Persuasive Language Analysis of Two Texts
Introduction
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State the issue in general without mentioning the articles you’re analysing.
Identify each article: name / type of article / author / newspaper / date.
Identify the contention of each article.
E.g. Violence on the streets of Melbourne is an issue that has fuelled a great deal of
debate over the last few months. “Brutality Must Stop” is an opinion piece that
appeared in the “Herald Sun” (5/9/2009). In this article the author, Peter Jones,
contends that the government must take a firmer stand against street violence.
Bronwyn Cataldo, the author of a letter-to-the-editor that appeared in “The Age”
(8/9/2009) has a very different opinion. In her letter entitled “Media Beat-Up” she
asserts that the media has made the violence seem much more widespread than it
actually is. Both texts use a range of persuasive techniques to position the readers
to agree with their point of view.
Approximately 100 – 150 words
Article One
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For Article One you should write approximately 300-350 words. This means
you will write two or three paragraphs.
Introduce the article again by name (you don’t need to repeat all the details
you wrote in the introduction).
Identify the author’s main tone/s.
Identify the author’s intended audience.
Analyse the headline and any visual images that accompany the article first.
This means that you should identify any techniques used in the headline and
visual images, remembering to discuss the intended effect on the reader.
Analyse the language used in the article. You will need to identify around 6-8
different persuasive techniques.
This means that you will have to cover two or three different persuasive
techniques in each body paragraph.
Use the acronym P.E.E. to ensure you discuss how language is used to
persuade the reader.
Article Two
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For Article Two you should write approximately 300-350 words. This means
you will write two or three paragraphs.
Begin this paragraph with a linking sentence, comparing or contrasting
Article One with Article Two.
Introduce the article again by name (you don’t need to repeat all the details
you wrote in the introduction).
 Identify the author’s main tone/s.
 Identify the author’s intended audience.
 Analyse the headline and any visual images that accompany the article first.
This means that you should identify any techniques used in the headline and
visual images, remembering to discuss the intended effect on the reader.
 Analyse the language used in the article. You will need to identify around 6-8
different persuasive techniques.
 This means that you will have to cover two or three different persuasive
techniques in each body paragraph.
 Use the acronym P.E.E. to ensure you discuss how language is used to
persuade the reader.
 It is very important that you make around three comparisons with
Article One throughout this analysis.
Conclusion
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Sum up the overall effectiveness of each article. Note strong similarities and
differences.
What sorts of things you should compare:
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Subject matter – do the articles focus on the same aspect of the issue,
or is their focus slightly/completely different?
Contention.
Tone of voice.
Persuasive techniques.
Wordbank for making comparisons:
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On the other hand…
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…takes a similar approach.
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In a similar/different way.
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…uses a similar strategy
of…
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In contrast…
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…does not rely on …as
much as…
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…focuses on a wider range
of…
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…uses more/less/similar…
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…adopts a more/less/similar
…..approach.
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…takes a much
more…approach.
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…sees the problem as being
more…
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Likewise…
Similarly…