A Man with Five Children Essay

Prescriptions StatementIn this elective students explore a variety of texts that deal with the ways in which individuals and communities buzz off and live in a orbicular context. Students consider the positive and banish aspects of the international settlement and the consequences of these on attitudes, values and beliefs. Students also consider the role and uses of media and engineering science within the adult male(prenominal) vill climb on and different attitudes people whitethorn have towards them.Students respond to and compose a range of texts to investigate how and in what ways financial backing in a worldwide village may influence the ways we communicate, engage and interact with each former(a).Elective 1 The Global Village oscilloscope to term The Global VillageThe phrase global village was first used by Marshall McLuhan, a media theorist in the 1960s, to describe a world that has been shrunk by modern advances in communications. McLuhan likened the vast network o f communications systems to integrity extended central nervous system, ultimately linking e real maven in the world.McLuhan wrote that the visual, individualistic score culture would soon be brought to an end by what he called electronic interdependence when electronic media replace visual culture with aural/oral culture. In this new age, humankind will move from individualism and fragmentation to acollective identity, with a tribal base. McLuhans coinage for this new social validation is the global village, a term which has predominantly negative connotations in The Gutenberg Galaxy (a fact lost on its later popularisers). (Source http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshall_McLuhan)In coifion on textBackcover sanctionI want your child, and yours, and yours. What do I want from them? One solar day out of their lives. One day a year, till they turn twenty-one. One day for the camera to follow them.Gerry is a documentary film-maker who, on day each year, follows five children around wit h a camera. He shows the results annually on television. Yet for the children who develop up under Gerrys (and the nations) watchful eye, the experience creates its induce dynamic.Are the participants his subjects, his children or his creations? What responsibility does a story-teller have to his subjects, his audience, and himself? How much does Gerry take? Does the mien of the camera distort the lives it is supposed to be capturing?Spanning more than twenty years, A Man With Five Children invites you into a world of fractured celebrity and distorted vision.Links to plan within the core textStudents explore a variety of texts that deal with the ways in which individuals and communities experience and live in a global context.technology providing a window into peoples livesprivate lives in public spacethe cult of ordinary celebritiesthe connectedness among strangersStudents consider the positive and negative aspects of the global village and the consequences of these on attitude s, values and beliefs.manipulation of both subject and representation of subject by media leads to manipulation of public opinion public misrepresentation of feature leads to private questioning of identity loss of lonelinessStudents also consider the role and uses of media and technology within the global village and different attitudes people may have towards them.attitude of media creators and their agendavarious attitudes of subjects reflect different reasons/needs attitudes of consumer in the global villageconsider the global village fills a bed cover in peoples livesKey ConceptsPrivate Realm, Public SphereHow private is private? A personal blog on Myspace is regarded as create in the public realm. YouTube can find out images of a girl dancing in her bedroom to millions around the world. What rights does an ordinary citizen have to privacy? What rights does a ren testifyed individual have to privacy? Habermas theory on the public sphere is based on the belief that a publi c sphere is an accessible and mugwump realm in which each voice is equal to one.1 To this end, many may regard the function of mass media as a public sphere, model of the citizenry and accessible to all. But is this the case? Is every voice equal? Is mass media really reflective of democracy? Who controls the public sphere of mass media, if anyone?usage by MediaIn a society growing increasingly dependent on media and technology to inform and express ourselves, how reliable can the medium be regarded? How open to manipulation are we as an individual and as a society? Who is manipulating us? The media subject? The media maker? The media distributor? How is this selective information further distort by our own perceptions of the world? Who or whatcan be trusted? What may be considered credible or authoritative? Will we believe save talking images, i.e. words coming out of a mouth that we can see? Can even this be misrepresented?The Unknown CelebrityMcLuhan, in coining the phrase gl obal village, was referring to a world whose borders of communication have effectively disappeared. Even now, what we see on TV can be straightaway transferred to distribution via the internet, reaching an audience far greater than that which was originally intended. As a result, ordinary people become celebrities, transiently or long term, to the uttermost that, despite never having personal knowledge of these people, we feel that we know them. To what extent can these people be known? Is knowledge of their lives and thoughts public property overdue to their fame or infamy? Is there a public right to know? Has the celebrity, willing or not, forsaken their right to fair representation or privacy? To what extent do celebrities control their public image?No Moral BentMcLuhan argued that technology has no per se good bent that it is a tool that profoundly shapes an individuals and, by extension, a societys self-conception and realization.2 Is the media and technology a forum devo id of moral values or moral discourse? Does the public right to information exceed a persons individual rights to privacy? There are laws to protect an individual from vilify and defamation, but none to protect a person from misrepresentation through editing or omission.The Positive Power of Media and TechnologyMass media is a very powerful weapon in the right hands it can unify and arouse a whole populace to action it provides even access to information for all who seek it it provides knowledge of the world of which we might some otherwise remain ignorant it provides a voice for the ordinary individual who chooses to covers up or speak publicly it allows understanding ofminorities, the underdog and the disadvantaged, it also provides a forum for the exchange of goods and services.Possible ThesesThe global village brings knowledge of the world into your living room however, you are invariably consuming someone elses perspective.Media and technology may be powerful tools for info rmation and exchange, but