Exploeres or boys messing about? - steven morris

• Regardless of how the men are viewed, the taxpayer will pay for their rescue bill
• The purpose of the article is to antagonize, create frustration and anger towards these men
• The article is from The Guardian, which typically attracts an educated reader
• The expedition is referred to as a 'farce', ridiculing their expedition
• The rescue involved the Royal Navy, RAF and British Coast Guard, emphasizing the resources required
• There was resentment that the men's adventure had cost the taxpayers of Britain and Chile tens of thousands of pounds
• Experts questioned the wisdom of taking a small, single-engine helicopter into such a hostile environment
• There was confusion about what exactly the men were trying to achieve
• The men are referred to as 'boys messing about'


  Infantile description, ridiculing them as naive
• The men are in their 40s, not young boys
• Mr. Smith is known as 'Q'


  Connotes fiction and fantasy, allusion to James Bond
• The verb choices 'ditched' and 'scrambled' ridicule the men
• The men refer to the 'emergency people' coming to rescue them, highlighting their naivety
• Mr. Brooks' expensive Breitling watch is mentioned, encouraging further annoyance that the taxpayer is covering the bill
• The rescue involved the Royal Navy, RAF and British Coast Guard, using expert diction in contrast to the verbs used to describe the men
• An Antarctic explorer said it was 'nothing short of a miracle' the men survived, highlighting the danger and recklessness of their actions
• Mr. Brooks


  • Property developer, experienced adventurer, qualified mechanical engineer and pilot
  • Took part in expeditions to 70 countries in 15 years
  • Tracked solo to every Space Camp
  • Walked barefoot for 3 days in the Himalayas
  • Negotiated whitewater rapids of the San BZ River by kayak
  • Survived a charge by a silverback gorilla in the Congo
• Mr. Smith


  • Claims to have been flying since age 5
  • Twice flown a helicopter around the globe
  • Won the world freestyle helicopter flying championship
• Despite their experience, the men have hit the headlines for the wrong reasons before
• The men's previous expedition to cross the Bering Strait was forced to halt after the Russian authorities threatened to scramble military helicopters to lift them off the ice
• The aim of that expedition was to demonstrate good relations between East and West, which discredits the men as being naive and egotistical
• An expert questioned the wisdom of using the small, single-engine helicopter, saying they were 'pushing it to the maximum'
• A spokesman for the pair said the flying conditions had been excellent, further discrediting them
• The Ministry of Defence said the taxpayer would pick up the bill, and it was highly unlikely they would recover any of the money
• One of the men's wives said they would probably 'have their bottoms kicked and be sent home the long way', further ridiculing them as overgrown children
• The article suggests the author, Morris, is biased against the men, finding the situation comical and viewing them as reckless, egotistical and infantile