Unit 3 Media

Question 1

What issues of belief in God are shown in ‘Homer the Heretic’? (2)

Answer 1

• Whether people should believe in God.

* If God answers prayers.

Question 2

How are issues of belief in God been presented in ‘Homer the Heretic’? (2)

Answer 2

• Homer does not want to go to church and would ‘worship’ God at home in his own way- Marge thinks this is wrong and evil.
• The cartoon asks how to you should show your faith to God- by going to church, being a good Christian, following God yourself.

Question 3

Why may ‘Homer the Heretic’ encourage people to be religious? (6)

Answer 3

• You can follow God in different ways.
• People can belong to a religion.
• God’s work can be done by doing good deeds, attending a place of worship, charity work and is not all about sacrifice.
• You can be religious in your own way.
• God can be followed in a less formal way and you can still be faithful.
• God is shown as loving and caring- he is omni-benevolent.

Question 4

Why may ‘Homer the Heretic’ lead people to not be religious? (5)

Answer 4

• It shows religion to be dull and boring- religious people feel they must commit to worship.
• Religious people can be prejudice towards non-believers.
• Miracles can be coincidences.
• Prayer does not always work.
• God is vengeful.

Question 5

How is the issue presented and events explored in ‘Homer the Heretic’? (Summary of programme) (11)

Answer 5

• A snowy day, Homer does not want to go to church.
• Marge goes with the kids without Homer.
• Homer stays at home and has the ‘best day of my life’.
• The door of the church is frozen shut.
• The car doesn’t start for Marge.
• Homer decides to never go to church again.
• Homer gives up his faith and Marge prays for him.
• God visits Homer in a dream and tells him he may worship God in his own way.
• A fire starts and the moral Christian (Flanders) saves Homer and says.
• Flanders’ house is saved.
• Homers goes back to church.

Question 6

How was ‘Homer the Heretic’ fair to religious people? (5)

Answer 6

• It is better to live a good life than to act badly and be a faithful worshipper.
• It is right to pray for others- Marge prayed for Homer as she doubted him.
• Evangelical Christians would agree with Flanders trying to make Homer go back to church.
• Christians would say Homer is a good person and he will go to heaven.
• Rev. Lovejoy tells Homer that God live within hearts of friends and not in church- religious people agree with this.

Question 7

How was ‘Homer the Heretic’ unfair to religious people? (6)

Answer 7

• Homer follows God in his own way- God has guided people to follow him, so people cannot just follow the way they want.
• Marge says that Homer cannot make her choose between God and him- this is unfair as people should not make these choices.
• God saves only Flanders’ house from the fire- God should be omnipotent and omni-benevolent.
• Church is seen as boring- worship should be an enriching experience people can enjoy.
• When the congregation are let out the snowed in doors of the church they all push to get out- they are behaving in an un-Christian manner, church should be enriching.
• When Homer dreams about God, God appears angry until Homer says he is hardworking, loves his family and does not see the point in going to church every Sunday and God agrees- this is disrespectful as people should thank God by going to church.

Question 8

What issues of belief in God are shown in ‘Bruce Almighty’? (2)

Answer 8

• Whether people should believe in God.

* Whether God answers prayers.

Question 9

Why may ‘Bruce Almighty’ encourage people to be religious? (5)

Answer 9

• Important for Catholics- if you pray for selfish things God will not answer your prayers.
• When a prayer is answered it may be in a way you don’t expect because people have other plans.
• Like a parent, God answers prayers for what we need not what want.
• God is shown as a loving character who will answer prayers, but not in a direct way.
• If you have faith, God will always look after you.