come with a hidden cost to society.Suggestions for introductory activities addiction on technologyStudents could keep a log over a 24 hour period or longer, recording every instance of use, amour or interaction with technology. This activity leads into a discussion/exploration of our dependence on technology on a daily level. Students conduct a study of those that have recently communicated with someone in another country via the web, phone, fax or email.How do we inform ourselves?In groups, students conduct a survey to certify all the ways that we inform ourselves as individuals and a population. What information do we rely upon to form opinions about what is occurring here and overseas? What kind of information and format do we regard as credible? What dont we regard as credible? How do we know what information we can trust?The global village as strength and as a weaknessStudents in groups brainstorm all the ways in which we benefit from being so virt ually and immediately connected to other individuals around the world. Do all individuals benefit, or is there inequality in the global village? Whatare the pros and cons of this kind of global network?Students should also consider the more complex questions ofWho controls the global village?How does living in or participating in the global village doctor our perceptions of ourselves and the world around us?Text-Related ActivitiesStudents respond to and compose a range of texts to investigate how and in what ways living in a global village may influence the ways we communicate, engage and interact with each other.Looking at Gerrys opening speech. Short answer questions.What is the effect of the direct head to the audience of this speech? What does Gerry promise about how the project will be conducted? What benefits does he offer the parents of these children?What reason does he give for the public benefit of the project? What is the symbolism of Gerry meeting the kids at the zoo?W ould these arguments persuade you? Would you have liked to have been part of a project like this one, or Seven Up?1) Write a letter to Gerry as a parent responding to his request for your child. Outline your feelings, concerns, objections, reasons for agreement etc. 2) Write a letter to Gerry as a one of the five children in the play at age 21. What do they have to say to Gerry in response to this speech he made to their parents at the beginning of the project?***Gerry says in the opening speech You know that old maxim? Give me a child at seven, Ill show you the boastful. I dont buy that. I say, give me a child at seven and lets see where he goes, where she goes. liken the five children as you meet them at seven to the adult at the end of the play. To what extent can you see the adult they would become at the age of seven? To what extent are the adults these children become a product of Gerrys role in their lives? To what extent does the media scrutiny affect their development and the perspective of themselves and the world they hold as adults? Select ONE of the children then write two short interviews, firstly, with a former teacher of the child and, secondly, with a spouse or friend of the child as an adult. Explore the characters development throughout the play.***Reverse the gaze of the camera. Write a short film gibe of Gerry talking to the camera at the end of the play. Have him reflect on his actions throughout the project and the lives of the children. If possible, video tape the enactment of this scene.***You are responsible for selling the box set of Gerrys Five Children documentaries. How will you promote it? What aspects of the childrens lives do you focus on? Produce a brochure and a chump advertisement for distribution at the point of sale.Assessment TaskCourse Standard EnglishModule C The Global VillageTask backwash and RepresentingWeighting 15%Syllabus Outcomes2. A student demonstrates understanding of the relationships among texts. 6. A s tudent engages with the details of text in order to respond critically and personally. 7. A student adapts and synthesises a range of textual features to explore and communicate information, ideas and values for avariety of purposes, audiences and contexts. 8. A student articulates and represents own ideas in critical, interpretive and visionary texts from a range of perspectives.Viewing and Representing TaskTechnology brings the world closer together. Who does it serve and what impact does it have on society?Respond to the above debate and question in a visual representation based on your prescribed text The Man with Five Children and at to the lowest degree one other text of your own choosing. Your visual representation can be presented in any medium of production such as Power point, flip chart or smart notebookDioramaModelPosterSlide showShort filmStory boardDramatic monologue chuck up the sponge choiceYour visual representation must containVisual images and graphicsText fro m the play and at least one other text of own choosing Connections betwixt the texts and the positive and negative impact of technology on the global villageYou will be assessed on how well youRepresent the concept of the global village through graphics and text Represent the ideas of the play and at least one other text of own choosing Represent the positive and negative impact of technology on the global village Make combine connections between the textsModule C Standard English Texts and SocietyMARKING GUIDELINESCriteria attachSkilful representation of the concept of the global village through graphics and text Perceptive representation the ideas of the play and at least one other text of own choosing Skilful representation of the positive and negative impact of technology on the global village Skilful integrated connections between the texts15 13Effective representation of the concept of the global village through graphics and textThoughtful representation the ideas of the pl ay and at least one other text of own choosingEffective representation of the positive and negative impact of technology on the global villageEffective integrated connections between the texts12 10Sound representation of the concept of the global village through graphics and textSound representation the ideas of the play and at least one other text of own choosingSound representation of the positive and negative impact of technology on the global villageSound integrated connections between the texts9 7Limited representation of the concept using graphics and textLimited representation the ideas of the play and at least one other text of own choosing Limited representation of the positive and negative impact of technology on the global villageLimited connections between the texts6 4Elementary representation using graphics and textElementary representation the ideas of the play and at least one other text of own choosingElementary representation of the positive and negative impact o f technology on the global villageElementary or no connectionsbetween the texts3 0