In the Jackson article, Bennett almost fills the whole article with her opinion of Michael Jackson. These opinions are often very critical of Jackson’s appearance or behaviour. Bennett uses words like “anthropoid” to mock his appearance and brands his love for dolphins as, “Other ditties and “Reflections” ”. This shows that the writer has a kind of arrogance and to Jackson’s diverse ways. Bennett emphasizes Jackson’s pretension as she belittles him through her article. Here, she may be trying to emphasize how Jackson is wasting his time with animals, when he could, and arguably should be caring more for human beings. Bennett shows how all his life, Jackson has lived a fairytale lifestyle. She also jokes that he lives with ‘the llamas in Neverland, California’. Although this may be a joke, it stresses the fact that Jackson is not like the average person. He thinks, or would like it to be thought that he is God like. She mentions God along side ‘The Yorkshire Ripper’ when she opened the article with the question, ‘Who said this?’ I wanted to change the world.’ Bennett tries to highlight how silly Jackson sounds at times. With this being in the opening paragraph, it shows straight away that Bennett has a slight patronizing way towards Jackson.
In the Jackson article, Bennett was reporting for ‘The Guardian’ in Stockholm, Sweeden. Her article has many different elements. She has a very sarcastic and belittled way to her views towards Jackson. The layout of her piece is very well presented. She uses many rhetorical points at the end of her paragraphs. Once again, this makes the reader curious and gives them an incentive to read on. ‘The Guardian’ is a British based Newspaper, and Bennett is reporting on a worldwide celebrity. She uses a rhetorical point in or around the seventh paragraph; when she writes, “The most emotional confrontation, he adds, took place in Britain”. Using the word Britain and the fact that over 4/5 0f the reading audience will be British, may make the reader inquisitive enough to read on.
However, Kitty Kelley doesn’t use rhetorical questions or points. Instead, whether she means to or not; Kelley always seemed to end her paragraph with a sentence that either portrayed Reagan as a liar or exposed critical parts of her life. The first paragraph ends by Kelley writing, “-the certificate itself gave birth to two generations of lies”. Although this may only be Kelley’s opinion, she has already created an illusion for the reader in which Reagan is a liar. Kelley by now has twisted the article for a neutral point of view to a very one-sided point of view. Most of Kelley’s paragraphs are of an average size apart from the second and third. These are very short but could make up the mind of the reader for them in relation to Reagan.
Kelley does not use obvious humour as Bennett does in the Jackson article; but she creates cynicism of Reagan. With more and more “lies” that Reagan has generated, more and more disbelief enters the readers mind. This could be disbelief of what the author has written. The reader may wonder whether Reagan was really such an immense “liar”. The greater possibility is that the disbelief is of anything Reagan has ever said or done. By this time, Kelley has slowly branded Reagan a “liar” who is not to be trusted.
Catherine Bennett’s choice of language is very amusing. Her mocking of Jackson’s appearance, behaviour and attitude comes as often as she pleases. She is critical of Jackson by creating graphical images that are very demeaning. Early on in her article when she talks about Jackson’s reflection in the mirror, she says, “A wet look kiss-curl, a lot of eyeliner and that funny little nose modeled on the snout of a Hedgehog”. This is but one of many amusing criticisms. This kind criticism causes the reader to have a made up image in their head. Imagining Jackson’s nose looking like a hedgehog’s causes amusement with the reader. However, if the reader wasn’t neutral and actually liked Jackson, there may be some tension caused; the reader may not like what is written. This may also by implying to the reader how ‘ugly’ Jackson may be. Hearing somebody famous being called ugly, may make people laugh.
Kelley’s article is a lot more formal and reserved than that of Catherine Bennett’s. Her criticisms of Reagan are not out and out ridicules like those that Bennett shows to Jackson in her article. Kelley is a lot more restrained with her critical opinions; nevertheless, this does not make them any less callous. Bennett uses an onslaught of demeaning sentences to mock Jackson. In my opinion, I think Bennett’s style of writing is more effective than the style of Kitty Kelley, when trying to persuade the reader to a particular view about the person they are writing about. Bennett often makes the reader create an image in their head that is very easy to do. The use of wit assists her to get her point across to the reader. I think Bennett does this better than Kelley.
