Essay analysis - In Bob we trust

Essay analysis - In Bob we trust

You will create an essay:You will analyse the media language and media representation of the xxx issue of the Big Issue “In Bob we trust” .   To what extent does the Magazine diverge from mainstream/rightwing depictions of the poor/homeless.  Why is the magazines remit an important factor in the way the magazine represents homelessness?  Discuss the social and political context of homelessness…Discuss the impact of homelessness in Britain today from your research.Word count minimum 750

The Big Issue is a magazine that is sold by homeless people, or people living in poverty who are trying to earn a living.The idea behind the Big Issue is highlighted in the motto/remit which is "a hand up, not a handout", meaning they want to help those who are living in poverty, but by making them work for it. The magazine is sold to the vendor for £1.25, and the vendor sells it for £2.50, meaning they make £1.25 profit from each magazine they sell.

The yellow and ginger colours are very energetic and symbolic of hope. The connotation of the blue sky is that it is a dark sky, but the denotations is that the blue is symbolic of piety, which is the quality of being religious of reverent. This links to the main cover line of "In Bob we trust" as it links to the phrase of 'in God we trust', making Bob look like he is a godly figure in which people can trust and almost rely on to help them see the light, as well as being a symbol of hope. It gives homeless people a sense of dignity, as homeless people are portrayed as being shabby and dirty, but Bob is homeless, and he has none of those attributes, therefore making homelessness look much more dignified. “In Bob we trust” may also have a link to the original phrase used on the American Dollar. This could be a reference to the incredible poverty within America, or how it is one of the richest countries in the world. 

The type of shot is a cross between a mid and wide shot so we can see all of the cat, but It has been taken very closely, like a portrait shot. We are able to see some of the context and surroundings of Bob, as a wide shot allows us to see all of person in front of us, and what is around and behind them. The context and surrounding of this photo is falling and setting snow, as well as some street lamps and what looks like a misty forest beyond all of that in the fog. The fog may be symbolic of the uncertainty that homeless people face beyond what they know of today. It is a metaphor of them knowing where they are today, but not where they will be tomorrow or in the future. The setting snow although it may be pretty to look at, represents the harsh environments in which the homeless have to live in, and Bob the Cat is no exception to those troubles.  

The angle is an eye-level shot with a slight low angle, which makes the photo look very formal, as he is giving a direct mode of address to the audience. This makes Bob look like a serious figure and not as an inferior person who homeless people are often perceived to be. The slight low angle makes Bob look like a tall beacon, a possible beacon of hope for the homeless, as well as a figure of God, and a source of inspiration. He looks like someone you would respect, and this is what they are trying to get across with using Bob as the cover of this magazine. They are trying to say that you respect Bob (the homeless cat), and all other homeless people deserve respect. He is centre stage and centre focus. There is no left third to cut some of him out or limit him. This has possibly been done as they do not want people to judge the magazine for its left third, they want people to buy it because it's what they think Is a good thing to do. These magazines will not be sold in shops, they are sold in person by real life homeless people, therefore there is no need for a left third. 

The focus of the photo is completely on Bob, as shown with the bold writing of ‘BOB’. Bob is the embodiment of homelessness, and he will make homelessness a point of discussion, which it often is not. He draws a different kind of attention on the issue of homelessness, and who it affects. 

The depth of field is not very sharp, as Bob is slightly merged with his environment and background. This may be a symbol of how he is part of that type of environment, and nothing will change that. He is not independent from the cold winter streets, he is part of it, and it is a part of him. 

The mise-en-scene is very limited, as the whole photo is set on him. Homelessness is for once the main focus point in society, which is what the Big Issue aims to do. It aims to help homeless people earn money for themselves and get back into a working routine, but it also puts homelessness at the forefront of the magazine.  

Bob the cat is sat in a very sophisticated and dignified position. Cats are often portrayed as rolling around or being silly, while this cat is an exception. Just like he is an exception to society in how he is homeless. Again, this comes back to the idea that he is like a religious figure, as God is an exceptional being, and Bob is an exceptional cat. His body language is neither aggressive, nor happy. He is just content. 

There are no props used at all in this cover, as it would take away from the meaning of the cover and add nothing to it. 

This photo was taken on the snowy streets, most likely in London as this is where Bob lives. It has been shot in the snowy streets of London because this issue came out in December, but it is also pointing out the harshness of the weather, whether it be beautiful or not, and the effect that it has on the people that live out in the cold winter streets of snowy London. 

The lighting of this photo is focussed on Bob. There are the streetlights in London that make things look bright, but there is darkness in the background, and this is a metaphor for the uncertainty of the future of not just Bob, but the homeless living in the capital's streets during the winter. 

There has been no photoshop, no CGI, no alterations to the cat. The photo possibly could have been taken on a green screen, however it is very realistic to the places that homeless people will be living in over the winter. It may paint a slightly brighter picture, than the harsh reality, as some homeless people live in worse conditions, however if they had set it in one of these locations, to would have lost the Christmas spirit intended, as well as scaring people away from buying it. Bob and the nice background puts a cheerful spin on the harsh reality of homelessness. 

The narrative of the photo is a cat (Bob), a homeless cat, that lives on the streets of London. The picture the magazine is painting of Bob is that he is like Godly figure in which people can rely upon. 

The text used is a sans font which is very sophisticated and stands out, especially with the use of the bright yellow colour. The yellow may have been chosen to link with the colour of the cat, as well as being a very energetic and cheerful colour. There is only three other cover line in this magazine, and that is on the right side of the cover. There is no left third to the magazine which has been done intentionally, as this magazine is not sold in stores, therefore the reader will not only see the left third. At the foot of the magazine, there is the main coverline of “Lessons from Britain’s favourite streetwise street cat” and “By James Bowen” underneath. This looks almost like it has been set out like a book, as thee is the title and the author of It. This is not seen as the normal layout of a magazine cover, and this is what makes it so unique and intriguing to the audience. This may have been set like this so that it is like James Bowen is telling the story of Bob.

This cover represents homelessness. This represents homeless people as dignified and not like the stereotype of being dirty, shabby and possible alcoholics or drug addicts. This portrays homeless people in a positive way, and deserving of help, which opposes Shildrick and MacDonald’s theory that the homeless are underserving of sympathy, as Bob is obviously deserving of help, as is anyone else living on the streets of London during the winter. Nearly 7,500 people sleep rough on the streets of London every year, which is an incredibly high number of people to be sleeping on the streets in London alone. The mainstream right wing does not have a sympathetic view on foreign homeless, especially Romanian homeless people, as they believe they are taking from the state and people who are native to the UK, and therefore more deserving of help. The right wing would however have a sympathetic view of this as Bob is an English cat and deserving of help. It is highly unlikely he has moved from another country to beg; therefore, he is more deserving of help.

The left wing would most likely see this as a point of sympathy, whether it was a cat, a person, or a foreign person. They believe in an egalitarian state, where everyone is equal, and bringing those at the top down to the same level as those at the bottom, so everyone is equal. 

In society today, 10 years after the financial crisis, we have seen a decrease in homelessness, but the percentages are still very high. There is the argument that the amount is very high due to for example, the increasing number of Romanian homeless people moving to England to beg, as well as the rise in immigration, meaning more people and less jobs, equaling to more people on the streets. This means there is high demand but low supply of jobs available to people. The homeless are often ignored as people cannot tell who is deserving or undeserving of help, and whether that help will be taken for granted. As the motto of the big issue says, they give a 'hand up, not a handout' meaning they want to improve the lives of the homeless, but to help them, they have to help themselves.