Semiotics Analysis

The main headline from the newspaper, 'GOTCHA', denotes that 'we' have caught or captured an enemy, which we later find out is an enemy gunboat. It connotes victory, after trying to get the better of the enemy for a while it is almost as though a suprise attack happened and we finally came out the victor. You could also read that 'Gotcha' adds a lighter tone to the text, masking over the true horror of physical warfare, the word has childlike connotations and is like a playground game of cops and robbers. Using a term like this would only make the reader of the paper be more supportive of the war, giving it a competitive, masculine edge in which we seek superiority. The myth behind this that runs through the whole text is that we are a superior nation, it is perfectly fine to kill the Other, we are constantly 'wining' the war.

The tagline "Our lads..." denotes that we as a nation have greatly damaged the opposition and are ahead of them in the battle. Using the collective term 'Our' connotes that we are all a part of this war and that the soldiers are providing a service for us personally. It is something for us to relate to and support. 'Lads' connotes testosterone filled masculinity, youthful fun and collectiveness again. If the reader sees themselves as 'one of the lads' then they're obviously going to support the war. Using the term 'Lads' represents them positively, because The Sun is a pro-military paper it wants us only to see the positive aspect of young soldiers going to war, not the deaths of hundreds of young men.

'Crippled' denotes that we have destroyed and taken an enemy boat out of action. It connotes our superiority and shows the we have the power to put something out of use. To take a powerful object and make it unable to operate. Having it under the image of such a large boat only enforces this, as a nation we can destroy such a large, well armored vessel.

'Union Boycotts War' denotes that a workers union has a stance against the war and is refusing to deal or take part in it. Due to the connotations of previous pro-war bits of text we automatically form a negative opinion of this union. The small print below it makes it obvious that this person is just as bad as the enemy for being against the war, he is preventing troops from fighting against the Other.

The myth behind the entire text is that this a just war that we should all support and if you don't then you are wrong. The whole text makes the war seem like a game or a sport. Lads is a term used frequently with sports teams, the text is seperating us from the true reality of war and showing us that it is us against them and that we are winning. It isn't a matter of people dying it's a matter of defeating objects, such as boats. The opposition are dehumanised and all categorised into 'Argies', which almost sounds like a nickname for a sports team. We're used to hearing sports teams referred to in a similar manner (Baggies, Potters, Maggies, Toffies etc.) which only enforces the fact that this is a game that we are winning.