The Bribery Aisle: How Wal-Mart Used Payoffs to Get Its Way in Mexico
Close Reading
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/18/business/walmart-bribes-teotihuacan.html?hp&_r=0
David Barstow covers a corporate maneuver south of the border in his article The Bribery Aisle. The New York Times writer used syntax, details, and diction to paint a picture of corporate greed and shady transactions south of the border.
The format of this article is much like a report - from the secret service. The introduction, "SAN JUAN TEOTIHUACÁN, Mexico — Wal-Mart longed to build in Elda Pineda’s alfalfa field. It was an ideal location..." Um, do you have some sort of pipe dream for being a secret agent? "San Juan Teotihuacan, Mexico" - Generally, that appears on the screen after the opening credits to an action movie. And it only gets better from there. "The plan was simple..." really, it was. But stating it so dramatically somehow makes a simple payoff sound all the more sinister, and maybe even interesting. Obviously, corporate transactions aren't exactly headline news, but Barstow is determined to make this report into a full-blown investigation, and maybe even a screenplay. "The Story of the Altered Map" premiering on Nickelodeon at 8/7 Central. He even divides the article into 'episodes', as it were, with flashy titles such as "City of the Gods, An Altered Map, A Helpful Mayor, Getting By the Guardians (my personal favorite), A Gathering Protest, (and last but not least) Open for Business". Wouldn't those look great under the "Scene Selection Menu"?Specific details dehumanize Wal-Mart, and bring a rich sense of setting to the already well scripted narrative. "With its usual precision, Wal-Mart calculated it would attract 250 customers an hour if only it could put a store in Mrs. Pineda’s field." This personifies Wal-Mart as a cold, calculating figure, caring only about 250 faceless customers per hour, and no compassion for Señora Pineda. More crucial details, " Protesters decried the very idea of a Wal-Mart ... They contended the town’s traditional public markets would be decimated... Months of hunger strikes and sit-ins consumed Mexico’s news media" depict how opposed the local people are to Wal-Mart, making this a civil rights and culture issue as well as a business concern.
The specific words used to describe this 'operation' further paint a picture of a sneaky, greedy, merciless corporation 'exploiting' the local Mexican people. The article describes 'out-muscling protesters', implying that Wal-Mart did not have right on its side, but sheer bulldozing force. Also, 'vanquishing' small town markets makes the company sound like an evil wizard.
Rhetoric techniques like diction, details, and syntax can effectively engage a reader in an epic battle of zoning rights and technicalities, if done well. This article proved that, as well as used excellent work choice and detail to villainize Wal-Mart.
Emily,
ReplyDeleteYou have clearly dissected this article. For the most you had some great examples. I would have liked to see some stronger examples of dictions however the ones you have still fit in well. Other than that one thing, I think you did a really good job!
The added drama to a simple news article sounds interesting, and you describe the way the author organizes the "episodes" well, which could come across as confusing. I agree with Aishwarya that the diction paragraph is a little short compared to the rest, so try and balance it out a little more next time.
ReplyDeleteEmily, you really did do a good job dissecting the article. However, isn't this writing supposed to be more formal? Like, a formal, analytical essay? I agree with your analysis. The author is extremely overly dramatic, and the article does read like a report from the secret service. If I'm correct that it's a more formal piece of writing, though, I would advise going back and editing this to make it sound less informal.
ReplyDelete