Paper 1 Exemplar May 2017

Election, whether it is for a presidency, the captain of a sports team, or new judges are something that every adult will come across sometime throughout life.  To avoid arguments, many electoral systems set up a system on how candidates can be elected.  This text is an online article accompanied with text and a comic strip to explore how ICC judges are elected.  It is written in November 2014 prior to the judges election occurring in December 2014.  This article is posted on an online website resulting in its audience being able to access it from anywhere around the globe.  Specifically, this article would be trying to appeal to those interested in or studying law or those interested in the justice system.  Written by a group, perhaps those who are lawyers or those passionate about law, called “Justice Hub,” their purpose would be to inform the readers about the ICC and the electoral system for judges, however, to do so in an almost informal and comical manner that matches the casual style of an online article and the type of people who read it.

Firstly, the structure of the text gives an idea on the type of readers of this website.  The tabs on the top of text above the title such as “conversations,” “what’s new” and “opinion” highlight the perceived casual atmosphere of the website.  The “justice explained” tab, in particular, conveys the idea that readers of this website could be those learning or new to law and this platform allows readers to explore and understand law.  The “opinion” and “conversations” links also contribute to the idea that the website encourages views to share and get involved in discussions which would make readers continuously visit the website.  The social media icons such as Facebook and Twitter reinforce the idea of the website being a platform to share and discuss and also that this website could appeal to the more casual reader.

Simple and colloquial diction is used in the text that give an idea of the less experience reader and is used as a tool to inform the audience.  In line 1, the term “ASP” is explained with the use of a link allowing the reader and those not experiences in law to learned while reading the blog.  Furthermore, the use of anaphora in line 8 is a straightforward and effective way to introduce the reader to the electoral process and what it contains.  Inclusive pronouns such as “for you” and “help you” are also used by the author to make the reader feel part of and included in the blog.  Phrases such as “we’ve read the rules for you” also create a sense of sympathy for the author as it makes the reader feel as though they have taken the time to try and simplify the process so that us readers can understand the process.

The use of cartoons by the author helps the reader understand success of the ICC.  The first section of the cartoon identifies to the reader the scale of the ICC.  The long, extending and winding piece of paper emphasize the “122 countries” that are members of the ICC and the group of suited men with large grins signing the paper portray to the reader the success in the establishment of the Rome Statute. 

The cartoons also develop the readers understanding of the diversity of the judges.  The second section of the cartoon aligns the judges in order from age – youngest on the top and oldest on the bottom.  The simple sketches and use of images such as an oxygen tank show the dramatic age ranges of the judges.  This being a much more light-hearted and comical way of showing the judges, again linking back to the idea that this blog tries to inform the audience yet keep them entertained.

The cartoons further emphasize the text sections adding another layer to the understanding of the reader.  The sketch of a younger judge helping an older judge indirectly suggests the increased productivity and importance younger judges have in the ICC reinforcing the idea that they are “efficient.”  The layout of the cartoons further conveys understanding to the reader as the black text on a yellow background bring to attention key points that the images re-inforce.  The use of a map effectively shows the reader key facts that are easy to read and color coded in a way that will be much more effective than a list.  This also shows that the authors aim is to not go into such depth on the topic but to provide a brief overview to the readers as a list of countries would have provided more thorough information, yet, that is not the goal.  The cartoons tend to be quite literal, such as the sketch of the “new blood” restoring balance, and the effect of this is to reinforce the key ideas of an election to the readers.

In conclusion, the authors of this article have written this text to appeal to the less experienced readers of law shown through their casual diction and use of large cartoons that match the tone of the website.  It could also appeal to younger audiences as, like me, I prefer to be taught something in a less text-heavy way as images add to my understanding and provide a greater source of entertainment when reading.