‘The death of Marilyn Monroe’ - Alistair Cooke

Question 1

What is the genre of the content?

Answer 1

Obituary (Death report) eulogy, broadsheet journalism, cultural commentary, critical analysis

Question 2

What is the purpose of the content?

Answer 2

Commemorate/tribute Monroe, criticise Americans obsession with fame, provoke thought, reflect on pressures

Question 3

Who is the intended audience for the content?

Answer 3

Guardian readers (traditionally left wing middle class newspaper), Media/Monroe fans,

Question 4

What is the structure/form of the content?

Answer 4

Anecdotal introduction, blends biography with commentary, rhetorical shift from personal reflection to societal analysis.

Question 5

What is the lexis & semantics of the content?

Answer 5

Semantic field; Fame, death, and tragedy (‘corpse,’ ‘publicity,’ ‘tragedy’), allusions to American media culture, metaphors, irony, juxtaposition, hyperbole

Question 6

What type of sentence structure is used in the grammar of the content?

Answer 6

Mix of short sentences for emphasis and longer for explanation, frequent parataxis for storytelling effect.

Question 7

What spoken features are characteristic of the content?

Answer 7

informal tone, contractions, rhetorical questions.

Question 8

What tone and register does the content convey?

Answer 8

Reflective, sombre, intellectual, critical

Question 9

What context surrounds the content?

Answer 9

1962 Monroe’s death (famous Hollywood actress), postwar American celebrity culture, Cooke’s expatriate British voice