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.
As part of the International Baccalaureate, our courses
constantly provide opportunities to assume a perspective that differs from our
own. In Language and Literature this opportunity arises in the form of studying
one text in translation. As demonstrated
in the above quote by translator Amara Lakhous, the practice of translation is truly
an art. A translator is tasked with transforming an entire text while
simultaneously remaining true to the author and their style and intentions.
However, this can sometimes be quite difficult as a translator always brings
their own unique personal style when approaching a text. When Feng Tang
published his translation of poems by Rabindranath Tagore he was faced with heavy
criticism for some his word choices. Some felt that his translation had
disgraced the original poet while Tang himself felt that he was merely
suggesting a different reality regarding the poems. However, despite the
difficulties posed, translated literature is highly valuable in our world
today. Translated literature from Arabic about an Arab city can provide a wider
audience with a particular insight that would most likely prove difficult to
capture in English. Many stories are often left untold due to the fact they are
originally told in only one language. However, by translating literary texts
these stories may travel the world and reach a more global audience.
