Analysis

Here are the elements which will help you with your analysis of the article “English football is consumed by racism and hatred. Can the cycle be broken?” by Jonathan Liew.

The rhetorical situation is that author of the article is Jonathan Liew, an established sportswriter for The Guardian, a left-leaning British newspaper publication. His article comes as a response to the recent social media rise in hateful and racist comments targeting football players in the UK.

In terms of structure, the article begins with specific examples of racism in football, then spreads out, focusing on racism as a larger issue that affects society as a whole. The article also considers some general ideas for solutions for racism and hatred, but does not get into specifics. 

The style of writing in lines 38-50 is partly meant to shock the readers, who are directly shown the offensive language that targets football players and some of their relatives. The shocking language is meant to make readers feel outraged and more empathetic toward victims of racism.

Some of the rhetorical devices used by the author are rhetorical questions, metaphors, repetition, and direct address. The rhetorical devices help readers understand that the issues Liew presents are not connected only to football but that they are symptoms of a flawed and racist society. 

Liew relies on ethos, pathos, and logos in his article. He uses logos when he proves his point with the help of statistics, and borrows ethos from specialists who analyze why racism is so present in football and the language of fans. Lastly, pathos helps the author give the article an emotional component and appeal to readers’ feelings. 

You can read a full analysis of the article on the following pages. 

Further help

Do you want additional help with analysis of non-fiction? See our general guide to non-fiction analysis.