How do H.G Wells and W.W Jacobs create tension and fear in The Monkeys Paw and The Red Room?
Compare and contrast two charity advertisements. How does each advertisement aim to persuade the public to support the charity?
One of the most important and powerful tool of communication known to society is the Media (singular medium). Media could be defined as various means of mass communication considered as a whole including radio, newspapers, television and magazines, together with the people involved in the production. Mass communication use materials and messages, which create a pull of engagement by utilizing persuasive techniques and influencing devices. Music and visual images of media such as television may be examples of influencing devices that can't be denied as it has tremendous power over oneself. Theses lingering sensations of one, it is something that can't be identified once felt. The media is a tool that plays on our attitudes, emotions and moods. For instance, the blank look on a teenager's face when watching a game like "WWE Smack down" might be a reflection of what's going on in his brain-and a warning sign of things to come. The warning may be anger getting amplified by the repetitious act of violence and brutality in the game; this could lead to dangerous and aggressive behaviour in future. Media technology has made communicating increasingly easier as time passed through history. We all are known to live in a society that depends on information and communication to keep moving in the right direction in life and do our daily activities like work, etc. It can be seen that our younger generation are encouraged to use media tools in schools and are expected to have general understanding of various technologies available. A lot of trust is put into the media as an authority to give us gossip, entertainment and education but it could be argued that these news given to people may be used to brainwashed and deceive members of society.
Within this essay, I will be drawing parallels between two charity advertisements; RSPCA and Plan International UK and be evaluating on how the advertisements aim to induce the public to support their charity. Charity leaflets have been a common way of how charities reach for consumers' money. The use of influential languages and effective structure in charity advertisements or leaflets such as the RSPCA and Plan International UK are to make someone feel responsible and guilty for the difficult situations people, animals or things are experiencing.
The RSPCA is known to be the oldest and well-known animal welfare organisation that have been responding and campaigning for animals in need since 1824. Their goal is to prevent animal cruelty, save the animals that have received any form of violence and bring them up in a safer and happier environment. Their aim is to work for a world in which all humans respect and live in harmony with all other members of the animal kingdom.
One way in which the RSPCA advert intrigues the reader is the style of language used. The caption 'Just £3 a month will help rescue more animals like Trio' has contents which elevates the reader to know more about the charity. The phrase 'Just £3' gives an impression of how little is needed to liberate animals in danger of violence. It is an amount which is affordable in UK, so at this point the reader thinks he/she would be able to give such extent of money for a month. Then we are told what the money donated would be spent; '...will help rescue...' 'Rescue' connotates a sign of "heroic" act, giving the reader a notion of being a life-saver already as money donated would be used for a good cause. It continues by stating '...more animals like Trio'. Here something is being identified by the advert and this gives the reader the edge to keep reading as he/she would be keen to know who Trio is and why Trio's name is being mentioned. This is a very common technique charity adverts use to capture the attention of people.
The first section of the advertisement goes straight to 'Trio's story'. The 'story' begins by telling us: 'When Trio made a mess in the bedroom, his owner saw red'. The use of simplistic words 'mess' imply the innocence and child-like behaviour of Trio. This contrasts with words such as 'red' which we associate with anger and hatred. The story continues by stating 'he grabbed Trio around his belly, squeezing him so tight he began to cry'. Here we can see the extreme aggression and fury of the owner, and we start to sympathise with Trio as it has received intense trouncing and brutality for the little 'mess' it made in the bedroom. The tension and build-up of suspense continue to grow as it states: 'So to punish him, he threw Trio across the room with full force, smashing him against the cupboard'. The use of negative and powerful verbs such as 'punish' and 'smashing' to describe the 'scene' makes the reader feel awfully agitated for the actions of the owner to the puppy who is just 'four months old'. After this devastating news, we are hit by another painful account as we are told 'Trio's leg was so badly damaged we had to amputate'. Having to 'amputate' Trio's leg emphasise on the serious nature of abuse Trio had received. With a relief, we are acknowledged with positive words by the RSPCA: 'But with the loving attentions of the RSPCA staff, Trio soon recovered and now he's living in a happy new home'. We are made to think that with the assistance of the RSPCA, happiness and love has been restored for Trio. The charity is depicted with sweet and passionate words such as 'loving attention', making them seem as a hero and guardian for the animals in desperate need.
