Question
Analyse the social representations in Source A and Source B.
Apply Hall's theories about representation in your answer.
1st. Review the markscheme for this type of question.
- What phrase from the question are you going to repeat in your answer?
- What does this phrase actually mean?
2nd. Review the markscheme again.
- What is the first thing you are going to write about in your answer?
3rd. Use the points below to help you write the first paragraph. Try to be succinct.
- Post your paragraph in the comments section below.
- Hall points out that there is no 'true' meaning, but that a representation can generate many meanings.
- Hall theorises that meaning is constituted by what is present, what is absent and what is different.
- Hall implicates the audience in creating meaning.
- Hall explains that power (hegemony) tries to 'fix' a preferred meaning through stereotyping.
SOURCE A: The Guardian - November 25th 2021
Source A:
Image: In the foreground, there is a representation of a woman carrying one child and holding another. Her body language and facial expression have been selected to show her extreme fatigue. Behind her the British border force can be seen, but they are turned away, so remain faceless. At least two men are visible in the background, but the image does not dwell on them.
Anchoring Text: The anchoring text reads: A mother helps her children onto the beach at Dungeness after being rescued in the channel yesterday.
Paragraph:
The Guardian encode a message of support for the refugees. The social representation of a "mother" and "her children" is established by the anchoring text, which denotes that the woman that is present in the foreground of the image is the mother of the two children that she is carrying and holding hands with. The selected image constructs a stereotypical representation of a migrant woman as being fatigued by her journey, and the word "rescued" attempts to fix a preferred meaning that she (and women like her) need help and support from the UK authorities. The social representation in the image includes two males who also seems to be migrants, but they are absent from the centre of the image which contributes to the Guardian's attempt to stereotype refugees as being women and children. This is different to the hegemonic social representation of small boat migrants as 'fighting age men' which is often shown in the right wing press, and conforms to the Guardian's left wing messaging.
riley reynolds
ReplyDeletestuart halls theory about representation is great, he beleives that there is no true meaning about whatever is bieng representated, however a representation can generate many meanings. for example a newspaper cover using differnt social groups can create many meanings of the situation. and stuart hall theorises that meaning is constitued by what is present and what is absent and what is different. for example a representation of a crime thats commited ona newspaper, the use of different social groups can create many stereotypes and meanings ,which stuart emphasies.
mid
DeleteThe daily express displays a message of anger towards French police doing nothing to stop the ‘smugglers’. The social representation of the smugglers is established by the anchoring text, which conveys hatred and that smugglers are bad people that should be stopped and locked up. The selected image constructs a stereotypical representation of the French police being useless because we can see present migrants ready to complete their illegal mission, and absent is the French police stopping them. And instead they are just uselessly sat in a high tier vehicle watching a crime. This is different to the hegemonic representation of police as they are stereotypically represented to be heroes that save people and stop crime, however in this image the anchoring text of- ‘getting away’ Implies otherwise.
Deleteriley reynolds - 2nd part, the Gaurdain
DeleteThe gaurdian encode an extremley negative and use strong emotive langauge within the headline. the present voilent langaude displays the social representation of the dangers that come with refugees missions, however absent from the headline is positive langauge which is streotypically different from what people want to see as no one wants to know/hear about more 'trageties'. but the gaurdain inbed the fixed preffered meaning to be that refugees bring nothing posotive and just cause crisis's and choas, this is almost similar to the hegemonic representation of reugees as all that is spoken or heard about them is negative.
riley reynolds- 2nd part, Daily Express
Deletethe Daily Express encode a negative message within the headline that implies the social representaion of the french police to be completley usless. this is because we can see present in the headline the use of 'smugglers' which is a criminal term, but absent is us bieng told the french police stopping them, which is entirley different from the hegemonic representation of policeas they are meant to stop crime and be heroes, howver this juxtaposes from the fixed preffered meaning from Daily Express, as they are displaying the police to be compleyley useless in the headline. the known stereotype of police is different from the headline which is why it brings our normal social representation of police to confusion and wondering why the police are not doing thier known job.
6/10 You did a really good job of analysing the Daily Express here and I am especially impressed by your use of Hall's theory. However, you need to re-read what you wrote about The Guardian. You have misunderstood the underlying messaging of The Guardian, which is definitely in support of refugees. It's a tough one to remember, but left wing commentary is usually pro migrant and it definitely is in this case.
DeleteMR. HAYWOOD
ReplyDeleteHall explains that meaning in a text arises from what’s present (e.g. what they choose to show us), absent (e.g. what they deliberately omit), and different (e.g. what is unique about the way a story is framed). He claims that audiences shape meaning through their own interpretations, so the ideological position of the target audience will influence their interpretation of the messaging. He also claims that power (hegemony) uses stereotyping to "fix" preferred meanings; for example, depicting social groups negatively to reinforce dominant narratives.
