Characteristics

In this part of the study guide, we will give you some points about the way the sender (The Economist editorial team) presents their arguments in “London's comings and goings”, including aspects about rhetorical devices, forms of appeal, and language.

Argumentation

The sender of the article uses open argumentation to convey the analysis of the consequences of immigration to London. This means that the sender presents the arguments and conclusions directly and supports them with examples, facts, and other data. For example, the sender clearly states what the article is about: “Foreigners are moving in, and Britons are moving out, faster than at any time on record. The consequences are being felt across the country.” (p. 47, ll. 4-6).

Then, the sender of the text clearly mentions several consequences and uses specific examples to support them: “The foreigners' arrival has changed London visibly. New ethnic villages have sprung up all over the place.” (p. 48, ll. 23-24); “The influx from London is helping the rural economy. Townies who buy in to the countryside are an important source of growth.” (p. 51, ll. 1-2).

If the sender had used hidden argumentation, then the text would have only been comprised of examples and facts which would have let readers draw their own conclusions.

Note that the text does not argue in favour of or against immigration to London, but offers a balanced view on both positive and negative aspects of immigration to London.

Rhetorical devices

Rhetorical devices are language tools meant to make the receiver look at an issue from a different perspective and accept the arguments of the sender. In the article, the most important rhetorical devices are allusions, rhetorical questions, and irony.

For example, the text draws an important parallel between British, French, and German people, using literary allusions which help the readers understand why moving out of London is something that the British desire: “The great French 19th-century novels—Flaubert and Balzac, for instance—are resolutely bourgeois. The great British 19th-century novels are either rural —Austen and Eliot — or they are about how horri...