Speaker: Petula Dvorak speaks in this article as an American citizen who is concerned about the nature of politicians who as a whole seem to have lost the true meaning of their job description.
Occasion: The pope (head of the Catholic church) addressed congress for the first time ever in American history. This past Thursday Pope Francis became the first ever pope to address an American legislative bod; not surprisingly, Americans were ecstatic. When the Pope addressed congress he brought along with him a lot of words of inspiration, all in all reminding congressmen and politicians alike what their real purpose as public servants is.
Audience: The intended audience of the article is the American people who want to see a change in politics, Catholics who are intrigued by Pope Francis' presence in America, and people who are concerned with politics.
Purpose: The purpose of the article is to showcase to America how the Pope reminds politicians of their job's true nature: to help and serve the American people. Dvorak is trying to get readers and politicians alike to realize if they have not already that politics has lost its way and has become a pinnacle of one side against another. She even references the spectacle of Donald Trump to emphasize her purpose to get American politicians to wake up.
Subject: The article revolves around Pope Francis and how he has reminded us time and time again with his words there is a way to be in politics without being corrupt or condemning another point of view.
Tone: The passage's overall tone is condescending and humorous and revolves around common political endeavors.
Occasion: The pope (head of the Catholic church) addressed congress for the first time ever in American history. This past Thursday Pope Francis became the first ever pope to address an American legislative bod; not surprisingly, Americans were ecstatic. When the Pope addressed congress he brought along with him a lot of words of inspiration, all in all reminding congressmen and politicians alike what their real purpose as public servants is.
Audience: The intended audience of the article is the American people who want to see a change in politics, Catholics who are intrigued by Pope Francis' presence in America, and people who are concerned with politics.
Purpose: The purpose of the article is to showcase to America how the Pope reminds politicians of their job's true nature: to help and serve the American people. Dvorak is trying to get readers and politicians alike to realize if they have not already that politics has lost its way and has become a pinnacle of one side against another. She even references the spectacle of Donald Trump to emphasize her purpose to get American politicians to wake up.
Subject: The article revolves around Pope Francis and how he has reminded us time and time again with his words there is a way to be in politics without being corrupt or condemning another point of view.
Tone: The passage's overall tone is condescending and humorous and revolves around common political endeavors.
In this article, Petula Dvorak uses an incredibly humorous tone to convince readers that modern politics in America is not what it should be. Dvorak uses phrases such as "pugnacious lawmakers" to convey this tone. The word pugnacious means eager or quick to argue and is used to express how Dvorak views politicians. She is trying to go for the "politicians are irrational and ill-tempered people" effect. Dvorak is trying to convince readers through her tone that lawmakers are not always able to make the best decisions because they are too busy being stubborn. Dvorak also expresses her tone through phrases such as "O demigods of dysfunction". Dvorak utilizes phrases such as this to acknowledge the humorous way that people view politicians: people who are in a place of power and often wrongly interpret their job description.