Cultural Context – Part B
To study the cultural context of “Sive” and “Children of Men” means to examine the world of each and the values and attitude of the people in these worlds. The worlds created in “Sive” and “Children of Men” are very distinct but also have many parallels. Both texts explore the concepts of family, love, fear and control.
The setting of each text was paramount in informing me about the attitudes and values of that time. Each text depicts an oppressive and controlled society. “Children of Men” is set in the year 2027, in the future, which contrasts to “Sive” which is set in the 1950’s, in the past. “Children of Men” is set in urban London in the future. On the contrary “Sive” is set in 1950’s Ireland in a very rural …show more content…

The ideas of love and marriage in both texts are very different, in “Children of Men” a loving relationship has come to an end contrasting to “Sive” where a loving relationship is only beginning. However, in “Sive” the love is forbidden.
Secrecy and deceit dominate the lives of the protagonists. In “Children of Men” Theo is secretly trying to sneak Kee out of the country to get her to the Human Project. Theo risks it all to save her and in the end he pays the ultimate price for her safety, “Theo, the boat. The boat! It’s OK. We are safe now. We’re safe.” This shows that Theo succeeded in his objective of sneaking Kee to safety but he gives his life doing it. As a parallel to this Sive’s life is also dominated by deceit but hers is for a different purpose. In “Children of Men” it was for the safety of Kee but in “Sive” it is for Sive and Liam’s love. Alfonso Cuaron and John B. Keane both explore the ideas of deceit and secrecy in the lives of the protagonists. However, they do so in very distinct ways.
Even though “Children of Men” and “Sive” are set in two completely different worlds they have many similarities between them. Alfonso Cuaron and John B. Keane both explored similar ideas in each text and both