persuasive language - insight publications: english...

Iris Breuer & Melanie Napthinewith Rosemary O’Shea

PERSUASIVELANGUAGE

in Media Texts

© Insight Publications

Copyright © Insight Publications

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National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication data:Author: Breuer, Iris.Title: Persuasive language in media texts /

Iris Breuer, Melanie Napthine, Rosemary O’Shea.ISBN: 9781921088766Notes: Includes index.Target Audience: For secondary school age.Subjects: English language–Textbooks.

Mass media and language.Persuasion (Rhetoric).

Other Authors/Contributors: Napthine, Melanie. O’Shea, Rosemary.Dewey Number: 808.042

Internal design & DTP: Bec Yule @ Red Chilli DesignCover design concept: Saren MilnerEditing: Robert Beardwood, Iris BreuerPrinted in Australia by Hyde Park Press


1 Using language to persuade 1

Introducing the key terms 1How ads persuade 2Analysing persuasive language 4

2 Newspapers: print & online 6

What’s in the news? 7Keeping up circulation 8Tabloids and broadsheets 9Moral panic 9Newspaper sections 10Producing the news 11Getting the news 11Bias in the news 12Constructing newspaper articles 13Studying language use: words of war 14Newspaper text types 16

3 Reading newspaper texts 17

Front-page stories 17Headlines 23News reports 25Feature articles 27Opinion articles 30Letters to the editor 33Editorials 35Photographs 38Charts, graphs & tables 40Cartoons 43Summary: newspaper text types 45

4 Television, radio & internet 46

Television news 46Television current affairs 52Talkback radio 54Issues on the internet 55

5 Studying an issue 59

What is an issue? 59Sample issue: GM food 62Research your own issue 62Sample issue: P-plate driver restrictions 64

6 Analysing persuasive language 70

How to analyse persuasive language 70Overview of persuasive devices 74Persuasive techniques in detail 78

7 Writing language analysis 97

Language analysis: a 4-step process 97Model for writing language analysis 99Sample student analysis 101Language analysis of a cartoon 102Model for writing on three media texts 104Sample analysis of three media texts 108Vocabulary for language analysis 110Activities to practise language analysis 112

8 Presenting a point of view 115

Persuasive writing and speaking 115Speeches 119Sample student answers 122

9 Language analysis exam practice 132

English exam guidelines 132Sample English exam task 133English sample answers 135ESL exam guidelines 138Sample ESL exam task 138ESL sample answers 139Practice exam scenarios 142

About the writers 146

Acknowledgements 146

Index 147

Contents


1using language to persuade

using language to persuade1

In this chapterl Key termsl How ads persuade using

AIDAl Analyse persuasive

language: a 3-step approach

l What does ‘position the reader’ mean?

Introducing the key termsCan you think of a time when you have tried to convince someone of your point of view? Perhaps you have argued with your parents about attending a party, or debated the merits of a particular pop star with a friend. Whether or not you realised it, you would have been using persuasive techniques to make your case. You would also have been taking into account two important elements of any persuasive language – audience and purpose.

Whenever a writer or speaker in the media – in a newspaper, on the radio or television, on the internet – presents a point of view, they too use a range of techniques to convince readers or listeners to agree with them. There are four main factors that the writer or speaker has to take into account: audience, purpose, form and language (including images).

Writer or speakerpersuading someone

LanguageHow do words and

images influence me? e.g. by using a forceful tone? colourful language? striking

images?

FormWhat is the media form

and text type? e.g. newspaper editorial, television

news story, online discussion?What are its special features?

PurposeWhy are they writing?

e.g. to make me agree? take action? think more

carefully?

AudienceWho are they writing for?

e.g. a wide audience? specialist readers? people affected by

the issue?


