Different

Perspectives toward

Muslim Culture

In MediaDoreen Lang Production 8 April 2015

Introduction

This portfolio of three textual analyses concerns with a topic of the disputable attitudes towards Muslims, which is due to gap between cultures and the misunderstanding towards Muslim society. However, it’s not only a problem about Muslims themselves but also a problem that lies on every body around the world. As globalization progresses, all human beings need to face the inevitable controversy between different cultures and identities. Therefore, it’s necessary to do case study on other culture in order to learn ourselves better. This portfolio aims to study the hidden messages and effects caused by different text types and different perspectives by breaking down various stylistic features in three texts.

There are three text types in this portfolio of textual analyses: a news article, a homepage, and a speech. Firstly, an online news “ Muslim Students Demand that University Cancel Showings of American Sniper”, written by Gina Cassini published on Top Right News on 6 March 2015 reports how a Muslim student of the U. Missouri started debate in the campus by demanding to have the film American Sniper’s debut canceled, but failed at last. Secondly, the homepage of a website of an organization called Muslim Council of Britain presents news about various topics concerned about Muslim and Islamophobia. Thirdly, “The Beauty and Diversity of Muslim Life”, is a four minute speech performed by a Muslim American called Bassam Tariq in October 2014 on Ted, which the speaker shares about his personal experiences of letting people know more about Muslim culture.

Generally, the topic is portrayed through different perspectives and opinions. They together depicted the diverse appearances of Muslim culture as identity of creator changes and allow us to see things with a more harmonious and placid way.

Textual Analysis for News Article

  “  Muslim  Students  Demand  that  University  Cancel  Showings  of  American  Sniper”,  written  by  Gina  Cassini,   is  a  news  article  published  on  6  March  2015  on  a  news  website  called   Top   Right   News   from   the   United   States.   The   author   of   this   article   questions   and  condemns   the   decision   made   by   the   student   government   of   University   of   Missouri   of  remaining   neural   at   the   end   and   of   not   Kirmly   refusing   the   demands   of   the   Muslim  students.   In   this   analysis,   I  will   analyze   and  breakdown   this   term   in   term  of   its   stylistic  devices,  its  intended  audience  and  at  last  tone  and  mood  generated  by  the  article.   The   article   reports   how   a  Muslim   student   of   the   U.  Missouri   started   uproar   and  debate   in   the  campus  by  demanding   to  have   the   Kilm  American  Sniper’s  debut   canceled,  but  failed  at  last.  In  the  article,  the  author  quotes  many  of  the  student’s  and  also  student’s  government’s  quotations  to  clarify  the  whole  process.  Between  the  lines,  despite  the  other  elements,  such  as  the  tone  and  the  diction,  the  major  part  of  the  copy  is  quite  an  objective  narration   of   the   incident   itself.   No   Kirst   place   is   used   and   language   is   often   direct   and  formal.  However,  at  the  conclusion  of  the  article,  the  author  actually  turns  to  express  her  own   subjective   opinion   and   reveals   an   opposing   attitude   towards   the   method   of   the  student   government   by   saying   “What?   So   an   anti-­‐American   Muslim   wackjob   calls   an  American  hero  a  murderer  and  racist,  and  demands  censorship  of  a  Kilm  about  his  life  —  and   the  Mizzou   students   council   agrees   to   “educate”   students   that   this   radical   Islamist  might  be  right?”  where  the  author  infers  the  Muslim  student  directly  and  boldly  as  “anti-­‐American”,  “wackjob”  and  infers  the  main  character  in  the  Kilm  as  “American  hero”.  

One   could   say   the   theme   of   this   article   is   the   conKlict   between   different   ideologies.  According  to  a  source  the  author  uses  in  her  article,  the  newspaper  of  the  school  reports  that   “many   took   offense   to   the   article   …   [and]   a   common   thread   in   the   debate   is   the  tension  between  free  speech  and  a  student’s  right  to  feel  safe  on  campus”,  which  regards  the   whole   event   as   a   conKlict   between   the   ideology   of   the   freedom   of   speech   and   of  student’s  right  to  feel  safe  on  campus.   The   purpose   of   this   article   at   beginning   is   simply   informing   the   whole   event,  however  at  the  end  of  this  article,  one  could  detect  that  the  purpose  turns  out  to  condemn  the  way  the  student  government  of  the  U.  Missouri  dealt  with  the  incident  that  it  displayed  a   neutral   position   and   compromised   to   that   Muslim   student.   This   is   evidenced   by   last  paragraph   where   the   author   says,   “Something   is   rotten   at   U.   Missouri,   and   the   alumni  better   step   in,   but   fast.”   From   this   quote,   it   is   clear   to   tell   that   by   calling   for   alumni’s  intervention,  the  author  implies  her  condemnation  of  the  student  government’s  decision. By  viewing  the  layout  of  the  news  website  and  the  news  article,  the  target  audience  might   be   local   and  domestic   audiences   from   the  United   state  who   are   familiar  with   the  website  because  the  news  it  reports  mainly  focuses  on  the  domestic  news  of  United  States,  not   global   news.   Moreover,   the   website   concentrates   most   of   its   news   on   Islam,  immigration,  and  guns  as  its  topics  and  sections  divided.    

