QUESTIONS TO DISCUSS

NZ Services Current Affairs Bulletin, Volume 1, Issue 9, 3 May 1943, Page 2

QUESTIONS TO DISCUSS

1. Does discussion lead anywhere? After an hour or two talking about, say, Our Population Problem,” do you think you have got towards resolving the. issues raised? What practical use is knowledge gained through discussion ? ' z. Last week we published a quiz. Do you think a quiz is of any use, or has it entertainment value only ? 3. The bulletin suggests that there is more to be got from discussion than from debate. Do you agree ? 4. Which are the emotive words and phrases in the following passage ; recast it in neutral language :— A proclamation from Goering offering birthday congratulations to Hitler has been published in the German papers. It says : “ Germany’s fate lies in the Fuhrer’s firm hand. He never allows himself to rest. A superhuman burden of work is weighing upon him. His simple and soldier-like bearing, unremitting sense of duty, and readiness for any sacrifice are a glowing example to all. To-day the issue is between victory and annihilation. A time of very severe trials is ,to come for every single German. The Fuhrer knows how bitter are the sacrifices this war imposes on the battlefields and on those regions of Germany which are threatened from the air, but the Fuhrer demands sacrifice not for him but for the freedom of the Fatherland and the existence of the nation 1 and the Reich.” . - 5. Sense (the objective meaning or fact content), feeling, and purpose have been mentioned as important elements of utterances ; another, also important, is “ tone,” or the attitude adopted by a speaker towards his hearers. This changes with every one according to situation : A man talking to his wife, his intimate friends, his employer, his • subordinate, &c., will usually have a different tone for each. Suggest occasions where tone is of special importance, and show how the one adopted may make or mar a discussion. 6. In what situation is some use of emotionally-coloured words justified ?

These bulletins are not official statements. They are compiled from published sources and intended to provide the starting point for group discussions.