03/01/2013

Joshua Zeltser

Analyse how effective presentational and language devices are used in the media During the election this year, David Cameron among other party leaders produced persuasive leaflets, which used both presentational and language devices in order to persuade the public to vote for him. The attached leaflet in particular is targeting the middle and lower classes of our society, especially ones who are working in order to sustain our country. This advertisement will probably appeal to people of all ages as lots of aspects are included that appeal to different age groups. You may say that kids under eighteen cant vote so why would you target them? The answer is that parents are interested in education and youth policies which affect their children. If businessmen can see that David Cameron will do a good job as Prime Minister, they will be encouraged to vote for him, and persuade others to do so too. This is also true about older people who have their own issues. Appealing to a wide target audience could help to persuade more voters to support the Conservatives. The leaflet persuades these audiences using presentational devices such as imagery, and by using language devices like personal pronouns. These devices all highlight how this is the party that could change our country and make it a better place. Throughout the leaflet, the colour blue is used for almost all of the writing. This blue is the colour that represents the Conservative party and so will alert readers to who this leaflet is from. The title on the first page is in bold and so it stands out to the reader, and encourages them to read on. On the right side of this leaflet images are used in order to illustrate to readers who this party has been appealing to. The first picture that you see when going down the page is of David Cameron writing a note. The rest of the writing on the page is written as if it was a letter. By doing this the reader feels as if David Cameron is addressing the reader personally, and by adding features like a signature at the bottom makes them feel important. This technique encourages the reader to read on. Along the side of this letter are pictures of David speaking to different types of people. This includes businessmen, employees and older people. This shows the reader how this party is targeting a large range of people and from the pictures it looks like they agree with his views. There is also a picture here of the famous actor Michael Caine. People may think that if someone successful and famous is supporting this party (celebrity endorsement), they should do so too. This also shows the reader how it doesnt matter how old or what class you are, as Davids policies will improve everyones lives. The back of the leaflet introduces the reader to their local member of parliament, in this case Theresa Villiers. There is a big picture of her smiling in the top right corner which helps people relate to her and portray her as a happy approachable person, who is ready to take action. Underneath the picture there is a fact file about Theresa so that the reader can know everything about who will be representing them in parliament if the Conservatives win. Her contact details are also mentioned underneath, which will allow the reader to directly ask her any questions they want to. This shows the reader how Theresa and the Conservatives also want to hear what the public want, and will then try to include them in future policies. The page is also filled with a sixty second question and answer section. This addresses common issues that might concern the public, and shows that the party is in touch with the everyday man. By using this method the party shows how it can deal with both local and national issues. The final presentational device used on this leaflet is the Record of Actions detailing what Theresa has done in the past to improve the local constituency. This with pictures shows how Theresa knows

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Joshua Zeltser

what is important to her electorate, and if the Conservatives win she would be fit to represent us as a member of parliament. The language devices used on this leaflet are also very good at persuading the voter. Firstly the personal pronoun a personal message from... is used in the title of the leaflet. This makes the reader feel like he is being spoken to directly by David Cameron, and the points he is saying are just between the reader and him. This point is then again highlighted at the beginning of the letter when it says Dear Resident. Throughout the letter using a respectful tone and emotive language, David clearly illustrates to the reader his most important policies and problems that he hopes he will be able to solve. He also uses facts and figures to show the reader how he knows what he is talking about, and so is fit to lead our country through these troublesome times. He ends off the letter by giving the reader a choice. Either to have five more years of Gordon Browns tired government making things worse or change with the Conservatives. This is very persuasive as it gives all the people who hate Gordon Brown and his policies, the option of a new change for our society by voting Conservative, and shows Gordon Browns supporters how pointless it is to vote for him. This statement alone is persuasive given that the support for Gordon in the recent polls was not that high. Most of the next page is taken up by a sixty second question and answer section. Here, frequently asked questions are mentioned, and the answers are written underneath. This is a very persuasive technique, as it shows how Theresa cares about the voters and wants everyones questions to be answered. She uses proven facts and figures to give her answers extra weight. If a voter can see that a party is also concerned about local issues, it will encourage them to vote. This is why this section is so fundamental when persuading people to vote for you. The Theresa Fact File on the right, boast Theresas credentials and wide appeal. It mentions how she has opposed the third runway at Heathrow (which will be approved of by environmentalists), and how she is a good cyclist. All these facts allow the reader to really get to know Theresa, which will probably help them to trust and then vote for her. She also has her contact details mentioned underneath so that anyone can ask her any questions at any time. By her mentioning this on the leaflet the public can see how she wants people to contact her, and is willing to deal with their issues. It also mentions her website here which will hold much more information and questions for the public to read before choosing who to vote for. The public cant therefore complain that they dont have much information on the party. In other words, she is emphasising her approachability. At the bottom of the second page there is a section called Theresa Villiers a record of action, where it lists times where Theresa has acted to deal with local issues. Here she firstly mentions how she has fought to keep the local hospital to have a twenty-four hour A&E service. It also mentions how she has been fighting for peace in Cyprus, encouraging the many Greek Cypriots in local areas to vote. Both of these attributes are important for MPs to be aware of as local issues could influence the result in the election. So overall she is showing that she has the experience to fight for what we believe in, the ability to listen to peoples problems, and help solve them. If the public dont see these attributes they may be dissuaded to vote for this party. To conclude, I think that this leaflet is very successful in persuading its target audience to vote Conservative in the next election. It has done this by using Presentational and language techniques for effect. For example the presentational technique of using a letter format makes the reader feel

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Joshua Zeltser

like this is a letter addressed directly to him by the party. This will make them feel that the party is relying on their vote, and will show them how every vote matters. An example of a language feature used on this leaflet is facts and figures. This shows the audience that the party can back up their arguments easily, and therefore has a sound plan to improve our country. On the other hand though I dont think the partys policies were mentioned enough, and that more pictures should be included. For example pictures of schools could be shown as most voters nowadays will have children who go to school, and they will want to know what policies will be made about them. These less successful attributes can however be improved. I think that the Q&A section should be a bit shorter, and more policies should be added instead. This will allow the reader to get a full idea of the partys policies. Pictures are easy to understand and make the leaflet look attractive to readers. This would encourage them to read on. Even though there are a few problems, I still think that this leaflet will be very successful in persuading the public to vote conservative.

Target Spelling Full range of punctuation Accurate sentence structures Sequenced paragraphs Technical vocabulary Understanding of where the product is placed and why Target audience Presentational devices and their effects Linguistic devices and their effects Fully developed points

Satisfactory

Achieved

03/01/2013

Joshua Zeltser

03/01/2013

Joshua Zeltser