Text Response - Text 1 (b), a letter of appeal written by the executive director of Oxfam Canada

by tmkilani (student)

Text 1 (b) Response

Text 1 (b), a letter of appeal written by the executive director of Oxfam Canada, is meant to address a communal issue of great social importance, which is the deprivation of education in third-world countries, deprivation of basic primary education in a more specific manner. The purpose of the text is to make the readers aware of such an issue, and persuade them to take part in the “Education Now Campaign” which aims to put an end to such phenomena.

In this text, the target audience can be identified as the general public, as the text tackles an issue of global concern. The author uses a light-hearted tone in his text, while using simple and straight-forward diction. Moreover, he employs several stylistic features to enhance the overall effect of his text, such as rhetorical questions and the use of detailed information and statistical figures.

Firstly, the light-hearted tone can be perceived through the friendly approach the author uses to give the reader a sense of involvement and attachment, as in “Dear Friend”. This, in addition to the simple vocabulary and grammar, has allowed the author to reach the reader personally and make him acknowledge his responsibility towards such an issue. It is also noticeable that the text ceases to work the imagination of the reader in order to activate him emotionally, “Imagine what would happen if every school-aged child in North America and Europe were prevented from getting an education”.

Secondly, the ...

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Secondly, the use of detailed and data in many parts of the text has helped to increase the credibility of this issue in addition to making the reader have more interest towards the text. Examples include “182 countries signed the “education for all” commitment” and “Over 100 million children are still waiting”. Furthermore, a rhetorical question is posed at the beginning of the text to grab the attention of the readers and give them an insight of what the text is about “Imagine what would happen”.

Nevertheless, imagery plays a significant role in the text as many examples of metaphors are found, suchlike “waiting for the world to deliver on its promises” and “the world stands silently by”. Examples of repetition are numerous, words like “education” and “poverty” are located throughout the text in order to emphasize on the main issue the text is trying to discuss, and to link between both aspects to show the relationship bonding them.

Furthermore, the emotive style of the text and the use of pronouns such as “us” and “you” help to communicate the message more clearly, and as stated earlier, makes the reader feel more involved, examples include “And it’s up to each one of us to speak on behalf of those whose voices go unheard” and “I urge you to support Oxfam”. I personally believe that such stylistic features attribute to the sentimental yet hopeful mood of this text.

Regarding the structure, the central picture is pointed out in a rather mind provoking way at the beginning of the text “never learning how to read, write or perform even basic math skills”. A wide picture with a more detailed account is gradually introduced to the readers as the text progresses. Additionally, the uses of short sentences help to communicate with the reader by giving clear statements and phrases.

In my opinion, I believe that the text is perfectly structured in a way that enables it to communicate directly and clearly with the readers, urging them to take part of the ongoing campaign whose purpose is to create a better world. The text covers all aspects of such an issue by proposing all factors to be taken into consideration, whether it was funding, donation, or decision making. Thus, it can be said that the text successfully depicts its issue.

Thaer Al-Kilani

11IB 1

English A1