Hall explains that meaning in a text arises from what’s present (e.g. what they choose to show us), absent (e.g. what they deliberately omit), and different (e.g. what is unique about the way a story is framed). He claims that audiences shape meaning through their own interpretations, so the ideological position of the target audience will influence their interpretation of the messaging around the representation of social groups. He also claims that power (hegemony) uses stereotyping to "fix" preferred meanings; for example, representing social groups either positively or negatively to reinforce dominant narratives.
DeleteGeorge Eales
ReplyDeleteHalls theories on representation attempt to depict the absence of ‘true’ meaning while simultaneously introducing ideas of interpretation and the idea that a representation can hold many meanings, hall brakes down this theory into three main factors, being; what is present, what is absent and what is different, these categories allow us to attempt to find the meaning of specific representation, or one meaning, finally hall explains that hegemony tries to ‘fix’ a preferred meaning, in other words hall tries to explain that people or publishers can use hegemony to reinforce specific representations
George Eales
DeleteIn source B, the daily express attempts to depict these shown refugees in an unwanted and negative manner by rendering them as ‘smugglers’ while simultaneously portraying the French police as both useless and ineffective, via the use of the anchoring text, stating that the ‘French police do nothing’ in an attempt to sway both, our opinions of the French police and how we view them. The daily express utilises its dominant right-wing narrative in order to impose a stereotypical view on these refugees as unwelcome and intrusive in an attempt to employ feelings of disapproval or aversion towards them and furthermore reinforce our feelings of dislike toward the French police.
George Eales Edited
DeleteIn source B, the daily express attempts to depict these shown refugees in an unwanted and negative manner by rendering them as ‘smugglers’ while simultaneously portraying the French police as both useless and ineffective, via the use of the anchoring text, stating that the ‘French police do nothing’ in an attempt to sway both, our opinions of the French police and how we view them. The daily express utilises its dominant right-wing narrative in order to impose a stereotypical view on these refugees as unwelcome and intrusive in an attempt to employ feelings of disapproval or aversion towards them and furthermore reinforce our feelings of dislike toward the French police, this opposes the hegemonic representation of the police and their stereotypical representations of justice and heroism .
George Eales
DeleteOn the cover of this paper The Guardian utilizes the sub headline ‘Five women and one girl among victims’ to encode a stereotypical left wing depiction of this social group as helpless and in need of support, this is reinforced via the final section of the headline of the paper stating that it is a ‘refugee crisis’ ,once again encoding a sense of distress and importance, in an attempt to fix the preferred meaning in which we sympathize and show support for these migrants. In the cover image of this paper The Guardian have decided to make present a distressed mother holding a child in one hand and dragging another child along with the other in order to reinforce The Guardians left wing narrative while simultaneously criticizing the UK government via the use of the anchoring text ’charities urge UK government to save lives’. This coincides with the Daily Express left wing criticism of the French police force and overall once again imposes feelings of distress and sympathy toward the migrants while concurrently employing a dislike toward the government and their lack of help.
5/10 You've done a decent job here of analysing the Guardian's messaging around the representation of the migrants, but you need to push yourself to do the same about The Daily Express. It is vital that you are fairly even in your approach to both texts. Also, remember that The Express is a right wing paper and will tend to be anti migrant.
DeleteStuart Hall as a theorist raised the idea that representation has no true meaning, rather it can infer multiple meanings through the things present, absent and different. Hall argues that the media used by society has far too much of an influence and can reinforce ideologies in negative ways. Hall preaches that the audience is responsible for generating their own meanings which defeats the stereotyping often found through media.
ReplyDeleteThe Daily Express encode their right-wing perspective on the lack of control of migration on behalf of the French Police through their use of anchoring text in the statement ‘PM: smugglers getting away with murder’; This also refers to the social representation as the government and the migrants are established in the image which presents migrants entering a dinghy as the French police observe with no sense of foreseeable action. The selected image and the context given stereotypes the French police into being futile when it comes to the governance of their career and the migrants into being desperate individuals categorised into one group. This article demonises the act of migration and criticises the French police department which contrasts the idea of maternal female migrants in The Guardian who present their left-wing perspective of migration through social representation and the anchoring text provided.
DeleteAmelia Jones:
ReplyDeleteStuart Hall's theory refers too the impact the media can place on an individual when having an understanding for the world and certain stereotypes. Hall created an understanding that media implicates a distorted meaning for reality. Hall argues that the audience can take specific responsibilities for referring to political, economic and/or institutional control.
DeleteThe Daily express news is a right wing organisation that tries to use their article as a deterrence from the migrants and supporting the French government/police. This idea/the social representation is conveyed through the anchoring text ‘do nothing’ and ‘as another’ This creates this representation through the dismissal that there were any efforts to stop the migrants. In the back ground of the image we can see the police truck stationary and not moving to do something as more migrants attempting to enter the uk, as we can see in the foreground of the image. The word ‘smugglers’ gives a bad social representation for the migrants as right wing is against people entering the country. This creates a bad social representation due to the negative connotations of how they are committing a crime and fleeing.
