Outside Reading-Article

News Article

Mercenaries Stream Toward Tripoli as Qaddafi Digs In

By KAREEM FAHIM and DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK

Published: February 23, 2011

The point of view of this article is clearly stated and is fortified through out the rest of the article. The obvious intent of this article is to first create sympathy for the demonstrators in Libya, and then create a sense of distrust and anger towards the government in Libya. The author uses high impact words such as mercenaries, menacing, and militiamen, to describe the government and how it is acting towards its people. These words draw the reader in and they also, one state the authors opinion on the topic, and two start to draw the reader ‘over to their side’. The authors of this piece create one individual voice by a strong use of imagery, the two authors are very forceful in their descriptions of the offenses the government has done against its people. This technique is highly favored as it is their job to make you feel like you are there. Another technique they use, which ties into imagery, is diction. They used, as I mentioned before, such emotionally charged words in place of thoughtless, almost meaningless words. Overall the combined voice of these two authors is powerful and emotional charged, which in turn translates over to the reader. In my opinion this article would make a good AP essay. It stays true to the formal third person view, which is obviously required on the AP. The piece is engaging and interesting, and through out the article they stuck to their original stand point of opposition against the government.