Film and Media

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UNIT 4

Film and Media

In this unit film and media are presented as a motivating andenjoyable framework to acquire fluency and intercultural knowledge.In the first part of the unit we will tackle the media since thetopics encountered can convey general knowledge about politics,migration, art, music, etc.

In the second part of the unit, we will explore the possibilitiesthat the cinema offers as a resource, since it covers interestingintercultural, social and linguistic aspects. As an example,we will analyse an English film which is a mirror of today’ssociety in the sense that it reflects different cultures and howthey intermingle.





Unit 4 Film and Media 71 71

Task 4.1.1.

Here are the web sites of some of the most important newspapers andperiodicals in English. Choose fiveof them, check their contents.

• www.ananova.com

The Press Association web site, top headlines and “quirkies”, strange or unexpected stories.

• www.news.bbc.co.uk

The BBC’s main page, which contains brief summaries of the major issues of the day.

• http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/Americas/default.stm

The American section of the BBC.

• www.cbsnews.com

A broadcasting company’s site. The home page offers sections other than news, suchas sport, entertainment, etc.

• www.channel4news.co.uk

Channel 4 television news is an independent terrestrial broadcasting company. You

can either read the headlines or see the video clips. It also includes ITN News, the

other main terrestrial TV rival to the BBC.

• www.cnn.com

CNN is a major American news provider that offers coverage of both American nationalnews and international news.

Lesson 1. The Media



ENGLISH FOR ART AND HUMANITIES72

• http://dailynews.yahoo.com

Yahoo has a news section which draws on major news providers and is continuouslyupdated as news comes in.

• www.economist.com

The Economist is an authoritative weekly magazine focusing on international politicsand business.

• www.englishclub.com/listening/news.htm

“Easy” news for students; you can listen to them and do related activities.

• www.guardian.co.uk

The Guardian is the main rival to The Times. Politically biased towards the left. It iswell-known for its regular weekly job supplements.

• www.guardianweekly.com

It offers a truly international view of events and includes a monthly supplement forlearning English.

• www.hello-magazine.co.uk

News and pictures from the world of celebrity, royalty, entertainment… Fashiontrends and videos; health and beauty tips.

• www.independent.co.uk

It is a British broadsheet daily newspaper. It is liberal in tone.

• www.msnbc.com/news/NEWS_Front.asp

NBC’s international news coverage which breaks down in global sections.

• www.nandotimes.com

24-Hour American news and some specialized servers in topics such as sports.

• www.nbc.com

The Network Broadcasting Company’s site that provides national news coverage.

• http://news.bbc.co.uk

This site is updated as news comes in, and offers audio and video clips, as well asa low-graphics version. It has specific sections for UK news and politics, as well asspecific sections for other parts of the world. You can also find archive material andlinks to related articles and sites elsewhere.

• www.newsdirectory.com

A directory of American local newspapers, with “links” to national newspapers andother periodicals from abroad.




• www.niss.ac.uk/cr/uknews.html

“Links” to many local and national newspapers in the United Kingdom.

• www.niss.ac.uk/cr/worldnews.html

“Links” to the most important international newspapers and TV channels, in Englishand other languages.

• www.nytimes.com

New York Times, you have to register.

• www.reuters.com

Reuters provides the main headlines for the issues of the day as news breaks, andsupplies information to newspapers. Straightforward text, no gimmicks.

• www.sky.com

“Sky news”, the online version of the satellite television channels. British based. Newscomes in text, video or audio format.

• www.sunday-times.co.uk

The Times in its Sunday version.

• www.telegraph.co.uk

The Daily Telegraph is a more down market version of The Times. You have to registeron your first visit, but it is free.

• www.thesun.co.uk

The Sun is a daily tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom and Ireland withthe highest circulation of any daily English-language newspaper in the world. It reliesheavily on stories and scandals involving celebrities and the entertainment industry.

• www.the-times.co.uk

The Times is Britain’s best known broadsheet daily newspaper, with a page of breakingnews updated as it comes in. It is biased towards the right. You have to register on

your first visit, but it is free.

• www.time.com

Time is a prestigious American newsmagazine which covers politics, worldnews,photos, video, tech reviews, health, science, and entertainment news. Free archiveof Time since 1923.

• www.usatoday.com

Coverage of American news and issues of interest to the American reader.

• www.washingtonpost.com

The Washington Post, you can explore its archives.




Task 4.1.2.

After having analysed the web sites that you selected, choose an interesting article of 200-300 words. Do not forget to write its corresponding headline and the URL where youhave found it. Then, follow these steps:

• Underline the words you do not know. Can you infer their meaning from theircontext?

• Look up only the words that you do not know and seem to be essential. Do notlook up the words whose meaning you can imagine.