Marina Sander Rodrigues
ReplyDeleteHall argues that representation does not have one true meaning, but instead can be understood in different ways. He breaks this idea into three parts: what is shown, what is left out, and what is contrasted. These points help us look for possible meanings in a representation. Hall also explains that hegemony tries to “fix” one preferred meaning, meaning that people or media can use it to strengthen certain views or images.
He breaks this idea into three parts: what is shown (present), what is left out (absent), and what is contrasted (different)
DeleteJonas Lederer
ReplyDeleteHall's theory of representation suggests that there is no single "right" meaning in media texts. Instead, meaning is shaped by what is present, what is missing, and what is different. People who watch or read actively interpret these representations, but groups with more power use this influence—what we call hegemony—to establish preferred meanings, often using stereotypes. This means that representations in newspapers or the media are not neutral; they are purposefully crafted to influence audiences in specific ways.
The Daily Express encodes a message of hostility and urgency towards irregular migration by foregrounding the tragedy of the Channel drownings. The anchoring headline, “SMUGGLERS GETTING AWAY WITH MURDER,” positions the deaths of 31 migrants as the direct responsibility of criminal gangs, while simultaneously framing the UK government as justified in adopting a tougher stance. The social representation of migrants is constructed through the emphasis on “a young girl and five women” among the dead, which evokes sympathy but is overshadowed by the dominant narrative of threat and criminality. Unlike the Guardian’s focus on mothers and children as vulnerable figures, the Express marginalises individual identities and instead highlights the scale of the crisis and the culpability of smugglers, reinforcing a hegemonic right‑wing discourse that frames small boat crossings as a security issue rather than a humanitarian one.
DeleteStuart Hall argues that there is no, 'true' meaning in representation. He theorizes that meaning is shaped not only by what is present in a representation but also by what is absent and what is different. These theorizes suggests that the audience in creating meaning. Hall explains that power know as hegemony, tries to 'fix' a preferred meaning through stereotyping.
ReplyDeleteHall says that meaning in a text comes from what is shown, what is left out, and how the story is framed. He believes audiences give their own interpretations, depending on their ideology. He also explains that power uses stereotypes to keep preferred meanings in place, often showing some groups negatively to support dominant ideas. From Geovana S.
ReplyDeleteMillie Kelly: Stuart Hall's theory on representation explains how there is no 'true' meaning and true meaning is created through how something is represented. This can be seen through language, images, signs and stereotypes. Hall theorises that focusing on what is present, absent and different can construct meaning for the audience and allow them to have their own interpretations on the representations.
ReplyDeleteEVIE-MAE HULLS
ReplyDeleteStuart Hall’s polemic belief suggests media reflects and distorts our reality, so there is no ‘true’ meaning. Hall theorises that audience and the power of hegemony try to ‘fix’ what is the intended message through stereotyping, creating their own meaning. This is achieved due to what is present (what the creator has chosen to show), what’s absent (what's been purposely removed) and what’s different (compared to others what makes this piece of media unique).
Geovana Soares da Silva -
ReplyDeleteHall's theory posits that no representation has a single, fixed meaning, instead, it generates multiple meanings based on what is present, absent, and different, with the audience actively involved in constructing these meanings. Hegemony, or power, attempts to "fix" a preferred meaning by using stereotyping to control interpretation.
Hall also says that meaning in a text comes from what is shown-PRESENT, what is left out- absent, and how the story is framed- different. He believes audiences give their own interpretations, depending on their ideology. He also explains that power uses stereotypes to keep preferred meanings in place, often showing some groups negatively to support dominant ideas...
DeleteZOE DAVIES
ReplyDeleteStuart Hall says that a representation of something could generate multiple different meanings, and that there is no one true meaning. He states that meaning can be interpreted using what is present in front of us, what is absent, and what is different. He implies that the audience should be in charge of creating their own meaning, and that there is no set way in how they should see the representation. However, he says that your interpretation can easily be influenced by hegemony, and how certain powerful groups can attempt to push you into thinking in a different way than you originally had been
Kiera Malyn - The Daily Express encodes a message of a strong distaste for the French police for standing by in their car whilst a group of refugees set off to the UK. The foreground of the image shows a couple dozen migrants boarding a dinghy whilst a French police vehicle in the background does nothing to stop them. The social representation of the migrants all appearing to be male and conforming to a similar dress code across each person is that men are stereotypically the ones to do the working and manual effort. The use of “yet another” in the anchoring text when describing the migrants’ boat taking off implies a tone of exasperation at the number of migrants leaving the country, but also an implicit sense of disappointment at the lack of duty being carried out by the officers in their car. Furthermore, the headline of the newspaper, PM: SMUGGLERS GETTING AWAY WITH MURDER, immediately catches the audience’s attention and tells us off the bat how the Prime Minister feels about these immigrants coming into the UK.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteThe Daily Express is aiming to convey the message to warn people about smugglers. The social representation of the large group of migrants trying to escape France to go to England is created using the anchoring text, ‘French Police sit in their car as migrants launch yet another boat.’ This emphasizes that the French Police are careless and are not willing to stop this from happening. Further analyzing the emphasis on ‘yet another boat’ highlights that this hasn’t just happened once and is a common recurrence, and this represents a fixed meaning.