2 Insight persuasive language in media textsInsight persuasive language in media textsInsight

How ads persuadeTo understand the role of purpose, audience and form in the art of using language persuasively, let’s take a look at a very obvious form of persuasion at work, an advertisement. The purpose of most advertisements is to get you, the consumer, to buy something. Advertisements target specific demographics or audiences. Their use of persuasive language – both words and images – has to be matched to their purpose and audience, otherwise the ad will lack impact and effectiveness.

Copywriters use a formula, summarised in the acronym AIDA, to construct their ads:

A – Attention.A – Attention.A The first job of any advertisement is to gain your attention. This might be achieved by the use of bold colours, an arresting image or an intriguing phrase.

I – Interest. The ad needs to hold your interest long enough to tell you about its product or service. This might be done, for example, through the visual appeal of the ad, through asking questions or through creating suspense. Humour or surprise can also grab and hold the reader’s interest.

D – Desire. Positive associations of words and images make the product seem attractive – but the reader also needs to be convinced that owning the product will improve or enhance their life. Emotional appeals are commonly used to provoke desire, as in an ad for insurance that urges you to ‘secure your family’s future’, which is an appeal to the desire to ensure the security of those closest to you.

A – Action.A – Action.A The advertisement must prompt the audience to take action and buy the product. Often this is done by creating a sense of urgency by the use of phrases such as ‘Pick up the phone today!’ and ‘Free gift for the first 100 callers’.

See the example opposite showing how the elements of the AIDA formula can be identified. Also see the full-colour version C1 in the colour insert pages. How much does colour contribute to the impact and effectiveness of the advertisement?

Activity 1Activity 1Activity 1Activity 1Activity 1Activity 1Activity 1Activity 1Activity 1Activity 1Activity 1Activity 1Activity 1Activity 1Activity 1Analyse an advertisement

The Garnier ‘Surf Spray’ ad opposite (C1 in the colour pages) is directed at girls and young women. Now take a look at another Garnier ad, C2 in the colour insert, for ‘Hard Gel’, a product aimed at young men.

1. Compare the ways in which the girl and the boy are represented in the advertisements. What differences do you notice? Why do you think they are represented differently?

2. What differences do you notice in the types of appeals made to young women and men? Think about such features as the use of colour and images, and the associations of key words.

3. How does the ad opposite initially capture your attention (‘A’ for attention)?

4. How does it keep your interest (‘I’ for interest)?

5. What desire is it endeavouring to stimulate (‘D’ for desire)? What emotion or emotions is the ad trying to provoke?

6. How does it persuade the reader to take action (‘A’ for action)? How effective is it in achieving its purpose?


3 using language to persuade

Activity 2Activity 2Activity 2Activity 2Activity 2Activity 2Activity 2Activity 2Activity 2Activity 2Activity 2Activity 2Create your own advertisement

Design your own advertisement, using the acronym AIDA.

1. Explain what techniques you use for each of the four principles. Remember to keep your specific audience in mind; an ad for a new iPod would have a different target market from that for a cleaning product, for instance. This will affect your decisions about what sort of language to use (formal or informal), what emotion you would like to invoke (for example, envy, hope or fear) and what image or images you use.

2. Share your ads with the class. Which ones were particularly effective? Why?

Attention is captured by:• image of attractive young woman

with surfboard• alliteration (‘surf spray’) and rhyme

(‘spray’ and ‘day’)• strong heading and bold colours

Interest is held by:• capital letters and the pink

background and angled appearance of ‘unleash your style!’ draw thereader into the description of the product

• direct address to the reader (‘Want abeach style look?’)

Desire is aroused by:• description ‘with fruit

micro-wax technology’ appeals to the viewer’s desire for a product that is both natural and scientifically researched

• invitation to ‘unleash your style’promises transformation and personal freedom

• image of the young woman whoseattractiveness the (female) viewer isencouraged to want to imitate

Action is prompted by:• instructions for achieving ‘beach

style’ hair• Garnier slogan ‘Take care’



Analysing persuasive languageAdvertisements are an example of a form in which persuasive language is usually quite obvious. There is nothing understated about an instruction to ‘Buy now!’ for example. But language can be used persuasively in all media forms, often in much more subtle ways. So how do we recognise persuasive language at work? This section outlines the basic knowledge and skills you need to understand how language is used to persuade.

