Analysing different types of writing Page 1

By Adisa Nicholson Unit 46

P4: Use examples to describe the different styles of
writing used in health and social care.

Discursive
Discursive writing is personal and opinionated writing written
from a first person perspective which can be biased. This sort
of writing can be found on blogs and newspaper columns. A very
good example is the “Danny Wallace is a Man” column in that
free number one men’s magazine Short List. I find it very
interesting to read, especially his column. My favourite
column of his which I've read comes from issue 33.

It is about himself and “the important man” being obligated to

eat pastries, but they don't want to as they feel full. “And
help yourself to a pastry” the important man's assistant says
with joy in her voice. The thing is that the important man's
assistant went through a lot of trouble to get those pastries
for them. So what do they do? After pushing each other to eat
them, they later stuff the pastries in a cupboard and are even
smart enough to leave crumbs to make it look authentic. When
she finally comes in, she looks devastated as it looks like
they've been throwing food at each other for an hour, what a
mess!

What I like about it is how Danny makes a story which is

simple and not very interesting into something that is due to
his writing style. He describes the scene by adding details to
enable the reader to use their imagination to put themselves
in his situation.
For example, he uses language to let the reader imagine that
they were Danny Wallace themselves. Just the intro sets the
scene. “I am sitting in a huge glass-and-metal foyer outside
the office of a very important man. There are plasma screens
everywhere and busy people rushing around shaking their heads,
studying pieces of paper”

Journalistic
There is even a scientific report on nosebleeds. Nosebleeds
are usually nothing serious which can get caused if someone is
crying, colds, allergies, gets bumped into, hurts themselves
or picks their nose too much. Most nosebleeds can be treated
at home.

I could include extracts of the text, but what has to be

explained is that this journalistic writing is a journal as
it’s the sort of article that a journalist could use if they
were to make a report on nosebleeds. It concentrates on giving
facts and explanations. It does tell what causes them and how
they can be treated, but what the reader wants to do with that
information is up to them.
Analysing different types of writing Page 2
By Adisa Nicholson Unit 46
Ethical
Euthanasia is the act of taking deliberately killing someone
for their benefit because they have no quality of life, who is
usually disabled. Some people are too mentally retarded or
crippled to ask to be killed, so others do it for them without
permission.

If someone is in a coma, on a life support machine, too young,

senile, retarded, brain damaged or crippled, they do not have
the capacity to kill themselves. That is called involuntary
euthanasia, where the person doesn’t have a choice.

Assisted suicide is when someone asks to die, but someone else

has to do the killing.

According to YouGov, 76% are in favour of a right to die bill

as long as safeguards were in place. 13% opposed and 11% did
not know. The survey comes after top doctors joined opponents
of the “Assisted Dying for the Terminally Ill Bill”. This
article. The views the article put across was that religious
groups have spoken out against the bill. But a Royal College
of Physicians poll has shown that 73% of its members are
against any changes with the current euthanasia laws. It seems
like we have to wait for opinions to become less divided
before the government starts to pass the bill.

Suicide is legal, but euthanasia is illegal. It is also

illegal to take someone to Switzerland so they can go to a
dying clinic. However, turning off a life support machine or
refusing to give out drugs, or disconnecting a feeding tube
isn’t illegal. This is known as passive euthanasia, which is
legal.

The euthanasia legal bid failed but the family who took Daniel
James to Switzerland, who lost control of all his limbs, went
back to Britain, and had no charges made against them.

Countless times, people go to the high court and get refused

the right to kill themselves. It seems like the government
doesn’t want to make an example out of them. People who want
their loved ones to take them to Switzerland when they become
too ill, have to go there alone before they get to that stage.
Because they don’t want their loved ones to go to prison.

Craig Ewert made headlines by having his assisted suicide made

at the Dignitas clinic in Zurich in Switzerland being
broadcasted on tv show called “Right to Die” which got shown
on Sky Real Lives. This cost him £3000 and his ashes got send
back to England. He said “You can watch only so much of
yourself drain away before you look at what is left and say,
‘This is an empty shell’. Once I become completely paralysed,
then I am nothing more than a living tomb that takes in
nutrients through a tube in the stomach. It’s painful.”
Analysing different types of writing Page 3
By Adisa Nicholson Unit 46
Craig Ewert is a former university professor with motor neuron
disease who is an inspiration to others whose death will
encourage others to
Reflective
An anonymous person used the internet to post about their
local hospital treated them after having their first asthma
attack. The person boasts the good points of the hospital by
stating how quick he was taken to hospital, the efficient,
friendly and helpful staff, immediate treatment, good food and
the cleanliness of the place is praised at Whipps Cross
University Hospital.

The person’s experience is posted on the site. It’s described

as a good stay with friendly and helpful staff and would have
no hesitation of recommending it to anyone telling them about
the good times he’s had.

The person describes it as a good experience. How quick he was

taken to hospital, the efficient, friendly and helpful staff,
immediate treatment, good food and the cleanliness of the
place is praised at Whipps Cross University Hospital.

Persuasive
For this example, I'm using a copyrighted advertisement which
Sky created to get people to switch to their service when they
withdrew their channels from Virgin Media. It uses language to
boast how great sky is. It says that Sky is passionate about
tv. And that they're committed to brining you brand new shows,
which it then gives a list of its brand new shows. They say
that they've increased their investment and all that stuff to
improve people's opinion of Sky and get the reader to think
that they are working for the better of tv. Not that they
increased the price Sky charged Virgin Media a lot more to
have its stations on there knowing that they couldn't afford
it in a deliberate attempt for them not to be on Virgin Media.