The image selected reveals a stereotypical representation of what migration looks like and the distress that comes with it. The social representation of the image shows a large group of men with a similar appearance, who are positioned at the Centre of the frame. In contrast, the French police are absent, as only their car is visible. This absence could be the Daily Express’s way of reinforcing the idea that the French police are unwilling to intervene. By framing the migrants as the focus and minimizing the presence of authority, the newspaper constructs a representation that blames French inaction.
Charlotte fletcher
DeleteThe Guardian encodes the message that support is needed for migrants coming to England. Through the headline “Tragedy at sea claims 31 lives in deadliest day of refugee crisis,” refugees are socially represented as victims, which evokes sympathy from the audience. The emotive language of “tragedy” highlights the situation as a humanitarian disaster rather than a political problem, shaping a preferred meaning of compassion and urgency. What is present in this representation is the suffering and vulnerability of the migrants, while what is absent is any idea that refugees are a threat or a burden.
DeleteIn contrast, A different newspaper, such as the Daily Express, might instead construct an alternative meaning that focuses on border control or migrants as a problem, showing how representations vary across the press. This is because the Daily Express is a part of the right-wing political view.
The Daily Express headlines “PM: Smugglers getting away with murder” present a very different social representation. Instead of portraying refugees as victims, the focus shifts onto smugglers as dangerous criminals and the government’s failure to control borders. Here, migrants are largely absent from the narrative, and the crisis is represented through the viewpoint of crime and political weakness rather than humanitarian need. The hegemonic meaning is that migration is seen as a security problem, making readers view it as a threat to the country and believe the government must take tougher action.
8/10
DeleteThe quality of writing and understanding of the theory is definitely worth full marks here. My concern is that you are straying away from analysing the second source in the way you did the first. Review and see how many examples you explicitly used. If you can correct that element you will get full marks because you write beautifully.
Geovana Soares da Silva -
ReplyDeleteThe Daily Express conveys a message about the inefficiency of French police, highlighting their inaction as another boat opens fire on the UK, allowing smugglers to escape, as was mentioned in the article, as the anchoring text that says- just watching: French Police sit in their cars as migrants launch yet another boat... The social representation depicted likely involves a group of men attempting to flee by boat, potentially linked to a violent crime, as suggested by the headline. The image shows one of the men in the group, likely migrants—while in the background, a police vehicle is seen with officers passively observing the crime from their car.
The image also perpetuates a stereotypical representation of migrants as criminals, with the use of the term "smugglers" and "murder" reinforcing the idea that refugees are a marginalized, criminalized group within society, attempting to fix a preferred meaning.
The Daily Express conveys a clear message of disapproval toward the French police, who are depicted as passive, remaining inside their vehicle while a group of migrants sets off for the UK. In the image, dozens of migrants — mostly men wearing similar clothing — are seen boarding an inflatable dinghy in the foreground, while the French police vehicle in the background takes no action to stop them.
ReplyDeleteThe social representation of the migrants, all male and with a uniform appearance, reinforces gender stereotypes, suggesting that men are typically associated with physical labor and manual effort.
The phrase “yet another,” used in the image caption, reveals a tone of exasperation at the frequency of such events, while also subtly criticizing the inaction of the French authorities.
Furthermore, the bold headline — PM: SMUGGLERS GETTING AWAY WITH MURDER — immediately captures the reader’s attention and clearly reflects the Prime Minister’s strong stance against illegal immigration and the criminal networks responsible for smuggling people.
Marina Sander Rodrigues
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteIn source B, The Daily Express encodes a message of strong distaste for the French Police and migrants travelling across the channel. The social representation of the French police is distinguished by the anchoring text, explicitly telling the viewers that the ‘French police do nothing as another dingy sets off for the UK’, as seen in the image’s background, allowing the smugglers to ‘get away with murder’. The terminology used in the title and anchoring text such as ‘murder’ and ‘smugglers’ also constructs these people in negative light, further increasing the stereotypical representation of migrants for readers of The Daily Express. By also choosing to present the migrants in the image to be all male (unless carefully looking), The Daily Express attempts to fix a right-wing preferred meaning of uniformed men journeying with purpose, looking for work ‘as yet another dinghy’ travels to the UK. By making women and children appear absent in the image, it feeds into the hegemonic social representation of small boat migrants as ‘fighting age men’, not women and children who might need help and support from the UK, conforming to The Daily Express’ right-wing messaging.
