Practice Paper 1

              Text 1 is a newspaper article titled "Squatters Take On Developers" by Benjamin Shors, published on October 15, 2007.  This text type may be identified through the informative nature of the article. In contrast, Text 2 is an advertisement for a summer cruise published in 1922 for "The Great White Fleet". The persuasive techniques evident within this text are indicative of a typical advertisement. While both texts address the main theme of expansion, they have contrasting purposes and utilize stylistic and structural features in an opposing manner.

             Both texts address audiences of a similar socio-economic status whom may be interested in vacationing in the Caribbean. Text 2 is advertising "Reduced rates for summer cruises" which insinuates that the intended audience is not the truly wealthy nor the lower class but instead the upper middle class. Furthermore, the text emphasizes that the cruises "cost you no more than your annual vacation to seashore or mountains".  Likewise, Text 1 is also addressing an upper middle class audience that possesses an excess of money that is necessary in order to allow them to consider purchasing a home in Panama.  However, taking into consideration the historical context of each text it is clear that the audiences would have different views on the expansion of the tourism industry. While the audience of Text 1 would be able to sympathize with the plight of the native Panama residents, the audience of Text 2 is less likely to be considerate of the ramifications of expansion into the Caribbean. This distinction is due to the time period in which each text was produced and the social considerations that have developed since the publishing of Text 2 in 1922.

            Text 1 and Text 2 have completely different purposes in terms of what they aim to achieve. Text 1 aims to evoke sympathy and reveal a corporate social injustice that is occurring in Panama as a consequence of expansion. This can be deduced by examining the use of the testimonial of Nicasio Jimenez that serves as the introduction to the article and is continually addressed throughout. In contrast, Text 2 is attempting to persuade its target audience to go on a summer cruise thereby contributing to the very industry that served as the cause for the plight highlighted in Text 1. This idea of persuasion stems from the advertisement's use of various persuasive devices and techniques.

            These texts are alike in that they both address the main overarching theme of expansion. However, the texts approach the topic from contrasting perspectives. Text 1 addresses the theme of expansion by informing the audience of the negative consequences it has had to the poor natives of Panama. The author is direct in his approach to the matter as he states  that "The size of the new developments threaten to displace hundreds of low-income island residents", thereby placing emphasis on the negative ramifications of the expansion of the tourism industry into Panama. On the other hand, Text 2 views the idea of expansion into the Caribbean as an exciting opportunity that should be utilized, holding little to no concern about the consequences this may have for the natives. The advertisement lists "Jamaica, Cuba, Panama Canal, Central America, Columbian Ports" as an assortment of opportunities that the audience may visit by booking a cruise with The Great White Fleet.

            Despite a similar theme, the content of Text 1 and Text 2 differs greatly. Text 2 discusses details about the cruises such as the length and the price. It goes on to then inform the audience of why they should go on a cruise by first stating the weather in the different ports and then highlighting certain aspects of the ships such as "Extra large staterooms" and "A cuisine noteworthy for its excellence". At the bottom of the advertisement there is an image of men and women on one of the cruise boats. In contrast, Text 1 begins by telling the story of a 61 year old retired banana pruner and the threat that he facing from foreign investors as "Jimenez's family faces eviction from a Naples developer who claims he bought the property from a third party". The article then goes further by addressing the larger conflict that has arisen due to this clash between native resident and foreign developers.

            Both texts follow the common structure and conventions of their particular text type. Text 1 uses a larger heading "Squatters Take On Developers" as is commonly seen in newspaper articles. It also features nine short paragraphs that are generally concise in order to maintain the attention of the reader. Similarly, Text 2 follows the traditional conventions of an advertisement by featuring a combination of images, text, and headings that are used in order to persuade the audience and to advertise a product.

            However, Text 1 and Text 2 utilize different stylistic and structural features in order to achieve their purpose. Text 1 uses a testimonial in order to give the larger conflict of expansion a more personal feel that the reader may relate to. Furthermore, there is strong use of ethos as the author draws on the reader's sense of ethics in order to convince them that this is a morally and ethically unjust situation. The quote "Developers and speculators will use any means necessary to get the land from the people" insinuates that developers may be going outside of the law to deal with this issue thereby creating a sense of ethical wrongness and playing off the reader's personal morals. Moreover, Text 1 uses descriptive imagery in order to evoke sympathy from the reader by creating a bond between the audience and Nicasio Jimenez. This is seen directly in the introduction as the author describes how Jimenez "built two listing shacks with mangrove beams, a roof of scavenged tin, and rough floor planks that allowed Caribbean breezes and tsetse flies to flit through the cracks". In contrast, Text 2 utilizes a combination of images and persuasive techniques in order to achieve its aim. The image is placed at the bottom of the advertisement in order to allow the reader to visualize themselves as the people in the image. Also, the people in the image are well dressed which creates an association between The Great White Fleet and this idea of wealth and social class. Moreover, "Reduced rates for summer cruises" is in a large bold font of all capital letters in order to catch the attention of the reader and create appeal for the product being sold.

            In conclusion, both Text 1 and Text 2 address the theme of expansion however, Text 2 is promoting the tourism industry that seems to be the cause for the issues raised by Text 1. The texts have contrasting purposes and content but address a somewhat similar audience. Overall, these two texts exemplify a cause and effect relationship that is seen over a period of many decades as Text 1 highlights the negative consequences of the very industry  being promoted in Text 1.