Analysis of tone, techniques and purpose: Anna’s mother begs for change (p. 24)
MOTHERS, please take better care of your daughters if you want them to survive on the catwalk.
My daughter, Anna, was typical of so many girls who thought they could only get work if they were skinny — dangerously skinny.
I could not change my daughter’s mindset. When I begged her to eat, she would reply, “Mummy, don’t mess me around.” And now, all I have left is a photo.
Anna was 21 when she died of anorexia. She was 1.72 metres tall and weighed just 40 kilograms — the normal weight of a 12-year-old girl.
It is critical that your daughters only support the catwalks that insist on a body mass index (BMI) above 18. Under that weight, the model is so obviously anorexic, it is ridiculous. Anna’s BMI was just 13.5! So far, only a few countries, such as Spain, have introduced a minimum BMI for models. This is unfair. Sadly, Anna didn’t last long on the catwalk.
So parents, please remember. No money is worth the life of your child. Not even the most famous fashion brand! June Reston, Box Burg
View: Ms Reston contends that the industry should have stricter guidelines for models to prevent anorexia and death.
Tone: She adopts a desperate tone to share the experience of her daughter’s death with readers.
Technique/impact: She uses the real-life example of her daughter to show the consequences of a lack of regulations in the fashion industry. (Purpose) Ms Reston depicts her daughter as disturbed because of her mind-set that she had to be skinny to get work. She quotes her daughter and uses emotive language to show the daughter’s attitude. The story of her painful relationship with her daughter and the fact that she could not change her mind tugs at readers’ heartstrings and makes people realize that it could happen to anyone. This is also likely to shock readers because they can see how innocent and vulnerable these girls are.
Technique/impact: Ms Reston also appeals to the readers’ sympathy by stating that Anna was mentally unstable.
Technique: Ms Reston also uses facts and figures and statistical evidence (and some jargon) to show that the risk to the daughter’s health. Firstly the daughter was only 40 kilograms which was unhealthy and secondly the fashion industry lacks strict regulations. She states that only Spain had a minimum BMI level for models.
(Attack on the industry) In order to show the daughter’s dangerous weight levels, she compares her BMI (13.5) to a normal/ healthy BMI which should be 18. Purpose: These statements and her assertive tone, “it is critical that”, reinforce her view that the fashion industry is exploiting the young girls. Tone: Ms Reston adopts a caring and candid tone when she reminds parents: “please remember”.
Technique/language: The alliterative phrase “famous fashion brand” reinforces the negative impact of a model’s obsession with fame and fortune.
Putting it together in a paragraph :
(View) Ms Reston contends that the industry should have stricter guidelines for models to prevent anorexia and death. (Tone) She adopts a desperate tone to share the experience of her daughter’s death with readers. (Technique) She uses the real-life example of her daughter to show the consequences of a lack of regulations in the fashion industry. Ms Reston depicts her daughter as disturbed because of her mind-set that she had to be skinny to get work. (Technique: emotive language) She quotes her daughter and uses emotive language to show the daughter’s attitude. (Purpose) The story of her painful relationship with her daughter and the fact that she could not change her mind tugs at readers’ heartstrings and makes people realize that it could happen to anyone. This is also likely to shock readers because they can see how innocent and vulnerable these girls are.
Smoking at home kills: Mr Johnny Treeton, p. 41
Two-year-old Sabina is hospitalised with severe asthma about twice a month. Her mother Claire, who smoked throughout her pregnancy, says she wasn’t aware of how smoking could affect her baby.
With parents like Claire, it’s no coincidence that 48,000 children in Australia have asthma as a direct result of passive smoking.
According to Professor Simon Chapman, a Member of the World Health Organisation panel on smoking and health, children are most exposed to smoking either in the home or in the car. This is clearly unacceptable.
Such parents are irresponsible and pretend that they do not know that their smoking addiction is harmful.
Surely this is just an excuse! Don’t they read the signs on the cigarette packets? Don’t they see the ads on TV? Perhaps they are just selfish and it’s time the Government helped them to recognise the harmful consequences of their actions.
Not only do the children suffer, but they also become an unnecessary burden on the health system.
Professor Chapman believes that Governments have introduced building regulations to protect people’s health and wellbeing in homes, so why not ban smoking. After all, it’s the government’s duty to set standards for those who don’t care. Johnny Treeton, Box Creek
Mr Treeton advocates a ban on smoking in the home because he believes that it is clearly harmful to the health of young children.
- (Technique and purpose): The author introduces his opinion piece with an anecdotal relating to the poor health of a two-year-old child, Sabina, to reinforce the harmful consequences of smoking in the home.
- Specifically, and to arouse our sympathy, he depicts Sabina as a vulnerable and miserable child who is regularly taken to hospital. Contrastingly, readers are bound to feel angry at her mother, Claire, who “smoked throughout the pregnancy” and who appears foolishly unaware of her actions.
- Technique and purpose: The author also refers to statistical evidence and professional advice to emphasise the fact that there are many parents who are just as negligent and irresponsible as Claire. In fact, Mr Treeton comments that there are 48,000 children who are suffering from passive smoking. Not only are these statistics designed to shock members of the public, but they direct our attention to the fact that the government must take action.
- The author assertively concludes that “this is clearly unacceptable”, which leaves readers in no doubt that the children must be protected.
Secondly, Mr Treeton discredits parents like Clare who fail to protect their children.
(Technique and purpose) The author uses a series of provocative rhetorical questions that deliberately shame the parents and draw attention to their foolish behaviour. He asks, “don’t they read the signs on the cigarette packs? This question implies that the parents cannot read when it concerns their own selfish habits. Shamefully, the author believes that they are more concerned with “excuses”.
(Technique and purpose) As a result of their selfishness, Mr Treeton reminds all parents as well as the government of the need to act responsibly when it comes to children’s health needs. For this reason, he states that the government must help “them recognise the harmful consequences of their actions”. (Technique and purpose) The emotive reference to the fact that these children are a “burden” on our health system is bound to vex all taxpayers who pay for these parents’ mistakes. Mr Treeton also includes Mr Chapman’s view that there are other rules that relate to safety in the home. This comparison seeks to justify the need for rules and regulations relating to the rights of the children to a smoke-free environment.