commentary of news paper articles

How does the article inform and entertain its reader? 

The article is by the Daily Mail and was titled...

 

The moment Tesco security guard accused a shopper of STEALING a basket after she used it to carry her groceries to her car to avoid paying for a 5p plastic bag 

The title informs the reader what the article is about by the large title that goes straight to the point and gives a short version of the story, this attracts the reader and intrigues them to wonder what happened next once the 'thief' was caught.

By using photos of the scene and the victim in the advent it allows readers to get a better insight in the article and to see what the people looked at. A video is also on the news article which allows readers to watch to see exactly what happens, this is entertaining for the reader as they don't have to read the whole story and so they are kept engaged in the news story.

Bullets points are used to show useful information for the reader, this allows them to gather information without reading through the whole article.

The History Boys 

Compare two different teachers from 'The History Boys' and explore the way they are presented in the text by Bennett using quotations and references to linguistic techniques.

The History Boys was written by Alan Bennett and is set in a grammar school in the North of England in the 1980's where its centers around eight sixth form boys who are all applying for oxford. They  have three teacher and a head teacher to prepare them in a term for the exam to get into oxford.

The two teachers Hector and Irwin both teach so differently. Bennett presents Hector as a person who is liberated and doesn't follow authority when teaching however Irwin is shown as someone who is young and tends to just teach facts as well as trying to prove something to the boys.
When we first meet Irwin he is in a wheelchair in his forties, showing a person who knows how to manipulate people and doesn't show his true self, this foreshadows what happens later on. The first encounter with Hector is when he is on his motorbike where he is undressed item by item by the eight boys, showing how he is a open book to the boys yet the boys but the items back on him, relating to how he touches the boys as if they have seen too much and would like to keep boundaries.

Bennett represents Herbert as someone who is fun and has a very free classroom, his relationship with the boys is mostly positive. He uses a linguistic technique to show hes more of a friend than teacher who guides them through life this is done by Herbert speaking french to the boys. Because he says "..token of my trust" to the boys and uses a ironic tone to explain why he hits them which also shows their relationship which is very jokey and isn't very professional. Where as Irwin's style of teaching shows hes very young and there isn't a 'good' relationship between him and his student mainly because there is no respect this is shown by saying "Don't take the piss. There isn't time" by saying the word piss this shows his age and how young, unprepared he is.

Irwin's teaching is aimed at just getting the boys into Oxford, learning the facts and doing well in the exam. This is shown by him questioning Herbert's teaching and the boys knowledge "How come you know this all by heart? (baffled, shouts) Not that it answers the question" He only wishes to know the information that answers the exam questions which will enable them to pass. This also shows how his teaching classes with Hectors and how the relationship is completely different.

Herbert's view of the education system is shown through out, he believes his lessons help guide the boys life and make them better people not to just learn information just to pass exams. He admits to his fault and his teaching " If, heaven for fend, I was ever entrusted with the timetable, I would call these lessons a waste of time" Herbert says what many are thinking such as Irwin and this also shows how their teaching are completely different.

Commentary of newspaper articles

The news story I have chosen is about a woman who was presented as someone who 'stole' a basket from Tesco as refused to pay the 5p charge for a plastic bag. The reason why the reader wants to read this story is because its a very laughable and unrealistic story of stealing which doesn't happen very often.

The moment Tesco security guard accused a shopper of STEALING a basket after she used it to carry her groceries to her car to avoid paying for a 5p plastic bag 

Firstly, the heading has the word stealing in capitals to catch the readers attention and encourage them to read the news article, the reason for this is because people are naturally curious who love drama and to be entertained with surprising scenarios. Also the heading gives a whole overview of the title, allowing readers to have a short story of the whole news paper article. I find the title is eye catching as many people have many complaints about the 5p charge and has caused a lot of aggravation.