ReplyDeleteEvie-Mae Hulls
DeleteIn Source A, The Guardian tries to fix a preferred meaning that migrants need support. By encoding in their banner headline language such as ‘deadliest’, ‘crisis’ and ‘tragedy’, The Guardian denotes just how serious the situation is, showing morality, and creating sympathy or worry from their readers. Use of serif font also connotes and instils a sense of seriousness, furthering the hegemonic social representation that migrants need support, in the left-wing Guardian. In the pull quote ‘now is the time to end the cruel tactic of seeking to punish or push away those who seek safety here’ it's highlighted by a red background. This red captures the viewers' attention, making a sense of urgency, pushing the viewers of The Guardian to take action. However, in The Guardian, there is a clear absence of men being discussed, for in the sub-heading, ‘five women and one girl among victims’, there is a clear presence of females. This can relate to Stuart Hall’s theory on how the media stereotypes reflect the wide view of society, and that they may even shape the social attitudes specifically towards migrants. In this scenario, the Guardian want us to believe that migrants are stereotypically women, who are viewed societally as the ‘weaker’ sex and no cause for concern, and children who are meek and naive, so they are in need for assistance.
DeleteHowever, comparing The Guardian to the right-wing publication The Daily Express, there are very different social representations. The Daily Express attempts to encode and fix a preferred meaning of strong distaste for the migrants travelling to the UK. The deliberation of typography being larger than the image, highlights how the Daily Express wants the viewers first impression of the article to be negative towards both the French police and the migrants. This negative imagery is brought upon by language in the headline ‘PM: Smugglers getting away with murder’. Before even reading the story or seeing these people in the images, the viewers will have already decided that these people are bad and have committed a serious crime, because of the tone of the title, and how it begins with ‘PM’, meaning they may interpret and create the meaning that this is what they think the Prime Minister believes as well...
9/10
DeleteI think you are within striking distance of full marks here as you clearly understand the theory and how to apply it. There is a nice ease of style and clear answering of the question. I particularly liked the phrase: "The deliberation of typography being larger than the image." I have never used deliberation in that way before and it's lovely to see language used in such an apposite fashion. I'm probably being pernickety because you've genuinely done enough for full marks, but I'm guessing the ellipsis is an admission of incompleteness? If not, give yourself ten. If so, just use a full stop and I probably won't notice.
The Daily Express encode a message against the smugglers and French police. The social representation of the mostly male ‘migrants’ and the ‘French police’ in the background is established by the caption ‘Just Watching: French police sit in their car as migrants launch yet another boat,’ denoting that the group of men, that are present, carrying the dinghy central image are migrants, with the hefty vehicle in the background belonging to the French police. The larger caption reads: ‘French police do nothing as another dinghy sets off for UK.’ This indicates to the audience that the Daily Express explicitly wants you to know that the French police did nothing as the migrants set off for the UK, especially with the French police vehicle in the background doing nothing. The selected image constructs of a hegemonic stereotypical representation of ‘fighting age migrant men’ being seen as a ‘threat’ whilst a ‘mother’ who is a ‘migrant’ carrying her child is absent from the centre image, hiding the stereotypical representation of a migrant woman being fatigued from her journey needing help from the government to care for her children.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteMillie Kelly:
ReplyDeleteIn source B, the newspaper chooses to focus on representing the male refugees who are present in the image, representing them negatively as ‘invaders’ to the UK. The publication only choosing to represent the men of the image and making the female refugees absent from the image conforms to The Daily Express’ right- wing ideology. Also, it shows the messaging of the newspaper as being against refugees by choosing to only represent the male refugees and attempting to make them seem ‘dangerous’. As well as this, the newspaper encodes a message of opposition against the French police and authorities. This can be seen through the anchoring text which explicitly implies that The Daily Express are against the actions of the French Police. The image creates a stereotypical representation of the French police as ‘useless’ and ‘weak’, again showing the right-wing messaging of the newspaper in an attempt to fix the preferred meaning.
Millie Kelly: The headline of The Guardian encodes a clear message of support for the refugees seeking asylum. The Guardian attempt to fix the preferred meaning of the audience by coming off as reliable, trustworthy and serious and creating sympathy for the refugees through the use of the sans serif font. As well as this the choice of the words, ‘tragedy’ and ‘crisis’ in the headline make the audience feel pity especially for the social representation of the ‘mother’ in the selected image, showing The Guardian’s left-wing ideology. The pull quote being red represents danger and creates a sense of urgency in the audience, again encoding pity and sympathy for the social representation of the refugees. Which contrasts to The Daily Express’ right-wing messaging and how they encode opposition through their social representation.