The letter by Inspector Collin Strong began with a handwritten greeting 'Dear Friend'. The fact it is handwritten makes us feel a personal connection with him, though it is publicly written. The use of 'Friend' is a warm inviting welcome approach, having a sense of we being trustworthy, reliable and supportive for the needy. Collin Strong is an 'inspector'; this is an occupation which is known to be courageous and dependable. Already, we are sold to Collin's appeal of us being his acquaintance. He addresses himself as a strong passionate and committed man for animals by saying, 'I've ...
This is a preview of the whole essay
The letter by Inspector Collin Strong began with a handwritten greeting 'Dear Friend'. The fact it is handwritten makes us feel a personal connection with him, though it is publicly written. The use of 'Friend' is a warm inviting welcome approach, having a sense of we being trustworthy, reliable and supportive for the needy. Collin Strong is an 'inspector'; this is an occupation which is known to be courageous and dependable. Already, we are sold to Collin's appeal of us being his acquaintance. He addresses himself as a strong passionate and committed man for animals by saying, 'I've dedicated my life to animals'. The 'letter' continues by stating 'In just one year, we rescued 6982 abused and neglected animals'. A huge figure is called out, and with the number being precisely written, it portrays the concern and cherishment of every life of a neglected and abused animal by the RSPCA. We are filled with guilt when Collin stated 'I can't turn my back on all the battered, tormented and abandoned animals who need my help'. The repetition of strong depressing verbs like 'battered' and 'tormented' imply the intense abuse animals obtain and Collins is very keen to facilitate all these animals, therefore turning your back on this, is acting tremendously selfish and ignorant of the pain and suffering of neglected animals. He then asks 'Will you give me the resources I need to fight this rising tide of cruelty?'. Here 2nd pronoun is used to capture our attention as it directly addresses us. An inspector, who is known to be powerful and strong, is reaching and searching for help, and as we were referred to as his 'friend' at the beginning of the letter, it is consequently our duty to act as a loyal friend and be of assistance to him. So at this point of the letter, our minds are made up into donating '£3' every month to the RSPCA to help our 'inspector' Collins and animals like Trio.
We are going to donate our money however we are later hit with a sense of urgency to help animals when it states; 'Animals like these need your support NOW'. With 'NOW' written in block letters entail we desperately need to start to act now before it is too late. Here we are 'pressurised' to make our monthly standing order, perhaps the same day otherwise we would be acting as unfaithful friends to 'inspector' Collins and very ignorant of this very brutal case. We are then informed with another
terrible and shocking tale could be identified as much brutal as Trio's story: 'Just one day old your owner doesn't want you so what does he do? Simply flushes you down the toilet' There is a mighty sense of rejection of this puppy and we undergo horrific emotions. The use of simplistic word 'simply' to express such shocking and devastating scenario is extremely depressing to us. For this to happen to a puppy just a day old is unacceptable. Here, we feel extremely agitated and angry for the brainless attitude of the owner and would definitely want justice for such unspeakable behaviour. The atmosphere of anger and gloominess fades away as we are told 'Only the sharp ears of a neighbour who heard poppy's whimpers as she was swept along the drain pipe saved her from certain death'. 'Sharp ears' used to describe the neighbour makes us think she/he is a hero for saving the little dog's life. The verbs used 'sharp', 'swept' and 'certain' has a dramatic effect on us, making the scene more realistic and tensed. Our trust in the RSPCA enhanced as we are told; 'The RSPCA and the Fire Brigade were called'. There is a double effort in saving the little dog, the fact the fire brigade works with the RSPCA, this charity would be seen as trustworthy, popular and reliable. Therefore our money which we donate would be used for useful purposes. This horrendous incident continues by stating; 'Poppy was taken to the RSPCA's Barnes Hill hospital where she was given a 50-50 chance'. Poppy had very diminutive chance of living '50-50', make or break, however the RSPCA still believed her life was still worth saving, for every animal life is imperative to them. We see the RSPCA as a very committed and dedicated charity. Again, this 'story' ends with us having happy emotions by stating; '[...] she's now been found a new home with responsible owners.
