Content Analysis of a Travel piece

It was time for another Travel lecture and yet again, I thoroughly enjoyed it.  

We carried out a content analysis of a travel article, which was great as I was able to apply several of the analytical techniques from my English Literature A-level. Discussing approaches and structures that go into producing an article whilst bearing in mind a specific target audience, was helpful when the writer of the piece, later revealed, was my lecturer. He said it’s important to question where the journalistic compass lies and how it’s come about; reasons for the purpose of the piece and so forth. 
The use of people and quotes bring the piece to life. It’s as if the reader is there experiencing what the people are like and who they are.

Also, I mentioned the idea of sentence structure when describing the Italian cook, as being long, descriptive, fluid and almost lyrical lines to represent the musicality of the perception which some people have of Italians and the language; also later achieved through including some of the names of Italian dishes, sounding melodic to the ear.   
 
There may be a niche in the travel market for the travel piece you’re either reading or writing, where a specific angle is presented. Then again, elements such as descriptions or creating a sense of place may set a backdrop to the piece and at the same time, may be included to set the mood. The writer must focus on the certain kind of person, target audience, which their piece will appeal to and thus must write accordingly.

In analysing my lecturer’s travel piece, I noticed that he had decided to employ a delayed drop introduction, where the central theme or topic being discussed was not immediately apparent. It was only in the third paragraph that the sense of place, as in geographical location, was introduced, followed with several descriptions.  

It was clear that the writer was presenting the idea of ‘hedonism’, later looking up its definition to mean: the belief that pleasure is the most important in life. The continuous use of positive imagery helped out with the wonderful descriptive language of the writer, as well as the comparison between the experiences you have on holiday as opposed to those at home, all successfully demonstrated the idea of tranquillity on this holiday.