`White girl` notes

We watched White girl in class which was produced by the BBC and was broad casted in 2008. The genre of white girl is social realism.

The television drama, white girl is about; a young white girl; Leah who lives in a predominately Muslim community in the north of England. Leah attends a school which is also predominately Muslim and they practise the Muslim faith at school. Leah becomes friends with a Muslim girl, this represents the difference in culture and that two different cultures can be civil with one another. Leah's family; the white British family are associated with; violence, drinking, separation, breaking down in relationships,washing lines; which are typically shown in social realism dramas to represent the British culture. We believe that Leah wants to be part of the Muslim community because it is; peaceful, caring, kind, theres no violence and she sees it as an escape form her own life.

White girl is set mainly in terraced housing and the alleys behind the houses this is because they are typically British, the use of the terraced housing and back alleys reference the film Billy Elliot; which is also set in the north of england, it reminded me of a articular scene in billy elliot when he dances down the street, showing the terraced houses in the background. The mosque is shown several times during the drama, which has different meanings of; religion,refuge,calming and emotion to Leah. We think Leah is so desperate to become part of the Muslim community, to have a sense of belonging and feeling needed.

The drama focuses on different aspects throughout the programme which emphasise both british and muslim culture. Its main focuses are the representation of; gender,working class culture and ethnic minorites. One event that happened was a wedding that the british family attended, weddings are typically british including the costumes,food and drink at the wedding reiterated the british culture. The wedding is where Debbie, Leah`s mother shows her resentment very strongly against Leah wearing a headscarf, her grandmother says "shes embarassing us", talking about leah wearing her headscarf, this showed that perhaps her grandmother is not very well educated about other cultures or is resentful towards other cultures. The remarks that both Leah`s parents and her grandmother say to her and about her whilst she is wearing the headscarf, shows that perhaps they are racist, this also shows that they are predujice against the muslim religion and culture.

The blue headscarf that leah wears signifies; religious differences, protest, declaration of faith and identity and a weapon that is aimed at the parents. The fence represents a barrier between the two houses, this also represents the difference in their culture and attitudes and their differences in the lives that they lead and the way in which they lead them.

The drama shows britain as `multi-ethnic`, this is mainly in the north of england. In a particular scene Debbie and Leah are talking over a fence, which represents the separation between mother and daughter, it also represents the break down in the mother and aughter realationship, however the pink and purple scarfs that we see whilst they are having the conversation could represent love between them, although it could also represent the muslim community, because it is a very colourful culture. Leahs mother, Debbie is illitarate, this shows that perhaps she did not have a very good upbringing and also tells us that she was raised in a working class environment.