Blog Three -- Though Provoking Images

            The media uses many thought provoking images in order to emphasize and strengthen the meaning behind a message.  In many instances, two apparently unconnected objects are placed together in an image in order to get the viewer to think.  Also in images objects, even if they are apparently connected, are used in unexpected ways in order to raise thought.  In many cases, the image gives the central message and if text is present, it is used to back up what the picture is representing. 

            Banksy, an individual who uses art to express political and societal issues, places objects together in his images that appear to have no connection.  One image where this use can be seen is in the shopping cart image.  In this image, there are shopping carts in the middle of a field with people acting as animals.  Both the placement of the shopping carts and the behavior of the people come across as bizarre to the viewer.  This seemingly strange situation presented in the image initiates thought and analysis in the viewer.  Once the people looking at the image put deeper thought into the meaning, different conclusions can be made regarding the message Banksy was attempting to get across.  These messages could be something along the line of how consumerism affects society today.

            Another instance where images are used to emphasize meaning in a message is in the Kony 2012 video.  It is quite apparent how the images used in the video are connected to the central message.  Though, because they are used at unexpected times, the viewer is faced with an emotional response that leaves them deep in thought.  The images used were horrific pictures showing the suffering and abuse of children and other people under the control of Kony.  Although the man who made the video Jason Russell is talking along with the video and there is some text along with the images, the pictures are what bring the whole idea to life.  Text alone in cases like this can have little effect without the support of thought provoking images.     

            The uses of these images provide an example for how placement of objects within a pictures and how pairing text with an image can strengthen the message being presented.  In many instances, pictures speak louder than words.

Blog Two -- Machine Stops and Mondello Claim

            In the twenty first century, many societies have turned towards technology in order to function and enjoy everyday life.  By turning towards different forms of technology people have lost the things that make them unique.  The advancements in technology have removed the materialistic things from people’s lives that make them an individual and that give them an identity apart from others.

            In the article Our Media, Ourselves: Are We Headed For A Matrix?, author Bob Mondello explores the issue at hand.  As he states in the article: “humanity has abandoned all of what makes us human.”  In past generations, the collection of materialistic items has allowed other people to see physical representations of who we were as individuals because “isn’t accumulated mess what defines us as individuals?” (Mondello).  When arriving at someone’s household, it used to be possible to see shelves full of literature, music, movies and other entertainment methods that exemplified the person’s personality.  Today’s generation compiles these large amounts of entertainment interests into technological devices such as the Kindle, the iPad and mp3 players.

            It may be common thought that these advancements in technology actually allow people to deepen the definition of their identity.  It may appear that the wide range of technological devices gives individuals more options in picking out different entertainment sources and choosing what their likes and dislikes will be.  Although it is true that technology opens up many new doors for people regarding the things they can access, E.M. Forster, author of The Machine Stops addresses this idea in his story.  When addressing the use of a “Skype-like” machine, one of the characters in the story says: “He broke off, and she fancied that he looked sad.  She could not be sure, for the Machine did not transmit nuances of expression.  It only gave a general idea of people.”  This statement addresses the issue of technology in an eye opening manner.  If we are given the ability to pick and choose what we hide from others beneath the surface of technological devices, and what we allow people to see, we are hiding our identity.  By choosing what people can see, we are only allowing a partial representation of our personality and individual characteristics to be seen.

            We are given the ability to hide our identity behind technology, and this ability raises a legitimate fear of “losing ourselves as we lose our stuff.”  When people do not have the ability to see the many things, such as clutter, that define us, every individual begins to appear the same.  It has begun to take effort to show who we truly are.  Forster explores this idea in his story when he describes the lives of the people in society.  He states: “beds were of the same dimension all over the world, and to have had an alternative size would have involved vast alterations in the Machine.”  Not only do we all appear to be equal in our characteristics, but it is a strain in order to uncover those things that do make us unique.

            When exploring this issue, it becomes apparent that although technology has opened many doors in the things we are able to explore, it has also close many doors that allow people access to the things that define who we are and what makes us unique.  

Blog One: Blood Diamonds

            In the image, there is a hand that has been severed from a human body.  This hand has been cut off at the wrist and the bloody, jagged cuts can be seen.  The hand is wearing a large diamond ring on the left hand ring finger.  Above and below the hand there is text and towards the bottom corner of the page there is the outline of the continent of Africa with a red diamond in the center.

            There are several colors that stand out in the image and many of these colors create a depressing feeling in the viewer.  The color red is seen in the cuts on the human wrist and is seen in the color of the diamond placed in the center of the outline of Africa.  This color red clearly represents blood in the image, though the significance of blood has an even deeper meaning.  These two symbols, the color red and blood, can represent pain, suffering, fighting and even death.  The color black is used for the text present on the image and to fill in the shape of Africa.  This dark color symbolizes sorrow, sadness, hopelessness and even death.  When combining the representations of each of these colors with the presence of the human hand, it can be inferred that these negative situations, such as fighting, death and suffering have been placed upon human lives.

            There are also several colors in the image that have either a positive or neutral representation.  The ring on the finger of the human hand is a very light color and has a white tint to it.  The color of the ring represents purity, innocence and peace, three things which are positive.  The presence of the ring on the left hand also represents the idea of marriage.  Marriage symbolizes the unity and love between two people.  Purity and innocence can also be represented in the white background of the image.  The color brown is also present in the image and shows the race that is being represented.  Brown represents the African American race and this idea is supported by the outline of Africa that is in the bottom corner of the image.