The  words   “government”,   “Obama”,   “Muslims”,   “Radical   Terrorism”   are   frequently   found   on  the   major   page   of   the   website.   It   shows   a   great   tendency   of   anti-­‐   Muslim   and   anti-­‐  government  maybe  due  to  the  context  of  America.  Also,  the  language  used  in  the  website   is  often  informal  and  subjective.  Therefore,  it  is  likely  that  the  target  audiences  are  people  who  are   concern  with   the  domestic   situation  of  America   and   also   one   could   say   that   the   target  audiences   of   the   website   are   people   from   United   States,   who   might   hold   biased   opinions  towards  people  with  different  skin  color  and  religion.     The  structure  of  the  news  article  is  simple  but  the  choice  of  images  contributes  to  the   purpose  of  the  text.  The  news  article  includes  a  lead,  two  images,  and  a  copy.  Below  the  lead,  the   author   puts   a   combined   image   of   both   the  main   character   from   the   Kilm   and   also   the  image  of  two  Muslim  girls  speaking  in  front  of  people.  While  one  can’t  tell  whether  the  author  intentionally  makes  the  image  of  the  American  Sniper  bigger  than  the  image  of  the  one  with  two  girls,  considering  the  subjectivity  of  the  website,  it  is  likely  that  the  author  enlarges  the  image  of  the  man  to  emphasize  the  impression  of  “hero”  of  the  man  in  contrast  to  the  other  images.  Half  way  through  the  article,  below  a  quotation  from  the  Muslim  student,  the  author  puts   a   photograph   of   the   Muslim   student   standing   with   two   hands   on   her   waist.   Again,  considering  the  website’s  tendency  of  being  subjective,  it  is  reasonable  to  say  that  the  author  intentionally   picks   this   photograph   to   deliver   a   message   that   this   Muslim   student   is  aggressive  and  dominant.  Especially  when  the  author  places  this  image  below  an  aggressive  quotation  from  this  student,  it  even  makes  the  impression  to  the  audience  stronger.   The  diction  of   this  article   is  very   interesting   to  spot   in,  especially   the  adjectives  and  verbs   that   are   used   by   the   author.   Firstly,   the   verb   “demand”   used   through   out   the   article  gives  the  audience  the  impression  of  “aggressive  and  powerful”.  Starting  from  the  beginning,  in   the   lead   the   author   already   intentionally   implies   the   audiences   of   the   Muslim   student  “demanding”   instead  of  begging  or  even  pleasing.  Through  out   the  whole  articles,   she  even  used   the   word   demand   for   three   times,   which   actually   shapes   audiences’   perspectives  towards  the  event  imperceptibly.  Furthermore,  the  author  uses  similar  verbs  like  “denounce”,  or   even   “declare”   to   approach  her  purpose.   In   contrast,   other  media  use   “state”   and   “said”  while  reporting  the  event.  For  example,  College  Fix  reported  that  “student  Farah  El-­‐Jayyousi  had  stated.”  Therefore,  the  way  of  diction  helps  the  author  to  reach  her  purpose  of  making  the  audiences   feel   being   offended   and   even   infringed.   Another   example   for   how   the   diction  shapes  audiences’  perspectives  and  at  the  same  time  reveal  author’s  intention  is  the  way  the  author   uses   adjectives.   When   the   author   was   describing   how   the   Muslim   student   was  demanding   for   the   cancel   of   the   showing   of   the   movie,   she   uses   the   word   “bizarrely”   to  describe   the   student’s   action,   which   is   a   total   subjective   judgment   that   indicates   author’s  potential  opposing  attitude.  For  more  evidence,  it  is  also  obvious  to  tell  the  author’s  intention  when  she  describes  how  the  student  government   “the  students  association  reluctantly  said  the   Kilm  would   be   shown   as   scheduled   on  April   17   and   18…insanely   appease   El   Jayyousi’s  Sharia  demand...”  The  adjective  insanely  and  “reluctantly”  shows  her  disapproval  towards  the  way  the  student  government  dealt  with  the  event,  which  directly  affects  audiences’  attitude  by  giving  this  impression  that,  the  student  government  tends  to  be  on  Muslims’  side.   The  author  also  uses  bold  face  font  to  affect  the  audience  and  to  reach  the  effect  she  wants.   The   author   often   uses   bold   face   to   emphasize   the   message   she   herself   wants   the  audience  to  pay  attention  on.  For  example,  while  using  the  report  from  college  Kix,  the  author  only  highlight  the  sentence  “…referred  to  Chris  Kyle,  the  Navy  SEAL  featured  in  the  :ilm,  as  “a  killer  with  no  regard   for  human  life.”,  which  shouldn’t  be   the   focus  point  of   the  whole  report   but   would   possibly   would   arouse   somebody’s   strong   distaste   and   uncomfortable  emotion  because  of  the  common  hero  worship  among  America.

