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 to 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 Gerbner's theory.
The Big Issue - launched in 1991 in response to the growing numbers of homeless people in the street - offers the homeless the opportunity to earn an income through selling a magazine to the public. Vendors buy the magazine for £1.25 and then proceed to sell it for £2.50, making each seller a mini-entrepreneur who is working and not begging; allowing The Big Issue to give them"a hand up not a handout" - this meaning to help them earn money for themselves and not just give the money to the homeless. The big issue aims to deliver social and financial inclusion by supporting Big Issue vendors in the self-help process of buying and selling magazines. Social exclusion is a short-hand term for the way that problems such as unemployment, poor skills, poverty, bad housing, living in a high-crime area, bad health and family breakdown that can link together to make it tough for people to get what they need to improve their situation. The generosity and support of their donors over the last 12 months has enabled their network of Service Brokers to support over 1,050 Big Issue vendors to become financially independent and successfully start re-integrating back into mainstream society. A few of the positive outcomes that have happened include; improved finances and money management, achieving personal sales and goals, rehousing into a suitable accommodation, progressing into employment and volunteering opportunities, gain access to health and wellbeing services, progressing into education and training, improving relationships and achieving personal aspirations, successfully obtaining official ID, and accessing addiction treatment.
The Big Issue highlights the importance of war veterans and the homelessness through their Issue 1332 - Still at War. War veterans become homeless in many ways, one being that they have relationship issues, another could be due to them having Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), which could have led them to alcoholism or drug use. When soldiers come out of the war, they tend to feel depressed, like there is no one there for them and cast aside to rot. However, on the other hand, the right winged newspapers represent the homeless in a negative light, wanting to kick them off the streets and not have them around. Due to this being in the newspaper, and the public reading it a lot, the public will start to believe this due to Gerbner's theory.
Issue 1332: Still at War is a remembrance special which is about homeless veterans and the amazing people who are helping them. Inside the magazine, there are articles from Dan Snow - who talks about the reality of PTSD and why society is failing generations of ex-service personnel - and Roger Daltrey - who talks about what he'd say to Keith Moon if he was able to have one last conversation with him - and also has a brand new food column, questioning the audience on whether they can ditch plastic packaging without giving up the foods everyone loves?
When veterans come out of the war, they feel depressed, like there is no one there for them, cast aside and left to rot, feel as though they have no understanding or compensation. They also feel as if there is no net to catch them, and they have to start looking for jobs and houses. Veterans tend to become homeless due to having a relationship breakdown due to their PTSD (Post Dramatic Distress Disorder) and have alcohol or drug problems. When on the streets, living without a home, the veterans feel cold, wet and lonely; living without money for food and having to wait for their benefit payments to come through, meanwhile going from shop to shop trying to find some way to warn as much money as they can. Even though the law states that the council should help those veterans who are struggling to get a home, many think that the 'should' must be turned into a must. Unfairly, if there are no visible things that are wrong with the veterans, it is believed that they shouldn't get helped by the council as there doesn't seem to be a thing wrong with them. On the other hand, if there are any visible problems or disabilities with the veteran, it becomes a high priority that they get helped and receive the treatment that they need.
On the front cover, green has been used in the centre of the image to represent the helmet that soldiers wear when they are out and serving the country. The green could portray being healthy and earthy; however, the green could also represent the protecting the mind, healing themselves, having self-awareness. The green also has another layer of annotations with the army linkage - being camouflaged, invisible and hidden from (and in) the civilian life. The black and white of the skin could portray the mystery, fear, unhappiness, sadness, remorse and protection that the soldiers feel when they are at war. The fact that it is the skin that is not coloured and void of emotion proves that as soldiers, they are not allowed to show their emotions - that they are just meant to embrace it and not show anything. The anonymity of the figure could show that they are not important and therefore are not seen by those around them. The red poppy is a sign of peace, remembrance of those who have lost their lives in the war, and is worn by everyone around the time of remembrance day. The red colour could show the strength, power and violence that happens during the war. The fact that there is a poppy in the top right next to The Big Issue title represents what was found in Flanders Field after the war; it is a reminder of the bloodshed, giving sympathy to them. By having the eyes covered, it could represent the fact that the man is just a soldier - a number in the system - there is nothing special about them. It could also portray that they can only see war and nothing else - only see fighting and are unable to adjust to civilian life.
All over the front cover, there is text that each has different meanings. "The Battle for Peace of Mind" portrays the soldiers that have been battling to bring peace to their own mind and to the mind of others and spread the message that there is no more danger. Directly in the middle, "war" is in capital letters, by being large and big it represents the danger that is all around and makes it clear that it is a real threat. The use of "still" shows that the war hasn't stopped and it is constantly around. The way that "still" has a black background evokes the idea that it is never-ending. "Fighting for futures" shows that the soldiers are fighting for the future generations - their children, grandchildren and so on - allowing them to have a better life and make they're future a better one. "Rebuilding lives" proves that the soldiers are fighting a war to help humanity rebuild itself and possibly make a better place. "Still at War" evokes a feeling that even after the war that the veterans have fought, they continue to fight their own war inside their minds and essentially outside with trying to find homes.
