Anti-Immigrant Ideology in Mental Processes
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Excerpt 61
They calculate they will simply be .... released them. Senser Mental:Cognitive
Phenomenon
Clause 18a
Below is the projected clauses of the phenomenon: that they will be simply pushed back into Mexico
Goal Circ:manner
Circ:place Material
Clause 18b where they can easily make another attempt
Actor Circ:manner
Goal Material
Clause 18c to run the border
Material Goal
Clause 18d just hours after the Border Patrol releases them.
Circ:time Actor
Material Goal
Clause 18e The mental process in this clause is calculate. By using the verb calculate, the
writer of the editorial wants to convey to the readers that the immigrants think about playing tricks on immigration guards. The assignment of immigrants they as the
senser in this mental cognitive process shows that those immigrants exercise their power to do the thinking to respond to an external stimuli but apparently this has no
effect on another participant. The external stimuli or phenomenon here is the next clauses: “they will be simply pushed back into Mexico where they can easily make
another attempt to run the border just hours after the Border Patrol releases them”.
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So, those immigrants, especially the ones from Latin American countries, already have a plan if they are asked by the immigration guards. They will claim to be
Mexican so that whenever they get pushed back into Mexico, they can make real of what they had planned before, which is to make another attempt to run the border.
From this explanation, it can be said that the assignment of immigrants as senser in this mental process depicts that they have many tricks on their mind of
which they are about to make real whenever they are under such circumstances to do so. Therefore, from this mental process, it can be seen that The Washington Times is
an anti-immigrant newspaper.
Excerpt 62
if the department continues to ignore them. Senser
Mental:Inclination Phenomenon
Clause 30d The mental process in this clause is continues to ignore. This clause is taken
from the sentence: “These aliens pose a serious threat and one that would persist if the department continues to ignore them.” To ignore means to intentionally not listen
or give attention to. Thus, by using the verb ignore, the writer of the editorial wants to convey message that the government have not yet want to put much attention about
the situation faced by the country regarding the undocumented immigrants. The researcher assumed that the text writer worries upon the situation if the immigration
reform is eventually enacted by the government. The text writer has some questions regarding the readiness of the government if the Republicans in Congress eventually
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agree to enact the immigration reform. By those unanswered questions, the text writer concludes that the government continues to ignore the possibility of a serious threat
that may persist. The researcher assumed that the assignment of immigrants as the senser in this
mental inclination process ideologically says that the government has ability to exercise power upon immigrants but they choose to be ignorant of the possibility that
those immigrants may become a serious threat. Those immigrants are assigned here as phenomenon, which means that they have power to impinge on the consciousness
of the government. However, it looks like the government does not want to exercise their power since they have been ignorant of what may happen if the immigration
reform is eventually enacted. From this explanation, it can be said that the assignment of government as the
senser in this mental inclination clause depicts them as ignorant upon a serious threat which may be posed by undocumented immigrants. While the immigrants, as the
phenomenon, are depicted as what the government should worry about. By this depiction, the text writer wants to evoke readers’ negative prejudice over the
application of immigration reform if it is enacted by the government thus it is expected that the readers do not give their support for the enactment of immigration
reform. By this explanation of mental process, it can be said that The Washington Times is an anti-immigrant newspaper.
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