  This  news  article  has  generally  a  tone  of  disapproval.  The  Kirst  part  of  the  text  has  a  very   objective   tone   on   the   surface,   however,   by   using   several   stylistic   devices   introduced  above,  the  atmosphere  is  turned  into  a  sardonic  one.  For  instance,  in  the  second  paragraph,  the  author  uses  bold  face  to  emphasize  how  the  Kilm  makes  the  student  “feel  ‘unsafe’”,  which  seemly  shows  author’s  mocking  attitude,  and  also  generates  a  mood  of  disapproval  on  the  audiences.  Later  in  the  conclusion  part,  the  author  Kinally  stands  out  to  speak  for  herself  as  she   questions   about   student   government’s   method.   Although   she   doesn’t   use   really  irritating  words  through  the  conclusion,  the  way  she  questions  and  makes  inference  helps  to  agitate  the  audiences  and  leaves  a  huge  space  for  the  audience  to  feel  angry  and  anxious  about.   The   questioning   tone   also   intensify   the   emotion   expressed   and   thus   appeals   to  pathos  and  reinforce  the  message  she  wants  to  express  in  this  news  article.   To  sum  up,  the  author  approaches  her  purpose  to  condemn  the  student  government  and  also  to  agitate  her  target  audiences  by  using  stylistic  devices,  such  as  diction,  aggressive  images   and   bold   face.   The   article   creates   a   questioning   tone   overall   and   generates   an  anxious  and  disapproval  mood  among  the  audiences.  Therefore,  although  this  news  article  is   subjective   and   real   biased,   the   author   reaches   her   goal   and   purpose   successfully  considering  its  context  and  target  audience.  

Textual Analysis for homepage of mcb.org.uk

This  text  is  a  web  page  from  the  website  of  an  organization  called  the  Muslim  Council  of  Britain.  The Muslim Council of Britain is a national representative Muslim umbrella body and this web page aims to solicit more donations for the organization and also to promote ideology of respect and love by reporting news about various topics concerned about Muslim and Islamophobia. The following essay will analyze the web page in the term of its  stylistic  devices,  its  intended  audience  and  at  last  tone  and  mood  generated  by  the  web  page.   The   homepage   overall   is   a   platform   to   present   the   works   the   organization   has   done   to  improve  the  status  of  Muslims  in  Britain.  It  contains  News  that  report  the  recent  activities  of  the  organization  that  helps   to  shape  reliable   Kigure  and   it  also  has  Donate  section  that  attracts  more  people   to   donate   to   the   organization.   The   main   purpose   of   this   web   page   is   to   solicit   more  donations   and   attention   for   the   organization.   Firstly,   the   news   presented   on   the   website   is   all  concerned  with  the  activities  the  organization  has  done.  It  shows  that  the  creator  wants  users  to  know  more   about   the   organization   and  what   it   has   done   so   that   they   feel   safer   to   donate.   For  instance,  news  reported  on  the  homepage  titled  “MCB  Writes  to  DfE  about  Primary  School  Children  Given  Divisive  Homework  on  Palestine”,  reports  that  MCB  wrote  to  director  general  of  DfE  to  raise  the  problem  that  students  in  a  primary  school  had  been  given  “factually  incorrect  and  very  divisive  homework  sheet  asking  them  to  give  examples  of  Palestinian   ‘terrorists’”   to  a  national   level.  The  creator  wants   to   show   the   target   audiences   how   the   organization   concerns  with   every   injustice  and  inequality  happen  in  the  country.  This  increases  the  reliability  of  the  organization  and  helps  to  shape  a  positive   impression,  which  advocates   and  encourages  more  people   to  donate.  The  news  that  can  also  demonstrate   the  purpose   is   the  news  “March  against   Islamophobia”.   It’s  an  activity  supported   by   the   organization   and   this   news   functions   the   same   way   as   the   last   one   while   it  reassures  the  potential  sponsor  with  evidence  that  the  organization  tries  to  solve  the  problem  step  by   step   initiatively.   Another   key   subheading   is   “Donate”.   Under   the   big   title   of   “Donation”,   the  creator   puts   a   concise   introduction   about   donation   and   also   a   button   saying   “Donate”.   The   one-­‐button  donation  design  encourages  the  users  to  donate  because  it  makes  the  users  feel  it’s  such  an  easy   thing   to  donate   for   this  organization.Therefore,   its  main  purpose   is   to  attract  donation  and  attention  for  the  organization.   The  home  page  of  the  web  page  consists  of   four  parts.  On  the  top  of  the  page,  the  creator  gives   a   space   for   the   date   and   social   media   icons.   Below   that   the   creator   puts   a   logo   of   the  organization  in  red  background  and  also  a  navigation,   including  8  subtopics,  such  as  “about  MBC  (abbreviation   for   the  Muslim  Council  of  Britain)”,   “Get   involved”  and  “News”   in  order   to  give   the  users  a  general  insight  of  what  the  website  is  about  and  also  provides  convenience  for  the  users  to  look   for   things   they  want   to   know   about.   Following   that   is   an   interactive   part  where  when   the  users  click   the  button   indicates   “next”,   image  will   change  and  on  every   image   there’s  a   link   that  leads   the   users   to   another   page.   For   example,   the   initial   image   that   is   shown   on   this   part   is   an  image  of  a  pen  and  a  notebook;  besides  the  notebook,  there’s  a  line  saying  “Islamophobia  &  Anti-­‐  Muslims”  and  below  that  is  a  button  saying,  “Report  the  Incident”  encouraging  the  users  to  click  on  that  and  ask  for  help.The  interactive  images  also  function  as  one  form  of  navigation  that  guides  the  users  in  a  more  direct  and  appealing  way,  encourages  the  users  to  know  more  about  the  website.  The   bigger   space   under   the   interactive   images   is   the   part   for   important   activities   and   relevant  information  of  the  organization,   including  subheadings  for  a  donate  section,  news  updates,  press  releases,  and  community  news.  

