Text 2 Analysis

This text is an article written by an Oxfam employee for their website, it discusses the food crisis in Sahel. It begins with an introductory paragraph that highlights what the articles will discuss, a common characteristic of articles. Throughout the article, the ideas are continually backed up by facts and figures, which aim for credibility. The overall purpose is not to inform of the crisis but to highlight how this particular organization is helping it. Through this, they are able to promote Oxfam and allow it appear reliable. However this self-promotion is not negative as it is highlighting how they are helping people and saving lives, a positive thing.

The purpose of this article is to inform the reader of the crisis and the measures that Oxfam is taking. It begins by educating us on the matter by presenting facts and figures and backs this up with numbers. Then it gets to its main purpose where is tells the reader about Oxfam's involvement in the issues. With this purpose in mind, the audience is basically anyone. It may be especially directed to those who have interest in helping this particular cause however everyone can benefit from it. Therefore the article is written in an easily understandable manner which allows anyone to value from it. By discussing an issue that is affecting a large group of people, it can be targeted to anyone who cares about human life, presumably everyone.

The article begins by summing up the source of the issue as well as discussing the figures and lengths of this food crisis. It talks about the development of the situation and what may happen in the future. Then it goes on to mention what Oxfam is doing to help the situation in the countries that are impacted. It gives numbers of the amount of people they are helping and in which particular way.

The tone is a serious, professional and informative one that discusses a saddening issue in a skilled way. They appeal to emotion however it is not over the top and it is very moderate. They are able to present facts and figures however remain humane in their way of writing. The vocabulary is clear and easy to read however maintains the level of professionalism needed for such a large organization. There is constant use of statistics which is very useful to put the issue into perspective. The title is very simple and the major impact is left for a large quote as a subtitle. This quote highlights the idea of helping and appeals to pathos where is encourages humanitarian aid. The mood is rather neutral and does not slip into somewhat demanding sympathy but rather allows the reader to focus on the message.

The structure plays a large part of this article because it is a website article and the visuals are prominent. There is a picture used to visualise the discussed topic which can be more impactful than if it was just plain text. There are several fonts that are used depending on the placement of the text. The article is also cut up into several sections where it discusses the different aspects of the issue.