Analysis

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Comparison and Analysis of News Articles
On November, 9th 2016, both Mail Online and the Guardian wrote articles Russian warships driving away a Dutch Submarine that was shadowing their fleet in the Mediterranean. To understand the articles in detail, this paper discusses both articles, comparing and analyzing them. The analysis and comparison will be done in five ways by looking at the following: headlines and pictures, direct and indirect speech, naming, implied reader and the conclusion.
Headlines and Pictures
The Mail Online has made use of a headline that provides detailed information about the contents of the article. The headline talks of a Russian warship driving away a Dutch submarine. This provides information that the reader may expect in the following parts of the article. It gives the reader the specifics of the article, Russian warship driving away a Dutch submarine, thus contributing to an educational tone of the headline. This headline is also long and does not make use of a particular technique to draw the reader’s attention. Rather, it relies solely on the reader’s interest to get them reading.
The Guardian has a headline that is broad, just like the one from the Mail Online. The headline is also educational, meant for an audience that is already interested on the topic, rather than an audience that should be drawn. Right from the start, the reader knows what to expect of the article as the heading provides a canvas for what comes next.

As opposed to the Mail Online, the Guardian incorporates a sub-heading on their article. This sub-heading is meant to give the reader a scoop of the story by reporting what was said by the Russian Defense Spokesman. This is an attention grabber, as the reader will want to know what caused the Defense Spokesman to speak what has been reported.
Both articles incorporate the use of pictures in their articles. The Mail Online uses a picture of Vice Admiral Kulakov, the Russian Navy destroyer while on patrol in the Mediterranean. This is one of the Navy destroyers that drove away from the foreign submarine as detailed in the article. The Guardian, on the other hand, makes use of a picture of Admiral Kuznetsov, Russian aircraft carrier that was being shadowed by the Dutch Submarine. Both pictures are an emphasis on what is in the article and give the article an appeal.
Direct and indirect speech
The Mail Online sets off the article by indirectly reporting what the Russian military said concerning what they did to the Dutch submarine and when they did it. A case of reported speech can also be seen where the article reports the Defense Ministry spokesman’s speech about how far (11 nautical miles) the intruding submarine was spotted from Admiral Kuznetsov and its escorts. The two instances are examples of facts stated through the use of reported speech. The use of facts in such a scenario is for emphasis of the information as it increases the credibility of the report. The spokesman’s speech is also incorporated in the article when it is reported that he said that the Dutch made a clumsy attempt. In this case, the article is stating an opinion, as this may not be what the Dutch thought about their move on the Navy carrier. The article also makes use of reported speech when noting what a NATO official said regarding their customary monitoring of Russian fleet in the past weeks. This particular instance was significant to divulge information to the public while protecting the informant’s need for anonymity.
The Guardian also displays several instances where it makes use of reported speech, just like the Mail Online article. The report made of the Dutch submarines being 20km away from the Navy carrier, which in the Russian Defense spokesman’s words, is a clumsy attempt. The two cases of reported speech are a statement of fact and opinion respectively. Regarding direct and indirect speech, the two articles match up, both using a fair share of reported speech to bring meaning to the articles.
Naming
Modifiers are words, clauses or phrases which work as adverbs or adjectives to describe or make the meaning of a word more specific. Instances, where modifiers have been used, can be seen in both articles. The Mail Online article, for example, makes use of a modifier as an adjective where the article talks of a “clumsy attempt.” The word clumsy, in this case, is an adjective that modifies the noun, attempt. Another instance where the use of a modifier is seen is where the article uses the phrase, drove away [a] [Dutch] submarine. ‘The’ is a modifier in this case, and ‘Dutch’ is an adjective as a modifier.
The article by the Guardian also has the use of a modifier in the case where in the first paragraph, there is the phrase, “the destroyers had tracked [the] submarine for more than [an] hour”. In this case, both ‘the1’ and ‘an’ are modifiers. Another example is seen in the case where the NATO official’s speech is reported as having said that they have been monitoring the fleet in the past weeks in a [measured and responsible] way.’ Measured’ and ‘responsible’ in this case act as adjectives that describe the way in which the monitoring has been happening.
Implied Reader
The implied reader refers to the function of the article, even though it is not represented therein. This reader is supposed to exist merely in the author’s imagination. In the case of the Mail Online, the readers are expected to be able to make their judgments on who to support between the Russians and the Dutch and NATO people. The reader is supposed to be able to see the actions of the Russians of driving the Russian submarine away as either rational or not. The readers are expected to be aware of factors such as international law and what is right or wrong in light of the same information. The reader is therefore supposed to be neutral, with no specific stand when it comes to the facts stated. The context of the article is rather formal and therefore, the reader is expected to be able to understand this very nature. He should be able to be satisfied with the information given as there are missing details, such as how the Dutch submarine was prompted to leave. The reader of this article is also expected to have some simple knowledge of the military workings of the countries, that is, Syria, Russia, Denmark and the United States.
The implied reader of the article by the Guardian is somewhat the same as that of Mail Online. This reader should have an emotional attachment to one of the countries mentioned and which can be affected as a result of the on-goings in the Mediterranean. This reader is also expected to have a neutral stand on the occurrences, just as the author does in his arguments. He does not take sides. The reader is expected to be in a formal context, as the article addresses a pertinent issue for several countries. The implied reader of the article is supposed to have simple working knowledge of the relationship between the countries that can be affected by the interaction that was stopped by Russia.
Conclusion
The articles by the Mail Online and the Guardian are both comprehensive and inclusive. They cover an important part of recent news and happenings in the Mediterranean waters. The articles comprehensively cover what happened when a Dutch submarine was spotted near a Russian aircraft carrier. The paper has analyzed various aspects of both articles to bring about a comprehensive understanding of the relationship between the headings and subheadings, the use of direct and indirect speech, the use of modifiers and adjectives and the implied reader. After an analysis of the above aspects in both articles, it can be concluded that the articles are cohesive in nature, defining the recent happenings and discussing the various responses that have arisen since the Dutch submarine was spotted by the Russians. Through the readings, the implied reader of the article is revealed as one who is informed and who is well aware of the recent happenings. The articles, therefore, have achieved their aim in divulging information and doing it in a comprehensive manner.