  The  creator  uses  convention  of  website  that  usually  the  biggest  part  of  the  web  page  is  about  most  recent  and  important  news  of  the  website  to  let  the  users  see  the  most  important  and  most  recent  news  and  activities  of  the  organization  easily.  At  the  button  left  of  this  part,   there’s  also  one  video  section  under  the  multimedia  column,  which   adds   more   diversity   and   appealing   elements   to   the   webpage.   There   are  subtitles  under   every   section  of   this  part  which  are   links   that   can   lead   the  users   to  another  page  because  when   the  users  move   the  cursor,   the  cursor  would  change   its  shape  and  the  color  of  the  titles  would  turn  into  blue.  This  shows  that  the  author  uses  Internet   convention   that   links   are   always   in   blue   and   the   cursor   is   supposed   to   be  changed  when  it  is  put  on  the  links.  In  the  last  part  of  the  home  page,  the  creator  puts  a  detailed  navigation  or  category  for  the  user  to  explore  more  about  the  website.  The  creator   also   puts   a   small   introduction   about   the  website   and   a   button   of   “Find   out  more”  that  invites  the  users  to  know  more  about  the  organization  itself.

The   target  audience  of   the  webpage   is  Muslims   in  Britain.  The  webpage   is   Kirst  obviously  targeted  at  Muslims  in  Britain  because  of  the  name  of  the  organization  “  the  Muslim  Council  of   the  Britain”,   indicates   the   identity  of   the  audience  and  the  region  the  target  audience  is  located  in.  Among  all  the  Muslims  in  Great  Britain,  the  website  further   targets  various  groups  of  Muslims.  Firstly,   it   targets  on  British  Muslims  who  suffer   from   Islamophobia   and   are   eager   to   look   for   help.   As   mentioned,   on   the  interactive   part   of   the   homepage,   one   image   has   a   “report   incident”   button,   which  implies   it  wants  to  provide  a  place  for  Muslims  to   look  for  help.  However,  one  could  say   it   also   targets   British   people   who   want   to   know   more   about   how   Muslims  contribute   to   British   society   because   there   are   many   messages   promoting   how  Muslim  values  have  a  positive  inKluence  on  Britain.  An  example  is  that  there  are  two  out   of   seven   images   saying   how  Muslim   culture   contributes   to   British   society   in   a  positive   way.   It   endeavors   to   tell   the   people   the   positive   side   of   Muslim   culture.  Therefore,   we   can   assume   that   the   creator   mainly   targets   Muslims   in   Britain   who  desire   help   and   it   also   targets   other   British   citizens   who   are   concern   with  Islamophobia   problems.The   use   of   color   creates   a   consistent   style   in   line  with  web  page   conventions   and   constructs   a  professional   appearance   that   entices   the  user   to  explore   the  web  page.   The   homepage   has   a   very   neat   color   arrangement,  which   no  more  than  three  colors  are  used  on  the  home  page.  This  calms  and  comforts  the  users  who  are  anxious  to  look  for  help.  At  the  top  of  the  homepage,  the  creator  uses  blue  as  the  Kirst  color  the  users  shall  see  when  they  Kirst  open  the  website.  Blue  is  a  color  of  peace,   freedom   and   equality.   It   creates   a   light-­‐   hearted   top   note   for   the   whole  homepage.  Secondly,  the  creator  uses  dark  red  as  a  main  color  for  the  website.  Red  is  a  very  smart  choice  because  Kirstly,  if  we  look  at  the  color  wheel,  we  can  Kind  that  blue  is  almost  the  contrast  color  of  red.  It  can  catch  the  audience’s  Kirst  sight  and  at  the  same  time,   is   not   too   aggressive.   Additionally,   dark   red   can   connote   for   warmth   and  professionalism.  Regarding  the  purpose  of  this  organization,  red  can  remind  the  users  of  caring  and  also  reliability.  In  the  part  where  news  is  posted,  the  creator  uses  white  as   the   background   and   red   as   the   color   of   the   text.   The   white   background   draws  audience’s   attention   to   this   part   and   focuses   on   the   red   text   because  white   are   the  lightest  color  and  also  it  emphasized  the  red  texts.  Meanwhile,   the  use  of  red  on  the  texts  creates  a  consistency  and   Kluency   for   the  whole  website,  which   is  very  reader-­‐friendly.  The  last  part  of  the  homepage,  the  creator  again  uses  red  as  the  background  color  so   it  acts  as  a  conclusion   for   the  web  page  and  also  helps   to  create  a  sense  of  consistency.  

