Shannon and Madeline

Find examples of language used in each of the pieces to describe the parents of both children.

It is clear that Madeline's family are very financially stable from the beginning of the article. They 'had been staying in a holiday apartment.' Not only are they on holiday but it is obviously a luxurious one as they were staying in an 'apartment.' This signifies that they have a surplus of money as they have decided to stay in an expensive abode; which is the apartment. They also are authoritative and wealthy as they 'reportedly threatened legal action.' The use of the word 'threatened' mean they are capable of having some sort of power over the Portuguese police. Also 'legal action' requires a lawyer which is expensive to provide so many people rely on the government but the McCann's do not need to and can be able to afford a lawyer on their own. They also had easy links to major authorities ie; the government as it is written that there were 'private conversations between the McCann's and Gordon Brown.' The term private emphasises that they have great power. The fact that they were able to pressure the government into having conversations reiterates their high upper middle class status. Alternatively, Miss Matthews is of a lower and working class. There is emphasis on her character that of being she has 'seven children to five fathers.' This can imply irresponsibility and also can connote that she is perhaps in and out of work as she has had several babies. Also the fact that she had children to 'five fathers' implies she is careless and indecisive hence the reason why Shannon went missing. It is clear that Miss Matthews is still careless as 'she had admitted that she had wanted to leaver her boyfriend which promotes that she is immoral and debauched. She already has had  five baby fathers and she is still not ashamed by it. This stereotypes the working class as unethical and never complacent.

In the Madeline case a two shot of Madeline being assisted down a ladder with her mum is shown. This presents her mother as  nurturing as she is holding her hand. This presents Madeline as a daughter who really adores her mum and really trusts her as she is using her for confidence to go down a ladder. This two shot implies that the two have a strong bond as Mrs McCann is holding Madeline's (her daughter) hand whilst Madeline smiles. This also shows that Mrs McCann is a consistent mother as she uses some of her spare time to play with her kids and make them happy. This signifies that Mrs McCann was an amazing mother who fell victim to something so vile and unexpected. Alternatively Shannon and her mum are pictured on their own in individual mid shots. This presents Miss Matthews (Shannon's mun) as a mother who doesn't really care about her daughter and perhaps isn't as involved in her daughters life. She is shying away from the camera which implies she is someone with low self esteem and confidence. This can therefore implement thoughts amongst the audience that she is a weaker mother.  However, Miss Matthew's does look miserable without her daughter in the picture which suggests she loves her daughter but is just unable to care for her well hence why she isn't with hr in the picture. This can be interpreted as a microcosm of the working classes stereotypical family- they are unable to take care of their children. This idea is also influenced by the fact that Shannon is smiling in the picture where she is alone which acts as a rebuke to the mother's sorrow. It implies that Shannon is better of without her mother. The two very contrasting facial expressions act as binary opposites.

Hall argues that representation is contested , in particular the representation of those with less power in society, in this case Shannon Matthews and her mother against Madeline McCann and her mother. In the McCann case the torment of the family is highlighted throughout the story. It is what is centralised. The circumstances as to how she went missing aren't the main focus. This implies to some audiences that Madeline's disappearance was unavoidable so is in no way the fault of the parents. If the reasons as to why she went missing or how she went missing were the main focus then this can appear as if the family are to blame and insight opinions of irresponsibility amongst the audiences.  To other audiences this can suggest that the family's distress is used to distract us from the fact that Madeline's parents were neglectful the night she went missing. There is a lot of use of pathos within the article with words such as 'terrifying,' 'traumatised' and 'deepest, darkest, chasm' Alternatively, in the Matthews case the article focuses entirely on the mother of the child which initiates that she is responsible for her childs disappearance. The story marginalises Shannon and centralises her mother's family life. It states that she 'has seven children to five fathers' which some may argue is irrelevant but says a lot about her class emphasizing that she cannot make commitments and doesn't know what she wants in life. The representation of the lower class is one that is irresponsible and reckless and of the higher class is one that is nurturing and considerate.

The dominant intended meaning of The Daily Telegraph is to show that there is stark contrast between the upper middle class and the working class in society.It implies that Madeline's disappearance was inevitable,unexpected and extremely inconvenient. This is why the articles is purely based on the family's turmoil and emotions. It expresses how the McCann's are struggling to cope with Madeline's abduction so that we can sympathise with them. They are ethical and reasonable and just fell victims to something completely unfair. However, in the Mathew's case the intended meaning is for readers to view the working class as careless and unserious in their day to day life. The fact that she has had five partners with kids and is moving on to the next shows that she is promiscuous and is intended to be interpreted as a microcosm for the wider working class community. She is also accused of having an affair with her boyfriends uncle which is perceived as disgusting. This is the view intended on all readers not just those of the higher classes. Miss Matthew's emotions are not mentioned which implies that she is delinquent and we shouldn't pity her as she is accused of 'perverting the course of justice.' Shannon's kidnapping was completely unavoidable. As the article contains intertextual links to the Madeline McCann case it influences the audience to think Shannon's disappearance was inspired by another case. This suggests that Shannon's abduction was set up and planned.