Analysis

Here are the elements that will help you with your analysis of Hannah Fearn’s article “The ‘new normal’ for Britain? Poverty and destitution”.

The rhetorical situation is that the speaker is Hannah Fearn, a British journalist who often writes about social issues. Her article is an opinion piece, which reflects the views of the author and also of the Independent, the newspaper where it was published. Fearn’s article targets the general British population, particularly the people who need to be convinced about the existence of poverty in Britain.

In terms of structure, the article consists of three parts, in which Fearn talks about the rising destitution levels in Britain, tries to show how the government is responsible for the problem, and offers possible solutions. 

Fearns’ style of writing is mainly formal and attempts to illustrate the causes and consequences of the rising levels of destitution in Britain. She uses negative language to describe the government’s involvement in this issue and to criticize it for its decisions. There are also examples of figurative language meant to describe the negative effects of poverty.  

Some of the rhetorical devices used in the article are rhetorical questions, repetition, and antithesis. Fearn mainly focuses on rhetorical questions, which invite readers to reflect on the situation she presents. 

When it comes to logos, ethos, and pathos, Fearn uses all forms of appeal in her article, but logos and pathos are most dominant. She appeals to logos when she offers concrete statistics about poverty. She appeals to pathos when she illustrates the human consequences of poverty. 

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.