Err

Errcaution Roald Dahl Be Alert Be Aware Have a Plan – a media focus

Part 1: Be Alert

Would you say you make assumptions of what a person is like from the way they look?

What are some stereotypes of some people/ groups in society that you know?

What is the problem with these stereotypes?

Impact of Representations - how ‘normal’ is shown or portrayed through the media and how this skews the public’s opinions. The characters of the Landlady and Mary Maloney play on others assumptions on what these women are like and that they pose no threat. In the media women tend to be represented or shown in stereotypical ways. Due to this some people make assumptions of femininity, behaviours and the roles of women in society. Therefore, gender is perhaps the basic category we use for sorting human beings.

Construct your own table of 'typical' masculine and feminine characteristics.

  • How might the following objects be 'gendered' through advertising, given that both sexes will use the product? A sports car? A diving watch? Bottled beer? Toilet paper? Deodorant? Cigarettes? Trainers? An airline? A stereo? PS3?

Representations of women across all media tend to highlight the following:

  • beauty (within narrow conventions)
  • size/physique (again, within narrow conventions)
  • sexuality (as expressed by the above)
  • emotional (as opposed to intellectual) dealings
  • relationships (as opposed to independence/freedom)

Find old ads in the 1950s (social context of short stories)

Look at how women are shown in these ads. What is their job or role? What do they look like? How do they compare to how the Landlady and Mary Maloney are shown in the short stories?

Find contemporary ads and comment on how women are shown here and compare and contrast similarities and differences.

Women Poisoners: Margie Barfield, Marie Alexandrine Becker, Marie Besnard, Ilfreide Blauensteiner, Judias Buenoano, Mary Ann Cotton, Daisy Louisa C. De Melker, Nannie Hazel Doss, Ellen Etheridge, Tillie Gbrurek, Janie Lou Gibbs, Amy Gilligan, Caroline Grills, Anna Marie Hahn , Audrey Marie Hilley , Helene Jegado , Christa Lehman , Juliane Lipka, Anjette Lyles , Rhonda Belle Martin , Blanche Taylor Moore , Susi Olah , Dorothea Puente , Madame Alexe Popova , Amelia Sach , Antoinette Scieri , Lydia Sherman, Mrs. Szabo, Lydia Trueblood , Maria Velten , Louise Vermilyea, Jeanne Weber , Martha Hasel Wise , Anna Zwanziger.

TASK: Create a mini documentary on a sample of these women. Include vox pops about how people think the above women is like before and then after they know her crimes.

Part 2: Be Aware

Contemporary examples of how appearances can be ‘deceiving’ from current events: e.g.: Clayton Weatherston case.

Read articles from these links (*students can find further links to articles or media coverage of other current cases/examples. Extension is more articles, different cases and ultimately comparison):

From articles/ media coverage make up a grid as below and fill it in considering (see questions below):

Appearance

/

Reality

/

*Compare/ Contrast

Appearance

How does the murderer look or appear?

How does the articles describe the murderer prior to his/her conviction?

What is his/ her background or education or how are they seen in the community?

Have they had any other previous offences?

What was their relationship to the victim?

Reality

How does the article describe the murderer after his/her conviction?

What actual crime did they commit?

What was his/her motives?

What was the consequence or outcome of this action?

*Compare/ Contrast

What were the common factors that made the victims presume these people were not a threat?

Where there any similarities in the cases covered?

(*You could extend the grid to include say ~ a personal response from the student or future thinking as to how to put in place preventative measures.)

TASK: Write your own newspaper or magazine feature story either a current case or one of the Women Poisoners. Include images, layout and writing style typical of feature story writing.

Part 3: Have a Plan

Consider Online Predators

Initial Focus Questions

What are Online Predators?

Where are they located?

Who is at risk?

What can people do to avoid being victimised?

TASKS:

1a) Carry out a survey of people and see if they know what Online Predators and their responses to the above initial focus questions. Come up with further questions to ask. 1b)From this evaluate your information and write up a summary that could use statistics or just overview the trends of the information you have collected on what people understand about Online Predators.

2) Create an educational trailer dealing with Online Predator education and how to prevent being victimised.