Analysis of an Article

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Analysis of an Article

The broadsheet newspaper article titled “Muslim Schoolgirls risk

careers for their symbolic headscarves”, written by Amelia Gentleman

reacts to the new law in France prohibiting the wearing of religious

symbols. This article highlights the calamity faced by Samia and her

sister in having to choose between a symbol of huge significance (the

headscarf) and something as equally vital as their careers. The youth

of the girls is emphasised as they are just starting secondary school

and “They have to choose what to wear for the first day of term this

morning”. The deictic “This morning” points to how close to the

present this is and highlights the immediacy of the issue, which makes

it more vivid, appealing to the reader. The addition of the “skull

caps, turbans and large crucifixes” appeals to a wide audience and

causes the reader to empathise for all suffering at the hands of this

ban.

The general tone of the article is serious, which is to be expected

due to the seriousness of the topic. Primarily, the article is

informative and gives a balanced viewpoint, as it’s from The Guardian;

a balanced, liberal paper more in favour of the “worker”. However, the

writer appears to sympathise with the Muslim girls, despite the fact

that they may be defying the law. This is evident from the title;

“Muslim schoolgirls risk careers for their symbolic headscarves.” This

suggests that firstly, the girls are willing to risk their careers for

the headscarf and secondly, being described as “symbolic” suggests

that doing this is just and noble. The words in the title are from a

semantic field of fighting for religion, to get ac...

... middle of paper ...

... is usually associated with

very serious matters.

In general the text is cohesive through the use of conjunctions and

sentence structure. In the beginning of the article, there is a

repetitive sentence structure. It begins with “They will be making

more than a fashion statement”, followed closely by “They will be in

direct breach of a new legislation”, the veil and other religious

symbols “Will no longer be permitted” and anyone wearing them “Will be

sent home”. The imperative makes the sentence seem more forceful and

definite. “Repeated breaches will result in expulsion” and

“politicians insist they will enforce the law” also follow the same

pattern. The modal verb “will” adds force and the repetition of

sentence structure emphasises the harshness of the law. The article on

a whole is informative but persuasive.

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