Text 1 is a print advertisement from the 1920s for the cruise liner, "The Great White Fleet”. Coinciding with the age of colonialism, the advert attempts to persuade the American middle class to take an exotic trip to the Caribbean with their steamship company. Text 2, “Squatters Take On Developers”, is an article written in 2007 for the Miami Herald outlining how developers are exploiting the Caribbean for future tourism development and displacing squatters in the process. Using a post-colonial lens, the article attempts to persuade the audience to stand beside the squatters. While Text 1 and Text 2 do target common audiences and comment on similar themes, they differ in specific purpose and content due to their contrasting temporal setting and cultural values. This provides the reader with a colonial and post-colonial lens, respectively. As a result of this, both texts use stylistic features and literary devices differently, in order to achieve their purpose.
Both Text 1 and Text 2 target the literate and middle and upper class audience, despite being temporally disconnected. This is seen in Text 1, with the statement "Only First Class Passengers Carried" and the continuous tone of exclusivity. In Text 2, the article is placed in the "Business Monday" section of the "Miami Herald", a news agency. This indicates that the audience would have to be literate. The lower class would be uninterested in these matters, and it is most likely the the upper class would be the developers seeking to take over the Caribbean island. Contrary to their common audience, Text 1 and Text 2 differ in their specific purpose. The purpose of Text 1 is to persuade the target audience to buy their product, their summer cruise. This is seen through the various advertisement techniques used such as the 'bandwagon' technique, repetition of establishing Ethos and the selective omission of detailed facts such as the exact, numerical price. Using these techniques, they associate the product with exoticness, affluence and social status which becomes their main selling points. By extension, this Text reflects the cultural values held in America in the 1920s. Set in the peak age of Colonialism, this text reveals that Americans at this time exploited colonized land for consumerism. Colonized land was meant for entertainment rather than being an actual home. Furthermore, this was the social norm and something expected of the higher class. In contrast, the purpose of Text 2 is to raise awareness to their audience, on the issue of squatters vs. developers. This is achieved with use of graphic language and the extended imagery of colonialism in order to create an atmosphere of sympathy towards the squatters. By extension, this Text reflects the cultural values held in America in 2007. Viewed through a post-colonial lens, this texts reveals that Americans were more liberal and regarded colonialism as ethically wrong. Thus, although they differ in specific purposes, both Text 1 and Text 2 try to sell or reinforce an ideology that reflects the cultural values of their time.
Text 1 and Text 2 are in opposition, in terms of content and due to their temporal setting and their cultural values. However, both texts comment on a similar theme. Text 1 is a print advertisement from the 1920s for the cruise liner, "The Great White Fleet". The advert compromises of both visual and literary elements. It includes a map portraying the cruise's trajectory and destinations, a list of all the exotic destinations such as "Jamaica, Cuba, Panama Canal, etc.". The main written body is a persuasive description on the reasonable cost, the cool temperatures and the luxurious lifestyle provided. It concludes with a list of 3 addresses of their branches for bookings and a drawn illustration of wealthy people enjoying a cruise. The significance of all these elements will be further discussed in style and structure. On the other hand, Text 2 is an article written in 2007 for the Miami Herald describing how developers are coming to these Caribbean islands to purchase the beach front for future tourism development. The article specifically focuses on the squatters living there and the eviction they are facing. While they do differ in content, they comment on a similar theme. Both texts are placed in the Caribbean and both address the opportunities there, particularly tourism. Text 1 brands these places as exotic in order to sell their product. Conversely, Text 2 persuades that these homes should not be considered as holiday spots. Subsequently, Text 1 glorifies the lifestyle resulting from colonialism for economic gain while Text 2 unveils the injustice squatters face as a result of developers placing economic cost of future tourism over the human cost of exploiting the fringes of our society. They share a common topic but are oppositional in regards to perspective with Text 1 seen through a colonial lens and Text 2 seen from a post-colonial lens.