• Select:

1. Five words that seem to be important to the article.

2. Five words you consider very formal.

3. Words or expressions that you think show you the writer’s point of view.

• Now summarize the article in no more than 60 or 70 words.

Summary

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Task 4.1.3.

Listen to the television or radio news in English. A good starting point is, for example,www.englishclub.com/listening/news.htm.

Now fill in the chart below:

Subject of the story People involved Location

1.

2.

3.




A. How much (%) of the news extracts did you understand?

75-100%

50-75%

25-50%

0-25%

Piece of news no. 1: ______



B. How much (%) of your understanding came from:

the pictures?

the spoken word (dialogue or commentary)?

Task 4.1.4.

Vocabulary

A. When dealing with the press you will notice the use of special vocabulary, especiallyin headlines. Now try to find the item that will match with the headline words below(use the dictionary if necessary):

(Check the answers in the key)

1. aid A. explosion

2. back B. fire

3. boom C. policeman

4. drive D. increase

5. toll E. campaign

6. cop F. support

7. blaze G. number of people killed




8. ban H. prohibition

9. peril I. help

10. blast J. danger

Now match:

1. _________ 6. __________

2. _________ 7. __________

3. _________ 8. __________

4. _________ 9. __________

5. _________ 10. __________

B. Look for a suitable word to fill the gaps in this exercise. Choose from the words below:


coverage editorial correspondent tabloids

1. Small-format newspapers are known as .

2. There is a good report in the newspaper from their Spanish .

3. A newspaper expresses its opinions about the news in its .

4. I prefer The Guardian because it has excellent of the arts.

Task 4.1.5.

Headlines

Try to find out which headlines match with the pieces of news below:


STUDY LINK: See Appendix IV, section 5, “Headlines”.




1. “West Bank: Slowly, determinedly, settlers bid to build new town.”

2. “Gordon Brown’s hospital eye tests raise health fears.”

3. “Jobs wanted, any jobs at all.”

4. “For presidency in search of success, Nobel adds a twist.”

5. “The gift of life, and its price.”

6. “Blasts kill dozens in Ramadi.”

7. “Hillary Clinton hails special relationship.”

8. “America is a toxic dump.”

9. “Rescue from quake rubble lifts spirits in Sumatra.”

10. “Obama: Olympics lost, joblessness up.”

A. “I have no doubt that it was the strongest bid possible,” the president said of his adopted home-town’s failed bid for the ‘16 games, “and I was proud that Iwas able to come in and make that case in person…”

Source: The Chicago Tribune, September 2, 2009.

B. In the first of a series of exclusive reports examining settlements in the West Bank and their role in the Middle East peace process, Rory McCarthymeets a group of Israelis who want to ‘redeem’ a patch of land near thePalestinian town of Beit Sahour.

Source: The Guardian, August 23, 2009.

C. Two young women pulled from ruins of a school in Padang but Indonesianofficials say 3,000 still buried. In the first of a series of exclusive reportsexamining settlements in the West.

Source: The Times, September 2, 2009.




D. The US is one of the world’s leading garbage producers. Our unnecessarywastefulness is creating a deadly brew.

Source: The Guardian, October 2, 2009.

E. Armed with journalism degrees, Kristy and Katie Barry, twins from Ohio, movedto New York in search of a job. More than a year later, they’re still looking.

Source: The New York Times, October 10, 2009.

F. Hillary Clinton hailed the historic special relationship between Britain and America today as she flew into London on a whirlwind visit to consult on thewar in Afghanistan and the Iranian nuclear threat and to lend her support tothe peace process in Northern Ireland.

Source: The Sunday Times, October 11, 2009.

G. An increasing number of babies born using fertility treatments are twins,and they carry special risks often overlooked in the desire to producenew families.


Audio material: Listen to track n. 7 in CD (extracts A-F).




H. The Prime Minister visited Moorfields in London, one of the world’s best-known eye hospitals, after surgeons found two small tears in his retina.

Source: The Daily Telegraph, October 10, 2009.

I. President Obama spoke after winning the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday.But when Mr. Obama walked into the Rose Garden on Friday morning, having

just been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize —an honour that would normallybe a moment of high celebration, if not the culmination of a life’s work—he was humble and self-deprecatory, popping a hole in the balloon of his

own accomplishment.


J. At least 25 dead, scores wounded in explosions at government headquarters,police station in Iraq.

Source: The Washington Post, October 11, 2009.

Audio material: Listen to track n. 8 in CD (extracts G-J).

Task 4.1.6. Writing a report

Choose four or five photographs from newspapers related to the same piece of news andwrite a report. Follow these steps to organise it in a clear way:

• Firstly, briefly summarize the piece of news you have chosen.

• Secondly, write an account of the events in the order in which they occurred.

• Finally, refer to the comments made by the people who witnessed or were involvedin the incident or event.




