May 2017 Paper 1 Higher Level - Exemplar 2

Text A’s “Arcadia” and Text B’s “The Famous Five” both promote and celebrate literature; however, they differ greatly in their context.  Text A is a graphic visual of a novel being written for an app taken from the website http://arcadiatheapp.com.  It has a dual purpose of persuading readers to download the app and to also inform readers about the innovations that exist in creating literature in this format.  The intended audience is limited to iPad and iPhone users who enjoy reading as well as fans of Iain Pears’ other novels.  The context of the text is from the bestselling author Iain Pears who aims to highlight the innovation of using digital media to present this interactive novel.  In contrast, Text B is an online article taken from the website “Enid Blyton Society” and the purpose of the text is to inform readers about his novels, to celebrate the stories of “The Famous Five,” and to celebrate Enid Blyton’s legacy.  The intended audience is quite broad and stretches from people who grew up reading “The Famous Five” to people who are currently reading the books or are interested in the author.

Firstly, both texts share a common trait of promoting established authors, which helps enhance the purpose and content of each text.  In Text A, the author of the novel “IAIN PEARS” is placed on the top of the visual in a large font that is capitalized which immediately draws the audience’s attention to the display.  This is effective in terms of the author’s purpose as it is attention grabbing and engages with the viewer’s attention, encouraging them to read more.  That, coupled by the text “bestselling author” allows the author to develop an ethos within the text and convince readers that this new app is worthy of downloading due to the credentials of the novel’s author.  He’s not just any internet writer or app creator; he’s a known and established writer.  Moreover, the use of a “Q & A with Iain Pears” further establishes the credibility within the text as the author is willing and open to answer questions, and in doing so, it suggests that this app is worthy of a download.  The technique of a Q & A further adds a personal tone to the text, as it allows readers to feel connected to the author and his work.  In addition to this, the use of the quotations like “I wanted to do something new” places importance again on Iain Pears as it highlights the innovation present in the work he is creating.  The personal pronoun “I” enhances the idea of making the app more personal and the word “now” emphasizes something how Pears is doing something completely different from other authors in the past, which adds to the purpose of the text – to persuade the audience to try out this new app. 

Similar to Text A, Text B also places emphasis on an acclaimed author and uses this to establish credibility with the audience.  This is first seen through the title of the website itself, the “Enid Blyton Society.”  The fact that there is a society dedicated to Enid Blyton immediately develops an ethos within the text as it stirs a response and awareness within readers that the author is worthy of reading about.  Through the repetition of the author’s name throughout the article, this further places importance on the content, which is similar to Text A in that manner.  This established credibility is further enhanced in the opening sentence of the article, as “The Famous Five are among Enid Blyton’s best-loved creations.”  This immediately sets the tone of celebrating Enid Blyton’s legacy.  The word “among” implies that Blyton has several other notable works of children’s fiction and the phrase “best-loved” has connotations of deep admiration for the texts.    

Although both text promote their well-respected authors, the context within each text differs as Text A places emphasis on how modern technology can and does shape literature whilst Text B focuses on what some may consider old-fashioned, actual hard cover novels for children.  The differences in context is illustrated through the structure and layout of each text.  Text A is multimodal and contains an even proportion of text and images.  The use of visuals is able to effectively promote the content of an innovative and modern novel.  This is first seen through the image of an iPad on the first page. On the iPad screen, there appears to be an image of a black door opening to a new landscape of a blue sky and a field, which plays on the cliché of a door of open opportunities.  This is a simple yet effective technique used by the author to highlight how this book should be read and downloaded due to its endless opportunities.  The use of a surreal-like door further makes the visual appropriate to its text type as it connotes a sense of mystery, which also connects to and fits with the genre of the novel – a mystery.  Furthermore, the placement of three iPhones next to each other on the second page appeals to the modern audience as it allows readers to actually see what the novel looks like on a phone, and thus they are tempted to download the app.  Underneath each iPhone are the terms “The Story,” “The Journey” and “The Adventure.”  The use of parallelism highlights the journey that the readers will be taken on as the words imply a sense of wonder and excitement, which fits with the purpose of the text.  The colors used in the text consist of dark shadows of blue and black as a background, further connoting a sense of mystery and the unexpected, which encourages readers to download the app (the novel) so they can discover what happens.  The author also highlights the accessibility of the app by placing the words “Download the app for free now” on the bottom of the first page.  The use of this imperative illustrates that the app is readily accessible.  “Now” and “free” also attracts the reader’s attention, thus fulfilling the purpose of the text.

The author in Text B, in contrast, places emphasis on the traditional roots of literature through the structure and layout.  This can be seen through the use of visuals, where the images of the Famous Five on the top right of the page appear to look like a dad, seen through their blurry-like faces and lack of precise detail.  This is a stark contrast against Text A, and the author effectively does this to celebrate traditional literature.  Moreover, the colors used in the text appear to be faded pastels, implying a sense of something old and nostalgic.  The paneling of images on the banner page show the kids engaging in many activities, from looking at maps to going to the beach.  The use of actions suggests an adventure and these adventurous images continue celebrate the Famous Five, adding to the purpose of the text.  The use of adverts within the website also enhances the easy accessibility of supporting the Enid Blyton legacy, seen through the links to find them on “Facebook” and to “follow us on Twitter.”  Making them a click away further shows how easy it is to commemorate the legacy of Enid Blyton.  Thus, by adding the pastel images that are slightly faded, readers understand this literature is from a bygone era, albeit one that now exists on a website with links to modern social media.

Finally, the use of stylistic features within each text contributes to the author’s content and purpose.  In Text B, the stylistic feature of listing is used to highlight Enid Blyton’s accomplishments like “cinema films,” “stage plays” and “Disney cartoon series” of the Famous Five.  This adds to the accomplished and celebratory tone of the website as it highlights the legacy left behind.  Listing is also used in Text A, but here it is to inform readers of the effectiveness of the app, as it is not only an “app,” but it is also “a hardback and an ebook,” showing the many features of the text. 

In conclusion, although both authors have similar content – telling stories – they differ in context as Text A focuses on promoting a new form of modern literature whilst Text B promotes a famous and traditional children’s author from the past.  Text A has a more mysterious tone as they are attempting to sell their product, a mystery novel, to readers.  Text B has a more celebratory tone, of Enid Blyton and his contribution to children’s literature.