  The   creator   of   the   homepage   uses   a   lot   of   stylistic   features   to  make   it   reader-­‐friendly.  Firstly,  the  layout  of  the  homepage  is  very  neat  and  well-­‐organized.  Thus,  it   is  more   approachable   for   people   who   look   for   help.   Also,   throughout   the   website,   the  creator   uses   many   one-­‐   button   design.   For   example,   as   mentioned,   for   donation,   the  creator   uses   one-­‐button   design   to  make   the   users   feel   that   it   is   a   very   easy   thing   to  donate   for   the  organization.  There   are   also  many  button  on   the  website   saying,   “Find  Out  More”,  which  helps   the  users   to   choose   the   information   they  want   to   know  more  about.   This   makes   the   whole   website   very   reader-­‐   friendly   and   professional.   What’s  more,  the  navigation  at  the  top  remains  on  the  top  of  the  page  so  that  the  users  do  not  need   to   scroll   up   to   see   other   sections   of   this   website.   There   are   also  more   detailed  categories  place  in  the  button  of  the  web  page  for  users  who  want  to  know  more  about  one  speciKic  topic.   The  tone  of   this  website   is  very  docile  and  objective.  Firstly,   the  use  of  color  as  mentioned   creates   a   very   warm   and   professional   tone.   Secondly,   the   reader-­‐friendly  design   of   the  web   page   also   helps   to  make   the  web   page  more   accessible.  Moreover,  throughout   the   texts   in   the  website,   there’s   no   second   person   “you”.   This   lessens   the  aggressive  and  direct  feeling  generated  by  the  texts.  Instead,  the  language  used  is  much  more  gentle  and  also  docile.  For   instance,  when  calling  for  donations,   the  creator  uses  language  like  “Help  us  continue  valuable  work  for  the  Muslim  community  in  Britain.”  It  doesn’t   beg   for   donation   but   at   the   same   time,   language   such   as   “must”   or   “need”   is  found.   Therefore,   the   creator   keeps   a   very   appropriate   distance   with   the   users   and  creates  a  docile  and  friendly  tone.  

The   creator   achieves   his   or   her   purpose   of   attracting   more   donations   by   using  colors   and   several   stylistic   features   and   creating   a   very   docile   tone   for   the   targeted  audience.  Thus,  it  is  a  very  successful  web  page  for  such  an  organization  that  intervenes  in  a  very  sensitive  subject.    

Textual Analysis for the speech “The Beauty and Diversity of Muslim Life”

