Veteran Essay

Q)You will create an essay on issue 1332 of the Big issue: Still at War.  You will analyse the media language and media representations associated with the front cover.
As part of the essay you will need to discuss the social and political contexts which have lead to a rise in homelessness in overall and in particular within the veteran community
You will also discuss how newspapers (right wing and Big Issue) vary in the way the represent homelessness.  As part of your arguments you are required to use Gerbners theory

Q)The Big Issue uses different media representations, and Media Language in the front cover. It uses  green on helmet, which is a saturated colours. It is used as it links to the army. It contrasts to the muted black and white. This is used as it could imply that  the public believe that war is only has good or bad sides. It also makes him anonymous, as in war, he would only be seen as a soldier, and not have his own identity. The font is similar to a confidential file.This links to having PTSD in secret. He has Camouflage on his helmet, this shows that he is hiding. The phrase "Still at war" has implications that even after war they are still fighting inside, this could be due to homelessness. His eyes are  covered, which implies that he is unable to see  civillian life normally after being in a warzone. It could be viewed that hisHelmet protects himself from mental health issues. The Poppy represents remembrance, in Flanders Fields, Poppy's grown after the war, this is a popular symbol.

The Big Issue chose to highlight the issue because it was relevant in that temporal context, as the issue was published on remembrance day, and it helps the reader to become slightly more sympathetic. The issue might be important for the audience as it directs attention towards the topic. As we know, at least 13,000 hero soldiers left HOMELESS after leaving the military - and almost all have PTSD.. Armed forces do not help veterans to merge back to society and 30000 troops have lost their jobs since 2010.

In Right Wing newspapers, the homeless are depicted as being dishonest, untrustworthy, and drug-abusing. Right Wing Papers such as the Daily Mail, and the Telegraph often tell stories about homeless people doing horrible things, while using degrading vocabulary to describe them. They generally think that the homeless people should be avoided, as they are scum. They also believe that they are homeless because of their own actions and wrong doings, and therefore do not deserve any respect, pity or sympathy. This links to Shildrick and Mcdonald theory, which states that "the poor are undeserving of sympathy."

According to Gerbner's Cultivation Theory, the more society watches television, the more they believe that the programmes that they watch are true. They are more likely to believe social reality aligns with reality portrayed on television.  This could create stigmas around the homeless, and by extension, homeless veterans.