Media Language and Representation: Intertextuality- Big Issue Essay

Intertextuality- the shaping of a text's meaning by another text- literacy device that creates an 'interrelationship between texts' and generates related understanding in separate works. These references are made to influence the reader and add layers of depth to a text, based on the readers prior knowledge and understanding. 



The Big Issue uses references from a Swedish pop group called Abba from the 70s. They have the bodies of the members of Abba with the faces of Nicolas Sturgeon, David Cameron, Boris Johnson and Nigel Farage, who are well known members of Parliament. They included speech bubbles near the Parliament members' faces, which are lyrics of a song by Abba which is called 'Knowing me, Knowing You'. The Big Issue also added bold text, which says 'THE WINNER TAKES IT ALL', which is a song by the Swedish group Abba.
Nicolas Sturgeon- 'Breaking up is never easy, I know'.
David Cameron- 'Knowing me, knowing EU'- The Big Issue decided to make a pun about Brexit by adding 'EU', instead of 'You'.
Boris Johnson- 'This time we're through'.
Nigel Farage- 'Take a chan-chance'.