Three-step approachThere are three basic steps to understanding how persuasive language works.

Step 1: Identify the main point (the main contention).

Look for the central message or viewpoint on the issue – this is what the writer is persuading you to accept.

State the main contention in your own words in a single sentence. (See ‘Main contention’, p.71.)

Step 2: Focus on the language.

Take an overview of the language – is it formal? Sophisticated? Is it informal or colloquial – like everyday speech? (See ‘Style’, p.73.)

Look for emotive words – words that trigger your feelings. How do they make you feel?

Next, see if you can work out how you are ‘set up’ to respond in certain ways. For example, are you made to feel sympathetic to a person or group? Or to feel opposed to an idea? This is called positioning the reader and is discussed in detail below.positioning the reader and is discussed in detail below.positioning the reader

What is the tone of the piece? That is, how would it sound if you read it aloud? Would it be said in a disgusted way? A light-hearted, jocular way? Sarcastically or ironically? Calmly? In a controlled and reasoned way? (See ‘Tone’, p.71.)

Step 3: Analyse how the language positions you.

Find as many examples as you can of words or phrases that influence you to accept the writer’s viewpoint. (See ‘Overview of persuasive devices’, pp.74–8.)

‘Analyse’ means ‘work out how’ the writer has used a situation, words or images to make you respond in a particular way.

What does ‘position the reader’ mean?Writers aiming to persuade you to accept their viewpoint have to deliberately get you to ‘come on side’. This can be done heavy-handedly or subtly or in myriad ways in between. Writers have to position you to agree with them – to share their point of view. This means that they use language, stories, evidence and arguments to manipulate your responses.

The aim is to create a particular effect on you, which means that your emotions are targeted as effect on you, which means that your emotions are targeted as effectwell as your use of logic and reason. For example, a personal anecdote might cause you to feel sympathetic towards the writer, and therefore to be more inclined to agree with their point of view. Or the writer might use strong language to attack opponents, positioning you to share the writer’s rejection of alternative viewpoints.

If you can see how readers are being positioned, then you will be well on your way to understanding how language is used to persuade.


5 using language to persuade

Sentence Alternative words for ‘position’ and ‘see’

This (give example) positions …

the reader to see …

sets up / prepares / predisposes / influences / sways / inclines / persuades / convinces / compels / manipulates / coerces / pressures …

consider / agree / accept / think / respond / believe / understand / like / feel sympathy for / realise / disagree / reject / fear / dislike / distrust / lose sympathy for / lose patience with …

Vocabulary for ‘position’It is important to develop a good vocabulary for discussing language use. Here are some words that you can use when you examine how writers are positioning readers. The varied vocabulary shows you the kinds of ways in which persuasive writing can operate – and this is not a complete list by any means!

Graffiti vandals are a plague on the inner city, skulking in alleyways, armed with spray cans, destroying some of our most treasured landmarks with their unsightly scribbles. Their flagrant disregard for both public and private property sees them scrawl all over buildings, trains, houses and streets. Clearly, existing laws are no deterrent since these delinquents return like pests to a picnic. It’s time we started taking seriously the millions of dollars worth of damage they wreak each year. Forc-ing them to clean up their own messes would be a good start, but for incorrigible offenders, jail time is the only way to show that we as a society will no longer tolerate their wanton destruction of our city.

Les Hooper, Sale

Bold and original, they are the unsung artists of the city, enlivening our alleys and decorating our tunnels with their inventive designs. They are graffiti artists, who neither demand nor receive money or fame for their contributions to the brightening of our urban landscape. The proposal to imprison anyone caught adding colour and originality to our concrete jungle would be laughable, were it not so sad. Far from punishing, we ought to be thanking these anonymous contributors to our city’s uniquely vibrant character. If they were offered places they could paint legally, I’ve no doubt any problems with the occasional foray onto private property would vanish.