Question 10

How is the issue presented and events explored in ‘Bruce Almighty’? (Summary of programme) (12)

Answer 10

• Bruce is a news reporter, who desires to be an anchor.
• Bruce is in love with his girlfriend Grace and wants to marry her, but also attracted to Susan (a co-worker).
• After unfortunate events, Bruce complains to God about treating him unfairly.
• God gives all his powers to Bruce to see who does a better job- Bruce takes advantage of the powers.
• Bruce receives many prayers and eventually answers ‘yes’ to them all in frustration.
• Bruce gets the promotion and at his party he is seduced by Susan, which Grace witnesses and she storms off.
• The prayers that were answered lead to consequences.
• Bruce then starts to use his powers to answers prayers properly and discovers Grace praying to God to stop loving Bruce as she doesn’t want to hurt anymore.
• Bruce is then depressed and walks onto a highway and realises God’s powers are best left for God to handle- he is then hit by a truck.
• Bruce is seen in heaven and God asks him what he really wants- he replies that he wants Grace to find someone who makes her truly happy.
• Bruce is then revived by paramedics and has no powers anymore- his prayers have been answered.
• Bruce becomes engaged to Grace and we find out that the reoccurring homeless man is actually God in disguise.

Question 12

How is the issue presented and events explored in ‘Bruce Almighty’? (Summary of programme) (10)

Answer 12

• Bruce is a news reporter, who desires to be an anchor.
• Bruce is in love with his girlfriend Grace and wants to marry her, but also attracted to Susan (a co-worker).
• After unfortunate events, Bruce complains to God about treating him unfairly.
• God gives all his powers to Bruce to see who does a better job- Bruce takes advantage of the powers.
• Bruce receives many prayers and eventually answers ‘yes’ to them all in frustration.
• Bruce gets the promotion and at his party he is seduced by Susan, which Grace witnesses and she storms off.
• The prayers that were answered lead to consequences.
• Bruce sees Grace praying to stop loving him, so he goes to a highway and gets knocked over by a truck and he ‘dies’.
• Bruce talks with God in heaven and he asks him to give Grace someone who deserves her.
• Bruce wakes up being revived by paramedics.

Question 13

How was ‘Bruce Almighty’ unfair to religious people? (4)

Answer 13

• Bruce needs a miracle not to be late for work and accepts the prayer beads from Grace- prayer should not be used for unimportant reasons.
• Bruce is angry with God and says God has taken everything from him and given it to someone else- God should not have favourites and treats people all equally.
• Bruce prays for peace and to end world suffering, but God tells him to pray for personal things- it is right to pray to end the suffering of others.
• Bruce says that God is ‘a mean kid sitting on an ant hill with a magnifying glass’- God is omni-benevolent and would not harm people.

Question 14

How was ‘Bruce Almighty’ fair to religious people? (5)

Answer 14

• When Bruce is sacked from his job, he gets beat up after defending a homeless man and Grace says ‘Thank God’ because things were not worse- God looks after and does what is right for us, God is not the blame when things go wrong.
• Throughout the film, God or the homeless man give signs to Bruce- God guides people to do the right thing.
• God knows everything Bruce has done- God is omniscient.
• God describes miracles like a single mum working for her children- people do not look for God in the right way and don’t know what a real miracle is.
• Bruce surrenders his will to God- religious people would agree as God made and created us.

Question 15

Why is the issue of abortion important and chosen for Matters of Life and Death in the film ‘Vera Drake’? (5)

Answer 15

The film explores…
•Abortion being a mean for women to live life.
•Keeping the baby would cause problems from extreme poverty, family disputes and mental health issues.
•Those who go through abortion face moral and physical harm.
•The character Vera Drake has been presented controversially as in the film she claims she is helping young girls by doing ‘back street’ abortions.
•When Vera carries out these abortion, consequences are shown after.

Question 16

Why is the issue of abortion important to religion? (Vera Drake) (3)

Answer 16

• Most Catholics and Christians view all forms of abortion as wrong.
• The main plot focuses on a woman’s right for abortion as it was set in the 1950’s.
• Some Christian values are shown- it is sympathetic towards Liberal Protestants who think abortion is wrong, but think it may occur if the mother’s life is at risk.