 Secondly, Daily mail has adverts, other news articles and links that are covered around the page so its a very busy page with a lot of color and bright colored words. To catch the readers eye the Daily mail uses a bold heading, pictures and even a YouTube video of the actual scene to draw the readers attention to ensure the reader is fully interested in the story.
  layout of the article is to allow the reader to understand the article and to catch their eye, after the heading there are a few bullet points to give a few key facts about the article like her age, what happened to the individual, that she filmed the accuser and also what Tesco has said about baskets being taken and what's allowed.

Furthermore I have found that the Daily mail had enlarged miss Smiths quote of the reason why she had took the basket, in the quote the verb humiliated is used to exaggerate the embarrassment miss Smith had said to felt this is the articles way of convincing the reader that it wasn't miss Smiths fault and encouraging the reader to be on the 'poor' shoppers side. Throughout the article direct speech is used to express the shoppers terrible experience 'I hadn't even got to my car when the security guards chased me and then grabbed my basket and wouldn't let go,' she said. The article uses direct speech to allow Miss Smith to explain through her own words the incident that had happened.


The 6 photos in the article allow readers to see who was involved in the incident and what had happened with a caption for each.

The video shot by Miss Smith shows the moment she was confronted by the guards

 

Miss Smith filmed the security guards as one told her that customers were taking the baskets home with them

Miss Smith (picture) walked out of the branch with her shopping in the basket she was confronted by two guards who accused her of stealing

Shopper Khalia Smith, 21, was accosted by supermarket security staff after she used a basket to carry her groceries to her car to avoid paying the new 5p carrier bag charge

The daily mail then at the bottom of the news article explained when a person will be charged for a bag, explaining what the 5p charge was for. The article uses large capitals to catch the readers eye also because everyone likes to no when they can get out of being charged, this relates to the reader massively. Blue box catches the readers eye as the text is black with the white background so the reader is attracted to bright colors.

WHEN A PLASTIC BAG WILL AND WILL NOT COST YOU FIVE PENCE

Under the Government's new rule-book shoppers will not be charged for plastic bags which are used for:

• Uncooked fish;
• Uncooked meat and poultry;
• Takeaways;
• Loose seeds and flowers;
• Unwrapped blades, including axes, knives, and knife and razor blades;
• Prescription medicine;
• Goldfish;

The Government rules also list a series of bags which should not incur a 5p charge, including:

• 'Woven' plastic bags;
• Re-usable 'bags for life'; 
• Those used by dry cleaning or shoe repair shops;

Ministers have also tried to avoid the prospect of canny shoppers trying to avoid paying for their plastic bags. 

Under the new rules 'a bag can contain multiple items from this list and not incur a charge'. But they say: 'If the bag contains other items then you must charge.'

My Article

Because I'm Bristolian  By Taylor Clift- Chard

I love the city I live in. But I dislike it too.

The city I live in is so cultural, with many interesting achievements through out history. Where once the pirate BlackBeard was born and had lived, where John Cabot sailed from to 'discover' North America in 1497. However there are times in history this city is known for that makes me wish I wasn't from here.  Bristol was involved in a large slave shipping industry, a time in history no one wants to remember but can never forget. How ashamed I am to live in a city that was once involved in such a cruel act.

The accent I speak is judged by many, a farmer accent is how it is described yet this is what makes the city. Accents are a reminder of where we come from, something that will forever be with us even if we live on the other side of the world. So many stereotypes are about yet Bristol is a great city to live in, farmers we are not as we have made some brilliant achievements in history and some not so brilliant yet there is history that shows how real 'Bristolians' are.

My city is so vibrant, day and night. The day is so multicultural, filled with its vibrant colors and ethnicity where you can never escape the greenness.  At night the city is a great place to discover the party life or the real beauty of our views, to watch the sunset go down on Troopers Hill. How proud I am to say Bristol won the European Green Capital in 2015.

To have been born here is such a pleasure, to have explored the many parks we have, historical places and to see how history has made us the city we are today. I will forever have Bristol in my heart however to travel the world is a dream I can't forget and will achieve.