You will create an essay on issue 1332
of the Big issue: Still at War. You will analyse the
media language and media representations associated with the front cover.
As part of the essay you will need to
discuss the social and political contexts which have lead to a rise in homelessness in overall and in particular within the veteran community
You will also discuss how newspapers (right wing and Big Issue) vary in the way the represent homelessness. As part of your arguments you are required to use Gerbners theory.
The issue 1332 of the Big issue : Still at war represents the problems in our country's laws and the rise in homelessness. The big issue chose to highlight this issue as is a subject that the public are more likely to agree to help with. This is because the veterans have risked their lives, shed blood and have given up a lot for us to have the safe country we live in today. Also it is easier to generalize this group of homeless people as we have a better idea of why they are homeless. Where as if it was a group of refugees, there could be so many reasons why they are homeless. The big issue is a left wing newspaper, meaning they have highlighted these issues and seen the importance of providing for their own country and making sure everyone is equal. This contrasts to a right wing paper like the Daily Mail who- due to being capitalist- exaggerate their view more and sometimes manipulates the reader rather than telling the truth. This is known as the Gerbners theory. The definition of the Gerbners theory is that heavy
viewers and readers are exposed to more violence and therefore are effected by the Mean
World Syndrome, the belief that the world is a far worse and dangerous place
then it actually is.This means how a wider range of readers are more susceptible to believing things they may read in The Daily Mail than they are The Big Issue.
On the front cover, the biggest words are the title "STILL AT WAR". This wording shows how the homeless veterans have no escape from war. This could resemble the mental problems they are left with like PTSD or how they are at war with housing companies trying to live a life they deserve. The colours of the title are black and white. This could be trying to convey to the reader that it is a simple story that isn't complicated, like the saying "its in black and white".
The only bits of colour on the front cover is the red of the poppy and the army green on the hat and the subtitles at the top right. This could highlight how even back at home, all they see is the memory's of the army and the redness of the blood shed in front of them. This links with how the colours are on the helmet. The memories are still in their brain and that's the only part of the uniform they are wearing as they still need protection from their own brain. This could be trying to present to the readers that even more damningly than the homelessness, desperately mentally ill ex-servicemen and women still scarred by the horrors and demons of foreign wars, are waiting up to two years for medical help and therapy under the Government approved channels. This is also presented my the wording of "The battle for peace of mind back home" and how they are struggling to cope with their mental health problems on the long wait to get help.
Underneath that writing is another line saying "Rebuilding lives, Fighting for futures". Both of this lines are covering the eyes of the soldier. The fact that its covering the eyes could symbolize that he is not special and is just another civilian. This is shoeing how Veterans who have no physical health problems are not prioritised on the Housing list even after serving our country and giving up s lot to keep us safe. For example, Les, who was honoured for his heroics in the 1982 Battle of Goose Green, was homeless for six months after suffering post-traumatic stress disorder. Les says, “I became too scared to go to sleep and began drinking heavily. I was medically retired form the prison service. My world collapsed and I was homeless. I slept in my van for six months and felt unable to talk to anyone. But eventually I got help.”
The only bits of colour on the front cover is the red of the poppy and the army green on the hat and the subtitles at the top right. This could highlight how even back at home, all they see is the memory's of the army and the redness of the blood shed in front of them. This links with how the colours are on the helmet. The memories are still in their brain and that's the only part of the uniform they are wearing as they still need protection from their own brain. This could be trying to present to the readers that even more damningly than the homelessness, desperately mentally ill ex-servicemen and women still scarred by the horrors and demons of foreign wars, are waiting up to two years for medical help and therapy under the Government approved channels. This is also presented my the wording of "The battle for peace of mind back home" and how they are struggling to cope with their mental health problems on the long wait to get help.
Underneath that writing is another line saying "Rebuilding lives, Fighting for futures". Both of this lines are covering the eyes of the soldier. The fact that its covering the eyes could symbolize that he is not special and is just another civilian. This is shoeing how Veterans who have no physical health problems are not prioritised on the Housing list even after serving our country and giving up s lot to keep us safe. For example, Les, who was honoured for his heroics in the 1982 Battle of Goose Green, was homeless for six months after suffering post-traumatic stress disorder. Les says, “I became too scared to go to sleep and began drinking heavily. I was medically retired form the prison service. My world collapsed and I was homeless. I slept in my van for six months and felt unable to talk to anyone. But eventually I got help.”
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