  “The  Beauty  and  Diversity  of  Muslim  Life”,  is  a  four  minute  speech  performed  by  a  Muslim  American  called  Bassam  Tariq  in  October  2014  on  Ted.  The  speaker  narrates  his  own  stories  of  letting  more  people  to  know  about  Muslim  culture  by  taking  real  actions  and  thus  aims  to  encourage  and  persuade  more  Muslim  Americans  to  really  take  actions  to   get   people   familiar   with   their   beautiful   culture   and   society.   In   this   analysis,   I   will  analyze  and  breakdown  this  speech  in  term  of  its  stylistic  devices,  its  intended  audience  and  at  last  tone  and  mood  generated  by  the  speech.   The  speaker  narrates  the  projects  he  has  accomplished  to   let  more  people  know  more  about  Muslim  culture.  He  shares  three  personal  stories  of  his  own  in  order  to  show  evidence  and  examples   to   the  audience  how  can   they  change  others’  negative  opinions  toward   them  by   taking   actions.   The   speaker   shares   his   experiences   of   breaking   fast   at  different  mosque   in  different  state  each  night  of  Ramadan,  how  he   insists   to  deliver  an  ideology   of   love  while   taking   Kilm,   and   also   how  he   lets  more  Americans   familiar  with  Muslim  culture  by  opening  a  meat  store  that  sells  sourced  halal.  This  gradual  building  up  of  three  stories  creates  a  very  powerful  and  persuasive  tone  that  delights  and  motivates  the   audience   to   believe   the   speaker.   Stories   also   function   as   examples   to   support   his  purpose  and  the  ideology  of  Kirmly  showing  the  beauty  of  Muslim  culture,  which  thus  can  better  persuade  the  audiences.  The  purpose  of  this  speech  is  to  encourage  more  Muslims  to  take  action  in  order  to  let  more  people  know  about  the  beauty  and  diversity  of  Muslim  life.  The  purpose  is  very  obvious  in  the  concluding  part  of  the  speech.  “They  are  a  visceral  response  to  the  businesses  and  curators  who  work  hard  to  oversimplify  my  beliefs  and  my  community,  and  the  only  way  to  beat  their  machine  is  to  play  by  different  rules.  We  must  Kight  with  an  inventive  approach.  With  the  trust,  with  the  access,  with  the  love  that  only  we  can  bring,  we  must  unapologetically  reclaim  our  beliefs  in  every  moving  image,  in  every  cut  of  meat…”  From  the  conclusion,   it   is  fair  to  say  that  by  calling  the  audience  “to  beat  their  machine’  and  to  “reclaim  our  beliefs  in  every  moving  image,  in  every  cut  of  meat”,   the   speaker   aims   to   persuade   and   encourage   more   Muslims   to   reverse   others’  negative  opinions  toward  them  by  really  paying  attention  on  it  and  take  action  about  it.     The  target  audience  of  the  speech  is  mainly  Muslims  who  live  in  America  that  have  been  bothered  by  others’  negative  attitudes  towards  Muslims.  Firstly,  the  speaker  shares  his  personal   experiences   as   a  Muslim  who   lives   in  America.  Thus,   the   stories  might  be  more  appealed  to  Muslims  who  live  in  the  same  region  with  the  author.  Moreover,  in  the  last  paragraph,  the  speaker  Kirst  points  out  the  current  situation  he  faced  of  their  culture  being   oversimpliKied   and   then   the   speaker   uses   the   pronoun   “We”   to   stand   in   the   line  with  the  audiences.  This  shows  that  he  targets  on  the  Muslims  who  are  familiar  with  the  situation  but  haven’t  really  take  any  actions  to  change  the  situation.The  word  “We”  thus  contributes   to   the   purpose   of   persuading   those   who   haven’t   take   actions   to   join   the  speaker  and  do  something  in  order  to  change  the  current  position.  However,  by  viewing  the   transcript   and   considering   the   nature   of   the   Ted   website,   there   is   other   evidence  showing  one  more  groups  of  potential  audience.

