StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...

Representation of war in media - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
Going to war is not simply deploying soldiers and launching missiles to the perceived enemy. It is also about "rallying the masses around the public" or making sure that the public supports the war effort. This is where the Media, particularly that on screen, play a crucial role in portraying conflicts…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER91.1% of users find it useful
Representation of war in media
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Representation of war in media"

Download file to see previous pages

The media is said to assume a dichotomous coverage of the war where the conflicting sides are portrayed either as good/evil, innocent/guilty, heroic/despotic, united/fragmented and other descriptions that tends to put one side on the positive light and assassinate the character of the other. (Martin, 1993) This paper seeks to analyze the film Jarhead with regards to the way it represents war. I will be laying out the relevant concepts by providing a historical context thru the use of two other films namely Platoon and the Green Berets.

I will then proceed into a contextual analysis of the Jarhead film and illustrate its significance thru the application of the audience theory. It is hoped that this paper could show how the media can affect the psyche of the audience with regards to war and conflict. According to Martin and Pedro (2006), author of the book Rethinking Global Security: Media, Popular Culture, and the War on Terror, the utilization of the media for the war effort has been one of the focus of PSYOPS which is an integral part of modern military affairs.

This can come in the form of using printed leaflets, radio and television broadcast and even internet press release all of which try to persuade enemy combatants to surrender peacefully and avoid further harm. The use of the media is not directed towards enemy combatants alone, they are also directed towards the populace of the projected protagonist side.Slater (1991) relates that military officials have long recognized the benefits of using the film industry to influence public opinion due to its wide reach and popularity.

In the United States, the Pentagon has a special department called film liaison office that works with Hollywood in making war movies. The relationship is as follows: Hollywood gets to use military equipment such as tanks, helicopters, aircraft carriers, troops and even live munitions for free. In return, the Pentagon is given the right to approve the script and edit it so that the U.S. military is portrayed in a positive light while the enemies are depicted as evil and abusive. The relationship has other uses as well such as propaganda for recruitment.

Martin and Pedro (2006) observe that the military "know that when positive images are portrayed in movies and television shows, they see huge spikes in recruitment. The military is really pressing to get into these pictures".2.2 The Green Beret and the Vietnam WarOne perfect example of how the military establishment and the film industry worked together for propaganda purposes was in the film The Green Berets which was a cinematic portrayal of the lives of U.S. soldiers during the Vietnam War.

The cinematic treatment of the Vietnam War took time to develop because American society was very sensitive about the discussing the war which created deep divisions, exhausted the treasury and sacrificed many of its soldiers but ultimately resulted to their defeat in spite of numerous successful military campaigns. It does not mean, however, that there was no film produced during the war. (Studlar and Desser, 1990) The Green Berets (1968) was the only film addressing the Vietnam War produced while the war occurred.

The film was directed by and starred John Wayne,

...Download file to see next pages Read More
Tags
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“Representation of war in media Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words”, n.d.)
Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/miscellaneous/1504566-representation-of-war-in-media
(Representation of War in Media Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 Words)
https://studentshare.org/miscellaneous/1504566-representation-of-war-in-media.
“Representation of War in Media Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 Words”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/miscellaneous/1504566-representation-of-war-in-media.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Representation of war in media

The Representation of Muslim Australians in the Media

On the other hand, when representation of minority groups is present in media, it is more often than not restricted and takes a negative angle, or is totally constructed due to held stereotypes2.... It is imperative to note that these continued negative representation and stereotyping of minority groups in media is not unconnected with how the society reacts towards them.... representation of Muslims in Australian Media Name Professor University Date Abstract Muslims in Australia are a minority group comprising only a small percentage of the entire population....
10 Pages (2500 words) Essay

Media Representations of Violence Are Often Distorted

In brief, there is an overt representation of violence in the print media just like in the other forms.... In the paper “media Representations of Violence Are Often Distorted” the author tries to answer the question on whether we should continue viewing the media as the escalators of societal violence or look for the scapegoat elsewhere.... hellip; The author states that television is the most widely blamed media when it comes to the issue of broadcasting violence....
12 Pages (3000 words) Dissertation

The Post World War II Era

Most of these events are communicated to the public via representation in the media.... media played an increasingly significant role in being able to move images and sounds across cultural and geographical borders (Lecture5: September 11 as Event and Representation, p.... And in doing so, media representations will likewise be of help in analyzing the aforementioned situations.... It immersed man into a… The new era poses greater challenges to critically analyze various conflicts of the past as well as the present and to be able to adapt to contradictory circumstances like the disintegration The discussion of the current war against terrorism can be fully comprehended by taking into consideration world events which directly or indirectly affected it....
10 Pages (2500 words) Essay

Muslim and Media

The representation of Arabs and Islam related events since the beginning of the 21st century has taken a drastic change in both quantity and quality.... Muslim and Media Muslim and Media Introduction The representation of Arabs and Islam related events since the beginning of the 21st century has taken a drastic change in both quantity and quality.... Most of these changes have occurred particularly on the television media outlet.... hellip; After the September 11th attack, the television media forced Muslims and Islamic religion into the world's media forefront....
2 Pages (500 words) Essay

The Use of Film as a Medium for Voices Represented by Third Cinema

The beginning of the Third Cinema appeared soon after World war II and as a part of the postwar industrialization that was occurring throughout the West.... The paper describes the definition of Third Cinema that is one that was first defined by the rebellion against political, capitalist and other outside systems that were a part of both cinema and society....
10 Pages (2500 words) Research Paper

Media Coverage of War

The writer covered all the moments of the war in that way that it looks as reporter himself is telling about the military operations live.... This paper ''Media Coverage of war'' tells about one of the books, where Merman gave comments against media and said media should not perceive Washington consent as an explanation for downplaying dangerous perspectives.... nbsp; All the contents of war show the democracy of Americans.... He has covered all the information about how the journalists covered the incidents of war, gathered news and reported the Iraq war and its consequences....
5 Pages (1250 words) Annotated Bibliography

Representation according to Stuart Hall

The author explains what hegemony is and identifies whether this concept helps to understand the prevalence of stereotypes in media concept.... The author of the "Representation according to Stuart Hall" paper explains how this concept applies to cultural diversity and the media.... hellip; The veracity of the indictments against the media's failure to extricate itself from hegemonic tendencies and serving sectarian interests is self-evident....
9 Pages (2250 words) Coursework

The Shifting Representation of Family: A Discussion of Visual Media

The paper "The Shifting representation of Family: A Discussion of Visual Media" discusses how has the idea of a typical family been portrayed in the film, and how is this concept changing.... nbsp;… From the information that has thus far been conveyed, it is clear and apparent that the representation of family shifted a great deal in the early years of Hollywood and/or the early years of television.... Furthermore, the idyllic representation of the family was one in which no major concerns, cares, or worries were represented within the lighthearted and oftentimes nauseatingly comedic....
6 Pages (1500 words) Coursework
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us