Example

Sumatra Tsunami Hitting Thailand

Photograph 1 Photograph 2

Photograph 3 Photograph 4

Photograph 5




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Task 4.1.7.

Interviewing a celebrity. Choose a famous person that you would like to interview andprepare some questions (five or six) to ask him/her.

Famous person that I have chosen:

_________________________________________________________________

Questions that I would like to ask:

A.

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______________________________________________________________ ?

B.

_______________________________________________________________

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C.

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D.

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E.

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F. (Optional)

_______________________________________________________________

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Now search the Internet for information and try to answer the questions above:

Answers:

A.

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B.

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C.

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D.

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E.

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F. (Optional)

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Task 4.1.8.

Agony Aunt

The following are real letters that people have sent to an “Agony Aunt” section or “Agonycolumn” 1 in a newspaper. As you will see, the letters in such a section are typicallyabout relationships.

Now read through the letters:

Letter 1.

Time to compromise

I have been with my boyfriend for three years. Recently we suddenly have to goeverywhere with an old friend of his who has come home from staying in Cornwall.Now we have to go out all the time with him. It’s driving me mad. He even comesshopping with us!

1 A magazine or newspaper feature in which advice is offered to readers who have sent in letters about theirpersonal problems.




Letter 2.

Internet proposal

I’m a student. Recently I met a friend in an Internet chat room. He is actually avery good friend. We used to chat for a couple of months and I really used to enjoy

chatting with him. A few days back he proposed and said he wanted to marry me. What shall I do?

Letter 3.

Coping with jealousy

I have a boyfriend at the moment that I love so much. My problem is that wheneverhe talks or has anything to do with other women I get jealous. This jealousy makesme argue with him. This situation is tearing us apart and I wondered if you couldgive any advice.

Letter 4.

An incurable romantic

I fall in love easily. I’ve had my heart broken many times. I feel lost if I’m not ina relationship.

Letter 5.

A desperate wife

My husband is an ambulance man. I sometimes wish he wasn’t. His irregularworking life and the stress of the job make family life difficult.

Tonight will be the same as other nights. The phone will ring… It will probablybe between midnight and 4 am. The children will wake up and won’t go tosleep again. He may well come home close to tears after some particularlyterrible accident.

All this for such a low salary! He does it because he loves to help people.




Letter 6.

Marriage on the rocks

When I married, I expected to find love and harmony. However, a few years latermy husband and I started to live separate lives, which has resulted in a lot of

tension, arguments and battles lately. We don’t seem to be able to talk withoutshouting at each other. Sometimes I think I should accept the situation and justsplit up, but what example would it be to our children? What message would itgive? “When things get difficult, you can just quit”?

Letter 7.

Cheating at college

One of my friends at college has been copying lots of his final coursework fromInternet sites. I think he’ll get good grades, probably better than mine. I’m angrywith this and wonder if I should tell the teacher.

Letter 8.First Love

I was 18 when I met my ex, 21 when we split up. I’m now 23 and I still think abouthim daily. I don’ t know what is going on with his life, but I know he doesn’t liveat his mother’s any more.

I’d like to contact him again, but I only have his old address. Should I write to himand tell him that I still think about him? Maybe he still thinks about me? I wasstupid to let him go. I was young and I didn’t understand love and relationships. Do

I contact him and risk upsetting him or myself?

Audio material: Listen to track n. 9 in CD.

Choose the letter you would like to consider, discuss the problem and suggest solutions. Write a reply letter (minimum 120 words). Use some of the expressions in the languagebox to help you.




Language Box

First Step: Sympathize

• The first thing I/we felt when I/we read your letter was that…• I/we realize this puts you in a difficult position. You have got to be brave and…

• I/we don’t know the details of… However, I/we do know that…

Second Step: Make the person reflect

• You have to ask yourself…/Ask yourself…

• You already sound doubtful about…

• Problems are never solved if the people concerned don’t…

• If you really feel…, then…

• There is no point in…ing.

Third Step: What the person involved should do

• It is always very difficult to… However, if you don’t… you will neverbe able to…

• Go slowly and make sure that…

• The first thing you have to do —and very soon— is…

• I/we really feel (that) you need to…/I/we really feel (that) you should…

• Perhaps you could…/It might be a good idea…

Advice to Letter :

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Films often reflect society and introduce important sociocultural elements. As an example

we have chosen a film, East is East, which deals with topics such as racial discrimination,

immigration, multiculturalism, mistreatment, and arranged marriages.

In many places in the United Kingdom such as Salford, England, where the action of the

film takes place, we find a micro multicultural society within a multicultural Britain.

After World War II Britain encouraged immigration from its former colonies to benefit

the labour market. The immigrants decided to bring over their families and settle in

Britain. After establishing their own communities, mainly Asian people were very keenon preserving their culture and customs.

