Analyse why The Big Issue magazine has used an intertextual approach on its front cover. In your answer you must:

• analyse the use of intertextuality to create meaning in the source.  
• make judgements and reach a conclusion about the advantages of this use of intertextuality to The Big Issue magazine.

One way the Big Issue uses intertextual approaches on its front cover is by using the Harry Potter characters (Harry, Ron, and Hermione). The use of Harry Potter characters implies that education is positive and fun because Hogwarts (fictional school in Harry Potter) is portrayed as fun due the education and activities they do there e.g. magic and quidditch
Another way The Big Issue uses intertextuality by using album artwork from Pink Floyd's The Wall. The song suggests that education is about creating clones and restricting freedom which is shown in the lyrics "we don't need no educafion, we don't need no though control"
Ozzy Osbourne is another use of intertexufiality on the front cover. Ozzy Osborne ne Struggled in school due to his dyslexia. This could suggest that there is there a return to excluding kids who struggle in school.
Handmaid's Tale is also an intertexutual link on The Big Issue cover as it could suggest that the education system might mirrors the book where women are controlled by society however it is that children are controlled by the education system and have no freedom.
Benedict Cumberbatch is also on the front cover. This shows the class system in education and Benedcict Cumberbatch went to private school and a good university thanks so his upper class upbringing.

The audience of this magazine would be students and parents. The use of intertexutuality could be an advantage in reaching these audiences as the different uses of intertexutuality present alternative views on the education system. Another advantage of the use of intertexutuality is that fans of the people or characters who are on the front cover might also want go buy the magazine and read it to find out why they are there.

How does the Big Issue cover you have studied use media language to construct an alternative representation of an event/group/issue?

The image on the front cover is a conventional child's drawing of a house but it is being erased by an eraser with the words 'council tax' written on it. This image connotes that children are being left homeless due to the council tax. Parents could be the target audience of this front cover as they may be affected by this cover as it may make them feel sorry for the children and parents going through homelessness. This may make then want to pick up and buy this particular edition of The Big Issue to find out if there is anything they can do to prevent more children and families becoming homeless.

The most eye catching piece of text of the cover says 'WIPE OUT' in red, bold, capital letters. This grabs the reader’s attention. Underneath this is more text that says ‘The tax debt scandal forcing people from their homes’ This helps to explain the front cover by telling the reader what the connotations actually mean – that people are being made homeless do to the councils bedroom tax.

This front cover covers a big political story - bedroom tax. This could relate to one of the magazines main missions of ethical capitalism because they are making a profit but raising awareness of an important topic to help people affected by the bedroom tax.

The Big Issue Media Pack