The Theme of Urban Life - Essay Example

Urban Life Introduction This essay aims at reviewing two articles based on the theme of urban life. Thetwo articles specifically focus on street gangs in two different cities, which are London and Detroit. The first article is from CBS Detroit and has been written by James Buccellato. It is entitled Gangs of Detroit: Examining Youth Violence. The second article is from “The Guardian” and is written by Simon Hattenstone. It is entitled Cutting edge: the life of a former London gang Leader. The two articles are, however, different in terms of presentation. This paper will focus on the critical contents of each article, and their differences and similarities in content presentation. Article Review Cutting edge: the life of a former London gang Leader follows on the story of a photographer and a gang leader. The photographer named Adam Patterson was on a mission to bring out the story of gangs and their culture of knives. The article concentrates on an inspiring story of a gang leader who desperately wanted to change his life and took his chances after meeting the photographer. Jean-Claude Dagrou was a former gang leader who was notorious in various neighborhoods. The article takes the form of an interview since Jean-Clause answers questions directed to him. The primary objective of the article is to shed light on street gangs and factors that drive young people to join gangs. The writer in this article shifts from fielding questions to giving his view on Jean-Claude’s answers. The storyline in the article moves from present to flash backs, which offer an insight on how Jean-Claude’s life was. Simon’s article provides a powerful insight on how dangerous streets have become due to gang related crimes and violence. The article in one case briefly shifts from questions and flashbacks to statistics, which give information on cases of crime committed by gangs. The statistics also show the number of people who had joined gangs. This, however, is aimed at showing how the issue of gangs affects our societies. Simon mainly concentrates on the story of Jean-Claude, and also tries to show the connection between the two protagonists, Patterson and Jean-Claude. The article does not dwell much on Patterson. What capture’s one’s attention is how Jean-Claude rose from a young boy with ambitions to a dreaded and notorious man, which is told through a brief history of his life. Jean-Claude’s story relates to the life of many young men who join gangs. It tells the story of how young men indulge in crime due to lack of jobs and a desire to make money (Hattenstone, 2013). It is an interesting story that plays in one’s mind as the story unfolds. Gangs of Detroit: Examining Youth Violence is an article by Buccellato on gangs in Detroit. Detroit leads in terms of violence in all American cities. The article primarily focuses on how Detroit has been highly affected by gangs with fifty per cent of crime committed in that city being gang related (Buccellato, 2013). The article drives into the ambitions of two people vying for a mayoral post. They are Benny Napoleon and Mike Duggan who have both identified tackling of crime as their main goal (Buccellato, 2013). The article then highlights facts about crime in the city, which is rising at an alarming rate. The writer James Buccellato relies on statistics and various researches made as a source of information. Buccellato does not concentrate on a specific person, but tackles the whole issue of gangs. Buccellato’s article also shows the relationship between young people and gangs. Young people are joining gangs due to various problems, which the article points out as survival and dwindling financials. The article opens with a remark on how the two mayoral candidates aim at ending crime in the city. It also ends up by showing what the two mayoral candidates have achieved before in the fight against crime. The author, thus, develops a story from a story; he introduces his topic by pointing to a trending story. The author literally shifts his focus from the opening story to his topic of the day, which is quite remarkable. In a nutshell, the article dwells primarily on statistics and findings to exploit the story of gangs in Detroit. It also dwells on the changing face of gangs in Detroit. Similarities and Differences The two articles are both similar and different in manner of presentation, language, content and the target audience. They are both similar in that they discuss one major issue affecting urban life, which is gang life and crime. The two articles by addressing the issue, point out to the shortcomings of gangs in our cities and what drives young men to join gangs. The two articles are also similar in that they are of quality standard, which makes them interesting to read and can be used for reference. The use of stories to bring a story is evident in both articles. In Simon’s article, for example, he uses the story of a photographer and a gang leader to shed light on gangs. Buccellato starts his article using a story that appears in the news, which he uses to develop his story of gangs and crime. The two articles have both used references in presenting statistics and findings. The article by Buccellato, however, relies heavily on findings and statistics compared to Simon’s article, which has used references in just one instance. Simon’s and Buccellato’s articles are both similar in that they have used language artistically and professionally to discuss the issue of gangs. The two articles, however, differ in quite a number of ways, which are mode of presentation, language, target audience, and sources of information. Simon’s article main source of information is through an interview. The writer fields questions to Jean-Claude, and Jean-Claude responds to the posed questions. Simon then creates stories from these question. Buccellato uses statistics and findings to exploit the issue of gangs. He, for example, uses percentage rankings to rank the deteriorating conditions of gang crime in Detroit (Buccellato, 2013). Buccellato also uses reports from other findings in his article, which he then uses to strengthen his case on the issue of gangs. Source of information in both articles is, thus, different and differentiates the two articles. The two articles discuss the same issue differently, thus, having different contents. Simon’s article dwells on the story of one person, Jean-Claude, which he uses to discuss the issue of gangs. Buccellato’s content is merely a report on findings. His article is full of research and findings, which makes his content more of a report. Simon’s article also uses photographs in between the writings, which make it more interesting and appealing. He, for example, uses a photograph to show Jean’s new life with his family (Hattenstone, 2013). Simon’s article has features of a journalistic article compared to Buccellato’s article that has features of an academic writing. Journalistic articles are more sensational and appealing compared to academic articles, which are less sensational. Journalistic articles also tell a story that progressively unfolds unlike academic writings, which do not conform to that (Niblock, 2012). Simon’s article gives the reader a story that unfolds gradually, which develops with each question answered by Jean to whom the story revolves around. Simon’s article is characterized by direct speeches hence the use of quotation marks is quite evident compared to Buccellato’s article, which has few cases of direct speeches. Direct speech is a common characteristic of journalistic articles (Niblock, 2012). Buccellato’s article has the features of academic writing, which he uses to discuss the topic by presenting facts, findings and reports. The article also ends with a conclusion that gives a solution to the problem being discussed. Simon’s article, on the other end, just comes to an end in a journalistic manner with no conclusive remarks. The target audience is different in each article due to the differences in writings. Simon’s article targets a larger audience due to the nature of his writing, which is not full of statistics, findings and reports, but rather an unfolding story. Buccellato’s article does not target a large audience due to its nature of writing. An article that targets a large audience has to use language and plot, which even children would not find hard to understand. Buccellato’s article uses a more serious language that he presents facts, findings and table reports (Buccellato, 2013). Simon’s article uses a comparatively simple language, for example, when Jean Claude’s baby screams, “Gansterrrr.” Conclusion The two articles provide useful information and knowledge, which provide an insight on writing rules and how to discuss a topic using facts, findings, statistics and reports. The two articles were of relevance owing to the way they discussed the issue of gangs by relating them to young people who are increasingly engaged in crime. Reviewing the two articles helped in providing insight on how to tell stories through interviews and statistics, which made the two articles worth of critique. The two articles discuss an emerging issue in which young people are engaging in crime and joining gangs due to financial constraints. References Buccellato, J. Gangs of Detroit: Examining Youth Violence. CBS Detroit, [online] 31st October 2013. Available at: [Accessed 1st April 2014] Hattenstone, S. Cutting edge: the life of a former London gang Leader. The Guardian, [online] 7th December 2013. Available at: [Accessed 1st April 2004] Niblock, S. 2012. Inside Journalism. New York: Lea and Blanchard. Read More