style model AS

http://www.ted.com/conversations/10456/are_children_ready_to_make_de.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-11071156

As course work

Are teenagers forced to make life changing decisions at a too young age ?

At age 14 teenagers are made to pick 5 GCSE's which ultimately change their life. Just after two years in secondary school you are forced to chose what way your career will go, is this too early? at age 16 the filtering process continues when you have the option of what A levels you take for the next two years. This makes the career path even narrower for students. Finally at 18 you go to university to study one subject at degree level this will finalise your career choice and set up your life from there.

GCSE's are hard to grasp when after just 3 years in secondary school you start the 2 year course. With only a certain selection of subjects available to take teenagers are forced to chose subjects which will stay with them for the rest of their lives. At the age of 14 it is unfair to force such a big decision on students when they most likely have no idea as to what they want to do. Schools should work with students and give them an insight into what jobs are out there or figure out what job would best suit their ability and skills. At an age where you still have to put your hand up to go to the toilet but have control over the rest of your life seems a bit contradictory. At such a young age it is likely students will be influenced by peers and chose the wrong thing which will effect them in later life. It is mandatory for everyone to get a C grade or above in the core subjects- English, Maths and Science but other than that students have freedom of what subjects they wish to pursue. Seems as if it is a  waste of education and time if students if they chose the wrong subjects or fail them because they were influenced by their friends or were once interested in a subject but by the time they are 16 and their final GCSE exams come they have lost all motivation to do it.

A levels are the final thing you will study at secondary school or college if you chose them, others find career paths in specific courses. At As level you choose 4 subjects in which you will spend the next 2 years doing. Just like GCSE is 16 too young to be choosing subjects at further education. The pressure and rush forced upon teenagers to select these can cause wrong preferences and then they are stuck with a qualification which doesn't help them get to where they want to be when they are older. A2 level is supposedly the hardest year of your life with school work but what does a student do if they have been rushed into making choices which they are not interested in. The next step is university where you have the option to chose a subject in which you will get a degree out of. This will ultimately shape their career path. 

This whole process starts at 14, is this too young ? is 14 a mature enough age to make decisions what mould your career and whole life. Schools should help students find the perfect subjects for them and make sure they are happy in what they are doing. There is no point working an occupation what they don't enjoy which I think schools have responsibility of helping.

POEM Creative writing

Fire And Ice

Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I've tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To say that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.

robert frost 

media text notes

Media text (How are you going to adapt your investigation for a mainstream audience?) Use sophisticated ideas but in a way it is easy for all readers to understand. Try and teach the audience and inform I will do this by using common lexis that all audiences will be able to understand and find appealing. Investigation – who really runs our prisons? Films and tv want us to believe prisoners run the prisons when In reality it is different. It’s all for entertainment.

Chosen Genre: Language and power – Newspaper article

Possible Productions (e.g. BBC Radio/Guardian): Sun/guardian. The sun is really easy for readers to understand therefore if I emulate their tone and style in my own work it will be effective in helping the audience to understand my investigation. On the other hand the guardian compliments the complicated concept of my investigation but it will be easier to articulate my ideas using ‘fancy words’ but at the same time easy for non-language students to understand. The BBC is very formal and factual emulating their way of writing would help me a lot due to my investigation being formal therefore the tone will be the same.

How will you apply your frameworks? I will look at how my chosen frameworks demonstrate influential and instrumental power amongst the prisoners and guards in the show.

Articles/ theorists that support me (links/book ISBN):  http://getrevising.co.uk/revision-notes/language_in_power_theories - Wareing

Any further notes:

http://www.ukessays.com/essays/film-studies/south-park-representing-american-society-film-studies-essay.php

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/todrick-tv-review-816819

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2014/10/how-gangs-took-over-prisons/379330/

http://www.nber.org/chapters/c3625.pdf

https://inouveau.wordpress.com/2012/01/05/does-television-reflect-society-or-does-society-represent-television/

http://www.today.com/news/helpiscoming-watch-moving-video-support-refugee-children-t43886

http://www.forbes.com/2008/09/24/power-prison-penitentiary-biz-power08-cx_ms_0924santos.html

proposal

A2 Proposal and Plan of Action

Proposal: Outline your Investigation Explore the different relationships amongst prison officers and prisoners through instrumental and influential power

Proposal for Media text: Who really runs our prisons?