DeleteThe Daily express however encodes an explicit opposition to the refugees and also the French police and authorities. The use of the word ‘murder’ from the headline, stereotypes the smugglers negatively and highlights The Daily Express’ right-wing messaging which attempts to fix the hegemonic meaning of the audience, representing the smugglers as ‘enemies’ to the UK as they have helped the refugees seek asylum. Also, the use of the headline being a quote from the Prime Minister shows how many people are opposed to the refugee crisis , attempting to fix the preferred meaning of the audience by having someone of high importance commenting on the crisis, representing the refugees as ‘dangerous’.
For Millie:
Delete8/10 I particularly like how succinct this is and the clarity of expression. I'd like to see a slightly wider range of examples and more thorough use of Hall to reach even higher. Remember, present, absent and different. Solid analysis. Good understanding of the idea of fixing preferred meaning.
The Daily Express encode their right-wing perspective on the lack of control of migration on behalf of the French Police through their use of anchoring text in the statement ‘PM: smugglers getting away with murder’; This also refers to the social representation as the government and the migrants are established in the image which presents migrants entering a dinghy as the French police observe with no sense of foreseeable action. The selected image and the context given stereotypes the French police into being futile when it comes to the governance of their career and the migrants into being desperate individuals categorised into one group. This article demonises the act of migration and criticises the French police department which contrasts the idea of maternal female migrants in The Guardian who present their left-wing perspective of migration through social representation and the anchoring text provided.
ReplyDeleteZoe Davies
ReplyDeleteThe Daily Express encodes a message of dislike for the migrants, disguised as being worried about their safety. The social representations of ‘French police’ and ‘Migrants’ are established by the anchoring text, it implies the idea that they are both against each other, as the police, present in the background, are told to stop the migrants from leaving. We see that they are not doing what they were told to by the government, which would cause anger within a right-wing audience. The image and the phrase ‘do nothing’, constructs a stereotypical representation of French police being useless. It attempts to fix a preferred meaning that the French police don’t take things seriously. In the headline, we are told that Smugglers have 'gotten away with murder', which immediately catches the audience's attention, and turns us against them. The social representation of the image shows a group of people, mostly men, all dressed in uniform, which could be mistaken as an invasion. Everyone’s faces are unclear, or absent, which could be the Daily Express’s way of dehumanising these people, and to contribute to the ‘migrants are invading’ hegemonic stereotype. This conforms to the Daily Express’s right-wing messaging, which is different to the Guardian’s viewpoint, as they want the audience to pity the refugees.
Kiera Malyn - The Guardian encodes a message of sympathy for the migrants in their banner headline ‘Tragedy at sea claims 31 lives in deadliest day of early refugee crisis’. The use of the word ‘tragedy’ invokes a sense of morality in the reader, hooking them in to read the article further. This agrees to their left-wing views on migration. Language in the headline, such as ‘refugee crisis’ and the alliteration of ‘deadliest day’, help to emphasise the seriousness of the situation at hand. By using these techniques, they attempt to fix a preferred meaning that refugees and migrants are (usually) innocent people who want somewhere safer to live. On the contrary, the Daily Express encodes the implication that all refugees are criminals in their headline ‘PM: SMUGGLERS GETTING AWAY WITH MURDER’. By using a quote from the Prime Minister, The Daily Express manages to hook the reader into reading further with their articles as the Prime Minister is likely someone the people would trust and therefore lean towards agreeing with his/her opinion. The Daily Express choose to leave out the details of the event that took place during the refugees’ escape, which, as mentioned in The Guardian’s sub-heading, took the lives of ‘five women and one girl’ among others, instead focusing on the ideology that all refugees are capable of a crime, explicitly calling them ‘smuggler’ getting away ‘murder’. The social representation of the migrants who ‘launch yet another boat’ implies that this is a recurring problem that, with their right-wing views, The Daily Express believes is a big problem.
ReplyDelete8/10 There is some really strong analysis here. I would like to see you be a little more thorough with your use of examples, to use social representation more than once and to use present, absent and different in your response. That said, really good analysis and clear expression.
DeleteZoe Davies
ReplyDeleteThe Guardian encode a message of sympathy and empathy for the refugees. The social representation of the present, ‘women’ and ‘girls’ in the subheading intentionally leaves the men absent. This could potentially be The Guardian’s way of presenting the stereotype that women and children are more important than men within a society, and should always be put first. The second subheading states that Charities urge the government to ‘save lives’, which implies that they weren’t doing that in the first place. From a left-wing perspective, this could be interpreted as an insult to the right-wing government, and how instead of blaming themselves for the deaths of these helpless refugees, due to their ignorance, they are blaming the refugees for attempting to get to safety, which shows no empathy. The phrase ‘safe routes’ creates a fix preferred meaning of the right-wing government, and their carelessness towards these people, which conforms to the left-wing view of The Guardian newspaper. The pull quote, used to attract the reader’s attention, states that we should stop punishing refugees who have been through enough. It uses the word ‘tactic’ which implies that the government are dehumanising these people, and are too blinded by their competition with each other, to realise that these are human beings who just want a safe place for themselves and their families. This is different to the Daily Express’s view, who seem to want to turn everyone against the asylum seekers.
