I have decided to tackle the Sun first. As it is a tabloid it will be more basic than the other paper and easier to write about.
The article is broken up in several ways; there is one big bold headline that immediately catches the attention of the reader almost straight away. The text is then broken up as well. It goes from great big font in the head line to smaller font which is still bold and quiet big, to a lot smaller font and then down to the normal size 10 font that is used throughout the rest of the headline. It is all situated on the front page, possibly indicating that it is very important, again encouraging people to pick it up and read it.
You can tell you the paper’s audience is aimed at because of the use of language. Tabloids in general are aimed at the younger generations and to more lower class people. This is because the content of the paper is written using more simple words and phrases.
As I just mentioned the words used in the Sun are much simpler. Sentences are quiet short and snappy with no real amount of punctuation in there. It does use a lot of onomatopoeia for example, ‘scrambles’ & ‘crashed’. These words help build up a picture in out minds. A fair amount of alliteration is used as well ‘fear fanatics’ phrases like this will tend to stick out in our minds more and will be easier to recall. The Sun seesm to make the war much more emotive and less serious than it actually is.
By having pictures of Chirac outside the Eiffel tower alongside a picture of Hitler in the same position. It is used to add a bit of humor to the situation. Above it is the quote
’ WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE KIDDING MONSIEUR CHIRAC?’
Having quotes like this that having been taken from the famous ‘Dad’s Army’ and reworked seem to suggest that we won the war then ad we can do it now. Giving the public a little more moral to keep them going.
The article comes across as quite light hearted, yet informative and interesting. The use of big pictures explains a lot about what is going on and adds a little bit more to the article. The pictures are not altogether completely relevant to the situation but they are not irrelevant as they do contain links back to the war and what is going on in the world.
The Daily Telegraph has been broken up into lots of columns with a picture in the middle separating it out a little more so it does not look like a big mouthful to read at once. It again has the big bold text showing the main headline with text around it decreasing in size until the main bulk of the article is reached. It has several quotes pulled out of the witting that people will read first to get a rough idea about the article. There is a small line above the main headline that explains that Blair sent soldiers to the airport, as it is above the main headline it is very noticeable and does not take up a lot of room.
The article is aimed at older people that want a detailed account of the war with no humorous anecdotes to make the best of it all. This is typical of a major broadsheet paper. The only picture on the front is the one with the woman in the airport, it underlines how serious the situation is if it is ending up like this. It is all found on the front page indicating that it is the important and people must read it.
The words used are much more complex and would be read by a person is more e3ducated than somebody who reads the sun. Words like ‘infidels’ & ‘socialists’ can be found in the text. An infidel is a term used to describe someone who doubts a particular system or principle. This is mentioned in the Sun but only as people who doubt, not using words that are as complex as this.
Again alliteration is used in this article but not to the extent it was in the tabloid. ‘Troops, Terror and Tony’ appear together quite often indicating they are all related and again building up a picture inside the readers mind. There is no clear sign of metaphors and similes in the articles of the broadsheet. I believe this to be because it is trying to put across a straight forward and uncomplicated view of the issues it is discussing.
The article is quite shocking, it makes you think that things like this do happen and we cannot live our lives wrapped up in cotton wool forever. We need to respect what is happening and support those who are trying to help us and the USA.
The view of the article seems biased towards the Brits it is neither swinging one way or another. It gives an opinion from ‘our side’ for want of a better word and not from the Iraqi’s. This would end up making it more favorable fro us.
I prefer the Sun’s article for the simple reason it is lighthearted and easy to read. The use of alliteration and onomatopoeia makes the articles more interesting and easier to read. I like the use of pictures in the Sun as they are not quire relevant but do stick to the point loosely.
I think it appeals to me more is because the Sun is aimed at a younger audience and it contains language I find easier to pick up and consume.