   In  paragraph  six,  after  talking  about  his  experience  of  opening  meat  store  that  sells  good  halal,  the  speaker  then  says  “For  those  that  don't  know,  halal  is  a  term  used  for  meat  that  is  raised  and  slaughtered  humanely  following  very  strict  Islamic  guidelines.”  From  the  phrase  “for  those  that  don’t  know”,  we  can  tell  that  the  author  not  only  targets  the  Muslims  who  know  what  does  “halal”  mean  but  also  non-­‐  Muslim  people  who  are  not  familiar  with  the  term  “halal”.  Also,  considering  the  speech  on  Ted  will  be  posted  on  line,  which  can  be  viewed  by  people  from  everywhere  around  the  world,  there  are  secondary  audience  for  the  speech.   Therefore,   it   is   true   to   say   that,   there   are   two   layers   of   target   audience   of   the  speech.  One  are  Muslims  who  live  in  America  and  are  familiar  with  the  serious  situation  of  Muslims   in   America,   another   potential   target   audience   of   the   speech   is   people   from  everywhere  around  the  world  that  are  not  familiar  with  Muslim  culture. The  structure  of  this  speech  partially  follows  the  convention  of  speech  but  also  uses  new  creativities  to  approach  his  purpose  of  persuading  people.  The  Kirst  paragraph  spoken  in  the  speech  is  a  controversial  statement  about  himself”  I’m  a  blogger,  a  Kilmmaker  and  a  butcher,   and   I'll   explain   how   these   identities   come   together.”   Blogger,   Kilmmaker   and  butcher   seem   to   be   non-­‐   relevant   vocations,   which   the   speaker   uses   the   convention   of  attention-­‐getter  here   to   entice   the   audience   to   know  more   about.   “I’ll   explain  how   these  identities  come  together”  also  indicates  that  these  three  vacations  act  as  thesis  statements  that  consist  three  main  parts  of  the  speech.  This  helps  to  establish  a  very  clear  insight  for  the   whole   speech   and   at   the   same   time   is   very   effective.   Following   by   the   thesis,   the  speaker  shares  three  stories  to  explain  these  three  controversial  identities.  One  followed  by  another  explains   for   the   thesis.  This  accessible  and  simple   structure  makes   the  audience  more   focused  on   the  content  of   the  speech   instead  of  making  efforts  and   trying   to   Kigure  out  the  relationship  between  structure  and  content.  In  the  conclusion,  the  speaker  sums  up  the  three  stories  and  points  out  the  theme  hidden  behind  them  that  they  are  all  “visceral  response  to  the  businesses  and  curators  who  work  hard  to  oversimplify  my  beliefs  and  my  community”  and  states  his  main  idea  that  “We  must  Kight  with  an  inventive  approach.”  The  speaker  takes  the  opportunity  to  raise  the   level  of  comprehension  of   the  three  stories  he  shared   for   the  reader,  and  thus  he  can  deliver  what  he  wants   to   tell   instead  of   leave   it   to  audiences   and   let   them   interpret   by   themselves   after   the   speech.   The   line   “we   must  unapologetically   reclaim  our  beliefs   in  every  moving   image,   in  every  cut  of  meat”  echoes  with  the  content  conveyed  in  the  body  paragraph  by  using  “every  meat”  to  refer  the  project  of  halal,   and   “every  moving   image”   to   indicate  his   Kilm.  This   thus   constructs  a   consistent  and  extended  emotion  for  the  reader.  He  also  uses  the  convention  of  speech  to  point  out  the  action  the  audience  should  take  in  the  last  paragraph  in  order  to  approach  his  purpose  to  persuade   the   audience   to   take   action.   However,   the   speaker   doesn’t   always   follow   the  conventional   structure   used   in   speech.   The   speaker   doesn’t   show   the   need   and   the  satisfaction   in   his   speech   explicitly.   Instead,   he   hides   them   in   the   text   by   using   various  stylistic  devices.  He  doesn’t  directly  say  he  hopes  Muslims  should  take  actions  to  let  more  people   know   more   about   Muslim   culture;   instead,   he   says   “They   demand   us   to   Kind  uncompromising  ways  to  be  acknowledged  and  respected.”  Here,  he  uses  a  passive  way  to  describe  his  purpose  and  his  aim.  Instead  of  saying  we  should  Kind  uncompromising  ways,  he   says   “They   demand   us   to”   therefore   it’s   less   direct   and   less   aggressive.   This   is   also  because  there  is  more  secondary  target  audience  that  needed  to  be  considered.  They  have  various  needs  and  therefore  it  is  clever  for  the  speaker  not  to  speak  of  the  need  directly  in  the  body  paragraph  but  to  hide  his  intention  in  text.  

