My Big Fat Revision

With reference to your own detailed examples, explore the different representations of masculinity in the media today. Masculinity is represented widely by today’s media. Humans and objects can be represented as either masculine of feminine which forms our typical ideas of what it takes to be a man or woman. For example, a man is typically tough, muscular and dominant. There are very conventional films such as Skyfall and Spectre which are part of the James Bond film franchise which feature a traditional, stereotypical masculine hero. James Bond is a character who is strong both physically and intellectually, who is powerful and attractive, as well as independent. Bond objectifies women in order to assert his masculinity, as his power over his various ‘Bond girls’ makes the audience perceive him as the most important and dominant character. This is a very stereotypical and traditional representation of masculinity because it exaggerates the characteristics associated with men, sensatio...

Discuss the different ways audiences are positioned by your three main texts [30] Texts are constructed to the position the audience in a particular place. The relationship between the text and the audience is what will decide their responses. This essay will look at the different ways audiences are positioned by looking at Breaking Bad, Black Mirror and The Night Manager. Breaking Bad is about Walter White, a chemistry teacher who is diagnosed with cancer after his 50th birthday. He turns to crime, specifically making crystal meth to help his family. George Gerbner would say that the illegal acts in Breaking Bad which are glorified may encourage the audience to act in a similar way in the real world as they would have shifted perceptions of reality – in this case, crime being less detrimental than it actually is. This said, the audience of Breaking Bad are likely to have been exposed to drug use and violence in previous episodes of past seasons so are less likely to be shocked by what...