Analysis

...

Sender

The sender of the text is Isabelle Cossart, a French woman who moved to Louisiana in her youth. Throughout the article, the sender gives various personal details to make her arguments more personal and encourage readers to relate to her. These personal details add to Cossart’s argument that her situation as a tour guide in New Orleans was different from larger companies attempting to make money from the city’s devastation, due to her personal connection with the place.

In the beginning of the text, we find out that when she came to the US she thought it was temporary:

I came to New Orleans from France in 1975, when I was 21 years old, for what was supposed to be a one-year teaching assignment at a city public school. To make extra money, I substituted for a friend on a few to…

...

Argumentation

Isabelle Cossart’s main arguments are that dark tourism can be both educational and a way to make a living for local people in difficult times. The writer conveys her argument using both hidden and direct argumentation.
Cossart’s personal stories are a form of hidden argumentation that suggests dark tourism was a necessity for her. Cossart made a living out of giving tours, and when Hurricane Katrina happened, she felt forced to give tours of the devastation: “In the fall of 2005, the demand for tours showing the destruction wrought by Hurricane Katrina became impossible to ignore. It was the only thing…

...

Intention

Isabelle Cossart’s overall intention with the article is to convince readers that dark tourism is sometimes necessary and can often be educational.

With this general purpose in mind, Cossart also aims to achieve other smaller goals.

For example, part of the writer’s intention is to convince the audience that dark tourism is unavoidable in the aftermath of a tragedy. This intention is achieved by mentioning that dark tourism is often in high demand. Cossart also gives examples of common examples of dark tourism: “In the fall of 2005, the demand for tours showing the destruction wrought by Hurricane Katrina became impossible to ignore. It was the only thing cust…