A2 Comms & Culture: Aston Martin & James Bond

Aston Martin are a great example of a brand who have successfully used product placement as a means of constructing themselves as desirable. In 1964 they initiated a relationship with James Bond films, which has helped to define the brand as many men's dream car.

Watch this - and  then read this, and this.

How have Aston Martin constructed themselves as a desirable brand?

A2 Literature - Connections between DOS and TBE

How Death of a Salesman (so far) can be connected to The Bluest Eye

by Amy

One of the key themes that The Bluest Eye and Death of a Salesman share is that of society’s loss of humanity. Death of a Salesman, which is often viewed as a play criticising capitalism, can be seen as a plea for humanism. This is most clearly seen in the character of Linda who urges people to value humanity no matter how great or small a person is and not just jobs and money. Linda states that Willy “must not be allowed to fall into his grave like an old dog. Attention, attention must be finally paid to such a person” emphasising the lack of humanity he is being shown. In The Bluest Eye society is also criticised as it does not seem to care what happens to the lowest in society, causing them to crumble under the pressure it puts on them. Both Willy Loman and Pecola Breedlove lose their sanity as a result of the poor treatment society has given them. It can also be argued that dreams cause both of these characters to fall. In the case of the Loman’s their dreams build too quickly and their expectations are too high causing them to come crashing down. Pecola dreams only of having blue eyes, and her life becomes completely dominated by this one desire which eventually leads to her tragic demise.  

A2 Literature - Death of a Salesman and time

Click here to watch critics - and Miller himself - speak about the use of time in Death of a Salesman.

AS Lang & Lit: P- 40s in All My Sons

Click the link below to see footage of P-40s in World War 2: this is the aircraft that was supplied with faulty parts by Keller's business (& for which Ann's father went to jail):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pxu02bNuma4&feature=youtube_gdata_player

IB - Death & the King's Horseman

Click here to listen to some Yoruba drumming.

Read this: find out what influenced Soyinka to write Death & the King's Horseman.

A2 Comms & Culture - Objects of Desire/Mad Men

AS Comms & Culture

Here are some articles to read, which may help with the 1000 word coursework:

single parent families
how has the family unit changed
same sex parents
same sex parents 2
sibling rivalry

A2 Comms & Culture: Coca Cola and Christmas

How has Coca Cola used Christmas (and even shaped our meanings of Christmas) as a way of constructing the soft drink as a desirable cultural product?

Haddon Sundblom's early pictures of Santa Claus for Coca Cola in the 1930s were inspired by the 19th century poem Twas the Night before Christmas:

Group 1: 1995 advert
Group 2: 1997 advert
Group 3: 1998 advert
Group 4: 2012 advert

A2 Comms - the effect of technology on communication

Here's an interesting article from The Guardian newspaper, which explores the influence of technology on communication - could be useful for your latest essay (due Tuesday 18th December): click here to read it.

A2 Comms - Objects of Desire

Click here to listen to a series of radio programmes on the 'Psychology of Consumerism' around the world: great for globalisation and objects of desire!

IB: How has Soyinka crafted Scene 2 in comparison to Scene 1 in Death and the King's Horseman?

How has Soyinka crafted Scene 2 in comparison to Scene 1 in Death and the King's Horseman?

by Olivia
In scene 2 of Death and the King's Horseman the style of dialogue is far more westernised than in Scene 1. It is also more straight-forward, with no proverbs and the language means what it says whereas the meaning of scene 1 is more difficult to decipher. Scene 2 contains more conversational dialogue, with very literal language, which could make it appear bland in comparison.

The settings of the two scenes are very different. While scene 1 is set in a very open and public market place, scene 2 is set in the much more private setting of the Pilkings' home. There is more attention put on the props and physical aspects on stage, which draw the audience's attention to the more modern and affluent lifestyle displayed by the colonials.

The pace of the scene is faster in scene 2, despite the argumentative circle that the characters end up in. This conveys a sense of urgency, whereas scene 1 is more relaxed, with emphasis placed on songs and poetry.

The use of music is apparent in both scenes, but contrasting. Scene 1 has a more traditionally tribal sound, with persistent drumming continuing throughout the scene. In scene two the tango music choice shows a much more European, or South American, influence. Jane Pilking complains about the noise of the drumming, showing the cultural differences between the two scenes.

By placing this two scenes alongside each other the cultural differences are emphasised, through the clashing beliefs and linguistic styles. The comparison between the two scenes adds emphasis to how the colonialists attempted to enforce English culture in Nigeria.