Analyse item 1 a newspaper article from ‘ The Guardian’ Essay

I am writing an assignment which is on media. The two sources I have been given to analyse is a leaflet from ‘ The Salvation Army’ and a newspaper article from ‘ The Guardian. ‘ Both are based on the subject of homelessness. The problem of homelessness is a very unsettled issue. It is evident in many countries but in the UK it is concentrated in London. The two items are different, as one is an article from a broad sheet newspaper whereas item 2 is a leaflet asking for donation for a charity which helps the homeless. The article on homelessness states many facts on the reasons why homelessness is an issue which is faced by many people today. It is estimated that â€Å"419, 400† individuals have been accepted homeless by the local authorities in which many are living in a â€Å"sub standard† condition and are not even included in the statistics. This means that there are many out there who are regarded homeless and are yet not to be found. The main reason that people are homeless is the fact that most of them are â€Å"rough sleepers† who go about during the day and sleep wherever there is a dry place. It is mentioned that the majority are â€Å"single people†. This may have been due to the fact that many of them leave home at a young age and are unable to support themselves financially and resulting in not having kids. It is estimated tat â€Å"90%† of the homeless population is male. One may think why? The answer to this is due to the fact of excess consumption of alcohol resulting in spending a huge amount of money and leading to bankruptcy and not affording to a good life. People who are † dependant on non prescribed drugs† are also homeless because they spend most of their income on drugs. It is also stated that those who suffer from â€Å"multiple social problems† are mostly either family problems or are kicked out due to other problems. They suffer mentally as these problems mount up leading them to leave home and run away with no benefits and live on the streets without a fixed home. As homelessness is increasing, government intends to abolish the problem by setting up plans for the future, which may help in development. The newspaper states that in order for this plan to work out successfully, the government proposed many new acts since 1980’s Due to â€Å"public outcry† against â€Å"doss houses† many of these houses were closed down, in return new warm â€Å"hostels† were opened; the downside to this improvement was that it was â€Å"insufficient† as by 1989 they were, â€Å"5000 fewer beds than there were 10 years ago. † By 1990 the government estimated 1000 to 2000 people were sleeping rough in central London. Along the government response to this was the Department of the Environment had launched a â€Å"three year i 90,000,000 rough sleepers initiative (RSI) in which they funded resettlement workers, temporary cold workers and a permanent accommodation† for rough sleepers to move on. Other authorities like the Department of Health launched a â€Å"homeless mentally ill initiative† to provide a more high care hostels for those with mental problems. Because of its success, the initiatives were â€Å"renewed† for a further 3 years in 1993. By 1995, the government reported that the number of rough sleepers in London dropped to around â€Å"270† which means it was successful. The problem of homelessness was reported in the newspaper article in the Guardian. Now I will analyse an extract of a leaflet from ‘ The Salvation Army’ which helps to tackle the problem of homelessness. ‘The Salvation Army’ is an agency, which works on people’s contributions to continue the agency’s work on helping homeless people. ‘The Salvation Army’ is â€Å"a provider of accommodation† for those who are single and homeless all year round. This group has â€Å"developed† a † successful programme† for helping people to find â€Å"permanent homes. † This means that ‘the Salvation Army’ is not only working on short-term projects but also on long term projects to ensure safety for the future and help build their lives. An example of a successful help project is Jim. It is stated that Jim was a success because of many people’s â€Å"generosity† which enabled a â€Å"brighter future for Jim. † Home for Jim was not good. He lived on a hill amongst â€Å"brambles†, because of the reason that his life living on the streets was disappointing, and also the reason about the time he got is hopes high of getting a job that was refused, because of â€Å"the interviewer took one look at his crumpled clothes† his hopes of living a good life with a fresh start was shattered and he was left where he started from. But then ‘ the Salvation Army’ stepped in. Once the Army hears a person in need like Jim, they send someone to investigate the matter. After that incident an officer visited him. With a helping hand and a shoulder to cry on Jim was taken to a hostel where he â€Å"enjoyed a hot bath, a shave† and most of all â€Å"friendship. † From then, Jim had been living in the local ‘Salvation Army’ hostel. Building up his confidence with the dedicated help of the officers he has open up his hope and is determined to find a job and build up his life once again. As this story was successful in Jim’s case it may mean many other cases which are there must be successful too. With this story as an example ‘the Salvation Army’ is a charity which is there to â€Å"lend a sympathetic ear and a comforting arm† and most importantly it is there to offer â€Å"true friendship† to those who are lonely and scared. ‘The Salvation Army’ is not there just to provide a temporary home but also to offer a long-term programme which enables a better future for the unfortunate homeless people. As ‘The Salvation Army’ is a charity which helps to build long term projects for the homeless, they have to find a way to make people pay attention and one strategy used is the use of emotional language. There are many examples in which emotional language is used but the main ones are: â€Å"Once in the streets, homeless people become prey to all sorts of illnesses, all potential killers. In fact over 600 people a year on the streets die on the streets. † In this sentence the word â€Å"prey† is used. The literal meaning of â€Å"prey† is a victim. This tells the reader that homeless people are victims of cold weather and the use of this word is emotional and used to make a point; it is also supported by a fact â€Å"600† making