Section C - Fish Tank (Arnold, 2009) Flashcards
Chav
Fish Tank
Insult for young person whose clothes, language and behaviour shows their low social class
Mia = chav
Demonisation
Fish Tank
Representing something as evil
Many demonise lower class; council estates, etc.
Social class
Fish Tank
Division of society based on social/economic status
Class divide heavily emphasised:
Mia’s family = underclass (unemployed)
Connor = lower middle class
Dependency Culture
Fish Tank
Lifestyle characterised by dependency on state benefits
Mia’s family = unemployed
Society
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People living together in relatively ordered community
2 societies within main society - council estate/housing estate
Binary Oppositions
Fish Tank
Pair of related terms that are opposites
Natural vs Industrial: Mia trapped in council estate. Connor takes her to river, nature.
Grey area - horse tethered on industrial estate
Feminine vs Tomboy: Mia challenges stereotypes (androgynous costume, swears, drinks) Keeley/Joanne = feminine, clashes with her
Grey area - what is feminine? Mia puts on her mum’s makeup, told to take her hair down
Verisimilitude
Fish Tank
How close media text comes to reality
Fish Tank = lots of verisimilitude, meant to mirror reality
Open ended narrative
Fish Tank
Narrative without resolution
Fish Tank = open-ended narrative - leave in car
Feminism
Fish Tank
Advocacy of women’s right for equality of the sexes
Fish Tank = feminist film - young woman trying to find her place in the world
Feminine
Fish Tank
Having qualities typical of women - delicacy, kindness, etc.
Mia is not very feminine, her mother, Joanne, is
Tomboy
Fish Tank
Girl who enjoys ‘rough’ activities associated with boys
Mia = tomboy; rough around the edges, yet likes dancing (feminine)
Stereotypical
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Relating to widely held oversimplified idea of a type of thing
Joanne = stereotypically feminine (makeup, etc.)
Counter Typical
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Acting against stereotype
Mia acts counter typically of teenage girl - violent/swearing
Broken Britain
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Term used by Conservative party and press to describe social decay in the U.K
Mia’s actions/home environment = example of Broken Britain
The Male Gaze
Fish Tank
Way media texts objectify women through camera taking perspective of straight man whilst viewing them
Female characters in film subjected to male gaze at some point
Awards won
Fish Tank
BAFTA - Best British Film
BIFA - Best Director
CONTEXTS
New Labour
Main policies
Government 1997-2010 (Tony Blair, Gordon Brown)
Optimistic after Thatcher -> more caring society
Tried appealing to middle/upper class Attempted to join socialism & capitalism - emphasis on social justice
CONTEXTS
Why people lost trust in New Labour?
During New Labour: Iraq war, financial crisis, 9/11, 7/7, 2007 floods
Blair called puppet of American government
CONTEXTS Name 5 (supposedly interlinked) issues 'Broken Britain' describes
Failing social services -> child neglect (Baby P, Shannon Matthews) Binge/underage drinking Teenage pregnancy VIP paedophilia scandals Poor education system