Session 1 : How a cultural text can reflect the culture in which it was created.

This is an oversized, checked shirt made mostly from cotton. The tartan pattern originated in Scotland and is worn on the traditional kilts, which go back at least 3,000 years. During the 18th century tartan was converted from a Scottish family symbol to military uniform under James Francis Edward's 1714 rebellion against the English monarchy. At the time, a pattern known as Black Watch Plaid became associated with the Royal Highland Regiment, which is a Scottish military force. After the Scottish forces were defeated at the battle of Culloden in 1746, the multi-coloured tartans were banned for nearly a century.
In today's society, checked shirts are seen as a comfortable, casual and contemporary style. They can be used as an extra layer to keep you warm in cold weather or merely as a means of complimenting an outfit. There are many ways to style this item of clothing making it a very versatile piece, some of which include; tying around the waist to crop the shirt, or tying the sleeves around the waist and letting the shirt hand around your legs, or buttoning the shirt and tucking it in to a pair of pants and many more. This checked shirt is mostly red, the colour red has many different meanings and connotations. It is said that red is the colour of extremes, it can be interpreted as passion, love, violence, danger, anger and adventure. Due to the many different meanings of the colour red, I believe that it is up to the individual on how they perceive the colour and how it makes them feel.