East is East

Task 4.2.1.

Read the following information about the film:

Director: Damien O’Donnell.

Script: Ayub Khandin.

Kind of film: comedy and drama.

Cast: Om Puri (George Khan), Linda Bassett (Ella Khan), Jordan Routlege (Sajid Khan),

Archie Panjabi (Meenah Khan), Emil Marwa (Meneer Khan) Chriss Bisson (Saleem

Khan), Jimi Mistry (Tariq Khan), Raji James (Abdul Khan), Ian Aspinall (Nazir Khan)

and Lesley Nicol (Aunt Annie).

Summary

O’Donnel’s film is about a father that tries to keep the family traditions. He is from

Pakistan and he owns a fish and chips shop. He is married to an English woman and tries

to educate his children according to his Pakistani cultural traditions. The action takes

place in Salford, England, in 1971.

Lesson 2. Film




Task 4.2.2.

Activity before watching the film

Search the Internet for information about Pakistan and its culture and write about four or

five traditions that have caught your attention.

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Task 4.2.3.

Watch the film

Task 4.2.4.

Activities after watching the film

A. Describe Salford, the place where the action takes place.

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B. Choose one of the main characters. Firstly describe his or her external features such asage, appearance, etc. and, after that, his or her way of talking and behaving.

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C. Search the Internet for some information about Pakistani immigrants in the UK.

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D. Look for other films that deal with the subject of multicultural societies and listsome of them:

1. _________________________________________________

2. _________________________________________________

3. _________________________________________________

4. _________________________________________________

Task 4.2.5.

A scene of the film

Chosen scene

The conversation between Tariq and George Khan.

Suggested activities

A. Look for these expressions and try to write a definition:

• To be fed up with ____________________________________________________

• To warn ____________________________________________________________

• To bring someone up _________________________________________________

• To get married to ____________________________________________________




B. This is a transcription of the dialogue in the scene but it is not in the correct order. Watch the scene again and rewrite the dialogue in the correct order below it.

Tariq: I will get married to a Pakistani and now doing that,

I’ll get married to a fucking English woman as well just like my dad.

George Khan: Bastard, I tell you don’t go too far with me.

Bastard, you’ll do what I tell you.

You understand?

You understand me?

You understand me?

Tariq: I understand you.

I understand you.

I’ll do what you want.

George Khan: Good.

Tariq: I am not Pakistani.

I was born here I speak English no Urdu.

Tariq: I’m not saying it’s not, dad.

I just think I’ve got the right to choose the one I marry to.

George Khan: You want to choose like Nazir?

To lose everything?

You want a bloody English girl. They are no good, drink alcohol, no look care.

Tariq: If English female are so bad, why did you marry mum?

George Khan: Son you don’t understand, of course you don’t listen to me.I am trying to show you a good way to live.

You are not English.

English people are never accepting you.

In Islam everyone is equal.

No black men no white men all Muslims, a special community.

Tariq: Look Dad,

We are all fed up of being told what to do and where to go.




George Khan: I’m warning you, mister.

I’m not bringing you up to give me no respect.

Pakistani sons always show respect.

Transcription in the correct order(See transcription of scene in the key)

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C. Answer the following questions about the text:

1. What is the main topic of the conversation between father and son?

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2. What does Tariq want to convey to his father?

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3. What opinion has George Khan of the attitude of English people towardsPakistani people?

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4. According to George Khan, what are English women like?_____________________________________________________________

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5. Does George convince Tariq?

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Task 4.2.6.

Write a short composition on the advantages and disadvantages of these topics (not morethan 120 words):

A. Arranged marriages.

B. Multicultural societies.



93 93

STUDY LINK: See Appendix III, sections 5 (“Structuring”), section 6 (“Addinginformation”), section 7 (“Listing advantages and disadvantages”), section 8(“Expressing cause”), section 9 (“Expressing contrast”), section 10 (“Expressingeffect/cause/consequences”), section 11 (“Expressing purpose”) and section 12(“Summarizing information”).

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Unit 4 Film and Media






4.A. Think of the type of newspapers and magazines you usually buy or enjoyreading. In a group discussion, plan and compose the kind of newspaperor magazine you would like to read (maximum 10 pages).

4.B. Read a piece of news written on different newspapers. Collect theinformation, organise it and write again about the incident again (expand:who?, what?, when?, where?, how?). Once you have written it, compare itwith the other versions.

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4.C. Choose a film that deals with the topic of immigration and then completethe following tasks:

A. Write a summary of the film (maximum 100 words).

B. Choose a scene you like and explain the reason why you like thatparticular scene. After that, try to transcribe part of it.

Summary

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Extension work

Unit 4 Film and Media 95



Chosen Scene

I like it because _______________________________________

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Transcription of Scene

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Documents

Film and Media