Doctor Who: Language and Representation

 Social and Historical context

1) How does An Unearthly Child reflect the social and historical contexts of the 1960s?

 An Unearthly Child reflects social contexts of the 1960's through the relationship between Susan and her teachers this is shown when they offer to tutor Susan at her house.                                                                 also William Hartnell was the first Doctor in doctor who. 

2) How might audiences have felt towards science fiction in the 1960s?

people would be excited and happy knowing they will explore science/ fiction and spaceships. 

Language and close-textual analysis

1) Choose three key moments in the episode and write an NCIS analysis for those clips. You can use your notes from the screening in class. Make specific, detailed references using media terminology (e.g. media language - camera shots, diegetic/non-diegetic sound, mise-en-scene etc.)

An Unearthly Child scene analysis

Narrative:Atmosphere is mysterious and music suggests something bad will happen.

Suggestions of danger/threat .  Narrative is kidnap of Susan.

Character: Doctor first appears - mysterious and seems to be a villain. an appears to be the hero looking to save the ‘princess’ or damsel in distress (Susan).

Iconography: Active chemicals in science classroom - science-fiction. Darkness, shadows. Prop: torch (Ian drops the torch at one point). Classic sci-fi scene - investigating mysterious dark location with torch.

Setting: Junkyard ,  Coal Hill School setting , Science classroom

2) How does Todorov's theory of equilibrium apply to An Unearthly Child? Try and use the expanded version of Todorov's theory: Equilibrium - Disruption - Recognition - Reparation - New equilibrium.

Teachers are now trapped in the TARDIS and can’t escape. Todorov - equilibrium. 

Mystery of Susan’s home is now resolved; disequilibrium is now provided by teachers trapped in TARDIS. 

3) Applying Propp's character theory, what character roles do each of the main characters in An Unearthly Child fit into? Alternatively, you may wish to discuss how characters do not fit Propp's character types.

Doctor is arrogant and quite evil - electrocutes Ian and refuses to let them go. Reinforces idea he is the ‘villain’

an appears to be the hero looking to save the ‘princess’ 

4) What enigma and action codes (Barthes) can you find in An Unearthly Child? Make specific, detailed reference to the text using media terminology (e.g. media language - camera shots, diegetic/non-diegetic sound, mise-en-scene etc.)

Shadow appears outside TARDIS - both enigma and action code. 

What is the shadow? -Enigma code.

Suggestion they are being attacked - action code. 

 the foggy London at the first scene of the episode which denotes mystery and horror.- Enigma code. 

Mystery of Susan’s address and not knowing where she lives.- Enigma code 

5) What examples of binary opposition (Levi-Strauss) can you find in An Unearthly Child? How do these create narrative or drama for the audience? 

One key example of binary opposition is old and young , this shows the contrast of  Susan and The Doctor. Another example is between Humans and Aliens, which is clearly shown through the 'strange' behaviours of both the Doctor and Susan against the human actions of the teachers. 

 

Representations

1) What stereotypes of men are reinforced and subverted in Doctor Who: An Unearthly Child? How?

one stereotype of men is that men should be more scientific than women.

Doctor completely ignores Barbara and speaks only to Ian. This reinforces gender representations of the 1960s when women were seen as inferior to men.

Ian and Doctor physically grapple when the TARDIS door opens - reinforces masculine stereotypes and is how men would have been expected to behave in 1963. 

2) What stereotypes of women/girls are reinforced and subverted in Doctor Who: An Unearthly Child? How?

Barbara: “I’m frightened” - reinforces female stereotype and how they are weak and cant do anything without men . 

Susan: “I like walking in the dark, it’s mysterious” - subverts stereotypes of teenage girls/women.

3) What are common media stereotypes of young people and old people? Do any of the characters or scenarios reinforce or subvert these conventional stereotypes (consider this was 1963)? 

One common media stereotypes is that young people is that they're rebellious and irrational,  which is clearly demonstrated through Susan.

One stereotype of old people is that they're weak, wise and irritable, which is both reinforced and subverted through the Doctor, they are reinforced because he is harsh , powerful and intelligent. 

4) What representations of race/ethnicity can be found in Doctor Who: An Earthly Child? Is this surprising or not? Give reasons for your answer and consider historical / cultural context (the 1960s). Has this changed in more recent series of Doctor Who?

“Remember the Red Indian - his savage mind was blown”. Racist representation that reflects Britain in the 1960s.

Also all the actors and cast were white this shows that its a British culture too and how media was racist in the 1960, as there were only white people such as the teachers. This is not surprising because the Human Rights act was only passed down in the UK in the year 1998. 

5) How is social class represented in An Unearthly Child? Think about how education and knowledge is presented in the episode.

The cast was middle class and upper class cast as they were intelligent smart/ geniuses. Additionally , the only human characters in this episode that is shown was the teachers which are clearly represented as middle class people.