Question 17

Why is the issue of abortion important to society? (Vera Drake) (5)

Answer 17

• The film was set in the 1950’s, London where abortion was illegal.
• Contraceptives were expensive for the poor.
• Modern contraceptives like the pill hadn’t been invented.
• The NHS had only been set up- it didn’t cover family planning.
• The film enables the viewer to consider if abortion should be legal or illegal.

Question 18

Give a summary of ‘Vera Drake’

Answer 18

• Vera Drake is devoted to her family, looking after her family, friends and sick neighbour.
• Unknown to her family, Vera Carries out ‘Back Street’ abortions.
• This is done as an act of generosity.
• However, her partner Lily is a dealer in the black-market and charger for these abortions.

Sub-plot:
•Upper class character Susan is raped by her date one evening and becomes pregnant.
•Her friend puts her in touch for an abortion.
•The only way for Susan to have an abortion legally is to claim she has a family history of mental illness.

• Vera is arrested when a mother who has had an abortion nearly dies.
• There are mixed views and responses from the different family members, but remain loyal to her.

Question 19

How was the film ‘Vera Drake’ fair to religious people and beliefs? (4)

Answer 19

• Joyce, Vera’s sister-in-law is pregnant and says that Vera is selfish and should not have take the foetus’ life.
• Vera is shown as a caring woman, it would reflect a good religious person helping people out.
• Sid, Vera’s son is presented against abortion showing the religious view.
• The film shows the misery, suffering, trauma from abortions- the sanctity of life is diminished.

Question 20

Why are issues important and chosen for Marriage And Family Values in the film ‘Bend It Like Beckham’? (3)

Answer 20

• The film explores homosexuality, purposes of marriage, attitudes to divorce, family life and bringing of children.
• It is controversial in the character of Jess wanting to play football which goes against her family’s wishes.
• Jess’ family’s traditional Sikh views which clash with the modern British values.

Question 21

How was the film ‘Vera Drake’ unfair to religious people and beliefs? (5)

Answer 21

• A negative portrayal of family life- Reg (Ethel’s fiancé) agrees with Vera’s actions as his upbringing was six children in two rooms. ‘If you can’t feed them (children) you can’t love them’.
• There were no obvious religious characters representing an unfair view of religion.
• There are other options like adoption- Lily does not offer this.
• When Vera is arrested, she is not treated like a criminal.
• The father of the baby is given no say in the procedure.

Question 22

Why are the issues important to religion in the film ‘Bend It Like Beckham’? (2)

Answer 22

• It shows the clash the between traditional religious beliefs and views and modern Western culture.
• Just as white British society changed its values in the 1960s so people could have sex before marriage, inter race and faith marriages and relationships became acceptable, women had greater opportunities, homosexuality became acceptable- these issues are explored in the British Sikh community in London.

Question 23

Why did the producers make the film ‘Bend It Like Beckham’? (3)

Answer 23

• Gurinder Chadha (director), herself is the daughter of a Sikh immigrant who was discriminated when she lived in London.
• Chadha encountered the clashes in cultures when she was growing up.
• The film echoes the difficulties for Indian British Women seeking a better future and a more tolerant society.

Question 24

Why are the issues in the film ‘Bend It Like Beckham’ important to society? (2)

Answer 24

• It shows how families and communities must understand and appreciate one another for an effective and tolerant society to take place.
• The divide in the two cultures shows that Britain is changing but hasn’t quite changed quite yet, reflecting the changing values of the teens in the film.