The Big Issue - launched in 1991 in response to the growing numbers of homeless people in the street - offers the homeless the opportunity to earn an income through selling a magazine to the public. Vendors buy the magazine for £1.25 and then proceed to sell it for £2.50, making each seller a mini-entrepreneur who is working and not begging; allowing The Big Issue to give them"a hand up not a handout" - this meaning to help them earn money for themselves and not just give the money to the homeless. The big issue aims to deliver social and financial inclusion by supporting Big Issue vendors in the self-help process of buying and selling magazines. Social exclusion is a short-hand term for the way that problems such as unemployment, poor skills, poverty, bad housing, living in a high-crime area, bad health and family breakdown that can link together to make it tough for people to get what they need to improve their situation. The generosity and support of their donors over the last 12 months has enabled their network of Service Brokers to support over 1,050 Big Issue vendors to become financially independent and successfully start re-integrating back into mainstream society. A few of the positive outcomes that have happened include; improved finances and money management, achieving personal sales and goals, rehousing into a suitable accommodation, progressing into employment and volunteering opportunities, gain access to health and wellbeing services, progressing into education and training, improving relationships and achieving personal aspirations, successfully obtaining official ID, and accessing addiction treatment.
The Big Issue highlights the importance of war veterans and the homelessness through their Issue 1332 - Still at War. War veterans become homeless in many ways, one being that they have relationship issues, another could be due to them having Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), which could have led them to alcoholism or drug use. When soldiers come out of the war, they tend to feel depressed, like there is no one there for them and cast aside to rot. However, on the other hand, the right winged newspapers represent the homeless in a negative light, wanting to kick them off the streets and not have them around. Due to this being in the newspaper, and the public reading it a lot, the public will start to believe this due to Gerbner's theory.
Issue 1332: Still at War is a remembrance special which is about homeless veterans and the amazing people who are helping them. Inside the magazine, there are articles from Dan Snow - who talks about the reality of PTSD and why society is failing generations of ex-service personnel - and Roger Daltrey - who talks about what he'd say to Keith Moon if he was able to have one last conversation with him - and also has a brand new food column, questioning the audience on whether they can ditch plastic packaging without giving up the foods everyone loves?
When veterans come out of the war, they feel depressed, like there is no one there for them, cast aside and left to rot, feel as though they have no understanding or compensation. They also feel as if there is no net to catch them, and they have to start looking for jobs and houses. Veterans tend to become homeless due to having a relationship breakdown due to their PTSD (Post Dramatic Distress Disorder) and have alcohol or drug problems. When on the streets, living without a home, the veterans feel cold, wet and lonely; living without money for food and having to wait for their benefit payments to come through, meanwhile going from shop to shop trying to find some way to warn as much money as they can. Even though the law states that the council should help those veterans who are struggling to get a home, many think that the 'should' must be turned into a must. Unfairly, if there are no visible things that are wrong with the veterans, it is believed that they shouldn't get helped by the council as there doesn't seem to be a thing wrong with them. On the other hand, if there are any visible problems or disabilities with the veteran, it becomes a high priority that they get helped and receive the treatment that they need.
When veterans come out of the war, they feel depressed, like there is no one there for them, cast aside and left to rot, feel as though they have no understanding or compensation. They also feel as if there is no net to catch them, and they have to start looking for jobs and houses. Veterans tend to become homeless due to having a relationship breakdown due to their PTSD (Post Dramatic Distress Disorder) and have alcohol or drug problems. When on the streets, living without a home, the veterans feel cold, wet and lonely; living without money for food and having to wait for their benefit payments to come through, meanwhile going from shop to shop trying to find some way to warn as much money as they can. Even though the law states that the council should help those veterans who are struggling to get a home, many think that the 'should' must be turned into a must. Unfairly, if there are no visible things that are wrong with the veterans, it is believed that they shouldn't get helped by the council as there doesn't seem to be a thing wrong with them. On the other hand, if there are any visible problems or disabilities with the veteran, it becomes a high priority that they get helped and receive the treatment that they need.
On the front cover, green has been used in the centre of the image to represent the helmet that soldiers wear when they are out and serving the country. The green could portray being healthy and earthy; however, the green could also represent the protecting the mind, healing themselves, having self-awareness. The green also has another layer of annotations with the army linkage - being camouflaged, invisible and hidden from (and in) the civilian life. The black and white of the skin could portray the mystery, fear, unhappiness, sadness, remorse and protection that the soldiers feel when they are at war. The fact that it is the skin that is not coloured and void of emotion proves that as soldiers, they are not allowed to show their emotions - that they are just meant to embrace it and not show anything. The anonymity of the figure could show that they are not important and therefore are not seen by those around them. The red poppy is a sign of peace, remembrance of those who have lost their lives in the war, and is worn by everyone around the time of remembrance day. The red colour could show the strength, power and violence that happens during the war. The fact that there is a poppy in the top right next to The Big Issue title represents what was found in Flanders Field after the war; it is a reminder of the bloodshed, giving sympathy to them. By having the eyes covered, it could represent the fact that the man is just a soldier - a number in the system - there is nothing special about them. It could also portray that they can only see war and nothing else - only see fighting and are unable to adjust to civilian life.
All over the front cover, there is text that each has different meanings. "The Battle for Peace of Mind" portrays the soldiers that have been battling to bring peace to their own mind and to the mind of others and spread the message that there is no more danger. Directly in the middle, "war" is in capital letters, by being large and big it represents the danger that is all around and makes it clear that it is a real threat. The use of "still" shows that the war hasn't stopped and it is constantly around. The way that "still" has a black background evokes the idea that it is never-ending. "Fighting for futures" shows that the soldiers are fighting for the future generations - their children, grandchildren and so on - allowing them to have a better life and make they're future a better one. "Rebuilding lives" proves that the soldiers are fighting a war to help humanity rebuild itself and possibly make a better place. "Still at War" evokes a feeling that even after the war that the veterans have fought, they continue to fight their own war inside their minds and essentially outside with trying to find homes.
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