Source 2

Source 2

1. The Picture

   • The picture shows the density of the tents, the extent of the mud and water, the odd clothing of the people and the bizarreness of sitting outside their tent. There is irony in their stoicism and determination to behave as if the sun was shining. Their clothing reflects the anarchy of their situation
   • It also shows the two men defying the elements; posing – addressing the readers and so including them.
   • The interior of the tent looks orderly but is resting on a bed of wet mud – it makes us feel uncomfortable, not envious.
   • The tents are densely packed, indicating the number of fans. There is a lot of colour juxtaposed with the mud, which reinforces the defiance/ festival attitude.

2. The Headline

   • The headline is bold and eye-catching
   • The alliteration in ‘Festival fans’ engages the reader and creates an image of thousands of people enjoying themselves
   • The word ‘defy’ indicates the determination of the fans, that they were in a battle with the elements.
     • ‘elements’ is extended vocab used as a cliché; the mud looks ‘elementary’ in another, evolutionary, sense.
   • The word ‘revel’ suggests enjoyment and fun but also that the fans immersed themselves in the music and the mud.
   • ‘Isle of Mud’ is a pun on Isle of Wight which is where the revelling was held and is now mudcovered. ‘Wight’ and ‘white’ / mud coloured might also be seen as a play on words.

3. Links

   • The text clearly locates the event on the Isle of Wight, the ‘Isle of Mud’
   • The defiance of the headline is reflected in ‘typical festival resilience kicked in’ from the text.
   • We see the festival-goers who are referenced in the text.
   • The band’s attitude ‘ … haha’ indicates defiance, perhaps revelry
   • The picture relates to the text: ‘torrential rain and flooding created a mud bath around the site’, ‘surely they knew it would be muddy’, ‘the “horrendous” weather’, ‘Fans pitched tents …..where mud flowed “like gravy”’.
   • The density of tents links with: ‘About 55,000 people are expected to attend’
   • The picture of the mud lends a certain irony to what we read in the text – the areas of the festival being called ‘Strawberry Fields’ and ‘Penny Lane’.