Savoy Theatre example essay topic

During an interview on Landsburn's local radio station, 3 LB, the State Minister for the Arts, the Honourable Cyril Battersby, defended "the withdrawal of Government funding for the Savoy", arguing that "the money simply isn't there to go on pouring funds into the Savoy". Battersby attempts to portray himself as a man of the people, bemoaning the fact that he does not "spend enough time at the grass roots level" due to the "pressures of government business". These claims may evoke a sympathetic response from the listening audience, especially when coupled with his appeals to family values: "Do you know that I haven't spent any time with my family since Parliament re-opened in July?" Battersby's focus on economic rationalism certainly attempts to hit the hip pocket nerve of the listeners. He repeats the figure "$37 million" stating that the money has been generated through the taxation paid by the listeners and Battersby himself: "your money and mine", reinforcing Battersby's affiliation with his audience and the interviewer. The polite tone employed by the Minister at the start of the interview, evinced by statements such as, "A pleasure, Beth", moves to assertiveness, "Look, Beth", and then condescension, "my dear Beth", as he argues that the Savoy Theatre can be sacrificed for the "price of progress".

The Landsburn Gilbert and Sullivan Society swiftly responded to Battersby's argument via a leaflet urging the members of the local community to rally in support of the Savoy Theatre - "the very heart and soul" of Landsburn. The leaflet vehemently vilifies the Government for its "callous withdrawal of funding" and the manner in which it has "savagely turn [ed] its back on all we have worked so hard for... ". This attack, coupled with its inclusive language creates an 'us against them' mentality, which ties into the common view that politicians are not acting in the best interest of their constituents. The leaflet's content appeals to a sense of tradition, stating that everyone in Landsburn had worked hard for "the past decade and, indeed, in the generations before... since the turn of the last century...

". The historical value of the Savoy Theatre is made abundantly clear and further supported by information presenting the Theatre as the lifeblood of the city. The theatre is portrayed as playing a key role in the running of all organisations in the community. In this sense, the destruction of the Savoy Theatre will, in turn, destroy the spirit of Landsburn - clearly an appeal to community pride. An emphatic tone introduces the leaflet: "We need your support!

We need your voice! We need your protest!" until a matter-of-fact tone is introduced via "These are the facts", and finally a tone of foreboding, .".. every man, woman and child in Landsburn will suffer" carries the fear that the end for the Savoy Theatre is a most undesirable outcome.