Analysis

Jane Pauley’s interview, “Hillary Clinton Speaks”, explores the topic of politician Hilary Clinton losing the 2016 presidential elections by encouraging Clinton to present her views on the events.

The sender of the text is Jane Pauley who coordinates the dialogue with Clinton through questions and comments. With extensive experience in journalism, Pauley is a credible sender who combines thoughtful questions with more pointed ones to make the interview more dynamic. The text being an interview, Hillary Clinton also plays the role of sender in some ways. 

The receiver of the interview is the target audience of the CBS network, the American public. Certain categories of people are mentioned in the interview and could also be potential receivers, including supporters of Clinton and Trump, people with a bias against women in politics, or white Americans.

The language used in the interview is occasionally casual and informal. Strong words are used for a better impact on the audience, allusions help set the context of the interview, while repetitions and rhetorical questions help convey Hillary Clinton’s attitude.

The interview explores the circumstances of Hillary Clinton losing the presidential elections in 2016, looking back on the events one year later after Clinton wrote a book on the subject. The interview includes various references to events during the 2016 electoral campaign that help the audience draw conclusions about why Clinton lost.

Jane Pauley’s intention with the interview is to give the audience Clinton’s version of events, encouraging people to empathise with her. At the same time, the sender’s hidden intentions are to criticise Trump and promote Clinton’s new book.

Further help

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