Abstract
Global Poverty has come to be known as the single largest killer of children under the age of 5 (Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition,2011). Although the government has been trying to figure out solutions to this epidemic, poverty is a serious so called “disease” resulting in malnutrition. After much analysis in the following essay there are two different genres, of which one is a picture attached to an article entitled “Why it will never be eliminated from the capitalist system” by Janet Surman, and a letter to the editor of the New York Times “Ending Malnutrition” by Marc Van Ameringen. Analyzing both of these two genres the audience will be able to notice how serious poverty looks and one reasoning for worsening malnutrition.
Global Poverty
The main focus of the two genres was poverty and global malnutrition, being that rising food prices is one of the reasons resulting in malnutrition, then the general picture of World Poverty to its audience. One genre was from a letter to an editor of the New York Times “Ending Malnutrition” by Marc Van Ameringen, and the other genre was a photo attached to an article entitled “Why it will never be eliminated from the capitalist system” by Janet Surman. Both genres imply how World Poverty affects the people around us, which in all reality affect us as well
Audience and Purpose
The intended audience for the first genre was stated at the beginning which was the editor of the New York Times, which would most likely know what the writer is trying to get across. Besides the obvious audience being the editor, the letter was also towards those that are in charge of food pricing and could also be toward the general audience that would like to know more about the global malnutrition epidemic. Since the audience would be more directly towards the editor, the other audience that might have read it might not have been so interested only because the letter does not catch much attention, which would result in not spending so much time in reading or wanting to know more about the topic. In connection to the audience the discourse community would have been the Global Alliance for improved Nutrition and Wal-Mart Nutrition Charter, which were later stated in the letter (Ending Malnutrition, 2011). As for the second genre, the picture that was analyzed was attached to an article entitled “Why it will never be eliminated from the capitalist system”(2008). The intended audience would be everyone that could possibly have a heart, that cares what poverty is coming to, and are willing to do something to make a change and or difference. This would connect to the certain discourse community that would want and also have an interest to make that change to better the issue of World Poverty. Being that the picture was intended for a wide audience, it had much effect on them which would result in spending a lot of time seeking for more information based on the topic of World Poverty. Although the audience might not have known in detail about the topic of World Poverty, thanks to the photo some might come to be experts of the topic. The purpose for both genres had much similarity due to the fact that both topics had to do with World Poverty. The only difference would be that the letter was to in a way correct the editor based on the information given in the New York Times, and the photo was more of an informative genre to get the information of World Poverty out in the public.
Rhetorical Issues
The credibility that was given in the first genre, the letter, serves only has a catalyst and other than that did not prove rising food prices as being one of the reasons for global malnutrition. This gave the audience almost no type of emotion other than some being shocked that rising food prices might be one of the reasons for malnutrition, which might have been intended to catch the reader’s attention. On the other hand the second genre, the photo, the credibility was within the picture itself. The audience could tell that it was not taken on a set or was a drawing that would create a false credibility. It was a real life picture that gave a lot of information of World Poverty. Thanks to its credibility the emotions that were set across gave the audience the emotion of shock and sadness because of the way the photo was taken in general. Being that the photo has much credibility within the photo itself made the genre valid and reliable. The way the photo is all grey and the audience can see trash and torn apart houses is a lot of evidence that is provided. It gives the audience a sense of what poverty looks like if they had never seen it before. Although the photo gave valid and reliable evidence, the letter’s evidence did not seem valid only because there was no proof of rising food prices being one of the reasons for malnutrition. The only type of reliable source the letter provided to try and get his purpose across was the Wal-Mart Nutrition Charter.
Structure
The first genre was organized so that the first paragraph would grab the audiences’ attention with the surprising food pricing fact and malnutrition being the single largest killer of children under the age of five. Though the first paragraph grabbed the attention of the audience the next couple of paragraphs talked only about Wal-Mart Nutrition Charter and the “N.G.O.” equation that would help resolve the problem of malnutrition(Ending Malnutrition 2011). The letter was formatted so that it would be in a problem/solution format, so that the audience would be in a better understanding. Being that the letter was organized in that format of problem/solution and was also a letter to the editor of the New York Times; the letter did not have so much freedom to express what the writer needed to express. The letter’s purpose was to in a way correct the editor, but also to inform the editor about the problem and along with a hopeful step to the solution.
From the letter giving information through words to the audience about the topic, to the second genre being a well informative photo, both genres in a sense gave a lot of detail information. Although the letter gives information that was organized in a way that would grab your attention from the very beginning, the photo was organized in a way that the information the photo provided was given straight across. The title of the photo “World Poverty” was typed straight across in bold white letters in the center of the photo. The format of the title gave a sense of seriousness and the photo’s information being important. It was designed to grab the audience attention instead of the photo just being another photo that someone might just pass up. Being that the genre was a photo and not an article it did have some limitations. The limitations would have to be on the information that was trying to be given. It would be hard to put all the information on one picture. Although it did have some limitations, for the genre being a picture it did have some freedom, it being the depth of the photo, which would result in a lot of attention. The straight purpose of the photo was to let the audience know what poverty looks like and the realness of the problem throughout the world.
Style/Language
Both genres, the letter and the photo, had languages that were informal. The letter did not use any over expressed wording and the photo only had the key term World Poverty. The languages that were used in both genres would be able to understand if any type of audience was either reading it or looking at it. Specialized vocabulary that was used in the letter would be such as “global malnutrition” epidemic and health care system. The only key term that was used in both genres was poverty. Other language features that were used throughout the photo were the visuals such as trash, dirt, broken houses, the little boy that was at the bottom center of the photo, and the key term “World Poverty” in a bold white font. As for the letter, it did not use any visuals or different text/color for certain words. There was one main font size and style, the only difference was in the citation of the information which was in font color.
Between both genres, the letter to the editor and the photo of “World Poverty”, the photo was much more effective on conveying its message. The letter gave more information because of its genre, but the genre that gave much more depth, information, was more organized, and was reliable was the photo of World Poverty. Although the photo did not give a lot of word information, it did give the audience a lot of information after analyzing it thoroughly. World Poverty is a serious problem within itself and should be taken serious when in search of a great solution. Sure rising food pricing is one cause of poverty and malnutrition and lowering it might be a solution, but it is not the only problem and solution that should be taken out of World Poverty.
Ameringen,M.V. (2011,Jan.25). Ending Malnutrition. The New York Times. Retrieved from
http://www.newyorktimes.com
Surman,J. (2008). Why it will never be eliminated from the capitalist system. Socialist
Standard. Retrieved from http://www.worldsocialism.org