Question 25

Give a summary of ‘Bend It Like Beckham’. (12)

Answer 25

• Jesminder ‘Jess’ is an eighteen-year-old daughter of Sikh immigrants living in London.
• Juliette ‘Jules’ is the daughter of a typical english couple.
• Jess is infatuated by football, but as she is a woman, her parents forbid it so she finds other ways to play it.
• Jules find Jess playing football in the park and gets her to join a local girls’ football team.
• Jess must lie to Joe the coach about her parents letting her join the team.
• Jess develops an attraction to Joe and upon their trip to Germany they nearly kiss, but Jules interrupts.
• Jess tries to make up with Jules and Jules’ mother thinks the two are in a lesbian relationship.
• Jess’ parents find out she plays football and ban her from going and make her do traditional housewife jobs.
• Jess is unable to make the final football match because of her sister’s wedding, but makes it for the final half where a scout is watching.
• Jess is told she has a scholarship to a football university and her friend Tony lies saying he wants to marry her in order to help when in fact he is gay.
• However, jess exposes the truth and her parents give in.
• Before she flies to America jess kisses Joe and say they will sort out their relationship.

Question 26

How was the film ‘Bend It Like Beckham’ fair to religious people and beliefs? (Marriage and family life) (5)

Answer 26

• Men and women have clear biological and physical roles as given to them by God and it is right to carry it out these roles as it makes the family a cohesive unit- Jess has to stop football to fulfil traditional female roles.
• It is important that people understand the importance of marriage as soon as possible- Jess is asked about marriage by relative at Pinky’s engagement party.
• Jess displays a fair reflection to promiscuity for religious people when she says ‘Sleeping with boys you are not going to marry, what’s the point in that?’.
• The film is sympathetic to the roles of women- Jess is shown as a bright young woman, who helps at home but wants to fulfil her own ambitions.
• Such behaviour causes loose morals and problems in society like adultery and family breakdown- Jess’ mother sees Jess in the park being picked up by shirtless men and accuses her of being ‘half naked in front of men’.

Question 27

How was the film ‘Bend It Like Beckham’ unfair to religious people and beliefs? (Marriage and family life) (5)

Answer 27

• Religious viewpoints are being badly represented, Sikhs agree that men and women should share housework because they are equal- Jess has to become and learn to be a good housewife.
• Men and women have equal say in their families- Jess’ father is portrayed as the main breadwinner of the family.
• Sikhs and other religions are against pre-marital sex- Pinky takes part in pre-marital sexual relationships.
• There are citing examples of people who have successfully maxed faith/race marriages- Jess’ mother promotes the idea that interfaith marriage is wrong when she uses an unsuccessful example.
• It is offensive as it portrays that girls can only do things with their parent’s permission- Joe asks Jess if her parents are okay with her playing football.

Question 28

How was the film ‘Bend It Like Beckham’ unfair to religious people and beliefs? (Community Cohesion) (5)

Answer 28

• Many would be offended by the way Jules’ mother sees people with an Indian background offensive- she says that Jess is ‘promised to some nice, young doctor’.
• Many Muslims would be offended when Jess’ mother says that Muslim families are different when Jess mentions a famous Muslim cricket player.
• The film shows that there are racist views within the community- Sikhs would not agree as it is not part of their religion.
• It shows a negative view to multi-faith/race relationships- Jess is asked by relative when she will marry a Sikh with a’full beard and turban’.
• The scene when Jess’ mother finds Jess in the park wearing shorts and is playing football with some boys who pick her up when she tries to get the ball is seen as old fashioned as women should be able to do what they want.

Question 29

How was the film ‘Bend It Like Beckham’ fair to religious people and beliefs? (Community Cohesion) (5)

Answer 29

• Women should be modest and not show their bodies- Jess is shy when getting changed in front of others.
• There is a fair portrayal of Jess’ family being religious as they are family minded, care for people.
• The film shows the discrimination and prejudice in society and the only way to overcome it is to fight it by proving them wrong- Jess’ father explains in detail the bigotry he faced when he immigrated.
• It shows that the Asian/Sikh community has progressed in a multicultural society, but still shows them being discriminated against for the way they are perceived- when Pinky says ‘there are so many good looking Indian boys to marry, not like before’.
• Not all marriages are arranged- Pinky’s marriage is a ‘love match’.