The articles I will be comparing are about the participation of Prince Harry in the very unusual and original Wall Game. Which is played annually at his school, Eton College.
The articles are not of great social significance, as the rest of the world is not affected by the performance of our prince in a school sports match, but it does contain large media implications, as the young man featured, is in the public eye a good deal, and the royal family is always a matter of interest. The large picture of Prince Harry on the front page of the Sunday Telegraph shows this. It is situated next to a report on the Taliban, which has immense media significance. The positions of the articles reflect this; hence they are both placed well inside the newspapers.
Article one was printed on Sunday 25th November 2001. The S.M.O.G. reading age for it is __, this is suitable for less able readers. I think it is aimed at an audience with a large age group ranging approximately from
The layout is an important clue as to the bias and the audience the article is aimed at. The Sunday People, aims for a younger, more light-hearted audience. The title is bold and amusing. A pun is used to catch the attention and amusement of the reader; it reads “Prince of Walls”. An amusing subheading, “Harry puts the boot in playing Eton’s weird and wacky game”, is used to keep the readers notice. The words “weird and wacky” are used to motivate an interest in the article as it implies the story is different and unusual and worth reading. Photographs surround the small piece of writing to break up the page and make the page more eye-catching. Different fonts also help to do this, as by varying the writing, the information isn’t just in a block, which may be tiresome to read, this can also aid a person who is not an advanced reader. The first paragraph gives a broad outline of the article, and is intended to intrigue its reader and entice them to read on. It reads “Harry, 17, showed he had turned into His Royal Hunkiness as he crashed around with chums in the bizarre rugby-style sport which has been played at the world-famous college since the 1780’s.”
The broadsheet article (article two) is longer and more detailed, and takes up only approximately two thirds of the page. It too uses a pun in its title, that of “Harry survives life up against the Wall.” It also features two photographs and a personal report on the writer’s memories of playing the aforementioned Wall Game. As his opening comment is “My only clear memory of playing the Eton Wall Game…” The tone is more formal and serious, than that of the tabloid newspaper. The language and vocabulary used are also more complex and aimed at an audience with a higher reading level. “Many Etonians remained perplexed…” The S.M.O.G. reading age for this article is __, this is appropriate for a more advanced and capable reader. Article two, also provides some background information, it gives interesting facts, such as “Harold Macmillan, the former prime minister, played.”
The writer of article two appears to have no bias for or against this game, he seems to not attempt to sway the reader with his opinion and his account of the match is fair throughout the article concerning Prince Harry’s game. However, in the second part of article two, in the memory of his own days at Eton, the writer expresses his bewilderment and dislike of the game. He describes it as “the most boring of Eton’s festivals”. He also describes how his parents “did not enjoy standing in the cold watching…”
Article one takes up an entire page, although the written article itself is smaller than that printed in the broadsheet. Photographs of the prince participating in the game, took up most of the page. The tone of this piece is quite informal as terms like “His Royal Hunkiness” are used. The basic elements of the game are explained as in the broadsheet, but they are simple, clear and concise and easier to understand. The S.M.O.G. reading age for this article is __, this is suitable for lees able readers.
Article one is meant for a light-hearted read, phrases like “sporty chaps” and “studious chaps” are used, in a satirical manner. “Chap” is not a word used very often or so casually by the majority of the population, and I think this is an attempt to satirise the “standard English” used by the royal family and most of the upper classes. This newspaper obviously thinks the game is slightly pointless; this is highlighted by a small caption,
“Kicking a pumpkin-shaped ball and not shirking the odd tug or two, Harry proved himself more than well equipped to tussel with chaps in striped shirts and caps.”
The satirical use of chaps is once again employed to emphasize the pointlessness of the sport, as “tussling with chaps in shirts and caps” does not require excessive brainpower. The rules of the game are labelled “archaic” and the game itself was called “strange” and “bizarre”.
Both writers, for the Sunday Telegraph and the Sunday People, appear to hold similar opinions of the Wall Game, although, the broadsheet writer, did not allow his personal feelings to affect his report. However, both articles sway the reader in the direction of the belief that this game is violent and more than a little futile.
In my opinion, the broadsheet newspapers are the better read, as they are more detailed and indepth. They don’t fuss around with lots of pictures, but provide a reasonable source of information and entertainment, and surely that is what newspapers should be?
