The slogan "Send a Cow" is striking and intriguing. It seems absurdly stark and direct and conjures up rather a ridiculous image. The logo, a stamp containing an outline map of Africa, is easily recognisable and supports the main concept of the advertising campaign. The black and white contrast of the box at the top of the leaflet is attention-grabbing and is quite effective in encouraging an audience to read on.
The leaflet consists of two fully justified columns of text. Emboldened headings, most of which are slogans in themselves, help to break up the text into easily digestible "chunks." Most of the text is the same size, with the exception of three phrases in the second column "A channel for change", "An animal for life", and "A gift that grows", which are bigger. Another reason these phrases stand out is that they are sectioned off by thin horizontal lines. Overall, the layout is not particularly imaginative, and the leaflet relies more on language use than it does on visual appeal.
The language of each section of the text will be dealt with below:
Send a Cow is a channel for change
This is a slogan which makes use of alliteration. This immediately has the effect of portraying the organisation as active and dynamic, and the metaphorical phrase is deigned to impress.
In the first paragraph, a simple rhetorical technique has been used, the rule of three ("poverty, hunger and malnutrition"). Indeed, much of the leaflet makes use of rhetorical, speech-making techniques. The reader is addressed directly ("you") and two short sentences follow a longer one. The key verbs in these sentences ("can" and "do") add to the feeling that the organisation is dynamic and not afraid to challenge and oppose common perceptions about the third world.
The second paragraph is largely informative. The language is a mixture of formal ("it serves to enrich the soil" is an eloquent phrase) and informal ("is sold for cash"). The formality is there so as to appear authoritative and credible, and would seem to indicate the target audience consists of well-educated people in the upper social and income bands. The informality is there so as not to intimidate, as the organisation also wants to come across as warm and friendly. This mixture of formality and informality is a delicate balance and is quite common in these types of media text. Notice the loaded language here: alliterative words such as "vital" and "valuable" add a sense of worthiness and importance to the charity's aim and you are therefore reminded of the difference you could make. The charity also emphasises the enterprising and inventive ways in which the animal will be used, which helps the reader to visualise a picture of pride and self-sufficiency within the "shamba."
Paragraph three reminds the reader of the chasm between the developed and the developing world. Three examples (the rhetorical rule of three again) of what we take for granted are included and the use of the word "absolute" shows there is no safety net for these people as there is in this country - theirs is a land of extremes.
Livestock development leads to people development
Another slogan or soundbite.
This section emphasises the diversity of benefits the "gift" can bring. The focus here is on the idea of the recipients working "together", "gaining skills" and "becoming self-reliant." The list of benefits is effective and impressive and the overall impression is of "the gift" helping to instil a sense of community and co-operation amongst the recipients.
Passing on the gift
This sounds almost spiritual, with religious overtones. The writer of the leaflet is keen to stress not only the primary benefits the gift of an animal can bring, but also the secondary human benefits of empowering the recipients themselves to give.
The first paragraph of this section continues to use formal vocabulary such as "fundamental" and "outset" to add to the organisation's credibility and to give the impression of sound principles, together with less formal phrases such as "needy neighbour."
The second paragraph is rhetorical; "give" and "receive" are opposites and there are three main worthy benefits. The sentence is also a crescendo, building to the impressive claim that your gift can bring "a fundamental change in your perspective on life itself." The "you" in this paragraph refers to the Africans, but it also forces the reader to put him/herself in their position, so there is a sense in which just as the gift of an animal causes a fundamental change in the Africans' perspective on life itself, the aim of the leaflet is to have the same effect on its readers.
Education on Development
"In what we call the 'developed world'" in the first paragraph implies that we are not as developed as we think - the use of inverted commas suggesting we have a long way to go, and that this label is only half the story. The "supermarket of goods" is a metaphor for our materialistic outlook, and suggests we are spoilt for choice.
"If you are poor�" is repeated (another rhetorical technique). I feel these phrases are a little trite and childish. "Choice", "a future" and "hope" are emotive, abstract nouns which are designed to sound impressive.
The phrases "A channel for change", "An animal for life" and "A gift that grows" sum up what has been written so far, reinforcing the active, dynamic and positive tone. "Life" is an obvious pun.
How you can be part of the change
This makes the appeal out to be a type of club to which you must belong. If you do join, it sounds as if you are part of something big; if you do not, it implies you are missing out on something spiritual.
The first paragraph in this section predicts the cynical reader and tries to counter that cynicism. The use of the pronoun "we" helps to promote the sense of togetherness.
"You can 'pass on the gift' too" in the second paragraph makes the idea of donating money almost magical! The rest of the leaflet entices the reader by giving the impression that the individual has been appealed to. "We wait for your call" conjures up images of hoards of people hovering around one phone ready to pounce at the first ring. This is designed to emphasise the amount the organisation would value potential donors. It can appear that as a reader, you almost let them down if you fail to give your money.
This work unit by Philip White was found free at www.englishresources.co.uk
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