Sara McGranaghan

Manchester Evening News

Sara McGranaghan

CharactersOn the front cover, the main image is a mid-shot of a middle-aged man who represents a villain. He has been convicted of animal cruelty after abusing his dog. He does not appear to be very friendly and looks intimidating. His facial expression shows him to be extremely angry and as he is pointing threateningly towards the camera. He is described as a "thug" in the headline which suggests how he is the villain and violent. Passersby intervened in the incident by restraining the man and waiting for the police. These people can be seen as heroes here as they were protecting an innocent animal. On page 1 there is a typical mug shot of a man who is exhibiting similar stereotypical features of a criminal. He has been convicted for fraud and is labeled an "ATM scam man" showing that he is a villain who has been found guilty of stealing money. He is bald and possesses a hostile stare which makes him appear extremely villainous. His facial expressions are emotionless, suggesting how he is a malicious character. Two guests in the Manchester Hilton Hotel were arrested after a "breakfast bust-up" took place. The two arrested culprits represent the villains within this story as their behavior was uncivilized towards staff and police members. The police arrived to control the situation so are considered the heroes. The staff in the Hilton received "personal remarks" as the villains were "swearing loudly" towards them. This portrays them as being the victims in the situation as they are innocent and handled the situation very well considering the abusive that they received.

IconographyOn the front cover there is a Manchester United player: Marouane Fellani and a Manchester City player: Vincent Kompany. Both of these footballers are iconic of the football teams they play for as they are very famous. The colours red and blue signify each football team, which are the two main supported teams in Manchester. Football is a very popular sport within Manchester and these iconic figures would encourage people to buy the newspaper as they are both recognizable. On the second page there is an image of The Hilton Hotel which is a very iconic building in Manchester. The Beetham tower is a very popular tourist destination and is known for being extremely modern as it is built out of glass. The building is recognizable as it is the tallest building in Manchester and so helps anchor the audience in terms of the newspaper being local. There is another close up image of the Hilton Hotel which shows the name and logo of the branch of hotels. This is iconic for the Hilton Hotel as readers will see this logo and straight away be able to identify it with the well-known hotel company. Also on the second page there is another image of the football player Paul Scholes who plays for Manchester United. It shows him wearing a Manchester United shirt presenting the logo which is iconic for Manchester. This relates back to the genre of the newspaper being local as most people in Manchester will be familiar with who Paul Scholes is and what he represents.

Sara McGranaghan

SettingOn the second page there is an image of Hilton Hotel, which is a key building in Manchester. This shows that the story is one that is centred in the city of Manchester. It also shows that the newspaper is a local one as this is very famous building and is widely known for being in Manchester City Centre. Mise en scene over both pages also signifies the setting as the football shirts that the footballers are wearing convey the logos of the two main Manchester teams, highlighting the fact that the newspaper is local to Manchester. This will encourage readers to buy as many people in the city have an interest in sport, particularly football and are likely to support either Manchester United or Manchester City.

Narrative eventsThe man who has been convicted of animal cruelty on the front cover demonstrates Todorov’s 2nd stage of disruption as he wrongly harmed his pet in public. The 5th stage, the restoration of equilibrium is shown in this article also as civilians who witnessed the crime decided to take the incident into their own hands by stopping him. The police then arrived and arrested the man, resolving the situation and punishing him for his crime. The headline for this story ‘THUGS HORROR ATTACK ON HIS OWN DOG’ demonstrates Barthes hermeneutic code as it creates questions for the reader, wondering what has happened. This creates a narrative enigma for the audience which will encourage them to read the article in order to find out what has happened in the story. Levi Strauss’ theory of opposition is also shown in this article as the dog is very weak and vulnerable in comparison to the fully grown man. This creates an opposition of weak and strong as the dog is unable to defend itself against an extremely dangerous and violent man.

Technical codesThe headline on the front page ‘THUGS HORROR ATTACK ON HIS OWN DOG’ is big and bold, standing out from the page. This suggests it is a big story, due to it being so horrific, taking the centre of the front page. The image with this story is in the terminal area, which puts an emphasis on the headline rather than the image. Also, as the photograph is quite large the reader will be drawn to looking at it regardless. The Guttenberg principle has been used on the newspaper as the masthead has been conventionally placed in the primary optical area, allowing

Sara McGranaghan

readers to easily recognize it. As sport is a popular topic, the Manchester United and Manchester City story is also in the primary optical area. This will catch a reader’s eye and encourage them to read the newspaper as both football teams are iconic of Manchester which many people local will support. There is quite a bright colour scheme on the newspaper as red, yellow and blue are each used. This creates an informal look for the newspaper, a convention of a tabloid - making it appear very attention grabbing.