Introduction
There are many relations between texts meanings such as the experiential meanings that could be understood by being analyzed which provides a chance to learn about grammar choices and how they are related to the interpretive view of a text. All texts can be liable to such kinds of analysis such as comparing two texts discussing one topic in a different way which shows the differences in forming both texts, the way the theme is presented and evaluated and the author point of view. This assignment is discussing how texts can be analyzed and this is through providing an analysis for two different texts discussing the same topic and showing the differences between them both.
Body
Task 1: The two texts were selected and approved.
Task 2 (analyzing experiential meanings)
Text1
Bickering over Brazil
Despite the efforts by Brazil’s ruling Workers Party to keep their plans for the future of Latin America’s largest and most populous country under wraps, the party’s weaknesses have not escaped the vigilant eyes of its rivals,/1 among them AécioNeves and his Brazilian Social Democracy Party (PSDB) and environmentalist Marina Silva and her Brazilian Socialist Party,/2
If the decision to throw in the towel was an onerous one for the PSDB, even more difficult was working out a way to woo Silva’s Socialist Party supporters./3
Brazilian President DilmaRousseff, 66, whose Workers Party has run Brazil since 2003,/4 won 41.59 per cent of the vote in the first-round poll on 5 October, or not quite enough to beat outright the PSDB’s Neves, the darling of big business in Brazil./5 The latter has signalled that he will promulgate pro-business laws and put in place policies aimed at buoying up the faltering Brazilian economy should he be elected, thereby wooing the country’s business community/6.
“The truth is that Brazilians are far more concerned with the monsters of the present: high inflation, recession and corruption,” Neves said in criticisms of Rousseff and her Workers Party./7 Rousseff retorted that the business-friendly candidate would not necessarily be the winner in the tight presidential race. /8“Investors don’t win elections in Brazil. /9
http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/News/7547/19/Bickering-over-Brazil.aspx
Text 2
DilmaRousseff has won the election. But she has some serious problems to address
When President DilmaRousseff stood on a podium in a hotel in Brasilia on Sunday night to celebrate the narrowest of victories over her Brazilian Social Democracy Party opponent, 1/ AécioNeves, the first thing she did was thank her Workers' Party predecessor, LuizInácio Lula da Silva – popularly known as Lula.2/ She even called him “president.”3/ (If, as is now being suggested, Lula decides to run for a third term in 2018, he would probably win in a landslide.4/
Then, lengthy salutations dealt with, she called for unity. “I urge, without exception, all Brazilians to unite in favor of the future of our country,” she said.5/
Exposing the economic, racial and class-based fault lines that divide Brazil, much as everyone would prefer to admit they don’t,6/ and helped Rousseff win this election.7/
She could begin her "reunification" process by admitting that the huge social and economic advances Brazil has enjoyed under Rousseff and,8/ more significantly, under Lula owe something to the economic reforms introduced by Lula’s predecessor, Fernando Henrique Cardoso9/ – known as FHC — of the Brazilian Social Democracy Party. 10/These stabilized the economy and allowed the country to grow.11/ Then the two sides could admit that both their parties have done good for the country.12/
The first text written in AlAhram newspaper consists of 9 clauses including 214 words and these clauses have top levels ones such as clause 1:" Despite the efforts by Brazil's ruling workers party……………., the party's weakness..", clause 3: " If the decision………………….., even more difficult…", clause 4 "Brazilian president …., whose workers party…", clause6 and clause 7:" The truth is that………..". There are also embedded clauses such as clause 2 :"Among them………..", clause 5 :" the darling of big business……", clause 8: " Rousseff retorted that………" and clause 9:" investors don't win ………". The top- level clauses provide basic information while the embedded ones add extra additional information. The proportion of top level clauses to embedded ones is 55,6% to 44,4%. There are different processes and each one has its functional type, for example, clause 1 works as an agent that provides stated materialistic ideas to the readers showing that the ruling workers party is a weak one which is criticized by its rivals. Some embedded clauses added information such as clause 5 referring to PSDB'S Neves as the darling of big business in Brazil. Some clauses were just copied by the tongue of those who said them without any hints by the author such as clause 9 which provides an opinion said by Rousseff. Embedded clauses are also relational ones as they are well connected with the top-levels clauses to provide more explanations for them. The grammar of the first text is used to show the workers party of Brazil as having a weak agency against the rival participants, present perfect was first used in clause1 "have not escaped". If the conditional was used in clause 3 to tell that it is difficult for the party to woo the supporters of the socialist party, the pronoun "he" was used in clause 6 two times to support its agency role. Passive was used with should to support the idea.