As a result of their distinctive purposes, Text 1 and Text 2 use tone to create contrasting moods in order to sell or reinforce their ideology. In Text 1, the author uses descriptive and persuasive language in order to create a mood of exclusivity and exoticness. With the statement "Only First Class Passengers Carried". The tone of this phrase alludes to a certain exclusivity to the product being sold. In doing so, it becomes more effective in its persuasion using the 'bandwagon' technique. In targeting the social elite, the advert marginalizes and excludes the middle class. Consequently, the product becomes associated with social standing and makes the excluded group crave the product in order to achieve this social status. This is further enforced through the bold and enlarged subtitle "Reduced Rates For Summer Cruises" and the use of language such as "The Coolest Ships Afloat". The reasonable prices makes the product more attractive to the target audience and the middle class lingo makes it more relatable. In Text 2, the author uses graphic language in order to create an atmosphere of pity and sympathy for the squatters and cultivates a dislike towards the developers using language that stirs up imagery of colonization. The author starts by using very descriptive and graphic language to create an image for the audience that moves us to empathize with the squatters. The author associates the developers with imagery of colonization with language such as "Indigenous, displace, charges of "colonialism" and "Developers and speculators will use any means necessary to get the land from the people."". This implied bias by spin where the reporter's selective manipulation of the facts and tone, makes one side's perspective look better. In this case, it further gains empathy for the squatters. Hence, Text 1 and Text 2 oppose each other in terms of tone and mood.
Due to their contrast in purposes, the stylistic and structural features differ greatly between Text 1 and Text 2. Despite this, there are similarities due to the fact that both texts aim to persuade their common target audience. For instance, both texts largely rely on imagery, diction and exploit their text type to the brim. Text 1 is a print advertisement from the 1920s for a cruise. It compromises of a large and bold title,”The Great White Fleet” with a subheading in italics “Only First Class Passengers Carried”. As mentioned previously, the phrase below the title exudes an atmosphere of exclusivity to the product. “The Great White Fleet” is a popular nickname for a US Navy Battle Fleet. Using this name, established Ethos and a sense of patriotism. This is further enforced by the word “White” being in white in contrast to the black background. We can assume that the intended audience is Caucasian. Furthermore, if we look at this from a post-colonial lens, we see that this advert informs us about the relationship between the colonized and the colonizer in the Caribbean. The use of a parallel name that alludes to the militia emphasizes the colonizer’s victory in conquering the Caribbean. Furthermore, the emphasis on the “White” informs us that superiority was determined by skin color. Anything other than white was deemed inferior and as “Other”, consequently, marginalizing and oppressing this group. The advert compromises of both visual and literary elements. It includes a map portraying the cruise's trajectory and destinations.” This map suggests that the audience may not be familiar with the geography. Through this, we see that the advert further emphasizes the ‘exoticness’ as it suggests to the audience that this cruise will go somewhere different, a place not like home. This aspect of the advert is both informative and used as a means of selling the product. The main written body is framed using the map above and the picture below, thereby giving it more focus and an overall balance to the composition. It compromises of a persuasive description on the reasonable cost, the cool temperatures and the luxurious lifestyle provided. The bold and enlarged subtitle "Reduced Rates For Summer Cruises” makes the product more appealing to the targeted audience through reasonable prices. Below, is a list of all the exotic destinations such as "Jamaica, Cuba, Panama Canal, etc. In bold, they reinforce the product’s selling point of exoticness. “Sailings, every week, from New York, Boston and New Orleans”. This highlights the accessibility of the cruise ships. Furthermore, serving from top capitals only, emphasizes the exclusivity of this cruise. “It is cool in… much cooler than”. This use of language puts themselves in a position of superiority over any other holiday destinations. Using an empty claim such as “Official temperature records prove this”, established ethos. The author also uses manipulation of facts through word choice. This is seen for instance in “The thermometer at Jamaica…seldom touches 88 degrees” where the author manipulates one fact to persuade the audience. The author then goes on to describe the luxurious lifestyle provided through glittering generalities such as “Built especially for tropic travel…Extra large staterooms…Cuisine noteworthy for its excellence”. This luxurious lifestyle is used as a selling point. The ambiguity of the description uses the audience’s subjectivity by allowing the individual to paint their own image in their head of their own desires and associate this with the product. It concludes with their company name in bold, a list of 3 addresses of their branches for bookings and a drawn illustration of wealthy people enjoying a cruise. By stating the company name and the addresses, it uses ethos to give it credibility. The illustration below puts women and men as very elegant and highlights their status using fashionable clothing. Using this illustration, allows the audience to visualize themselves in this position, thereby making the product more enticing and giving the advert an effective conclusion.
