The titles of the pieces also contrast. Breadwinners is directly related to the topic of its content, but Beauty and the Bloke is a pun that is saying how men have progressed from beasts. In both articles, statistics are used, but in very different ways. Cosmo Landesman uses statistics to humour the reader, and presents them in a casual way so that they prove a point he is conveying, “14 percent more men are using deodorant. And they are smelling better than ever all over – the market for men’s fragrance is worth around £240 million a year”. Caroline Harris doesn’t make the statistics funny, but simply presents it as apiece of factual evidence, “in one in five couples today, the woman earns more than the man”.
Breadwinners uses a case study to show how a change in social behaviour is happening, but Beauty and the Bloke uses statements and comments by the writer to show this, “For decades women have been changing their appearance to please men – now it’s payback time”. Breadwinners is very factual, and uses the case study to avoid including the writers personal comments, which is what Beauty and the Bloke uses most to prove its points, “my wife…for her love, I’d even get my legs waxed”.
Both articles include at least one example of alliteration, Beauty and the Bloke has several, “character, cuddles and conversation”, “fitness fanatics, deaths by dieting”, but Breadwinners includes only one, “evolution of employment”.
Beauty and the Bloke contains many colloquialisms, which make it easy to relate to, “geezer”. Breadwinners is very concise and is very formal, maybe because it is written for a formal newspaper, The Observer. Beauty and the Beast is for a “left-wing” newspaper, The Guardian.