The second text written in Washington post is consisting of 203
Words are divided into 12 clauses among top-level ones and embedded ones. Top-level clauses can be clause 1 :" When president DilmaRousseff stood…………", clause 4: " If, as is now being suggested……….", clause 5 "I urge, without exception,…………..", clause 6 :" exposing the economic…………." , clause 8:" She could begin her………………….", clause 11:" these stabilized the economy…………" and clause 12 :" then the two sides could admit……………". Embedded clauses are clause 2:" AécioNeves, the first thing she did was thank………." clause3:" she even called………" clause7:" and helped ………"clause 9:" more significantly………." and clause 10:" known as FHC- ………." The top level clauses state facts and basic important information for readers while embedded ones provide opinions of the authors or additional information that could make the readers more aware with the theme dimensions. The texts clauses have their main functions and processes that are materialistic DilmaRousseff as a president for Brazil. Clause 2 is a relational one which gives the reader more information about the predecessor of the workers party. The third clause is a verbal one referring to how DilmaRoussef called Lula. There are more verbal processes such as in clauses 5 which is telling words said by DilmaRoussef. The proportion of top-level clauses against embedded ones is 58,3% to 41,7%. The grammar is used to show neutral presentation of the president of Brazil DilmaRousseff as the author used past simple tense to tell real events such as in clause1 and 2 stating how the president acted and where, the pronoun "she" was used more than one time in the text to assert her strong agency and her participant role as a president. Both parties and presidents were equally presented and referred to as they were referred to with words as "the two sides", " both" "their" with a use of the present perfect to assert the current effects the country is enjoying. (Matrix, 2014)
(Arab Open University, Book 3 (Getting Practical: Evaluating everyday texts; Unit 13.)
Information
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Text1
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Text2
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Number of words
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214
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203
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Number of Clauses
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9
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12
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Number of Top-level clauses
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5
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7
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Number of embedded clauses
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4
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5
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Proportions of top level clauses to embedded ones
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55,6% to 44,4%
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58,3% to 41,7%
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Table1
Task 3 (comparison of the 2 articles)
The two texts if compared to each other, they both discussing the same topic which is Brazil ruling by the worker party president against its rivals from other parties and Dilma Rousseff role in being a president of Brazil. Yet each text was written to address specific audience and there are differences between them in many points. The first text was written to address Arab audience. The title of the first text tells preset determining opinions as it says:" Bickering over Brazil" which gives the reader a feeling of suspense which is a feature needed by Arab authors to attract the Arabic audience whose interests need to be aroused to be eager to read. The text tendency and affectedness seem to be figuring the worker party and its president to be weak side against its rivals which provides the Arabic reader who may not be well acquainted with the roots the author's attitude which is purely presented to the reader as a way of facts. The participants' nature is shown to be non-human as referring to them in most times as parties which is clear in the little use of pronouns. The two rivals are presented in a relation of hostility which may not be true in fact as the Arabic writer nature tends to exaggerate a little in motions and feelings as well as the Arabic audience who is reading the article as this clear in sentences as: "have not escaped the vigilant eyes of its rivals". Using the present perfect tense shows that events are recent enough to refer to current problems in Brazil. The verbal use was too much as there were many words by its sayers to tell specific meanings but little explanations were presented by the writer which reflects little background of him. Dilma Rousseff was almost presented as a sayer. Her role was also agentless passive and not a major actor. The second text if compared to the first one is also discussing the same topic of rivals of the president place in Brazil but in a less stressed voice which reflects the western nature of the author and this also is clear from the title which is not interesting or attracting as it states facts as it says:" DilmaRousseff has won the election. But she has some serious problems to address." Which could be strange if found in a newspaper that addressing Arabic audiences as western audiences are not in need to be greatly aroused, a western reader goes to the news and looks for what he or she needs to read. The participants' nature is presented as human as the author referred to the characters as their personal identities with pronouns as "she", "her" and "they" that is mainly because the author is near to such characters from media and real meetings. The writer used neutral text tendency and affectedness as his own opinions were not directly mentioned and he did not seem to be in favor of a specific party as the roles of the participants were equally presented which was clear in sentences stating his own suggestions based on facts regarding the country such as: " These stabilized the economy and allowed the country to grow." Then the two sides could admit that both their parties have done good for the country." This was because the author's presentation for his views was neutral enough without any exaggerations in feelings or emotions as a normal nature of a western writer addressing a western audience with the same nature when receiving news. Affectedness is used by making only suggestions but without normalizations which reflects a deeper analysis for the problem by the author who seems to be having a deeper knowledge background than the author of the first text. The author set clear goals for writing his article such as giving the audience a chance to judge the current situation of both presidents despite showing his own point of view which is also clear and well stated without any exaggerations. (Goshen College, 2014)
(Arab Open University, Book 3 (Getting Practical: Evaluating everyday texts; Unit 13.)
Conclusion
The text analysis helps how to understand the reasons behind writing a text and choosing a specific theme to discuss and this depends on many measurements regarding experiential meanings and grammar use. This assignment was discussing and analyzing two texts discussing the same topic from different magazines that addressing different audiences which showed how the two texts differed grammatically and in their tendencies and effectiveness.
References