Text 2 is a newspaper article in the Miami Herald in the Business Monday section. First of all, the bold title “SQUATTERS TAKE ON DEVELOPERS” immediately introduces the audience to the content of the article and pits the two groups against each other. This diction portrays the squatters not as aggressors, but rather as if they’re talking on a challenge and depicts them as courageous. In the “Author” section, it states “BENJAMIN SHORS Special to The Miami Herald”. By stating his status in the newspaper, the author establishes ethos and gives himself the credibility to talk about this issue. The first line, in capitals, sets the setting of the article immediately in “ISLA CARENERO, PANAMA”. Shors begins the article by describing the setting and the squatter group in this setting. He heavily relies on diction that has negative connotation such as “shacks”, “scavenged tin”, “rough floor planks” and “cracks”. This immediately paints a selective image in the reader’s mind and builds empathy for the squatters. The article uses a particular case study, Nicasio Jimenez, to further establish ethos and give support to the author’s argument. Shors emphasizes the fact Jimenez earns specifically. $1 an hour, a despicable minimum wage. This punctuates the overall atmosphere of poverty. The alliteration in “Panamas poorest residents” makes it more memorable and the assonance provides weight and intensity to the phrase with its harsh p’s and o’s. While creating an atmosphere of sympathy for the squatters, Shors also highlights the Caribbean’s natural beauty with phrases such as “Caribbean breezes” and “stunning archipelago”. He then states that “foreign investment transforms these languid islands”. Consequently, he portrays the developers as not only colonizers to the people but also to the land itself. Shors uses testimony to appeal to the audience’s sense of pathos by eliciting empathy for a man losing his rights and his family facing eviction. In contrast to this, he casts doubt on the developers by his ambiguous diction with “developer who claims he bought the property from a third party”. He also uses direct quotes from one of the squatters in order to further establish ethos. In the next few paragraphs, Shors informs the audience more on the issue with historical context. While this may seem objective at first, Shors uses diction to view the issue from a post-colonial lens. In doing so, Shors is able to sway the audience to the side of the squatters by aligning himself in the morally right stance and the majority’s opinion. This diction is used throughout the article such as “Afro-Caribbean and indigenous Indians who occupy these once-isolated isles”, “threaten to displace hundreds”, “charges of “colonialism” ” and “Homes have mysteriously burned and been torn to the ground”. This is even seen with the facts. For instance, the statistic of $1 billion dollars the developers have, greatly contrasts the $1 wage of the squatter, cited earlier in the article. Shors ends the article with an endorsement from Osvaldo Jordan, an expert on the issue and part of “a Panamanian nonprofit” which contrasts with the ending sentence “developers and speculators will use any means necessary to get land from the people” which embodies a Machiavellian sense of the ends justify the means, where the ends mostly consist of profit. A strong distinction is seen in terms of the stylistic and structural features used in order to communicate their oppositional messages. Where Text 1 uses a combination of visual and literary elements, Text 2 relies on literary elements alone. Yet, both Texts use imagery, diction and the advantages of their text type in order to sell or reinforce their ideology.
Both Text 1 and Text 2 target the literate, American middle and upper class and common on the Caribbean and its opportunities. Yet, they differ in content and purpose due to they contrasting temporal setting and cultural values. As a result of this, Text 1 is viewed with a colonial lens where it glorifies and sells the lifestyle resulting from colonialism for economic gain. On the other hand, Text 2 is viewed with a post-colonial lens, commenting on developers essentially ‘colonizing’ the Caribbean and displacing the squatters. Due to this contrast, both texts use use stylistic features and literary devices differently. However, since they both try to persuade their audience there are some similarities such as diction, imagery and using the advantages of their text type.
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