Visual images are another technique used by the RSPCA to reinforce their points and to play on our emotions. Each picture used by the RSPCA triggers different emotions, such emotions could be identified as misery, confidence, sympathy etc. The first picture about Trio shows a dog, lying on the ground with his three legs visible. We sympathise for Trio as we understand how devastating it would be to amputate his leg, and adjust to walking with three legs for the rest of his life. Trio's attention is away from the camera denotes he is petrified, as he has obscurity in trusting people due to his horrifying experience with his owner. It could also be that he is shy to reveal himself to people as he is a three-legged dog. We feel extremely sad for Trio as he was once a full healthy both in mind and body, four legged dog but now he would live in a world in which this awful experience with his owner would haunt him for the rest of his life.
In the letter, Collin Strong is seen as a smart looking person like all inspectors. This inspires confidence and assurance to us as all of the other pictures show misery and desolation making us have a feeling of bitter sadness. The fact that his is smiling brightly towards the camera's direction and he is wearing his full uniform signifies dedication and passion as an animal protector. This makes him seem as a trustworthy and honest guy. A dog is shown cuddled under Collins arm portrays he is extremely protective and defensive over animals. The dog looks comfortable and cosy giving us an impression of the RSPCA taking absolute care and giving all the love to all animals that desperately need help. The third picture reveals a close up shot of 'poppy's' head. She looks helpless and small with a mask of sweetness and innocence. Her eyes are drifted away from the camera with her face full of sadness makes us very miserable and accountable, and have a sense of sympathy. This guilt makes us want to donate our money to prevent this from happening to any cute puppy like poppy. Tara is viewed as a dog with a hefty head for its emaciated body. The picture represents shocking malnourishment Tara is experiencing. We tend to reason malnourishment occurs within humans, but this picture shows otherwise. It shows malnourishment can occur with lovely animals. Her eyes are touched down to the ground increases the sad emotions we feel as it seems Tara is searching for every bit of food she can lay her mouth on. Tara's image is very disgusting and shocking, and the fact it is left as the last image makes it the picture left in our heads. The pictures used in the advert are very appropriate as it made as empathise with the level of abuse the animals got from unwilling owners. The pictures promote the message or story written making it much realistic and believable.
Contents of this advert are arranged in well space columns, making it effortless to understand. Each section in the advert is arranged neatly and pictures fixed at the right places. Having a border round the personal letter written by Collins Strong makes it appear special and individual to us though it has been written to everyone. Each element in the advert, pictures, structure border etc binds together to make this advert really persuasive. The Subtitles like 'Trio's Story' is written in bold letters making it much attractive and appealing to one eyes. This would enable us to read the story and know much more about Trio. However for the caption, there is an idle presentation. There letter presentational skills are quite low as bold, italics etc is not in use, the font style is quite ordinary, not having a large impact on us. There could have been a change of font style, something like font style 'Aharoni' which is very bold and large or 'Impact' which is heavy letters close joined together would be much suitable in attracting the reader once advert is published in newsletter. The advert is mostly based on true stories which are therefore factual. Opinions which are suggestions made by oneself, cannot be identified much in this newsletter.
The second advert I would be examining Plan International UK. Plan International UK is recognized to be one of the organisations that have the largest child-centred community development in the world, aiding children and their families in 48 of the poorest countries to break the cycle of poverty, mostly in Africa and Asia.
The heading of the advert is seen to be more attractive and captive to ones eyes compared to RSPCA Advert due to the style of writing and the method of using bold, blocked large letters. Having a title with such approach would have a big impact on the reader by inducing and manipulating the reader. The caption is based on the same scenario as the RSPCA. It states 'Your helping hand can turn despair to hope'. A hand is being described as to turn 'despair to hope' denoting a sign of miracle and wonder. This makes the reader feel like a healer or saviour, implying the severe aid children of the less developed countries need. Each section of advert is arranged in 3 columns like the RSPCA and most newsletters. This format is very simple to comprehend and read.
