Paper 1 Text #2

Text 2 is an informative article written by an international confederation called Oxfam. The text discusses the Food Crisis in Sahel and Oxfam's role and goals in regards to addressing the crisis. It contains the common characteristics of an article as it firstly displays a clear introductory statement and all ideas throughout the text are backed up with statistics and facts. It is believed that the overall intended purpose of the article is to firstly inform and educate readers of the Sahel food crisis and then to highlight to readers of Oxfam's involvement in the issue.

From this it could be said that the article appeals to ethos as it is trying to show to readers that Oxfam is an ethical corporation that that plays a role in aiding the world to become a better place and seeks to inform instead of advertise. There are several terms throughout the article like "protected" and "vulnerable positions" that try to persuade readers by using ethics and moral beliefs. These terms give the reader the suggestion that they have the power to make a positive difference in the situation and puts Oxfam on a pedestal as they are already trying to help. It does not specifically tell readers to help but just highlights the corporations position. Also, the readers, target audience, for this article seem to be people who are interested in learning about growing global epidemics; anyone that would intentionally be interested in reading any article on Oxfam's official website.

The content in this article begins by educating us on the matter by presenting facts and figures and explaining the source of the issue. It then transitions to where is tells the reader about Oxfam's involvement in the issue and what it is doing to help in the situation. It appeals to ethos while discussing the issue at first but still stays direct. There is also constant use of facts and figures to put the topic into perspective. After triggering an emotional response from the reader in the beginning, it starts to appeal to logos by displaying the facts and figures which places the reader into reality and encourages them to want to make a difference. This flow is also an effective way of luring the reader into the article in order to highlight what Oxfam is doing and persuade them that Oxfam is a moral organization, therefore achieving the intended aim of highlighting Oxfam's role in the crisis. The tone of this article is rather straight-forward and formal, which is appropriate for it's particular convention and for such a big confederation. Using a serious tone could also be parallel to the seriousness of the issue. Throughout the article, there are terms such as "tackle" and "humanitarian response" to make people realize how serious the crisis is. The addition of the wide range of facts and figures also adds to the serious tone. 

The flowing structure of this informative article also plays a role in achieving Oxfam's intended aims. At the top, there is a picture added so readers can visualize the growing issue, which could have a bigger impact on the reader. Each cut-up piece of text includes a clear subheading to pinpoint certain aspects the article is trying to cover. There is a clearly distinguished title and quote to grab the audience's attention. By creating a clear and persuasive article, this content and structure therefore justifies that the 2 main purposes of the article is to successfully educate people on the crisis and highlight . It specifically aims to display Oxfam's role in the crisis though, which is the main aim at the end.