Perspectives

It is very important for you to be able to put "TV, public school and Ryan's fall” by Amelia Hill and Kamal Ahmed into perspective. It will enhance your understanding of the topic and help you engage in a meaningful dialogue about the text. In what follows, we will give you some points related to:  

• Time or periodical perspective
• Current issues; relevance today
• Societal perspective
• Thematic perspective
• Textual perspective

Periodical perspective

The article was written in 2003, shortly after Ryan Bell was expelled from the private school a television company put him in. His story, as the article notes, “sparked a nationwide debate” (p. 146, ll. 45-46). Some accused the television company, while others accused Ryan or blamed the rigidity of the school’s rules.

Why do you think Ryan’s story became so controversial and popular at the time?

Consider the parts involved: a well-known television, Channel 4, a Catholic boarding school and a boy with a difficult past of poverty and criminality. It become...