This advert commence by a paragraph of reflection, making us consider the standard of living in other areas in the world; 'It's hard for us, living in a prosperous country, to image, what is like to grow up in Africa, Latin America or large parts of Asia'. The adverts directly addresses us with the use of second person 'us'. The sentence has been broken down to petite bits with the use of the comma. This emphasises on what has been written giving the reader a clear and strong message in our minds of each part of the sentence. Having a little starter message of the advert open our minds and knowledge of aid and make us want to read on. Again, similar to the RSPCA, shocking statistics are used to provoke the reader, '[...] millions of children die from malnutrition and disease before they reach adulthood. It is rather unfortunate that people die from an easy and curable disease of hunger, and this disease is said to target people before they reach adulthood. We are extremely saddened as millions of lives are being shattered due to starvation. Then we are told for people who survive starvation, their lives are unbearable, text describes it as '[...] life is extremely hard'. The verb 'extremely' emphasises the hardship of life people in the developing world experience. The advert continues by stating, 'An average family income is £8 to £10 a month. £10 is an amount that is used to feed a person for a day in Britain. Having read this outrageous statistics, we recognize how lucky we are to live in a wealthy country of freedom; however we have a feeling of sympathy and compassion for the people who have to work hard to gain such little amount. The advert uses words to build up the misery and empathy of the reader, for instance; 'Worse still, they lack opportunity to improve their lives, because there is no education or training in practical skills'. The use of 'Worse still' emphasises their constant struggle to maintain a comfortable and suitable life. Now the advert introduces the part in which we are to donate. It commences by, 'We are working in 43 countries to help children in poor communities raise themselves out of poverty'. Similar to the RSPCSA, we are hit by this impressive statistics which inspires confidence and shows that this charity is well-known and trustworthy. Money donated is said to be given to people to help themselves to fight back, out of poverty, making our donation genuine and functional to people who need it most. The text also shows the commitment and care they have for every single child by stating, 'We know we can change the world if we are prepared to do it one child at a time'. We are asked to donating by stating; 'Today, we are asking you to join our worldwide family and to hold out a helping hand who urgently needs you'. The use of 'family' makes us have a sense of being important, needy and reliable as most families are. Also stating 'urgently needs' shows the desperation of extra help plan international UK need to save lives in poverty. Once more, minimum amount of money OF '£12' is needed to aid lives, just like the RSPCA. There is a contrasting view here; 'To most people, this country, that's an affordable amount. But to a child and family in a poor village, it can be a dream come true'. The use of contrasting view makes us realise how significant the money donated is for the people in the developing worlds and the vital change it can make to them.
By it stating; 'Your sponsorship can give them some of the things that we take for granted in this country such as an opportunity to go to school', our lives are being compared to those of the developing world. We become conscious of how much things we take for granted as it is we are lucky to have free and lots of the essential needs in our lives. At this point, we reflect on our actions and feel commiseration for the young people who don't have a quarter of the possessions and essentials we have in existence. After this, a picture is revealed about two young children, bare-footed, and staring at the direction of the camera. The photo gives us evidence of young kids who dwell in poverty that has been passed down generation round the world. It reminds as we can help people like them to change and fight against poverty by donating and make the world a better place for others. Unlike the RSPCA, the advert informs us of providing evidence of the change we made once we have donated. It states; 'Because you are sponsoring one particular youngster, you'll have the joy of seeing the difference your help makes. Though donating haven't commenced, we are already told about the difference we would make. Personal evidence would be sent as though we have a relationship with the young one. This would be make us feel proud and happy with ourselves; therefore, we are encouraged to donate to this charity.
