Choose an incident and write 2 different interpretations of it by two people who know eachother

Choose an incident and write 2 different interpretations of it by two people who know eachother

INCIDENT 1

People look like they are in another world, I swear they’d bump into a lamp post or trip over an unsuspecting dog. And then the infernal buzz buzz buzz of the music. I swear every person who owns a personal stereo listens to the same tape: a dancey bomp bomp bomp piece with no discernable tune. And they always listen to it on the bus or tube so other people try to guess what this piece is – to no avail. And the glassy eyed stare people have while listening to their walkmans. They look like they’ve had their brains sucked up and been replaced by cotton wool.

INCIDENT 2

It’s quite fascinating looking into the eyes of people who are listening to a personal stereo. It’s almost too close for comfort; as though you can see their very soul shining through their eyes. You can see the music lifts them and transports them form the dingy bus or high street to celestial pleasure of the aural variety. When you see someone bouncing along the street, you know they are listening to a personal stereo. There’s a swagger in the step, a glint in the eye, a curl of the mouth.

The other day it was raining and my hair was wet and my feet muddy but I was listening to The Beatles and none of the weather mattered. I was high on Liverpudlian genius and the deluge was not going to dampen my spirits.

WENDY GABRIEL

29/11/99