Analysis

Here is a summary of the main aspects of our analysis of “My Son’s on Death Row” by Kevin O’Sullivan.

The text respects the traditional article structure: heading, subheading, introduction, main body, and conclusion. The main body presents Jacqueline’s situation in detail. The writer focuses mostly on feelings, but also on facts.

The sender of the text is journalist Kevin O’ Sullivan. The main receiver of the text is the general British public, as the article was published in the British magazine, Mirror Woman.

In “My Son’s on Death Row”, the author uses closed argumentation. Moreover, the language of the article is accessible to all types of English-speaking audiences and most of the text relies on figurative language to convey the story.

Kevin O’Sullivan uses rhetorical devices like irony, rhetorical questions, contrasts, and allusions. For example, irony is used when the speaker notes that the two brothers have been able to get to know each other better in jail, which is an unlikely circumstance.

Regarding the forms of appeal, most of the text is conveyed using pathos. The article is focused on Jacqueline’s tragedy and constantly includes references to feelings and emotions such as grief, shock, suffering, jealousy, or regret.

You can find the entire analysis in the following pages of the study guide.