It's not trying to accuse Virgin Media of anything. There is

no name-calling But it uses phrases such as “That is what Sky
is all about”, “Competition pushes us to our toes” and “We are
absolutely committed to continuing talks and we've even gone
so far as to offer a way for Sky to retail channels directly
to cable customers that would cost Virgin Media nothing”. It's
indirectly accusing Virgin Media of not caring.

It then sticks the knife in by saying that Virgin Media by

implying that Virgin Media are not operating by fair conduct,
in fact, it doesn't exactly say that, but it's implied. It
says that there's a real chance that it might happen
unfortunately. The next paragraph uses reassuring language to
tell the reader what Sky will do if this happens.
Analysing different types of writing Page 4
By Adisa Nicholson Unit 46
Scientific
Opinion is divided over whether passive smoking actually
kills. According to the government, 5800 people died from
passive smoking in 2005. According to Imperial College London,
some 3600 people die from illnesses caused by passive smoking
and a further 749 die yearly from passive smoking at work.
According to the London Health Observatory, 10,500 people aged
over 35 every year in London and that smoking causes 22-27% if
all male deaths. Here’s a quote from the LHO, *A smoking ban
in public places would save more lives than are lost every
year in road accidents, campaigners say. “A ban in pubs, bars
and offices would save 4,800 lives a year in England, Wales
and Scotland against 3,400 road deaths.” It is linked to cot
deaths and increases the risk of cancer by 24%. This is why we
have gone “smokefree”. However the tax on cigarettes brings
in £7 billion a year.

All this scientific writing is interested in is using findings

of research to show facts and figures. What it then does is
state action that can be done with those findings such as
“stop smoking” or “fund more research”.
Analysing different types of writing Page 5
By Adisa Nicholson Unit 46
M4: Use examples to analyse the different types of
writing used in health and social care.

Ethical
Text on abortion and euthanasia is pretty much written in the
same way. It's written in the same factual style. What's
different is that euthanasia is much a bigger issue than
abortion, so the debate is less divided. People know where
they stand with abortion, but not so much when it comes to
euthanasia. The abortion text I used also goes more political.
Here's a quote from the text. “Moves to cut the abortion time
limit from 24 weeks have been resoundingly rejected by MPs
after a highly-charged Commons debate”. It's still an ethical
topic though, otherwise the MPs wouldn't have to think about
reconsidering the abortion time limit cut. The pro-life
supporters are so extreme that they're working in abortion
clinics for the sole purpose of refusing people abortions. It
works, otherwise it wouldn't be on Times Online, and it makes
it harder for a person to get an abortion locally.

Both articles talk about human rights and ethical issues.

About how life is precious, that it's a gift from God, and
that we should not choose to take it away.

Persuasive
I'm using a Food 4 Thought campaign run by the British Heart
Foundation and supported by The Guardian to compare against t
the Sky's letter. Its aim is to make parents get their kids
eating right. It uses positive and encouraging language. It
uses words such as try this, give the kids, even if it's just
once a week and “”We all know” that a healthy well-balanced
diet should include at least five-a-day fruit and vegetables.”
Everything is made to be as user friendly as possible.

For one, one is corporate, one is not. One wants you to part
with your money, one does not, it instead wants you make some
lifestyle changes.

The Food 4 Thought campaign gives no criticism, implied or

not. It also is a very positive article, and doesn't attempt
to make light out of a bad situation. It focuses onto the
future, looking ahead, and making the right lifestyle choices
such as signing a petition, or using extra lean beef with
spaghetti bolognese. It does not say that if you don't make
these choices, your kids may get heard disease; as we all know
what the British Heart Foundation campaigns against.
Everything said is meant at face value and should be taken
that way.
Analysing different types of writing Page 6
By Adisa Nicholson Unit 46
References

Ethical
http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_1839545.html?menu=

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/article5315633
.ece

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/video/Assisted-Suicide-At-Dignitas-
Briton-Craig-Ewert-Has-His-Death-In-Switzerland-
Filmed/Video/200812215176023?
lpos=video_Article_Related_Content_Region_1&lid=VIDEO_15176023_Assist
ed_Suicide_At_Dignitas
%3A_Briton_Craig_Ewert_Has_His_Death_In_Switzerland_Filmed

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/UK-News/Multiple-Sclerosis-Sufferer-
Debbie-Purdy-Loses-High-Court-Case-Over-Assisted-
Suicide/Article/200810415132166?
lpos=UK_News_Article_Related_Content_Region_8&lid=ARTICLE_15132166_Mu
ltiple_Sclerosis_Sufferer_Debbie_Purdy_Loses_High_Court_Case_Over_Ass
isted_Suicide

http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_2862666.html

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article545008.ece

Journalistic
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/medical_notes/default.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/262462.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7851082.stm

Reflective
http://www.patientopinion.org.uk/opinion.aspx?opinionID=15419

Persuasive
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:SkyAdWhole2.png

http://www.guardian.co.uk/food4thought/healthy-eating-kids

http://www.guardian.co.uk/food4thought/vital-statistics

Scientific
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/1474440/Reid-accused-over-passive-
smoking-report.html

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-322437/Report-confirms-
passive-smoking-fears.html

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3752744.stm

http://www.metro.co.uk/home/article.html?
in_article_id=5524&in_page_id=1