Representation

Question 1

What does Ed playing at the fruit machine in the opening scene represent?

Answer 1

It reinforces the stereotype that all members of the working class behave in the same manner.

Question 2

How are the representations of Liz, Di and David different to Shaun and Ed?

Answer 2

• Liz, Di and David are representative of the middle class
• Shaun and Ed are the representation of the working class.

Question 3

What is an Ed an archetype for?

Answer 3

He is the archetype of the stereotypical working class and a slacker.

Question 4

How are Ed and David presented as binary opposites?

Answer 4

• Ed wears an un-ironed baggy shirt, wearing dull colours + vulgar language
• David is seen wearing glasses and is representative of the conservative party (blue clothing)

Question 5

What does Ed’s vulgar language and facial expressions represent throughout the film?

Answer 5

• Portrayed as slovenly and undesirable
• But the fact that Ed is shown as Shaun’s best friend, the spectators would rather feel more sympathy for him like Shaun does

Question 6

What does the use of a zombie apocalypse disrupting the old equilibrium show about society?

Answer 6

• The feeling of living in a hopeless society but it doesn’t evoke any feeling of change and people come to accept it
• Depicts our tedious existence and that humans believe what they see and hear
• We follow the crowd and ostracise whoever stands out and protest the “normal” aspects of society people have come to accept

Question 7

What is implied about the working class in the credits sequence?

Answer 7

• They lack aspirations and are metaphorically enslaved by powerful institutions and the capitalist society
• People already function in a zombie-like state, implying that we are conditioned to accept the core values of capitalism and Western consumerist ideals

Question 8

What does the binary opposition between Ed and Pete (shown in Shaun’s flat scene) present?

Answer 8

• Disharmony between the working class and the upper class (capitalism)
• Capitalist societies do not prioritise the wellbeing of the working class as they do with the economic benefits they strive to create

Question 9

How are Pete and Ed binary opposites of each other?

Answer 9

Pete’s clean shaven and smart appearance juxtaposes with Ed’s un-ironed baggy shirt

Question 10

What does the editing techniques of frantic zoom of Shaun making breakfast imply about his life?

Answer 10

People are enslaved by routine and trapped in a tedious cycle as the most typical breakfast routine is the most exciting highlight of the day.

Question 11

What does Shaun’s lack of focus on a serious conversation - due to the game - in the flat scene show?

Answer 11

People are enslaved by technology which distracts them from responsibility and the ability to think for themselves (leading to the lack of aspirations) which refuels their mundane existence.

Question 12

What does Pete’s attitude towards Ed present about a capitalist society (in Shaun’s flat scene)?

Answer 12

• In capitalist ideology, there is no sympathy given to the lower working class shown through Pete’s attitude towards Ed and his confrontation to Shaun.
• Through Pete’s chiding about Ed directed to Shaun, it presents how the upper class define themselves as superior and acquitted to make decisions for others
• Therefore people in lower social classes are deprived of making choices for themselves and them making their own choices would result them as being unfit for society e.g. Ed

Question 13

How does the performance of the teenagers and Shaun and their similar attire show about a capitalist society?

Answer 13

Reflects their partial rejection to capitalist ideolog but also their passive conformity to capitalism.

Question 14

During Shaun’s work sequence, what does the conversation between Nule and Shaun show about society and their lives?

Answer 14

• Nule calls Shaun ‘grandad’ and Shaun argues that he is 29, then asking if Nule is ‘20, 21’
• Implies how life is over once they reach their 20s, which is why they are at work with no further ambition to better themselves

Question 15

How are Shaun and the teens, in Shaun’s work scene, presented as lethargic?

Answer 15

• They lack aspirations and, drive or ambition to break out of the tedious cycle
• The oppression of the working class exists in a continuous cycle.

Question 16

During Shaun’s work sequence, why are the two TV shows (game show and talk show) used?

Answer 16

• Shows the stark contrast between the higher and the lower classes in modern society and the exploitation of the working class
• In those shows, they are sacrificing their respect and dignity for financial gain as they struggle to make a higher income just from labour
• The people in the game show are falling for amusement and the people in the talk show are discussing their private affairs and their difficult situations for millions of others to hear yet they may not get the support that they need

Question 17

Why is the new equilibrium (zombies living among society) linked to the TV shows during Shaun’s work sequence?

Answer 17

• Even after the zombie apocalypse, nothing has changed
  – Nule (now turned into a zombie) is seen pushing trolleys, still in business attire as in his first appearance in the electronics store
• And in the same gameshow and talk shows, instead of the working class humans, zombies have now taken their place as beings for amusement and TV coverage
• Seen as a cyclical structure as even after such a catastrophe modern society still exploits the vulnerable groups of society
• First the working class then at the end of the film it is the zombies