MaKenzie Ellis

Professor Biagi

ENC 2135

10 March 2021

Rhetorical Analysis of Artifacts Concerning the “Refugee Crisis”

A pressing issue in my major, Middle Eastern Studies, is the "Refugee Crisis." For this paper,

I want to use my major in Middle Eastern Studies to shed light on an issue I find myself very

passionate about. However, I want to dive into the issue regarding Syrian, Iraqi, and Afghanistan

refugees seeking asylum in the West by analyzing the two sources. “The refugee ‘crisis’ showed

Europe’s worst side to the world” by Hsiao-Hung Pai is a text-based artifact that was published

by The Guardian. Hsiao-Hung Pai describes the harsh reality the Westerners forced Syrian

refugees to endure through a news article. However, “Syria Children's Report: Interviews” by the

World Vision U.S. Media Relations is a recorded video of a young Syrian girl pleading for help

amidst the Refugee Crisis. This video is a non-text based source. While both artifacts address

the same issue and have a similar purpose, they differ in rhetorical analysis such as audience,

appeals, genre elements, modes and media, style and sources.

As 2010 rolled in, a new crisis arose. Millions of Syrians were being forced out of their

homes due to the Syrian Civil War that was resulting in death and displacement while affecting

the livelihood of many. The “Refugee Crisis” event was described as a crisis due to the millions

of Arabs who had to forcefully leave their home country due to armed conflicts. This presented

the Western countries with many issues and debates, such as "What do we do with all these

refugees?" After researching, I am hoping to show my readers not what the Refugee crisis is but
rather how two different sources inform and persuade their positions on this issue by using

rhetoric analysis.

First and foremost, the two artifacts have similarities and differences when looking at mode,

media, and constraints. At first glance, the obvious difference between the two is “Syria

Children's Report: Interviews” by the World Vision U.S. Media Relations transmits their message

in visual and audio forms. Due to the interviewing using more than one form it is considered to be

multimodal. In contrast, “The refugee ‘crisis’ showed Europe’s worst side to the world” by Hsiao-

Hung Pai transmits their message in the written or text based form. Looking at the artifacts

further, how the message is being delivered to the audience is comparable. World Vision U.S.

Media Relations and Hsiao-Hung Pai use the advantages of the digital form. Using the digital

form allows the artifacts to reach their audiences conveniently and for free. However using

digital forms creates constraints when trying to reach their target audiences. These constraints

include requiring their audiences to have access to the internet and devices in order to browse the

web.

The purpose of these artifacts are directly linked to their authors. The primary purpose of the

article by Hsiao-Hung Pai is to inform the reader about how unfriendly and unwelcoming

Americans and Europeans were in accepting the Syrian Refugees, who had no other place to go.

This is seen when looking at the publisher. The Guardian states that its purpose is to undertake

critical issues so that everyone has “access to accurate reporting with integrity at its heart” (Pai,

p.3). With this being said, it is evident that the reason The Guardian published “The refugee

‘crisis’ showed Europe’s worst side to the world” was because Hsiao-Hung Pai wrote with a

purpose to inform that is parallel to The Guardians. Similarly, the video by World Vision has an

underlying purpose to inform the audience of situations Syrian children are forced to undergo.

However the primary purpose of the video is to persuade the audience to give the World Vision
organization money or donations. This is recognized when you focus on what the World Vision

organization does. World Vision is a Christian based humanitarian organization that focuses on

“tackling the causes of poverty and injustice” (New Report by Syrian Refugee Children Reveals

Fear, Violence and Uncertainty in Host Countries, Fisher). With that being stated, it is apparent

that the organization needs donations from its audience in order to fund relief for those who are

facing poverty or injustice. Thus, the purpose for displaying this video is to persuade the viewer

to give the organization money by uncovering the harsh life refugees undergo through a young

Syrian child.