The advert continues by having fact files of four children from the deprived areas of the developing world. This is rather unusual and different in charity adverts like the RSPCA to include fact files. The use of fact files with names, ages and place of birth identified makes them have a connection with the possible donators and also makes it world widely personal. The ages of these children reveal they are very juvenile making it very heartbreaking to hear the upsetting situation they are go through in life. Diabe Cisse is the first girl to be identified with the age of 11. We are told that; 'Neither Diabe Cisse nor her brother and two sisters can read or write'. This is an extremely shocking fact as here in Britain, a normal child at the age of 5 should know how to read or write. Here we classify how we take education for granted as it is without charge. We feel deeply sadden as it is very unfair for such young girl to live in such situations. This family has to always. Suresh is the second child that we are introduced to with the age of '8'. He is much younger then Diabe which is very outrageous. We ate told that; 'The house has no water supply or sanitation'. This is too hard to be true for every where sanitation should be the main priority of a place or a home. Suresh's family lacking of basic sanitation makes it unbearable for us to clear away the disgusting image we abruptly get in our heads. We feel extremely depressed and disgusted for such situation. Also our guilty of taking things for granted increases as this family get no water supply, however water supply is always available in our homes. We get inspired to donate to help and aid families as Suresh's in great assistance. Aged 10 Maricel has similar lifestyles to the other two however more disheartening and very poignant as it stated 'Maricel's mother died in 2000 from an infection she caught after his birth'. An infection can be preventable and treated however it is very adverse as the LEDCs don't have the common equipments and environment to prevent and treat such avoidable infections. Maricel fact file continues by stating; 'He does casual work as a fisherman and labourer, but even the work is available his pay does not meet the family needs'. Here we ca see a very sad and devastating account for Maricel's family. Even the dad's best try don't get the needs of family. This makes us feel extremely emotional and pitiful for the dad. By now, the reader would be definitely convinced and swayed to bestow to the plan International UK and probably sponsor a child. The last image could be said as the saddest of all. This child known as Suhartono has a fixed face of misery and vulnerability which tags our heart ships. It inspires as to feel depressed and heart-rending. Suhartono is identified as the youngest of all the other children. We are told this family live 'in a house made of bamboo with a mud floor' which would be known as a very basic and extremely standard home. The home is said to have 'no water supply or lavatory'. Unbelievable shocking stories, this family has no basic necessity to life and we start to wonder 'how do these people survive'? We are introduced by another implausible account by stating 'The entire family possessions are 3 old wardrobes, 2 tables, 6 chairs, a divan bed, a radio and a bicycle'. The fact the possessions have been figured out denotes the intense poverty this family is experience. It also states and exact figure of the families total income of '£8.26' a month. The precision of this amount shows that every penny to be given to the charity counts in making a difference in people's lives. The advert decides to put this image and fact file at the end as it is much more shocking as the childe is very young, just 5, also less fortunate as Suhartono's family earns much smaller amount of income compared to Suresh's. This effect of the last image as the saddest makes you feel very blameworthy and responsible, also we feel much open-hearted and are more likely to donate to Plan International UK.
The RSPCA and Plan International UK included large numbers of diverse techniques and methods to intrigue the reader or an audience in donating to their charity. The use of having a letter personalised in the advert, RSPCA, is a very friendly approach and draws the reader to the charity. Also the use of having bold block letters for the heading in the Plan International UK was very captive and has a big brunt on the reader, giving them the appeal to read the advert. I personally think the RSPCA advert had a little more approach to the audience than Plan International because the advert had a much forthcoming and piercing loom to the reader. The language The RSPCA exploit is much more sociable; it uses smooth and soft tongue to influence the reader in donating their money and also each section of the advert were contrasting. For instance; first section of the RSPCA talks about the brutal abuse of Trio, second section talks about the confident, inspiring Collins Strong, the inspector and the third is about the gloomy accounts of Tara and Poppy. The sudden adjustment of moods and atmosphere of language use very inducing and gives the edge of reading on. I think both advertisements have developed different, strong powerful effects to the reader and they both would definitely obtain donators to help their charity.
GCSE English Literature Media coursework
Centre Number: Eltham Hill-Greenwich 10628 Candidate number: 6220
Candidate Name: Deborah Marquardt