The document analyzes how the main character Sonny and setting in a media piece represent various social groups. Sonny, a 17-year-old white male teenager, is shown wearing casual clothes stereotypically associated with teenagers. His middle-class upbringing is implied through the house setting containing common household items. The character and setting correspond to stereotypical portrayals of teenagers, males, whites, and the middle class in media.
1. How does our media piece represent different social groups?
The main character of our sequence is played by Sonny Southwell, he was the only character
in the sequence apart from the zombie. He is 17 years old, teenagers are stereotypically
represented as capable of looking after himself but also they are not officially adults, so they
may not be seen as fully responsible. Sonny’s costume was a pair of green jeans and a black
coat with trainers. Teenagers are stereotypically seen to not make much effort in their
clothing for everyday life, for example, they wouldn’t usually wear a suit or shirt to college
every day, they are more likely to wear jeans and a T-shirt. This corresponds with the view
that all teenagers are lazy, however, this is not true for all teenagers, but it is a common
stereotype.
The gender of the main character is male, men are commonly represented as strong, brave,
and heroic. It could be argued Unconscious rejects this stereotype because Sonny is seen
running away when he feels threatened rather than facing his fear and standing up to the
Zombie.
The setting of the sequence at the beginning is in a house, the house contains common
middle class items such as a radio and a coffee machine. As Sonny is in his teens, it can be
assumed he still lives with his parents, and the house in the sequence and the area where
he lives, represents he is from a middle class background. Middle class families are in the
middle of the social hierarchy, and it is the most common social class which is why it is
considered as ‘normal’.
2. Sonny is white, the white ethnic group makes up 87.1% of the total population. White
people are commonly represented as heroic and wholesome.
