Uses and Gratifications Gained from the Texts

Peaky Blinders

The text allows the audience to gain escapism through allowing them to be passive and not actively decoding the narrative of the text. This is evidenced in the text when Aunt Polly and Aida are discussing the idea of an abortion and that Freddie may not return to Aida. The text incorporates a somber, non-diegetic soundtrack to highlight the emotions of sadness and fear. The use of the soundtrack makes the emotions appear more obvious and therefore the audience are given the answers without having to decode them. An active audience may take an oppositional reading to this as they may find this patronising if they have already decoded the emotions of the scene without the inclusion of the soundtrack.

The text allows the audience to self-educate themselves through the repetitive references to historical context. This is shown in the text when CI Chester Campbell and Tommy Shelby are in the tea room bargaining a deal and Tommy makes reference to the IRA when discussing who he would give the guns to. Campbell, an Irish policeman's reaction to this threat is negative and is shown by a close up shot of his face looking concerned and threatened. This shows the feelings of people towards the IRA during the period of time that the text was set, in 1919.



Madmen

The text may allow the audience to gain models of behaviour through the representation of the male protagonist, Don Draper. The audience see Don Draper return home from work to a young, slim and beautiful wife.