Language

The language used by Stephen Reicher and Alex Haslam in their article “Why not everyone is a torturer” is straightforward and accessible, despite expressing complex ideas. The article is engaging because of its brief ideas, multiple references, and a well-argued point of vi…

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Choice of words

The choice of words in the article reflects a formal tone, as the writers use complex phrases and difficult words to deliver a serious, strong message.   

We encounter frequent negative words, which contribute to the serious tone of the article: “horror and brutality” (p. 189, l. 3); “monsters” (p. 189, l. 5); “sadistically abusive” (p. 189, ll. 13-14); “bad psychology” (p. 190, l. 1); “grotesque sense of fun” (p. 190, l. 30); “atrocity” (p. 191, l.19); “great dangers” (p 192, l. 6); “failure” (p. 192, l. 21), etc.

Use of pronouns

For the most part of the article, the writers use the first-person plu…

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Sentence structure

In their article, the writers mainly uses medium and long sentences. This helps Reicher and Haslam express complex ideas and support them with references.

Medium-length sentences help the writers connect ideas. For example, to explain why abusers take photos of their actions, the writers state: “Those in the photos wanted others to know what they had done, presumably believing that the audience would approve.” (p. 190, ll. 31-32). A long sentence is used to give further explanation: “This sense of approval is very important, since there is ample evidence that people are more likely to act on any inclinations to behave in obnoxious ways when they s…

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Tone

Throughout the article, the writers’ tone is serious and formal. This is appropriate to the grave nature of the issues discussed in the article. This can be noted in the use of phrases which use formal grammatical formulations. For example: “It is not enough to consider leadership in the military. One must look more widely…” (p. 192, ll. 23-24)

The writers often adopt a critical tone in their article. First, the writers show their disapproval for those who think that abusers are victims of their circumstances, especially if they base their opinion on Zimbardo’s Stanford prison experiment’s conclusions: “But this is bad psychology and bad ethics.” (p. 189, l. 26). Through this, the writers also crit…