Part a - representation - set text

The provided texts position their audiences differently whilst perceiving Donald Trump to either be a useful asset to the British economy or the reason for an impending doom.

The Daily Mirror has a left wing bias. It evidently resents Trump’s conservative values and attitudes that are typical of the republican party. The statue of liberty, which connotes the freedom of thought, choice and expression, is covering her face in humiliation of the individuals who voted for Trump. The preferred reading suggests that she is ashamed, and to some extent fearful, of those that voted for Trump. This is due to the oppressive regimes he stands for and promotes that is likely to be instilled into society creating a state of despair and tragedy. This is reinforced by the post-apocalyptic background and the black clouds that may foreshadow a society saturated with hate and prejudice. The audience is therefore positioned to see the negative consequences of Trumps election in response to the subverted statue of liberty. This would be an audience who passively engage with the text as they immediately accept its preferred meanings.

Furthermore, the bold headline, “What have they done?”, creates a binary opposition between the ‘us’ and ‘them’; them being the Americans who voted for Trump and his tyranny. The use of the pronoun “they” strips the voters of their identity illustrating the frustration of the left-wing tabloid newspaper. The …….. of the front cover directly addresses voters possibly making them feel as sense of guilt for the foreshadowing events of hatred and discrimination.

The Daily Express, on the other hand, offers a right leaning perspective on Trumps election and how it can benefit the economy of Britain post-Brexit.

The front cover almost glorifies Trump in his efforts to help Britain leaving the EU. His reassuring face may position the audience to trust in his strategies and rely on his endeavours. The negotiated reading of the front cover suggests that without Trumps help, Britain will fall in to a state of despair. His picture also poses him as our ally who we should not be fearful of but thankful for. America, once again, comes to our rescue in times of adversity and we should accept this despite the racist and sexist remarks Trump often makes. An oppositional reading of this front cover acknowledges Trumps ability to help Britain but actually suggests that British civilians are selfish for accepting this help due to the massacres he has engendered in America. Binary opposition is thereby created between the reader and the encoded messages. The American flag behind Trump, as well as his red tie, connote the American ideologies of opportunity and capitalism. Within this comes the ability to help other countries who are struggling making America a saviour. The right winged ideologies are portrayed through the adjective “stunning” used to describe Trump’s election.

Both texts position their audience differently. While the Daily Mirror opposes Trump, the Daily Express considers Trumps value to our economy. The idea of postmodernism is reinforced as both newspapers construct versions of reality rather than stating the actual truth. In fact, postmodernism suggests that truth isn’t an actual concept. Audiences are only fed versions of the truth. Representations that are encoded by the producers may be accepted or rejected creating a difference in audience positioning. Whether these representations are accepted or rejected depends on other versions of truth’s they will hear or see from other forms of media. The Daily Mirror and Daily Express illustrates an interpretation of the future during Trumps presidency but not something that is definite.

The front covers also fortify Gerbner’s theory on representation that states that the media provides us with tools or resources that we can use to construct our identities. The encoded messages allow audiences to form opinions on Trump that will either support him or resent him. Those who support him will most likely shape right – winged ideologies while those who resent him are likely to establish left-wing ideologies constructing their political identities.

To conclude, the Daily Mirror uses representation to suggest a dystopian society that Trump will govern positioning their audience to resent Trump while the Daily Express sees potential for Britain in Trump positioning their audience to trust in his strategies.