·      Friendship

·      Financial wealth 

·      Education

·      Independence

·      Romantic love

·      Social status

 An example in the documentary King of Kong is Billie Mitchell who value gaming and winning at all costs.

You can think of attitudes as opinions or viewpoints, particular tones, reaction, disposition or feeling towards a subject matter

The creator of a text does not always support the attitudes presented in a text

The attitudes of people or characters can be constructed to contrast, challenge or align with the attitudes of wider society

Attitudes are based off values, for example, if you value gender equality you have the attitude that both men and women have the equal right to education

Examples of attitudes: critical, apathetic, urgent, indifferent, bitter, concerned, solemn, optimistic, selfish, irresponsible, caring, condescending, sceptical, ambitious, considerate, mature, determined, hopeful, regretful, insincere, thoughtless 

Sicko: a concerned attitude towards the American healthcare system is constructed in the film, and healthcare corporations are portrayed to hold heartless attitudes towards the American population

Interpretations of a text are the meanings made from the text.

 

As interpretations have a broad range of contextual factors, different meanings can be made from a single text. Some influences of interpretation are:

- Personal context of the audience.

- Expectations of genre or text type (previous experiences and predictions).

- Purpose and function of the text.

- Cultural, political, religious or psychological factors impacting creator and audience.

- Values and attitudes of audience or creator.

- Structural, language, generic and stylistic features that construct the text.

- Themes, ideas, issues and concepts explored in the text.

- Inclusions, omissions, emphases and marginalisations in a text.

 

*There is no one way or correct way to interpret a text.

 

·      Personal context of the audience- as a viewer from Australia where our healthcare system is considered to be more socialised than that of America, we interpret Moore’s portrayal of the US healthcare system as unjust, unfair and inhumane.

·      Expectations of genre or text type- through being familiar with Moore’s liberal views and biased works, we expect the piece to be propaganda of sorts rather than impartial judgement on an issue.

·      Purpose and function of the text- through an understanding of the purpose of documentaries to be to inform, educate and persuade, we interpret the text as a persuasive piece aimed at educating the audience on the negatives of healthcare in the US.

·      Cultural, political, religious or psychological factors impacting creator and audience- American capitalist culture and fear of socialism, changes and new legislation concerning medicines and socialised health care.

·      Values and attitudes of audience or creator- Liberal anarchist who opposes the government and society.

·      Structural, language, generic and stylistic features that construct the text.

·      Themes, ideas, issues and concepts explored in the text- the ideas that the US system is unjust and unfair is expressed. 

·      Inclusions, omissions, emphases and marginalisations in a text- various examples of people struggling as a result of the system- having to choose which finger to have cut off.

 

This is often referred to as the context of reception (the audience) and the context of production (the author). There are a few types of context being “the general social, historical and cultural conditions in which a text is responded to and responded to in”(context of culture), and “the specific features of its immediate environment” (context of situation).The context of situation is embedded within the context of culture. It is simply an instance of the context of culture at work. Context of situation focuses on specific details, while context of culture is a much more broad view of the influences on a person. 

 

Context of situation : the specific environment or event in which meanings are shared; the time place and purpose of the event; subject matter; mode of delivery; relational aspects between author and audience of a text. 

 

Context of culture : Social, political, historical and religious context. Background influences and values of creator. I.e. ideologies at time of production and reception, shared meanings and assumptions; broad system of communication. 

 

Sicko - context of reception - in America there is a heavy resistance to anything that even remotely resembles communism or socialism, even though the health care system is neither the Americans regard it as such.