WEEK	ACTION POINTS	COMPLETED
6/10/14	·          ·          ·
13/10/14	·          ·          ·
20/1014
27/10/14
3/11/14
10/11/14
17/11/14
24/11/14
1/12/14
8/12/14
15/12/14

language investigation 1

Explore the different relationships amongst prison officers and prisoners through instrumental and influential power

Imperatives

In source C we see gender playing a big part power in discourse  'don’t come any closer else I'll shoot' Nikka uses the imperative 'Don't’ to insert her authority and power now she has the gun and can boss Michael around. The lexis 'shoot' is powerful in the sentence as she would expect Michael to do as she says to save his own life so she feels in full control. This goes against Robin Lackoff's theory that women use super polite forms in discourse as she is using a direct command to boss Michael around which shows her control in the situation. In Source B we see in the transcript instrumental power used; prison officer 'Bellick' demands the prisoners around 'open it' this imperative shows his instrumental power as he is an authoritative figure in the prison. 'Open it' is a direct command to the prisoners and shows he has the power as he can command them around without being challenged. This supports Waering’s theory of influential and instrumental power, This is an example of the prison hierarchy and how effective the use of imperatives are when having the authoritative power. On the other hand this goes against Deborah Tannen's theory that men negotiate status through discourse and search for power as the prisoners are passive because they know they have to comply with the command. Sara uses an imperative 'start an investigation' this suggests she feels she has more authoritative power than Bellick because she is bossing him around.The imperative has an affect on the audience as it gives a new perspective on the prison hierarchy. She commands the prison officers 'start' which shows the urgency of the situation. Bellick is so used to having prisoners used to doing what he says he doesn't expect to be bossed around ' oh, there's no need. We know what happened' this shows Bellick inserting his power in discourse. He feels as if he is more powerful because Sara is a nurse and that he is more respected and powerful. 

Modal verbs

In source C we see the use of modal verbs to regain power in discourse. Using modal verbs he gains control of the situation again. Michael uses his power to patronise Nikka ' no you won't' the personal pronoun makes it personal to her and will get her thinking about what she is doing this is all due to the power of the lexis used. Also the auxiliary verb 'won't' shows that Michael is in control this proves Fairclough's 'modal verb' theory to be true in this case .In source A  Lincoln uses modal verbs to show his influential power over his little brother ' It can't be done' the modal verb 'Can't' suggests that Lincoln is more powerful between the two as he is dictating what Michael does which is popular for an older brother. This complies with Fairclough's theory of auxiliary verbs demonstrate power as they are the mood of the subject in this case it happens it's a declarative sentence. This shows the audience that influence in the prison by a recognised figure is powerful.
Furthermore Lincoln shows the prison intelligence and status is a powerful aspect when it comes to prison life 'those plans you can't show people. Guys like Abruzzi' he is giving his little brother advice with an order, we can tell it's an order from the modal verb 'can't' which shows Lincoln's prison intelligence and gives him power over Michael in the conversation as Lincoln has been in prison for longer than him.  

Lexical choice 

 In source C we see Sara chose the words carefully to portray herself as an authoritative figure but at the same time polite 'thanks, guys, I'll take it from here' the lexis 'ill take it from here' shows her instrumental power in which again complies with Waering’s theory. But also supports Robin Lackoff's theory that females are more polite in discourse 'thanks' this shows her appreciation but a sense of oxymoron is included as the next sentence could be perceived as rude.

