem’s behaviour. Bryne names the other judges on the show and promotes the new TV show with an admiring tone. Bryne shows that it is a popular TV show as a “ratings behemoth” to make the issue seem important and relevant to everyone and evokes concern in the audience. Bryne praises the contestants and induces the audience to feel supportive of the “gifted singers”. This is decidedly juxtaposed with Goodrem’s behaviour on the show and the personal pronouns adopted by the writer smoothly orchestrates the change in tone to a harsh and critical one. Short sentences are used to bluntly state the writer’s personal opinion as though they are facts and this makes the audience more ready to agree with the writer because the audience does not realise that it is the writer’s opinion. This is certainly effective for the audience who draws on associations and makes conclusions that looks are not everything and that Delta is displaying “little substance”. Hence comparisons are used effectively by Bryne to make the audience agree that Goodrem’s “bland” behaviour is out of place amid the passionate vibe of the show.

Comparisons are also used effectively in conjunction with facts and evidence as Bryne continues to portray Goodrem in a negative light, but this time by comparing her to the other judges. Bryne camouflages her harsh criticisms and judgements of Goodrem by feigning sympathy and consideration for Goodrem in the opening words “in fairness”. This makes the audience feel that Bryne is being just and rational in her evaluation of Goodrem and the audience readily accepts the evidence presented. The evidence also serves to strengthen the writer’s credibility as the writer seems researched and knowledgeable about the celebrities she is evaluating. All the evidence along with the writer’s judgements of the other judges are conveyed with a return to the praising and admiring tone expressed previously and this makes the opinion piece feel balanced. The audience feels that the writer is discussing both the positive and the negative and is more willing to be swayed by the writer’s contention. In addition to this, the writer cements her connection to the audience with the use of a colloquial word “owned”. This makes the writer feel real to the audience and the connection between the reader and the writer facilitates the persuasion of the reader by the writer that Goodrem is inferior to the other judges on the show.

Switching back to the degrading tone used when describing Goodrem, Bryne employs language devices, inclusive language and a pun to neatly bring her opinion piece to a conclusive finish. Bryne employs the language device of a tricolon – three parallels to convey a point in “the best hair extensions, false eyelashes and a streak-free spray tan” and “paparazzi-ready, building a profile and keeping yourself in the news”. The argument is expressed repetitively in a threesome and this device is effective for the audience as it drives the point home in an almost song-like chant. This is coupled with a shift to a demanding tone using inclusive language in repetitive “we want” statements which collectively address the audience’s wishes and needs. The inclusive language automatically groups the audience with the writer and puts the audience on the same side with the writer. Finally, the writer uses a previous quote of Goodrem to make her out to be a hypocrite which appeals to the sense of justice in the audience and manipulates the audience’s ingrained dislike of hypocrisy. The writer’s contention is clearly expressed by the tricolon language device and coupled with the inclusive language, the audience is swayed to believe that Goodrem’s behaviour is substandard.

In conclusion, the audience is effectively positioned by the writer to agree with the writer’s opinions and judgements of Delta Goodrem. The audience feels that the writer has presented a balanced evaluation of Goodrem with many comparisons drawn. Emotions of the audience are also manipulated as the audience is made to feel condemning of Goodrem’s mere good looks without substance. Bryce’s arguments are presented clearly and the opinion piece ends neatly as the closing pun used is similar to the opening pun and brings the audience round in a circle, while demonstrating that action is needed. The final call to action leaves the audience satisfied by the writer’s evaluation of Delta Goodrem, having adopted the belief that Goodrem is certainly not meeting expectations and fulfilling her role as a mentor on the television show “The Voice”.