Explorers or boys messing about? Either way, taxpayer gets rescue bill by Steven Morris

boys messing about

the phrase infantilises the two men and implies a lack of professionalism

farce

the use of the noun to describe the ending of a previous expedition shows the writer's view of its absurdity by treating a potential tragedy as a comedy; it also suggests the men failed to learn their lesson, making the second expedition more egregious in the contrasting reference to 'tragedy'.

plunged

the verb with its active implications of potential destruction and a loss of control, heightens the folly of the men's actions.

plucked

the verb implies the men became helpless objects that had to be saved

the Royal Navy, the RAF and British coastguards

the tricolon emphasises the scale of national military resources required to rescue these two civilian men, highlighting their incompetence and the cost of their recklessness

resentment in some quarters

the reference shows that some people were unhappy about how much the rescue of the two men had cost taxpayers.

nine-hour rescue

the writer includes the length of time taken to show the extent of the effort needed to save them

the four-seater Robinson R44 has a single engine

extra detail about the men's helicopter is inserted in parenthesis to clarify Its small size, while the contrasting connotations of the adjective 'small' to describe the helicopter and the adjective 'hostile' to describe the environment indicate folly and recklessness

trusty helicopter

the ironic reference in inverted commas serves to undermine their judgement

drama

Introducing the anecdote with the noun treats it somewhat disdainfully as entertainment, building on the earlier references to "farce' and tragedy'

Q

the writer's ironic James Bond reference to one of the explorers seems to depict him as an overgrown child acting in a story

scrambled

the verb connotes a chaotic desperation and sense of urgency, ridiculing the men's incompetence and the danger into which they placed themselves

surveying uncharted waters and 'confusion about what exactly' the two explorers 'were trying to achieve'

the contrast of the Royal Navy's genuine mission what the explorers were doing reveals the writer's scathing thoughts about them

wedding

the reference to the watch being a 'wedding' present draws attention to Brooks as a grown man who has made a promise and accepted the responsibilities that come with marriage, highlighting his failure to fulfil those responsibilities in his reckless behaviour

is not the first time

The fact that this "is not the first time' the two men have been in difficult situations is made more memorable and ridiculous through the use of alliteration in 'hit the headlines for the wrong reasons'

ditched scrambled deciphered and dispatched

Morris's language contrasts the relative skill of the two men with the responsible emergency, military services: 'ditched' and 'scrambled' versus 'deciphered' and 'dispatched', for example

Ironically

The use of the word to introduce the aims of Brooks' Russian expedition reveals the writer almost laughing at the shortsightedness of the plan given the action produced a result (tension with Russia) directly opposed to the stated aims ('demonstrate how good relations between east and west had become')

Explorers or boys messing about

the title of the article with its use of a rhetorical question immediately suggests the writer's doubts about the two explorers and some implication of the recklessness of their behaviour as a burden on taxpayers paying the bill (headline)

Paragraph length

short paragraphs are used to convey the different opinions and to engage the reader

tens of thousands of pounds

the inclusion of the information of how much the rescue cost emphasises how expensive it had been and implies disapproval of the explorers' selfish attitude, especially as it is 'highly unlikely' any of the cost would be recouped; consider the repeated references to cost throughout the article as a structural choice to anger The Guardian readers about the costs foisted on the people by the reckless actions of these obviously privileged men.

Experts questoned the wisdom of taking a small hellcopter'

The fact suggests that the men were foolish amateurs; the writer returns to the idea of experts doubting the men's good sense later in the article using very similar language: 'The wisdom of the team's latest adventure was questioned' - structural repetition and appeals to experts and authorities

boys messing about

Jo Vestey, Steve Brooks' wife, is the person who describes them as 'boys messing about', which suggests a lack of respect or a lack of pride in her husband's exploits: structural as Morris selects what from his interviews to include and when and where to include these testimonies

call the emergency people

Jo Vestey's statement that her husband asked her to 'call the emergency people' hints at his lack of experience; the structural choice to include this statement reveals Morris's focus on evidence that exposes the men as inexperienced as Brooks's phrase 'emergency people' sounds imprecise and childish

nothing short of a miracle

an 'Antarctic explorer', who would be an expert in such an environment, claims their survival to be 'nothing short of a miracle' which shows his bellef that they were unprepared for the hostile conditions; structurally, Morris selects to include expert testimony with loaded language embedded

The explorers' ages

The explorers' ages of '42' and '40' are supplied with the underlying message that these are mature men who should have known better

Breitling emergency watch

the fact that Steve Brooks was given a very expensive watch (probably by his wife) shows that he is indulged and also suggests that he was expected to get into difficulty

l wouldn't use a helicopter like that to go so far over the sea

the writer quotes Günter Endres as criticising the men's choice of helicopter by saying and gives his credentials as 'editor of Jane's Hellcopter Market and Systems' to demonstrate his expertise

Falmouth Scotland and Chile

the inclusion of the place names connected to the rescue of the two men shows how far-reaching the effort was.

HMS Endurance

the Royal Navy patrol ship is referred to three times by its name, linking the qualities of stoicism and fortitude - which the explorers seem to lack - to the rescuers

will probably have their bottoms kicked and be sent home the long way

the writer concludes the passage with the rather patronising comments of Jo Vestey, further portraying her view of them as immature children (and the view Morris selects as the final image left with readers)

Paragraphs on their past experiences

The structural inclusion of three paragraphs focused on Brooks' and Smith's past experiences, escapades, qualifications and brushes with danger highlight their privilege, responsibilities and repeated opportunities to behave more reasonably, especially when juxtaposed with the short, single sentence paragraph, Despite their experience, it is not the first time they have hit the headlines for the wrong reasons'.

CONCLUSION

Morris questions the rights of individuals, especially economically privileged individuals, to behave selfishly while expecting to be rescued by public funds and public institutions at the cost of taxpayers. He explores the buffer that privilege can provide and how it might encourage thrill-seeking and risk-taking with the expectation of protection and rescue. Morris questions the impulse of some men (middle-aged, married, professionals) who still feel the need to engage in the reckless exploits of adolescent "boys' rather than accept their responsibilities as mature adults. Some readers might oppose Morris's failure to admire the courage and ambition of Brooks and Smith as adventurers committed to stretching their limits and challenging themselves.