Paper 1 SL Sample 1.1 (Saif Ali Khan)

When first looked at, this text seems like a European or American magazine text, but reading its origin, we discover that it is actually an adapted article about the Bollywood superstar, Saif Ali Khan, from the magazine Stardust Icon.

The text starts off with a quote by the actor himself, saying: “I’ve always had a fatalistic attitude to life… never store it up, because you never know what’s going to happen tomorrow. Anything can happen at any time.” This quote is a great introduction to the first paragraph, which talks about how Saif was undoubtedly “Bollywood’s most unplanned success story in its super league of starts.” This, along with the text’s title “The Prince of Tides” gives insight into how the actor’s career blossomed unexpectedly, just like a tide.

To present such an extraordinary career, much sensational language is used. Phrases like “rewrite Bollywood history,” “strive, strife and style” and “the ultimate cool dude” are used to capture the younger readers, as its main audience is basically them. We would expect an older audience for an actor that is “mature and stepping into his 40s” (line 15). But according to the article, the actor is an “in-sync-with-his-times youth icon (line 9). The purpose of the text is simple: to amuse readers with biographical information on their favorite actor. Nothing sounds more biographical than the quote in line 33, where Saif clearly summarizes his life story, “‘In the beginning of my career I was just having fun. Then I got married, had kids and settled.’” Readers want to be informed about this man’s life.

The text is structured according to its audience and purpose. To describe it, I would call it a Bollywood version of a Hollywood magazine. It is all there: the catchy title (‘The Prince of Tides’), the opening quote, (“I’ve always had a fatalistic attitude to life…”) and the enormous head-shot. The text basically reeks of globalization, structured absolutely like an American or European magazine article about a superstar. Structuring a text like this is obviously the best way of attracting young adults.

In conclusion, the language of the text, the structure, the audience and its purpose all match those of a magazine article from Europe, which means that media is drawing us closer together. But will it mean the death of diverse cultures? Only time will tell.

 Paper 1 SL Sample 1.2 (Saif Ali Khan)

‘The Prince of Tides’, an article by Piyush Roy, published in Stardust Icon in 2010, targets readers who follow Bollywood actors closely. The purpose of the article is to interest readers in the success of Saif Ali Khan and explain that his carefree spirit is what has made him an icon of his times. Through the use of various stylistic devices and structural conventions, Roy creates a sensational piece that is characteristic of gossip magazines.

There is substantial evidence to suggest that this article is intended for Bollywood fans who know and are interested in Saif Ali Khan. The author casually refers to several films in passing, such as Love Aaj Kal and A Tashan, assuming that the reader knows about Khan’s roles in these films. Furthermore the article attributes his recent success to his “unfettered,” “unpredictable” and “unplanned” personality. This is best found in the final sentence of the opening paragraph. “Two decades on, he has survived to become the ultimate cool dude, with that very signature unpredictability making him an ‘in-sync-with-the-times’ youth icon.” The target audience is curious to find out more about his “signature unpredictability” and how it has both worked against him and for him.

The article charts Khan’s rise to stardom, and it explains how he should act to maintain his success. With a focus on biographical information, the article describes his insignificant film debut in the early 1990s, his struggles to compete with his brothers and his recent emergence as a serious performer and producer. The theme that runs through the article is Khan’s carefree attitude. The article quotes Khan, who summarizes his own career by saying “‘in the beginning of my career I was just having fun. Then I got married, had kids and settled. I wasn’t even trying to grow. […] It’s only in the last few years that I have started to enjoy the film business from the bottom of my heart.” The author seems to suggest that this carefree spirit is both what made him unsuccessful at first and successful later. Furthermore Roy warns that Kahn runs the risk of letting stardom go to his head, “The challenge now lies in how he steers clear of the demons of smugness that tend to so seamlessly corrupt good actors tending to lose themselves to the trappings of stardom.” This expert opinion suggests that the author has a history of reporting on Bollywood stars. 

This brings us to the point that there is a ‘know-it-all’ tone that runs through the article. For example, Roy includes his opinions quite overtly when he writes: “Starting a distant last, struggling in ensembles when the trio boasted of single blockbusters in their kitty, today Saif is as good as any other Khan, if not better – constantly experimenting, reinventing, and breaking new ground.” These are all interpretations that the writer has made of Khan’s career, many of which are more subjective than objective. What’s more, this opinionated tone is that of a gossip magazine, where the mood is full of intrigue and sensation. Roy warns that Kahn “shouldn’t repeat himself or short change his following.” Such negative words create a sensational mood.

‘The Prince of Tides’ makes use of many more stylistic devices to create a sensational effect on the audience. There is constant use of alliteration such as “strive, strife and style,” which sound flashy and hip. Parallel structures are also used regularly to sound snappy and upbeat, such as “The catch is to remain imperfect, remain humane, remain vulnerable, remain unsatisfied, remain unpredictable – remain Saif.” This line suggests that Saif’s nature is imperfect, humane, vulnerable, unsatisfied and unpredictable, which is the secret to his success. Furthermore the author’s use of imagery adds to the sensational feel of the article. In the course of the article Roy states that Khan has “tasted blood,” “played second fiddle,” and has had a “mixed palette of roles.” Such examples of figurative speech appeal to the audience’s senses. Similarly, the choice of vocabulary, such as “cool dude,” “Gen X storytellers,” and “in-sync-with-the-times,” makes the piece less formal and more sensational. Finally the word ‘tides’ in the title, suggests that Bollywood stars come and go like the tides of the seas, which is a very cleaver use of metaphor.

As far as the structure of the article is concerned, we see even more evidence that it is sensational. To start, the title appears in a combination of both smaller and larger letters, going up and down like the ‘tides’ that it refers to. The large quote, which appears as a subheading, acts as an attention grabber, presenting Khan’s “fatalistic attitude” which is the topic of the whole story. The size of the image, which is much larger than the copy, is also quite sensational. The fact that it is a portrait, in which Khan poses for the camera, is more characteristic of a gossip magazine than a piece of serious journalism.

All in all Roy uses several stylistic devices and various structural conventions, which are characteristic of gossip magazines. The target audience, Indians who are intrigued by the lives of Bollywood stars, expects the author to use such sensational devices and conventions. Furthermore, ‘Prince of Tides’ is effective in achieving its purpose, as it explains how Khan’s carefree attitude has worked both to his disadvantage in the past and to his advantage in the present.