The Daily Express encode a message of unfair blame towards the refugees. The social representation of ‘Migrants’ within the subheading, surrounded by a red box, could indicate that the newspaper is attempting to present this as a warning to other refugees, or other people and that refugees trying to make it to the UK is a bad idea. They act like they are concerned for their safety, but had no empathy for them while they were powerless and at risk of death in their own countries, which is left absent. The phrase ‘deadliest day’ implies that they choose to blame anyone, even the weather, but themselves for the deaths of these people, which shows they care more about reputation than actual lives. They attempt to fix a preferred hegemonic meaning of migrants: that they are not intelligent for coming to the UK. This conforms to the right-wing views of the newspaper, which seem to be that they are willing to let people die to prove a point. These views are different to the Guardian, who want people to help the asylum seekers, and prevent as much death as possible.
9/10 This is really strong analysis and your expression is excellent. Be careful about letting your own ideological bias colour your interpretation because you are in danger of adding in details that are not available in the newspapers. That said, you stay on this side of things enough for a really good score and cover a solid range of ideas in a very clear and precise way.
Delete
ReplyDeleteThe Guardian encodes a message of worry and urgency to help migrants. It socially represents them as ‘victims’ in its first sub headline, choosing to present ‘five women and one girl,’ conforming to the hegemonic stereotype of migrants being vulnerable and helpless in the left-wing view. It’s second sub headline reads “Charities urge UK government to save lives by opening safe routes for asylum seekers.” The Guardian chooses to present ‘Charities’ as charities help those in need, again conforming to the left-winged preferred fixed stereotype that migrants are fatigued from their journey and need help from the government to survive. It also utilizes the word ‘urge’ to demonstrate the immediate importance of helping them.
The Daily Express encodes a message against the smugglers, migrants, and French police. Its social representation of smugglers being murderers is clear in its massive headline “PM: SMUGGLERS GETTING AWAY WITH MURDER” that immediately captures the audience’s eyes. Because this is likely the first thing the audience will read, it immediately puts the right wing’s hegemonic and preferred fixed representation of migrants being ‘dangerous’ and ‘heartless’ in the audience’s mind before they get the chance to read on. It chooses to present them as ‘murderers’ whilst choosing not to present the vulnerable side of them being exhausted and vulnerable after their long journey for this reason. The sera font further indicates the seriousness that the right-winged newspaper believes should be matched with this matter.
9/10 I'm especially impressed by the way you included reference to the impact of the typography here, but I am going to be a little bit nasty with my marking because you need to get the terminology spot on - It's serif not sera. That said, lovely expression and very succinct. A great job. Very thoughtful.
DeleteGeovana Soares da Silva -
ReplyDeleteAbout the source A – The Guardian:
The Guardian’s headline, “Tragedy at sea claims 31 lives in deadliest day of refugee crisis,” immediately frames the story with compassion. As Stuart Hall suggests, media texts encode preferred meanings, and here the word “tragedy” encourages an emotional response from the reader. The subheading, “Five women and a girl among dead,” draws attention to vulnerability, while the absence of men shows how the paper highlights certain identities. Another subheading calls on the government to “save lives by opening safe routes for asylum seekers,” signaling criticism of authorities. A pull quote in red about “cruel tactics” reinforces a sense of injustice, and the image of a mother with children anchors the story in human suffering. Following Hall, the audience is positioned to take a dominant-hegemonic reading: refugees are victims who deserve protection.
About the source B – Daily Express:
By contrast, the Daily Express headline, “PM: SMUGGLERS GETTING AWAY WITH MURDER,” frames the situation as a crime, creating urgency and fear. Hall would argue that this fixes a preferred meaning, presenting migration as dangerous. The subheading in red, “migrants launch yet another boat,” emphasizes repetition and threat, while the text criticizes French police for “just watching,” portraying authorities as weak and absent. Unlike The Guardian, this coverage omits refugee vulnerability and encodes hostility. The audience is positioned to adopt a dominant-hegemonic reading that migrants are a problem that must be controlled.
Now, comparing the two, Hall reminds us that news does not simply reflect reality but constructs it through language and framing. The Guardian emphasizes compassion and government accountability, while the Daily Express highlights fear and blame. Both report tragedy, yet the meanings they encode for the audience are completely different.
10/10 There are things you could do to make this absolutely perfect, in particular doggedly focusing on using Media Studies terminology EVERY SINGLE TIME, but it is still highly analytical and beautifully written. It would definitely get a very high score in an exam. I like how you kept it clear and succinct. Nicely done.
