Two seasoned explorers, presumed to possess expertise in the difficulties of adventures, find themselves in a

helicopter crash, as reported in a January 28, 2003 article by Steven Morris in The Guardian newspaper,
titled "Explorers or Boys Messing About? Either Way, Taxpayer Gets Rescue Bill."

The article contains a blend of facts and opinions, where facts remain indisputable truths, while opinions
reflect personal sentiments. Journalists like Steven Morris aim to both inform and entertain their readers.

The informality of the title and the use of the verb, "messing about," immediately frames the audience's
perception, subtly ridiculing the explorers and painting them as immature. Though the title appears to be a
rhetorical question, that needs not to be answered and only asked to create a dramatic effect, the reporter
seems to be answering it throughout the text with his own opinions.

Additionally, the reference to the taxpayer having to foot the rescue bill further biases the audience against
the "boys" mentioned in the headline. It reminds the reader that regardless of how these men are viewed,
the taxpayer will still be the one to pay the expenses of rescuing them. This implies the author’s purpose in
getting the readers’ interest that they have a stake in the issue and perhaps create antagonism towards the
two.

Morris criticises the incident as having "ended in farce," casting doubt on the men's actions and the
outcome. Despite this, the first several paragraphs are purely factual details, opening with a complex
sentence and outlined like a report: "The men were plucked from the icy water by a Chilean naval ship after
a nine-hour rescue…” “The rescue involved the Royal Navy, the RAF, and British coastguards."

Nevertheless, the writer’s use of contrasting terms such as “expedition” and “farce” essentially shows that
this flight should have never happened, an underlying tone critical of these “boys.” Even with these factual
statements, the choice of the verb "plucked" adds a subjective perspective on the manner of their rescue.
This approach reveals a lack of impartiality in the journalism and reveals the explorers' vulnerability,
providing readers with additional context about the situation. The scale and the length of time wherein the
naval rescue ship spent “nine hours” highlights how irresponsible the men were to put themselves at risk
and the extent of effort needed to rescue them.

The writer points out a list that pictures the vastness of the rescue mission with the hyperbolic alliteration in
“tens of thousands of pounds," which reflects the economic impact the failed mission brings to the
government, much more to the taxpayer. This line draws attention to the money consumed unnecessarily in
saving them, and intensifies how absurd and costly this expedition was in terms of resources and manpower.
His mention of "experts questioned the wisdom," suggests a preconceived notion of their recklessness. The
personification of the website, which claims that they were planning to fly from north to south pole, and the
use of speech marks on “trusty helicopter” mock the decision made by the duo. Moreover, the author's use
of the common noun “boys” is diminutive, picturing them to be reckless teenagers, who do not know what
they are doing and forget to pay attention to safety, which is the complete opposite of what is expected
from explorers.

The specific jargon being employed related to distinct parts of Antarctica and the technical details about the
helicopter reinforce Steven Morris’ credibility and know-how on the subject being featured, bringing the
reader to believe in him and interjecting a positive impression on how the journalist is perceived. This
effectually prompts a negative reaction towards the two explorers and accentuates the shame and stigma of
their failed exploration.

Simultaneously, the active voices in “ditched” and “scrambled into their life raft” are one of the author’s
deliberate efforts to mount the blame on the two “boys.” The reference to Mr. Brook’s “Breitling emergency
watch pre-modifies a particularly expensive accessory that hints at the wealth and status of the explorers,
who can afford better resources, and somehow reflects an insult steaming from his wife, Jo Vestey’s
perception of their expedition as mere “messing about.”

Furthermore, the utilization of statistics to specify the distance traveled by HMS Endurance, the Royal Navy’s
ice patrol ship, and the present continuous verb “steaming” stresses the quick response of the British
government. It also precedes how fast the Chileans rescued the two explorers first. These are the
predicaments unfairly exploited by Mr. Brooks and Mr. Smith.

Morris’ shift in his narrative and the utilization of simple sentences in “both men are experienced
adventurers” while going to specifics about the explorers’ extensive background in their previous
explorations assert their privileges and abuse of the government resources. Nonetheless, the verb choice
“claims” discredits the two men's integrity and expertise, while the implicit allusion to their wealth
encourages the annoyance and frustration of the readers.

Similarly, the explicit mention of “one of the aims of the mission…” is to show “how good the relations
between East and West had become,” injects the journalist’s criticism of the duo's grandiose belief on how
powerful and influential they are that they can unify two political adversities, the East being Russia and the
West referring to Britain, bringing back again how naïve and delusional they are.

“Wisdom,” an abstract noun repeated in lines 13 and 60, reiterates that the decision of Brooks and Smith is
the complete antonym of wisdom, which is silly and fool-hearted, another chastisement of their action.

Ending the article by citing the wife’s statement, “They’ll probably have their bottoms kicked…,” a
colloquialism that insinuates light punishment and these wrongdoings are highly likely to happen again in
the future are implications that these “two boys messing about” would continue what they are doing and,
the taxpayers would just have to suck it up and accept their actions for what they are.