this statement true. Another sentence where the use of language is strong is † With your generosity we can give vulnerable people not only a happier Christmas but a brighter future too†. The word â€Å"generosity† is used to give an opinion of being helpful or kind. This suggests that with the help of the people outside giving donations it can give â€Å"vulnerable† people a happier Christmas and give a lifelong help of a good future. Another sentence which captures the reader’s eye is â€Å"We are the ones to lend a sympathetic ear, the ones with the comforting arm, the ones offering true friendship and support during difficult times†. The words â€Å"comforting, sympathetic† are both very emotional. They are used here in order for the reader to be aware of the good nature of ‘The Salvation Army’, how at difficult times they can offer â€Å"friendship† and show support to those who are in â€Å"difficult times†. The Salvation Army is there to help people who can’t help themselves and those who do not show help to others. The use of emotive words gives an impression of a sad tone to the story about Jim and to the life of homeless people. The two items about homelessness are very unlike as item 1 is an article from a broadsheet newspaper ‘The Guardian’ whereas item 2 is a information leaflet from ‘ The Salvation Army’. The newspaper article follows a parliamentary debate which is going to take place on the issue of homelessness. The article begins with a subheading getting to the key point about † the size of the problem†. It begins with the historical past of homelessness. A lot of statistical information is given; it also states what kind of people is most likely to be found homeless â€Å"single people, childless couples†. It also shows previous parliament records † over 8,000 people† which tells you that this debate has taken place once before. There are many facts given to show evidence of the controversial issue of homelessness. The newspaper article finally shows what the government has done to overcome homelessness; an example of this is doss houses which were â€Å"closed down†. The leaflet from ‘ the Salvation Army’ begins with an opinion, of how sleeping rough you can dread bad weather. It states a fact about living outside in the cold weather can feel like. Compared to the newspaper article which is not biased about who is to blame for being homeless, the leaflet states a biased opinion on how homeless people are â€Å"blameless† for their situation. It also states what kind of people is likely to be homeless, which is different from the newspaper article. It gives a reason for publishing the leaflet but does not give a lot of statistical information. There is a blend of facts and opinions like â€Å"over 600 people a year die on the streets† which is a fact. It also gives a reason for why they are successful by giving the story about Jim, which was a success. It does not show background information on the issue of homelessness. It ends with a paragraph on requesting help from the readers by donating money. The newspaper article gets to the point on what the article is about with a large heading in bold and capitals † HOMELESSNESS† which later is followed by sub- headings. It is set out in vertical columns which are not fully justified. It has short paragraphs and sub-headings. The paragraphs give much information in a compact place. In comparison to the leaflet which begins with bold highlighted blocks giving little facts. The paragraphs are set like tabloid newspapers also in vertical columns. There are very short paragraphs and some of them are in Italics; the font of the letters varies in style like Italics â€Å"with your generosity†¦ â€Å". It does not give substantial information on the issue. The newspaper article’s use of language is formal and direct; it is very informative stating many facts on the issue and the historical background. Like the parliament debate, the sentences are easy to understand and the sentences are balanced with connectives like â€Å"however, or†. It gives a lot of statistical information to show evidence of how homelessness is a very big issue. No emotional language is used. The leaflet’s use of language is very straightforward and easy to understand. The sentences are very simple. It has information but not in a great amount. There is a case study shown in the story about Jim and how ‘ the Salvation Army’ was a success and this can draw a person’s attention. Many financial appeals are requested using emotive words â€Å"with your generosity† and â€Å"become prey† which also catches the reader’s attention. The leaflet is based on appeal rather than factual information like the newspaper article. The Salvation Army’s main motive’s to ask for donations to help resolve homelessness whereas the newspaper article is informative and has a lot of statistical information in a more formal manner. The article appeals to me as a more informative packed story. It gives more amount of statistical information to prove many facts; the sentence which caught my eye was â€Å"90 per cent were male† as I did not think that most homeless people were male. It also begins on with what kind of people are most likely to be homeless which can tell the reader how homelessness has begun. The information on how homelessness has increased during the years shows the reader how it has become a more highly regarded issue and is something to think about. It also shows what the government is doing to tackle the problem and how at a yearly basis new initiatives have been introduced. The reader is left to make their own opinion about homelessness whether it is an issue worth thinking about and, make a public stand to it or leave it to the government to sort it out. The leaflet has a more emotional tone for public appeal on donating for a charity which is helping to reduce the problem of homelessness. The Salvation Army is a charity which is based on people’s donation to help the homeless and develop long term projects for a good future. It gives information on what kind of conditions the homeless have to sleep in. it also shows a case study to support their success. It is not as informative as the newspaper article. It has no fixed presentation device unlike the newspaper article which is all set in columns. Towards the end of the leaflet the reader is left to make a choice of feeling sorry for the homeless and donate money or is left untouched by the story about Jim.