Text: Extract from Human Rights Watch World Report 2014.
Before analyzing the text make sure to have a look at the following page for a better understanding of how to use the text to help you with your assessments: https://language-literature.com/sample-text-analysis-blog-posts/
Extract from page 5:
“Human Rights Watch defends the rights of people worldwide.
We scrupulously investigate abuses, expose the facts widely,
and pressure those with power to respect rights and secure justice. Human Rights Watch is an independent, international organization that works as part of a vibrant movement to uphold human dignity and advance the cause of human rights for all.
Human Rights Watch began in 1978 with the founding of its
Europe and Central Asia division (then known as Helsinki Watch).
Today, it also includes divisions covering Africa; the Americas; Asia;
and the Middle East and North Africa; a United States program; thematic divisions or programs on arms; business and human rights; children’s rights; disability rights; health and human rights; international justice; lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender rights, refugees, terrorism/counterterrorism; and women’s rights; and an emergencies program. It maintains offices in Amsterdam, Beirut, Berlin, Brussels, Cairo, Chicago, Geneva, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, New York, Paris, São Paolo, San Francisco, Sydney, Tokyo, Toronto, Washington DC, and Zurich, and field presences in 20 other locations globally. Human Rights Watch is an independent, nongovern- mental organization, supported by contributions from private individuals and foundations worldwide. It accepts no government funds, directly or indirectly.”
Some elements of this text to consider:
- FYI The whole report is massive – a 682 page PDF – and the extract above near the beginning of the report gives readers an overview of what Human Rights Watch is. The extract is aimed at people who are unfamiliar with HRW although many readers would already be quite familiar with the organization.
- The two paragraphs in the extract differ somewhat in tone and content. The first one makes use of adjectives (e.g. “scrupulously,” “vibrant”) while the second paragraph is more matter-of-fact.