¶ … Wrongful Convictions' by Balko Radley discusses the issues surrounding the conviction and imprisonment of innocent persons. It outlines the causes of wrongful convictions and the challenges encountered in trying to obtain compensation upon release. The author seeks to show how prevalent wrongful convictions are, and demonstrate the need to address the same. The story of Paul House - who was wrongfully convicted of murder, sentenced to life imprisonment, and released more than two decades later with serious health complications, after his innocence was proven - is used to demonstrate the pain and suffering caused by wrongful convictions. The article employs a highly formal tone, as demonstrated by the use of such legal jargons as qualified immunity, mandatory minimum sentence, and civil liability, among others. It makes use of a passive voice, focusing on the actions (false testimony, overreliance on eyewitness testimony and false confessions) rather than on the doer; and the author speaks as an educated person addressing a group of his peers. This is evidenced by the fact that he does not provide explanations to the complex jargons used, in the assumption that the target group -- specialists such as lawyers, judges, jurors, prosecutors, and law students -- understands exactly what such legal terms mean.
If I were to use the same topic and the same subject to address a different audience, say the general public, I would change the article so that it makes use of a less formal language, and hence becomes more entertaining just as much as it is informing. I would use images, for instance, including cartoons, to illustrate a police officer coercing a witness to confess to a crime they did not commit so as to create a feel of drama and humor; graphs in place of figures; and an eye-catching subject line to draw the attention of all readers, regardless of their profession. As it is, the article only appeals to persons in the legal profession, and perhaps scholars and researchers; but not interested laymen.
Unit 3 Discussion (Sengupta, 2014)
The newspaper article, UNICEF Report Details Endemic Violence against Children by Somini Sengupta, appearing on the September 4th issue of the New York Times details the large extent to which children across the globe are subjected to violence. The author purposes to get the target group -- the general public - to recognize the significance of the problem of child abuse and put in place measures to address the same. The author makes use of a formal tone, but unlike the article in Unit 2 Discussion, uses simple, easily understandable language. According to the article, sexual violence and physical assault are the two main forms violence instigated against children, with most of it occurring in the hands of caregivers, relatives, and intimate partners. The extent of violence is depicted clearly using statistics -- two out of every ten children aged between 2 and 14 have been victims of sexual abuse; and six out of ten are physically assaulted on a daily basis. Further supporting the main idea is the large number of children (tens of thousands in the author's words) fleeing their countries in search of safer grounds. The article does achieve its purpose; it arouses the reader's emotion by painting a clear picture of what the situation is like in terms of child abuse.
Unit 4 Discussion (Melissa & Philip, 2012)
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