  The   speaker   comes   near   his   purpose   by   using   personal   experiences   in   order   to  better   touch   the   audience.   Firstly,   anecdotes   can   attract   the   audience   because   they   are  more   approachable   and   appealing   than   accumulation   of   reasoning   and   logics.   The  problem  with  reasoning  and  logics  is  that  because  of  the  seriousness  and  the  sensitivity  of  the  topic  in  the  context  of  America,  theories  may  make  the  speech  sounds  even  more  serious   that  may   be   regarded   as   a   speech   to  motivate   terror   attack   due   to   the   serious  tone.   Yet   just   as   what   the   speaker   has   chosen   to   do,   the   use   of   anecdotes   lessen   the  intense   atmosphere   and   also   add   show   speaker’s   intention   of   creating   a   light-­‐   hearted  atmosphere  for  his  speech.  Therefore,  the  anecdotes-­‐  centered  speech  not  only  appeals  to  readers  but  also  helps   to  create  a  more  relaxing   tone   for   the  speech.  The  use  of  humor  also  functions  the  same  way  as  the  use  of  stories  in  the  whole  speech.  In  the  transcript,  we  can  Kind  a  lot  of  “laughter”  which  indicates  the  impact  the  speaker’s  humor  causes  on  the   audience.   For   example,   in   the   Kirst   body   paragraph,   he   says   “Crowds   of   men   with  beards   and   skullcaps   were   swarming   the   streets.   It   was   an   FBI   agent's   wet   dream.  (Laughter)”  From  this  line,  he  achieves  his  goal  to  lessen  the  intensity  by  directly  making  fun   of   how   FBI   guys   hate   Muslims.   Through   a   joke   that   the   audience   understand,   the  speaker   pulls   the   distance   between   them   closer   and   makes   the   audience   feel   more  approachable  to  the  speaker  and  the  topic.   The   diction   of   the   speech   creates   a   potent   and   persuasive   tone   that   helps   to  persuade   the   audience   and   it   is   particularly   expressed   in   the   last   paragraph.   As  mentioned,  in  the  last  paragraph,  the  author  uses  the  pronoun  “we”,  “us”,  “our”  referring  himself   and   other   Muslims;   and   he   uses   “they”   to   imply   people   who   “work   hard   to  oversimplify  my  beliefs  and  my  community”.  By  using  this  pronoun,  he  Kirst  pulls  himself  closer  to  his  target  audience,  showing  that  he  is  of  the  same  line  with  them.  In  this  way,  the  audience  can  better  believe  in  what  he  says  and  is  easier  to  be  persuaded.  At  the  same  time,   he   demarcates   a   line   between   “we”   and   “they”,   “Muslims”   and   “bad   guys”   to  motivate  the  audience  because  of  the  same  reason.  The  speaker  designs  a  “hypothetical  enemy”  to  intensify  tone  in  order  to  infatuates  audiences’  motivations  and  also  to  solicits  for  taking  actions.  Furthermore,  the  speaker  also  uses  other  words  in  the  conclusion  that  contribute  to  a  Kirm  tone.  He  uses  aggressive  and  direct  words  to  constructs  an  exciting  effect  among  the  audience.  For  instance,  the  words  “beat”,  “Kight”,  “fail”  and  “trumped”  are  all  assertive  words  that  can  greatly  inKluence  the  target  audience  because  they  resonate  with  the  basic  desires  of  the  human  heart.  Also,  the  speaker  puts  two  “damn”  in  the  last  paragraph   to   express   his   excited   emotion   because   the   use   dirty   words   conventionally  represent   for   extreme   emotion   and   enthusiasm.   Therefore   the   use   of   dirty  words   also  contributes  to  persuade  the  audience  by  using  pathos.   General  speaking,  this  speech  has  a  very  impassionate  and  energetic  tone  that  can  motivate   the  audience.  As  mentioned  above,   the  diction  contributes   to  purpose  a   lot  by  using  assertive   scene  verbs  and  very  emotional  words,   such  as   “damn”  and   “Kight”.  The  syntax  also  helps  to  portray  the  tone  of  the  speech.  For  example,  in  the  last  paragraph,  the  speaker  uses  anaphora:  “With  the  trust,  with  the  access,  with  the   love  that  only  we  can  bring,  we  must  unapologetically  reclaim  our  beliefs  in  every  moving  image,  in  every  cut  of  meat…”  In  this  sentence,  the  speaker  uses  anaphora  to  intensify  and  also  to  quicken  the  pace  of  the  sentence,  which  helps  to  create  a  provoking  and  delighted  tone. To   sum   up,   the   speaker   successful   approaches   his   purpose   of   persuading  more  Muslims   to   take   actions   to   change   the   current   situation   by   using   stylistic   devices   like  diction  and  syntax,  which  help  to  create  a  delighting  tone.

ReflectionThe three texts that have been analyzed reflect different attitudes toward Muslim people

and Muslim culture. They are similar in some ways as three creators stand with three different positions. They firmly voice for themselves and start out from their own perspectives and emotions. That’s why although the content and tone are different, people can see a consistent style while viewing three texts, which completely different perspectives and positions are presented. This helps people to have a more vivid insight on the topic of the controversial attitudes towards Muslim culture.

Nonetheless, the treatment of the topic also differs among three different text types. Firstly, the content and perspective are different. The news article shows the tendency of islamophobia as it intentionally portrays Muslim people in a negative way. Meanwhile, both the homepage and the speech demonstrate the strong conviction that there’s beauty in Muslim culture. This is shaped by context of creators. Also, three texts are different in tone. The news article has a subjective and disapproval tone while the homepage has a docile tone and the speech has a delighted and energetic tone. The different tones can result in different effect on audience and are all shaped by different perceptions of creators. More importantly, all three texts use different stylistic features to approach their purpose. For instance, the news article uses different font to emphasize her condemnation towards the student government; the webpage uses consistent style of color and clear layout in order to consulate the target audience; the speech applies anaphora to create an energetic tone that can better persuade the audience… However, despite the different devices and paths creators use to reach the goal, all devices serve for one topic and all have contribution on the final effect of the text in a most direct way.

To sum up for the portfolio, three successful but different texts demonstrate for us how one topic differs because of different perspectives in different text types. It allows us to peek through the window into a more vast and complicated world that the Muslim culture can be viewed in so many ways. Through the textual analysis, people can also see the hidden literary techniques that are used by creators to approach their secret purpose. At the end of this portfolio, it is important that people should pay more attention on daily mass media communication and be careful of how these disguised monsters influence who you are and what the world is like. Don’t be fooled by mass media. Notice that there’s always a purpose and there’s always a context. Be conscious mass media are not unchangeable dominant god, the way you interpret is the only thing that can take over your life.