Analysis Of Death In Your Pocket By Overland
The article “Death in your pocket”, written by Chief Commissioner of Police Simon Overland, discusses the issue of the ever increasing violence on our streets, specifically knife-related, and the dangers involved with youths arming themselves with knives. Overland stresses in a concerned and pleading tone that the public must come to their senses and stop this senseless violence, he also indicates the importance of police involvement and that what they do is essential in preventing future violence. This article is aimed at arousing deep concern in parents about the safety of their children on the streets and encouraging them to talk to their children about this issue.
The article starts off emphasising the severity of this issue with an appeal to fear and insecurity, with the line “One punch to the head is enough to kill or irreparably injure”. This statement pressures the reader to feel that solutions are needed urgently so they must agree with the argument. It also persuades the reader to believe that the writer has their best interests at heart by wanting to protect them and influences the parents to feel worried and fearful about their children’s safety. This is also used throughout the article with statements such as “people should be able to walk our streets safely” and “I firmly believe this is about protecting the rights of the broader community”. …show more content…
Evidence is another main technique used in this article.
These statements, such as”58 children aged between 10 and 14”, “a further 287 teenagers were also arrested” and “839 homicides in England and Wales in 2005”, manipulates the reader to view the writers argument as more convincing because it appears to have reliable support and they therefore feel obligated to agree with the writers contention that violence on our streets is becoming a major
issue.
The use of rhetorical questions in paragraph seven, such as “How many of them are prepared to use them...”and “what can we do to stop this happening”, suggests that the answer is self-evident and therefore the reader must agree with it. This technique also directly addresses the reader as a way of engaging their agreement and inspires the reader to consider what they can do to resolve the issue.
The argument then shifts from the central issue of violence on our streets to the less significant issue of the recent controversy and pressure that Victorian Police have come under. The writer appeals to the reader’s sense of sympathy by stating that “It’s not an easy job and one that is always in the spotlight” and “police working on our streets ...need to be supported”. This technique promotes an emotional response, bypassing reason and logic and invites the reader to feel that the police are doing all they can to combat this issue.
Through compassionate language and example, Overland emphasises the need for parents to act. The article ends with a powerful statement, “human face of victims such as Nitin Garg...a promising young graduate...in the prime of his life...who should unite us”, that evokes an emotional response in readers by manipulating the reader to think about what it would be like if their child was a victim of one of these senseless crimes. It also inspires a ‘call to action’; a united response to this major issue, by arousing a sense of justice and fairness which no-one can disagree with.
The article starts off emphasising the severity of this issue with an appeal to fear and insecurity, with the line “One punch to the head is enough to kill or irreparably injure”. This statement pressures the reader to feel that solutions are needed urgently so they must agree with the argument. It also persuades the reader to believe that the writer has their best interests at heart by wanting to protect them and influences the parents to feel worried and fearful about their children’s safety. This is also used throughout the article with statements such as “people should be able to walk our streets safely” and “I firmly believe this is about protecting the rights of the broader community”. …show more content…
Evidence is another main technique used in this article.
These statements, such as”58 children aged between 10 and 14”, “a further 287 teenagers were also arrested” and “839 homicides in England and Wales in 2005”, manipulates the reader to view the writers argument as more convincing because it appears to have reliable support and they therefore feel obligated to agree with the writers contention that violence on our streets is becoming a major
issue.
The use of rhetorical questions in paragraph seven, such as “How many of them are prepared to use them...”and “what can we do to stop this happening”, suggests that the answer is self-evident and therefore the reader must agree with it. This technique also directly addresses the reader as a way of engaging their agreement and inspires the reader to consider what they can do to resolve the issue.
The argument then shifts from the central issue of violence on our streets to the less significant issue of the recent controversy and pressure that Victorian Police have come under. The writer appeals to the reader’s sense of sympathy by stating that “It’s not an easy job and one that is always in the spotlight” and “police working on our streets ...need to be supported”. This technique promotes an emotional response, bypassing reason and logic and invites the reader to feel that the police are doing all they can to combat this issue.
Through compassionate language and example, Overland emphasises the need for parents to act. The article ends with a powerful statement, “human face of victims such as Nitin Garg...a promising young graduate...in the prime of his life...who should unite us”, that evokes an emotional response in readers by manipulating the reader to think about what it would be like if their child was a victim of one of these senseless crimes. It also inspires a ‘call to action’; a united response to this major issue, by arousing a sense of justice and fairness which no-one can disagree with.