Critically Analysing Texts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Critically Analysing Texts - Essay Example For instance The Times positioned a large photograph of the suspect below its caption reminding the audience of the parents’ source of relief. The suspect’s picture looks more like a mug shot, a sublime indication that the suspect is guilty as charged. The Sun positions a photograph of the girlfriend with the murder suspect in happier times. The picture itself is suggestive of an ordinary man and certainly not a portrait of a killer. A picture of the victim however is placed in the article, but smaller, yet provides contrast. The victim’s picture is plain and reveals very little about the kind of person she might have been. Most of all, the picture could easily be a routine snapshot taken for identification documents as it does not create an impression. Interestingly a suggestive ad for sex therapy sits alongside the victim’s picture. In any case, the rather bland picture of the victim and the continuous informal use of her name throughout the article come s across as an intention to present an average, somewhat unsympathetic individual. The term â€Å"average Jo† invariably comes to mind and could either create sympathies or create detachment. A picture of the suspect’s mother and brother also appear on the last page of the article, but with far less ambiguity than the picture of the victim. The image captures drawn and saddened faces, under which the caption reads: â€Å"Angry†¦mum Sonja and brother Marcel.† The article in The Times is more cohesive in its layout in that it tells a story that is easy to follow. The connection begins with a caption that clearly directs attention to the content of the article. The caption reads: Yeates Parents Tell of â€Å"Enormous Relief† at Murder Charge. Thereafter, the article reads like a narrative with facts integrated to ensure that the reader knows why the Yeates parents relieved. For instance, upon informing the audience that the parents of the murder victim are relieved, the writer immediately names the suspect, and identifies him as a neighbour of the victim and reveals that he was arrested and will be formally charged with their daughter’s murder. The article appearing in The Sun however, is not as cohesive and as such it is more difficult to follow. The caption itself is confusing and reads: Girlfriend: I Stand by Jo Accused. Unlike The Times, the language in The Sun’s caption is informal and does not read like a complete sentence. The reader’s curiosity is therefore aroused immediately, although the opening lines to the article dispels that curiosity by informing who Jo is. The caption is misleading however, as once the reader completes The Sun’s article it becomes clear that the murder suspect’s girlfriend did not directly state that she was standing by her boyfriend. This message was conveyed through the murder suspect’s family. Like its caption, the language in The Sun is also informal a t times. This register however, is indicative of the kind of audience that The Sun intends to reach. For instance law enforcement are referred to as cops at least twice and in one instance, the term is used in the context of investigators’ decision to make an arrest. This tends to suggest that the decision to make an arrest was made lightly. At another point, a public relations professional is referred to as â€Å"PR man†. This use of colloquialism is clearly intended to reach a