Furthermore, the two artifacts have dissimilar audiences that they are trying to target. The

targeted audience for the article are Europeans and Americans. Specifically, the audience is

likely adults buying The Guardian publication or adults who regularly consume information

online. Adults who consume information online regularly can also be people who want to be

informed of all world issues. This is seen at the end of the article when Pai states “We can join

them by fighting for the regularisation of people’s immigration status – but also by challenging

the system that enables their marginalisation and racial segregation” (Pai, pg 3). The author is

asking the audience to do actions that can only be done by adults in words and language that only

mature adults understand. Also, the author is encouraging and wanting American and European

adults to be informed of refugee events that are happening in their countries. On the other hand,

the video by ًWorld Vision has a targeted audience of people who have disposable income to give

to their organization. Humans have basic emotional and nurturing responses, thus this

organization targets the people who respond well to emotional events and feel the need to send

donations or money to the World Vision. This is noted when on their website it says “every

penny counts...we maximize your impact” (New Report by Syrian Refugee Children Reveals
Fear, Violence and Uncertainty in Host Countries, Fisher). By saying this, the organization wants

the reader to take in the information of a crisis and give the World Vision a donation so they can

solve the issue at hand.

Additionally, the article mainly relies on logos while the video uses pathos to appeal to the

viewer. The article “The refugee ‘crisis’ showed Europe’s worst side to the world” by Hsiao-

Hung Pai builds trust between the author and reader by appealing to logic, also known as logos,

with the use of citations and sources. This is seen throughout his article. On one page alone he

cited evidence from the European Union, Italy’s minister Marco Minniti’s agreement with Libya

in 2017, and NGO search and rescue activities (Pai, pg. 2). Since people are rational beings,

appealing to the rational mind with research and evidence is the best way to convey to your

reader that what you are saying is backed up and logical. Since the author’s purpose is to inform

his audience, using evidence, examples, and specifics makes it more likely the reader will trust

what he is writing. In contrast, the video “Syria Children's Report: Interviews” by the World

Vision U.S. Media Relations heavily depends on using the emotional situation of Syrian children

so the view will donate money to their organization. This is seen throughout the video. However,

the most emotional situation of the video is towards the end. A young Syrian girl holds back

tears as she says “We want someone bigger than us, people in other countries to help us. We can

not take it anymore” (Syria Children's Report: Interviews, 00:01:11-00:01:23). The use of a child

crying out for help is directly linked to the purpose of the video and the World Vision

organization. The video is used as a way to emotionally tug at the viewer's heart by seeing a sad

child. As most people know a child that they care for deeply it is easy to relate to the video. The

World Vision purpose of the video is to get people to donate money to their organization. Now
that the viewer sees an example of who they are helping and can relate to the example, they are

more likely to donate money.

Overall, both artifacts shed light on the negative effects of the Refugee Crisis and have

similar stances, however when looking at the primary purpose, audience, appeals, and sources

there are many contrasts. The artifacts both give important information and facts that adults

should take into consideration when making decisions concerning important government

elections by using rhetorical tools to help persuade their stance. While the video was extremely

captivating, it is in my opinion that the article by Hsiao-Hung Pai did a better job at using

rhetorical tools and ultimately informing and appealing to the readers significantly. This is due to

Hsiao-Hung Pai adding a picture to his article to appeal emotionally to the audience as well as

using a multitude of sources and quotations to strengthen the integrity of his stance. While in

comparison, the video only uses the perspective of a young Syrian child to persuade the

audience. There are no outside sources to confirm or further appeal to the viewer. Additionally,

in my opinion the article by Hsiao-Hung Pai did a better job at using rhetorical tools by

appealing to a broader audience. By using a combination of appeals, the article can appeal to a

much broader audience. Using a free online newspaper publication to inform adults will reach a

lot more people than an organization that's purpose is to persuade people to give money to them.
 Works Cited

Pai, Hsiao-Hung. The Refugee ‘Crisis’ Showed Europe’s Worst Side to the World, 1 Jan. 2020,

syllabus.pirate.care/_preview/library/Hsiao-Hung%20Pai%20Pai/The%20refugee

%20'crisis'%20showed%20Europe's%20worst%20side%20to%20the%20world

%20(459)/The%20refugee%20'crisis'%20showed%20Europe's%20worst%20-%20Hsiao-

Hung%20Pai%20Pai.pdf.

Vision, World, director. Syria Children's Report: Interviews (1 of 6). YouTube, YouTube, 10

Mar.

2014, www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHnS2x-uDM0&t=83s.