Insource B we see 'Sucre' talking to Michael about a problem with the toilet, Michael responds with 'So?' the rhetorical question shows Michaels total disregard to the problem at hand almost to say he is better than that he doesn't need to worry about little things. It also suggests that people of lower intelligence should be working with the toilets as he too good for that. The word 'So' is often used in a tone to make people seem like they don't care. Michael’s response gives an impression as to say 'fix it then' this shows his social power among the prisoners because he is deemed more intelligent than the rest of them and they need his intelligence therefore respect him and listen. On the other hand 'Sucre' responds by calling Michael 'fish' this is a derogatory term in prison for when someone is new in. Usually fishes won’t have much 'street smart' in prison and won't know the ropes. Sucre is challenging Michael's power because he is new and doesn't know much about prison. This complies with Brown and Levinson's theory of positive and negative face. Sucre is negative face as has the desire to not have his actions impeded. Sucre is using a saving face method by being insulting towards Michael therefore searching for social power amongst the prisoners even though he has more of a social reputation in prison.

We can also tell this by Michael's response 'boss' this shows he knows he is in a higher position than him but there is a sense of sarcasm portrayed therefore it shows that Bellick may have authoritative power but not any power socially as prison guards are number one enemy to the prisoners. Also we see another social class involved when the Pope asks Bellick a question ' is there a problem here, deputy?' this suggests that the Pope is reminding Bellick of his social class within the prison. The word 'deputy' patronises him and makes the Pope look even more powerful in an authoritative sense. This also complies with Waering's theory of instrumental power as the Pope has over ruled the prison officer.

language investigation draft

Explore the different relationships amongst prison officers and prisoners through instrumental and influential power

Use of imperatives

Source B we see in the transcript the prison cell getting searched by a prison officer 'Bellick' he demands the prisoners around 'open it' this imperative shows his instrumental power as he is an authoritative figure in the prison. Which supports Waering’s theory of influential and instrumental power. This shows his power around the prison and means he can tell the prisoners what to do. In source C there is power shown by the nurse within the prison as Michael has been injured and because he is a prisoner he has no say in what happens to him next therefore it’s up to the authorities to decide the procedure of helping him. Sara (the prison nurse) the prison guards are standing around getting in here away 'thanks, guys, I'll take it from here' the imperative shows her instrumental power in which again complies with Waering’s theory. Sara uses her power over the prison guards to instruct them on what to do because in this case the nurse has more power in accident which we can tell from the imperative she uses. Later on in the conversation it shows Bellick, the prison officer and Sara the nurse searching for power. Sara uses another imperative 'start an investigation' this suggests she feels she has more authoritative power than Bellick. Bellick is so used to having prisoners used to doing what he says he doesn't expect to be bossed around ' oh, there's no need. We know what happened' this shows Bellick inserting his power in discourse. He feels as if he is more powerful because Sara is a nurse and that he is more respected and powerful.

Furthermore in source C we see another male and female interaction between Michael and Nikka. They are again having a disagreement 'don’t come any closer else I'll shoot' Nikka uses the imperative 'Don't’ to insert her authority and power now she has the gun and can boss Michael around. The lexis 'shoot' is powerful in the sentence as she would expect Michael to do as she says to save his own life so she feels in full control.

CBR notes: avoid chronological order. List by importance or emphasis for characters/audience.

Also, you’re getting dangerously close to story-telling and not analysis. Focus on the language used and less on character interactions to ensure you receive higher marks.

Modal verbs

In source A we see power being power between the brothers, Michael and Lincoln. They are having an disagreement 'I'm gonna be a whole lot sooner that that' the personal pronoun suggests Michael is going to do whatever he wants whatever Lincoln's opinion on it is showing his power of independence using lexis. Lincoln replies ' It can't be done' the modal verb 'Can't' suggests that Lincoln is more powerful between the two as he is dictating what Michael does which is popular for an older brother. This complies with Fairclough's theory of auxiliary verbs demonstrate power as they are the mood of the subject in this case it happens it's a declarative sentence.

Furthermore Lincoln shows the prison intelligence and status is a powerful aspect when it comes to prison life 'those plans you can't show people. Guys like Abruzzi' he is giving his little brother advice with an order, we can tell it's an order from the modal verb 'can't' which shows Lincoln's prison intelligence and gives him power over Michael in the conversation as Lincoln has been in prison for longer than him.

In source C when ‘Nikka’ has the gun on Michael we see he isn’t afraid and is in control of the situation, by him not being afraid which he portrays through using modal verbs to gain control of the situation again. Michael uses his power to patronise Nikka ' no you won't' the personal pronoun makes it personal to her and will get her thinking about what she is doing this is all due to the power of the lexis used. Also the auxiliary verb 'won't' shows that Michael is in control this proves Fairclough's 'modal verb' theory to be true in this case.  

Lexical choice

In source B we see 'Sucre' talking to Michael about a problem with the toilet, Michael responds with 'So?' the rhetorical question shows Michaels total disregard to the problem at hand almost to say he is better than that he doesn't need to worry about little things. It also suggests that people of lower intelligence should be working with the toilets as he too good for that. The word 'So' is often used in a tone to make people seem like they don't care. Michael’s response gives an impression as to say 'fix it then' this shows his social power among the prisoners because he is deemed more intelligent than the rest of them and they need his intelligence therefore respect him and listen. On the other hand 'Sucre' responds by calling Michael 'fish' this is a derogatory term in prison for when someone is new in. Usually fishes won’t have much 'street smart' in prison and won't know the ropes. Sucre is challenging Michael's power because he is new and doesn't know much about prison. This complies with Brown and Levinson's theory of positive and negative face. Sucre is negative face as has the desire to not have his actions impeded. Sucre is using a saving face method by being insulting towards Michael therefore searching for social power amongst the prisoners even though he has more of a social reputation in prison.

We can also tell this by Michael's response 'boss' this shows he knows he is in a higher position than him but there is a sense of sarcasm portrayed therefore it shows that Bellick may have authoritative power but not any power socially as prison guards are number one enemy to the prisoners. Also we see another social class involved when the Pope asks Bellick a question ' is there a problem here, deputy?' this suggests that the Pope is reminding Bellick of his social class within the prison. The word 'deputy' patronises him and makes the Pope look even more powerful in an authoritative sense. This also complies with Waering's theory of instrumental power as the Pope has over ruled the prison officer.

media text

Who really runs our prisons?

Films and TV want us to believe that prisoners rule the prisons, is this a true reflection of prison society? Or is it just for entertainment? From TV shows such as prison break or break out kings to movies like Shawshank Redemption and Stared up lead the audience to believe that the prisoners are in control. This gives the public the wrong perception of prison life and authority.

Prison break’s Michael Scofield one of the two main protagonists in the show is shown to have broken out of prison not once but twice! This shows a real disregard to prison rules in the American judicial system. Ask yourself does this encourage derogatory behaviour towards guards and blatant disregard to the prison rules? The series revolves around two brothers. One brother has been sentenced to death for a crime he did not commit, and the other devises an elaborate plan to help his brother escape prison and clear his name. This gives an insight into prison life also the struggles of power and the social structure of the prison.  In the TV series we see how power works in prisons of America, the influential and instrumental power. We see the main protagonist Michael Schofield is by far the most intelligent character in the prison and it appears to us that he controls the prison as he is the prisoner’s ticket out. The whole idea of him controlling the prisoners and disrespecting prison officers makes us an audience believe that prisoners regulate the penitentiary. We see a similar theme in the movie Shawshank Redemption where we see Andy Dufresne wrongly convicted of murder and he too breaks out. The difference in this is that in the movie the Warden and guards are very much in control of the prison, but there is still that element of total disregard because he broke out, but that’s the entertainment. 

The power portrayed is shown through the lexis used. For example imperatives/instructions show that a character is more powerful because they have the authority to make someone else do something for them. Imperatives are commonly used by the prison guards and this shows us that they are in charge as they have the instrumental power over the prison in mates. The prisoners have to listen to the guards. With this power guards can manipulate prisoners behaviour and shows they do have authority amongst the prisoners. Other lexis that can be studied is modal verbs this show the influnetial power prisoners have. They can not instruct any one officially but they can advice or tell other prisoners. This shows their power within the prisoners society. The society is based on intelligence, street credit and experience. Prisoners if they are going to intimidate they will use imperatives but it isnt an official order- more of a threat. 


in my opinion I think the guards are the ones in control of the prisons but not the prisoners. They can boss them around all they want but the fact is prisoners live by their own rules and society. The fact that a small amount of prisoners do escape a year is irrelevant the prisoners have their own rules and regulations in which they abide by. Furthermore they 

media work

Police brutality has been a hot topic recently and been shown a lot more through the use of social media. Police brutality has always existed, but in 2015 it is widely broadcast. Many users on social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook tend to share or post their experience with the police even if the police are just doing their jobs. Recent deaths in America and this country of public citizens murdered by the police and the police getting away with it have them public enemy. The police are always spoke in a derogatory way on these social networking sites and are never in favour of what they are doing.

Firstly the Sandra Bland video went viral on social media and everyone within a day knew about her death and the story behind it. The death was filmed by the police car's cctv and shows her getting beaten and across all social media the popular opinion was disgust however in the guardian it was a similar story trying raise awareness for the case and stating the facts and the allegations of her being dead when photographed.

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/jul/29/sandra-bland-police-custody-deaths

This is in contrast to a lot of racial police brutality cases. For example the Mark Duggan case, the media cropped the picture of him holding some flowers next to his child's grave to make him seem more like a thug. This was to make it seem as if his death was justifiable because he is a thug or looked like one therefore the police officer had a right to act on suspicion but personally I don't think that is the case. No death can be justified he simply was shot because of his race some may argue.

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/mar/24/mark-duggan-shooting-police-watchdog-clears-officers-wrongdoing

In this article it justifies the death of Mark and explains to the public why he was shot. This was a very controversial time in London as the death of him sparked riots therefore the media needed to be careful in what they said as no one wanted another riot. The media presented the killing as wrong but was justifiable and made it out to have been an accident. The trial's final conclusion was that the police officer was innocent. But as you can see in the two articles one is for and one is against. Racial police brutality always has been and always will be a sensitive subject and the media need to be careful as to what they say but its hard to get it completely right. On the other hand on social media the voice of people still remains to have hatred towards the police and popular opinion is that the police are only targeting ethnic minorities and referencing the police to a modern 'KKK' which sparks controversy. The media often refer to the authorities with their best interest as everything is filtered therefore the government have control of what goes out. If an article reflects the authorities negatively it wouldn't be released as they wouldn't want the public to view then in a derogatory way. Therefore every article is biased.


Final case is the Ferguson and Michael Brown's death.The innocent young man was walking with a hoody up when the police shot him.  This is perfect example of the police stereotyping ethnic minorities. This also went viral which just made america have no faith in the police anymore.

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/08/13/us/ferguson-missouri-town-under-siege-after-police-shooting.html?_r=0

Summer work

Explore the different relationships amongst prison officers and prisoners due to lexical choices

In source B we see 'Sucre' talking to Michael about a problem with the toilet, Michael responds with 'So?' the rhetorical question shows Michaels total disregard to the problem at hand almost to say he is better than that he doesn't need to worry about little things. It also suggests that people of lower intelligence should be working with the toilets as he to good for that. The word 'So' is often used in a tone to make people seem like they don't care. Michaels response gives an impression as to say 'fix it then' this shows his social power among the prisoners because he is deemed more intelligent than the rest of them and they need his intelligence therefore respect him and listen. On the other hand 'Sucre' responds by calling Michael 'fish' this is a derogatory term in prison for when someone is new in. Usually fishes wont have much 'street smart' in prison and won't know the ropes. Sucre is challenging Michael's power because he is new and doesn't know much about prison. This complies with Brown and Levinson's theory of positive and negative face. Sucre is negative face as has the desire to not have his actions impeded. Sucre is using a saving face method by being insulting towards MIchael therefore searching for social power amongst the prisoners even though he has more of a social reputation in prison.

Furthermore in the transcript we see the prison cell getting searched by a prison officer 'Bellick' he demands the prisoners around 'open it' this imperative shows his instrumental power as he is an authoritative figure in the prison.which supports Wareing's theory of influential and instrumental power. This shows his power around the prison and means he can tell the prisoners what to do. We can also tell this by Michael's response 'boss' this shows he knows he is in a higher position than him but there is a sense of sarcasm portrayed therefore it shows that Bellick may have authoritative power but not any power socially as prison guards are number one enemy to the prisoners. Also we see another social class involved when the Pope asks Bellick a question ' is there a problem here, deputy?' this suggests that the Pope is reminding Bellick of his social class within the prison. The word 'deputy' patronises him and makes the Pope look even more powerful in an authoritative sense. This also complies with Waering's theory of instrumental power as the Pope has over ruled the prison officer.

In source A we see power being power between the brothers, Michael and Lincoln. They are having an disagreement 'I'm gonna be a whole lot sooner that that' the personal pronoun suggests Michael is going to do whatever he wants whatever Lincoln's opinion on it is showing his power of independence using lexis. Lincoln replies ' It can't be done' the modal verb 'Can't' suggests that Lincoln is more powerful between the two as he is dictating what Michael does which is popular for an older brother. This complies with Fairclough's theory of auxiliary verbs demonstrate power as they are the mood of the subject in this case it happens it's a declarative sentence.

Furthermore Lincoln shows the prison intelligence and status is a powerful aspect when it comes to prison life 'those plans you can't show people. Guys like Abruzzi' he is giving his little brother advice with an order, we can tell it's an order from the modal verb 'can't' which shows Lincoln's prison intelligence and gives him power over Michael in the conversation as Lincoln has been in prison for longer than him.

In source C there is power shown by the nurse within the prison as Michael has been injured and because he is a prisoner he has no say in what happens to him next therefore its up to the authorities to decide the procedure of helping him. Sara ( the prison nurse ) the prison guards are standing around getting in here away 'thanks, guys, I'll take it from here' the imperative shows her instrumental power in which again complies with Wareing's theory. Sara uses her power over the prison guards to instruct them on what to do because in this case the nurse has more power in accident which we can tell from the imperative she uses. Later on in the conversation it shows Bellick, the prison officer and Sara the nurse searching for power. Sara uses another imperative 'start an investigation' this suggests she feels she has more authoritative power than Bellick. Bellick is so used to having prisoners used to doing what he says he doesn't expect to be bossed around ' oh, there's no need. We know what happened' this shows Bellick inserting his power in discourse. He feels as if he is more powerful because Sara is a nurse and that he is more respected and powerful.

Furthermore we see another male and female interaction between Michael and Nikka. They are again having a disagreement 'Don't come any closer else I'll shoot' Nikka uses the modal verb 'Don't to insert her authority now she has the gun and can boss Michael around. The lexis 'shoot' is powerful in the sentence as she would expect Michael to do as she says to save his own life so she feels in full control. This doesn't seem to be the case as Michael uses his power to patronise Nikka ' no you won't' the personal pronoun makes it personal to her and will get her thinking about what she is doing. Also the auxiliary verb 'won't' shows that Michael is in control this proves Fairclough's 'modal verb' theory to be true in this case.