1. Unlocking… Module C: Texts & Society Elective 1: The Global Village Prescribed Text: Nick Enright’s A Man with Five Children

2. Module C: Texts and society What is a TEXT? Google: Define: Text What is SOCIETY? Google: Define Society Jot down as many links or connections you can make between the definitions of ‘Texts’ and ‘Society’ available on your web pages.

3. Texts are produced within Society What ideas, impressions and information do you get from these ‘web pages’ these ‘definitions’ about the ‘SOCIETY’ in which they are being produced? What kind of a SOCIETY is GOOGLE a sign of ? TEXT SOCIETY

4. How do TEXTS represent SOCIETY? REPRESENTATION takes place, when TEXTS use words images sounds media to RE-PRESENT, TAKE THE PLACE OF or STAND IN FOR information, ideas, knowledge, attitudes and beliefs of a SOCIETY

5. What is Representation? When words, images or Media are used to REPRESENT something OR someone OR some event there is always a of the TRUTH of the REALITY. View the youtube video below and identify FIVE ways in which you think the ideas, the truth, the reality of sport has been in the VISUAL MEDIA REPRESENTATION of it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v =Xqp8mnCaqW4

6. Why is distorted in our pre-dominatingly Visual Representations? REPRESENTATIONS are being CREATED for : a purpose The purpose of the text, (e.g. to inform, persuade or entertain) will determine to what extent the real meaning needs to be changed or manipulated or distorted in the representation an audience The audience’s viewing preferences, needs and desires will dictate the choices that the composer makes in order to change, manipulate or distort the real meaning in the new representation. a context The SOCIAL/ GLOBAL context in which the TEXT has been produced will drive the extent to which reality is distorted to influence the Audience OF THE Global Village. Context Audience Purpose

7. Review the video and answer the questions below: 1. What do you think is the purpose and context of this video? 2. What visual techniques have been used to re-structure reality to attract the Global audience? 3. What desire is this video creating and representing through its distortions of reality? 4. In what ways, do you think, the purpose, audience and context of the video have worked together to sHaPe the way in which SPORT has been represented in the video?

8. Let’s summarize….. If most multi-media TEXTS representing our SOCIETY are: distorting reality by saturating it with IMAGES... and these IMAGES are being constantly produced and circulated through advertisements on Television & the web… Then it means this SOCIETY is creating images to advertise its goods to create DESIRE in the CONSUMERS to buy them this means it wishes to establish a COMMODITY CULTURE And when, these manufactured desires of this CONSUMER SOCIETY cross cultural boundaries and take over the Globe, Everyone believes, we all belong together in our

9. Find examples of some of these ideas regarding the Global Village which emerge from the representations of so many multi- media TEXTS: + Plus Instant Communication across the globe Instant access to Information/knowledge (past, present and future) Increased economic opportunities More chances of loving & befriending people Increased opportunities of learning how technology works. - Minus Competitiveness driving communication More information yet less understanding Misrepresentation of past, present and future. Individualism Consumerism Manufactured desires dictating moral & social responsibility Reality sacrificed in pursuit of fictions. Interesting New worlds New creations New avenues of exploration & communication New scientific discoveries and explorations One Global culture ICT Ill-limitable possibilities of understanding human potential and reality. variety of media texts.

10. GLOBAL VILLAGE/ SOCIETY INFLUENCES THE PRODUCTIONS OF MULTI-MEDIA TEXTS NICK ENRIGHT’S TEXT A Man with five children REPRESENTS THE IDEAS, BELIEFS, ATTITUDES AND VALUES OF THE GLOBAL VILLAGE

11. PRESCRIBED TEXT: Nick Enright’s A Man with Five Children Read the blurb at the back of the book and predict THREE ways in which Enright's TEXT, A Man with Five Children could REPRESENT our GLOBAL SOCIETY.

12. Also focus on the following questions: What do we mean when we talk of the responsibility of the film maker? What are the ways in which the film maker can exploit his participants, his subjects, his children, his creations, in order to re-present them to a Global audience? Does he need to distort reality? What fictions does he need to create instead? Can you envisage the ‘g-a-p-s’ that could arise between the real meaning and the media re- presentation of it?