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ANALYSING ARTICLES

A GUIDE TO ANALYISING AN ARTICLE

Begin your response by• Identifying the type of article, the author and the headline• Stating what the main contention(argument) is?

Then you can discuss (not always in this order – tends to depend on the article)• the overall tone of the article (see page 122)• Persuasive techniques (see pg. 126 – 127)• the emotions it is appealing to in the readers (see page

127)Finish response• comment on how the article finishes.• INCLUDE SHORT 1-5 WORD QUOTES TO SUPPORT YOUR

ANALYSIS

CROAKING WITH LAUGHTER

• In his letter to the editor titled ‘Croaking with Laughter’, Chris Phillips is critical of the new Eastlink tunnel being built to simply avoid the natural habitat of a few ‘croaking frogs’. By using the fact that the tunnels cost $500 million he empahises just how expensive and therefore wasteful are the building of these tunnels. He refers twice to the “greenies” using the term ,’bleeding-heart’ to insinuate that their cause is not significant and in a mocking tone poses the rhetorical question, ‘Can frogs vote?’ He concludes the letter by appealing to the readers and using inclusive terms such as “next time you’ and ‘if you listen?”

PET STORES CRUEL

• In his letter to the editor titled ‘……………………, Phuong Vo is critical of …………………………………………………………………… and suggests that …………………………………………………. This letter has been written in response to an earlier letter ……………………………. The overall tone is sympathetic towards ‘……….. …………………’ but critical of people who make ‘……………… ………………’ He is also critical of …………………… and uses terms such as ……………………………….. To support his point of view Vo points out that ………………………………………………. He concludes the article………………………………………………

LAWS TO PENALISE THE LAW-ABIDING

• In her letter to the editor titled ‘Laws to penalise the law-abiding’, Carol Strickland is highly critical of the new laws which allow only one passenger in a car driven by a P plate driver. She addresses ‘Mr. Brumby’ directly using multiple questions, ‘what are you….’ and ‘Are you…’ In these questions she points our several short comings of the new law such as ‘extra traffic’ and having more ‘designated drivers’. She draws on her own personal experience stating that her own three children won’t be able to ‘travel in the same car.’ She ends the letter with a pointed question to Mr. Brumby insinuating that he has not thought it ‘through’. Overall the tone of this article is quite aggressive and mocking towards Mr. Brumpy and the repeated questions give the reader the impression that Strickland’s points are simply commonsense while the new law which appears to be solely Mr Brumpy’s law is anything but.