Paper 1 Practice: Comparative

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  Introduction:
  
  
  1st Point: Audience and Purpose
  
  
  • Topic Sentence: 
  • Both Text 1 and Text 2 target the literate and middle class audience, despite being temporally separated. 
  • This is seen in Text 1, with the persuasive language and the use of the 'bandwagon' technique.
  • 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. 
  • However, Text 1 and Text 2 contrast in their purposes.
  • 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 point.
  • The purpose of Text 2 is to raise awareness to their audience, on the issue of squatters vs. developers. This is seen throughout the entire article. 
  • However, they both try to sell and reinforce an ideology. 
  
  
  
  
  2nd Point: Content and Theme
  
  
  • Topic Sentence:
  • 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. 
  • 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. 
  • In terms of content and temporal, they are disconnected. However, when placed parallel to each other, they reveal a common  theme. 
  • Both texts are placed in the Caribbean and both address the opportunities there. Text 1 brands these places as exotic in order to sell their product. On the other hand, Text 2 persuades that these homes should not be considered as holiday spots.  In brief, Text 2 talks about the exploitation by tourists while Text 1 offers tourism in the Caribbean. 
  • These texts are viewed with a colonial and a post-colonial lens respectively. They share a common topic but are oppositional in regards to perspective. 
  
  
  3rd Point: Tone and Mood
  
  
  • Topic Sentence:
  • 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.
  
  
  4th Point: Style and Structure 
  
  
  • Topic Sentence:
  • 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 to 
  
  
  
  
   It concludes with a list of 3 addresses of their branches for bookings and a drawn illustration of wealthy people enjoying a cruise.
  
  
  
  
  Conclusion: