The document provides guidance on how to analyze articles. It discusses identifying the type of article, author, and headline. The main contention and argument should be stated. The overall tone, persuasive techniques used, and emotions appealed to in readers should be discussed. Short quotes can support the analysis. The conclusion should comment on how the article finishes. Three sample articles are summarized in 1-3 sentences each to demonstrate this analysis technique.

1. S E N I O R E N G L I S H S K I L L S B U I L D E R
P A G E 1 2 2 - 1 2 7
ANALYSING ARTICLES

2. A GUIDE TO ANALYISING AN ARTICLE
Begin your response by
• Identifying the type of article, the author and the headline
• Stating what the main contention(argument) is?
Then you can discuss (not always in this order – tends to depend
on the article)
• the overall tone of the article (see page 122)
• Persuasive techniques (see pg. 126 – 127)
• the emotions it is appealing to in the readers (see page 127)
Finish response
• comment on how the article finishes.
• INCLUDE SHORT 1-5 WORD QUOTES TO SUPPORT YOUR
ANALYSIS

4. CROAKING WITH LAUGHTER
• In his letter to the editor titled ‘Croaking with Laughter’, Chris
Phillips is critical of the new Eastlink tunnel being built to simply
avoid the natural habitat of a few ‘croaking frogs’. By using
the fact that the tunnels cost $500 million he empahises just
how expensive and therefore wasteful are the building of
these tunnels. He refers twice to the “greenies” using the term
,’bleeding-heart’ to insinuate that their cause is not significant
and in a mocking tone poses the rhetorical question, ‘Can
frogs vote?’ He concludes the letter by appealing to the
readers and using inclusive terms such as “next time you’ and
‘if you listen?”

6. PET STORES CRUEL
• In his letter to the editor titled ‘……………………, Phuong Vo is
critical of
…………………………………………………………………… and
suggests that …………………………………………………. This
letter has been written in response to an earlier letter
……………………………. The overall tone is sympathetic
towards ‘……….. …………………’ but critical of people who
make ‘……………… ………………’ He is also critical of
…………………… and uses terms such as
……………………………….. To support his point of view Vo
points out that ………………………………………………. He
concludes the article………………………………………………

8. LAWS TO PENALISE THE LAW-ABIDING
• In her letter to the editor titled ‘Laws to penalise the law-abiding’,
Carol Strickland is highly critical of the new laws which allow only
one passenger in a car driven by a P plate driver. She addresses
‘Mr. Brumby’ directly using multiple questions, ‘what are you….’
and ‘Are you…’ In these questions she points our several short
comings of the new law such as ‘extra traffic’ and having more
‘designated drivers’. She draws on her own personal experience
stating that her own three children won’t be able to ‘travel in the
same car.’ She ends the letter with a pointed question to Mr.
Brumby insinuating that he has not thought it ‘through’. Overall
the tone of this article is quite aggressive and mocking towards
Mr. Brumpy and the repeated questions give the reader the
impression that Strickland’s points are simply commonsense while
the new law which appears to be solely Mr Brumpy’s law is
anything but.