A critical analysis and evaluation of 'Cruel Intentions', an article on cruelty to domestic pets and livestock, taken from 'Sugar', a magazine for teenagers aged 15-18.

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Kimberley Gajraj                                                        24th September 2002

English Coursework – Media Writing (analyse, comment, review)

  • A critical analysis and evaluation of ‘Cruel Intentions’, an article on cruelty to domestic pets and livestock, taken from ‘Sugar’, a magazine for teenagers aged 15-18.

Animal cruelty is an issue that is often disregarded as being a major problem in Britain today. Animals are not considered as important as humans, and many people do not care about the way they are treated. But I don’t think I am alone when I say that when I saw the grotesque picture at the top of this article, I was filled with disgust. This was obviously the intention of the writer- to attract attention to the article and alert people about the problem that animal cruelty is becoming.

The presentation is a very significant part of any article. Fist impressions are certainly very important, even vital, because when flicking through a magazine, you don’t know what is going to be written in a particular article. It is the way it looks that attracts your attention, and helps hold your attention throughout the article.

The main title – ‘Cruel Intentions’ is written in very large letters and in red, a bright colour, which immediately attracts your attention. This title has a double meaning, because although it talks about cruelty meaning cruelty to animals, at the time this article was published, Cruel Intentions was a popular film amongst teenagers. This in itself would attract attention. A title would usually summarise the text, however this title does not. Instead, a subtitle is featured which reads: ‘The shameful truth about Britain’s pet crimes’. The purpose this serves is to show the reader what they are reading about after their attention has been caught.

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The photographs are also an important part of the presentational features. The large photograph of the dog is used to attract the reader’s attention, and urge them to read the article. The smaller photographs have many purposes. They are used to break up the text and make it look less strenuous to read. This would be particularly appealing to teenagers, who this magazine is aimed at, because many teenagers do not wish to read a lot of text. They are also used to have an emotive effect on the reader, which helps the effect the text is trying to have ...

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