Frida Carroll, North Melbourne

Activity 3Activity 3Activity 3Activity 3Activity 3Activity 3Activity 3Activity 3Activity 3Activity 3Activity 3Activity 3Activity 3Activity 3Activity 3Activity 3Activity 3Activity 3Activity 3Key words and positioning the reader

1. Find all the words that refer to graffiti or graffiti artists. Make two columns, one for positive references and one for negative.

2. How would the words in the first column position the reader to respond to graffitists? What about the words in the second column? Discuss some examples in detail.

3. What emotions are evoked by the words in the first column? What about those in the second column?

4. How does Les Hooper’s letter position the reader to reject graffiti artists?

5. How does Frida Carroll’s letter position the reader to sympathise with graffiti artists?


2newspapersprint & online


In this chapterl Print and online versionsl Keeping up circulationl Tabloids and broadsheetsl Newspaper sections &

text typesl Producing the newsl Getting the newsl Bias in the newsl Constructing newspaper

articlesl Studying language use –

words of war

Traditional newspapers remain a primary source of information about news and current events. They are still sold daily, and once printed do not change. However, most major newspapers are now also on the internet. Online versions of newspapers differ from their paper counterparts in several important ways that affect how news is presented and how it is received by readers.

Print Online

Content is fixed after it is printed. Content changes throughout the day.

May use attention-grabbing illustrations and photographs.

In addition to still images, may have video news stories and slideshows.

Have several supplementary sections which vary according to the day of the week, e.g. television guides, lifestyle magazines, cooking lift-outs, car magazines.

Do not usually have the supplementary sections of the paper available.

Often provide alternative extra content, e.g. blogs from regular writers; forums for readers to discuss issues; a search function for finding articles on a specific subject.

Articles usually appear in full directly under their headlines, although some stories are concluded on a later page of the paper.

Articles are indicated on the homepage by their headlines which readers must click on to see the full article.

Articles online are sometimes shortened versions of their paper equivalents.


777newspapers print and online

Activity 1Activity 1Activity 1Activity 1Activity 1Activity 1Activity 1Activity 1Activity 1Activity 1Print versus online newspapers

1. Select a newspaper which has an online version and compare its front page (print) with its homepage (online). What differences can you see? Consider such things as the layout of the page or screen, the major stories that appear in each version and the way in which you read them. Were you drawn to different content in each version? If so, why?

2. Find two articles which appear in both the print and the online versions of the paper. Are they identical? If not, discuss the differences between the two versions, and why they might not be the same.

3. Make a list of some of the advantages and disadvantages of each form of news delivery.

4. Do you think the audiences are the same for print and online newspapers? Give reasons for your answer.

What’s in the news?Despite their differences, both print and online newspapers share the same purpose: to deliver the news of the day to as many people as possible. Millions of events are happening every day all over the world. Have you ever wondered how newspapers select their news stories each day? What kinds of questions are used to decide what gets in the paper and what gets left out? Here are some:

Is it outrageous?

Is it unexpected?

Is it scary?

Can it be photographed?

Would the readers find it interesting?

Might it have an impact on the readers’ lives?

Would it make the readers cry?

Would it give the readers a laugh?

Would it SELL the paper?

The reality is NEWSPAPERS ARE BIG BUSINESS. This means that the aim of newspaper companies is to maximise profit by selling as many newspapers as possible or, in the case of online newspapers, by getting as many hits to their website as possible. Readership, in the case of print newspapers, is referred to as ‘circulation’. The reason that circulation is so important is because the larger the number of readers, the higher the price the newspaper can charge for daily advertising space in the paper.

You might be surprised to learn that, for print newspapers, only one-third of the income generated comes from sales – the other two-thirds comes from advertising. What does this mean? Basically, that newspapers are at least as interested in pleasing their advertising clients as they are in providing information to their readers.

Sources of newspaper income


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