How does Amnesty International persuade the reader to take an active interest in its organisation and the people it helps?

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GCSE Coursework: The Media Unit

How does Amnesty International persuade the reader to take an active interest in its organisation and the people it helps? You should consider the structure, organisation and layout of material; the content of the article; and the use of language and linguistic devices.

I will be studying a double page spread charity advertisement, obtained from a magazine supplement of a Sunday newspaper. Being advertised is Amnesty International: a charity organisation, which is working worldwide for the release of prisoners of conscience, fair trials for political prisoners and an end to torture, extra-judicial executions, “disappearances” and the death penalty. By publishing the advert in a Sunday supplement, it is insured to have a very wide circulation. Furthermore, people will have leisure time on a Sunday to be able to sit down and read the whole article, which gives them a chance to become active. If it were printed on a weekday, people would not have had the leisure time to be able read the article and become an active member of Amnesty International.

Prudently, this advert has been structured in such a way that it guides the emotional response of the reader as they read through the text. The article has been subdivided into four main sections: Sallay’s story; the story of Mary; Britain’s view of refugees; and how the reader can become active and help refugees. The separation of the material into clearly defined “blocks” of text is very effective, in that it aids the ease and speed of access. Also, by implicating the reader in blame, they are increasingly forced to get involved.

The first thing you see when you look at the article is the picture of the woman. This picture draws the reader to the article by the various attributes. Immediately, you are drawn by the shock factor: a picture of a woman who has no hands. In addition, this is an extremely powerful picture, as it is visually emotive, which means that it plays on the reader’s emotions and generates the reader’s sympathy for the woman. After looking at the picture, you read the quote beside it, which personalises the article by giving Sallay an identity this makes the reader feel closer to Sallay, and maybe as if they even know her.

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The large caption reads “DON’T LOOK THE OTHER WAY.” This is imperative, as it is a command to the reader not to turn away from people like Sallay. It forces them to read the article and take an interest.

In the leading paragraph the shock factor is used again to inform the reader of the shocking statistic that, “Every twenty seconds…a refugee is created”. This shows the reader how big the refugee problem is, causing the reader to want to read on, as they want to know how Amnesty International will help so many people. Towards the end ...

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