DeleteMarina Sander Rodrigues
ReplyDeleteText 1: The Guardian encodes a message of sympathy and empathy for the refugees. The Guardian’s front page headlines the incident with the phrase "Tragedy at sea claims 31 lives in deadliest day of refugee crisis", immediately framing the event as a humanitarian disaster. The use of the word "tragedy" evokes sympathy and emotional resonance, drawing attention to the human cost of the crisis rather than focusing on blame. The social representation of the present, ‘women’ and ‘girls’ in the subheading intentionally leaves the men absent. This may reflect The Guardian’s intention to reinforce the stereotype that women and children are more vulnerable and deserving of protection, suggesting they should be prioritized in society. The second subheading mentions that charities are urging the government to "save lives", which subtly suggests that the government has failed to do so up to this point. From a left-wing perspective, this can be seen as a criticism of the right-wing government's handling of the refugee crisis, implying that, rather than acknowledging their own responsibility in the deaths of vulnerable refugees, they shift the blame onto those simply trying to reach safety. The use of the phrase "safe routes" reinforces a preferred reading: that the government is indifferent or even negligent towards the needs of these people. This framing aligns with The Guardian’s left-leaning stance, portraying the government as lacking compassion and moral responsibility. Finally, in the pull quote, from the Refugee Council, “Now is the time to end the cruel tactic of seeking to punish or push away those who seek safety here”, directly criticizes governmental policy, using emotionally charged language such as “cruel” and “punish” to position refugees as victims of systemic injustice. This representation fosters empathy in the reader and encourages moral responsibility, aligning with The Guardian’s liberal editorial stance.
Text 2: The Daily Express encodes a message of unfair blame for the refugees. The word ‘Migrants’ (social representation) in the subheading, highlighted within a bold red box, can be interpreted as a visual warning, suggesting that attempts to reach the UK are dangerous or unwelcome. While the newspaper appears to express concern for the safety of migrants, it noticeably lacks empathy for their suffering in their countries of origin, where they faced life-threatening conditions. This absence of context shifts focusses away from the humanitarian crisis. The use of the phrase ‘deadliest day’ seems to deflect responsibility from the government, implying that external factors, are to blame, rather than policy failures. This suggests a greater concern with protecting political image than with saving lives. The paper attempts to promote a dominant narrative that portrays migrants as naïve or misguided for trying to reach the UK. This perspective aligns with the Daily Express’s right-wing ideology, which appears more focused on control and deterrence than compassion, even at the cost of human lives. In stark contrast, The Guardian advocates for support and protection of asylum seekers, aiming to prevent further tragedies.
9/10 This is beautifully written, thorough and very thoughtful. Now, consider what you could take out while still doing all the things needed to achieve a 9 or 10, and push yourself to include ALL of Stuart Hall's terminology (fix preferred meaning).
DeleteThe Guardian encodes their liberal view by portraying the fixed preferred meaning in their heading ‘tragedy at sea claims 31 lives in deadliest day of refugee crisis’ to resemble the overlooked traumas surrounding migration. The headline also refers to the social representation of refugees being placed in risky scenarios to have the potential of reaching safety, however the heading provides a realistic, unglamorous situation. The subheading ‘five women and one girl among victims after inflatable dinghy sinks during channel crossing’ provides the present meaning which is the social representation of the refugees being survivors of a major risk and the difference between The Guardian’s view and The Daily Express’s view which is a right-wing perspective against the rights of refugees.
ReplyDeleteThe Daily Express encode their conservative view in their headline ‘PM: smugglers getting away with murder’ which provides the fixed preferred meaning that migrants are acquired criminals not supported by the government. Alongside the headline, the subheading ’31 migrants drown in deadliest day for channel crossings’ portrays the present meaning which is the social representation of the migrants committing risky and detrimental actions according to right-wing journalists. However, the absent meaning in this piece of media is the morally sympathetic aspect towards the refugees travelling in dangerous ways to get a slight chance of safety which discards The Daily Express of getting sales to left-wing individuals. Finally, the different meaning is the opposition between The Daily Express and The Guardians political opinions as they approach the situation of migration with contrasting ideologies.
6/10 There is a lot to like here and you have clearly given a lot of attention to terminology, but work on clarity of expression. The simpler your expression the better. For example:
ReplyDeleteThe subheading ‘five women and one girl among victims after inflatable dinghy sinks during channel crossing’ provides the present meaning which is the social representation of the refugees being survivors of a major risk and the difference between The Guardian’s view and The Daily Express’s view which is a right-wing perspective against the rights of refugees
Look at the difference:
The subheading, “five women and one girl among victims after inflatable dinghy sinks during channel crossing,” makes present the social representation of refugees as mostly woman and children who are vulnerable survivors of danger, while constructing a meaning different from The Daily Express’s right-wing framing, which positions refugees in as unsympathetic are mostly male.