            Although the text on the image is in small font in order to allow the image to speak for itself, the words give strong meaning to the image.  The text uses contrast in order to explain what is going on in the image.  There are words with a positive connotation in the text, such as “marriage” and “beauty”, and there are also words with negative connotations in the text, such as “taken away”, “enslaved,” “cut,” and death.  These contrasting words allow the viewer to realize that although something may appear good and beautiful to them, like the ring, there may be an unfair and unjust history beneath the surface of these materialistic things.  The text also pertains to the viewer because it mentions an act that is very common among all people: marriage.  It allows the viewer to realize that the symbol that represents marriage between themselves and their spouse may symbolize slavery, the loss of a limb and even death for another person.  The idea that “For every hand taken in marriage, another hand is taken away” is not only saying that a person in Africa loses their limb for every ring that is made, but it also represents that for every ring that is made a person in Africa is enslaved and taken away from their own potential spouse.  These people not only lose their limbs, but also the chance at marriage and a normal life.     

            The words at the bottom of the image are used to further inform the viewer on the issue presented in the image.  It explains why, how, and in what context these people’s hands are cut off.  This explanation describes a life of abuse, unfairness and fear.  The text at the bottom of the page also introduces the idea of beauty versus death.  This pertains to the viewer because it makes them think and realize that the beauty of a piece of jewelry, a materialistic item, is not worth the death of another human being.

            The outline of Africa at the bottom of the page is used to tell the reader where the issue of blood diamonds is taking place.  In the middle of the shape of Africa there is a red diamond.  The color red of the diamond represents suffering, blood and death.  Also, the placement of the diamond makes it appear as if it is the heart of Africa.  This placement is used to represent that the issue of enslavement and abuse for the mining of diamonds is at the heart of many problems in Africa and is a large problem in the continent.

            The image represents an idea and persuades people to take action regarding the issue that is presented in the image.  It persuades people to live a lifestyle in which they research the history behind materialistic items and take responsibility to make sure the products they buy do not come from unjust systems.  It also is used to educate people of the suffering people face in creating products that otherwise seem beautiful.       

Blog Three

                Different types of garbage are thrown into a garbage can.  Slimy and gooey liquids leak from cans and bottles that still have remnants of their original materials.  Sticky unknown substances cling to the sides of the can.  Leftover meals, never eaten, grow hairy mold.  The filthy smell of the trash is atrocious, and you gag as you inhale the odor.  As trash day nears, you excitedly push the garbage can out to sit on the side of the road, as far away from your house as possible.  You roll each can out, holding them by the tips of your fingers, doing your best to touch as little as possible.  When the garbage men arrive, they chuck all of the bags of rotting food, broken items and other miscellaneous ingredients into the back of the truck, where it will soon be compacted.  As the bags of trash get thrown into the truck, bits and pieces of debris fall from holes in the bags.  The trash man must retrieve these dirty and disgusting items with his shovel and return them to the truck to be destroyed. 

Many of us treat mealtime as a chance to stuff our bodies with food that is unhealthy, wasting much in the process and leading to a disgusting overindulgence.  The food we put into our bodies is garbage, unnecessary substances we pile onto our plates, or garbage cans.  We place our plates full of food on the table, where we anxiously await to throw it into our mouths and destroy it with our chewing.  Any food that we can’t consume with our fingers with shoved into our mouth with different utensils, similar to the garbage man’s shovel.  Our overindulgence of food, especially during the holiday season, is just as disgusting as the trash we throw out once a week.  

In these two paragraphs, I used comparison in order to parallel two usually unrelated things.  The reason I chose to compare overindulging food with garbage was to create a sense of disgust.  When the audience reads about garbage and pictures this in their mind, they envision dirty, filthy and unwanted things.  Although the reader at first thinks that this description has nothing to do with them personally, they soon realize that this is actually something they partake in often and are soon disgusted with themselves as well.

Blog Two, Learning Outcome Three

          
The short story titled “Las Medias Rojas” written by Emilio Pardo Bazán brings to life the reality of hardships throughout northern Spain during its progressive era in the 19^th century.  The story is about a daughter named Ildara and her father.  The two of them have always lived a life of poverty.  Ildara is determined to move to the New World (America) in order to start a new and better life.  Her father, though, does not approve of her moving and beats her in order to keep her from leaving.  The story ends with Ildara realizing she will never be able to obtain her dream because of the facial disfigurement caused by her father.

The story “Las Medias Rojas” has cultural aspects that influence the language and meaning of the story.  The story takes place in Galicia, Spain, which is in the northernmost area of the country.  In Galicia, Spaniards speak the language Gallego, which is a mixture of Spanish and Portuguese.  In the late 1800’s, Gallego was the official poetic and short story language, and therefore Bazán used words and phrases in her story from this language.  Not only does the language follow the expectation of that time period, but it also provides a setting for the story.  Although the majority of the piece is written in Spanish, parts are written in Gallego.  This is demonstrated at the beginning of the story “Cuando la rapaza entró, el tío Clodio no levantó la cabeza.”  In this sentence, Bazán uses two Gallego words.  Instead of using the word “niña” which means girl, the author uses the Gallego word “rapaza.”  Also, the author uses the word “tío” to reference the father.  In Spanish, “tío” means uncle, but when this word is used in northern Spain, it means father.  These are two examples of how the author allows language to be influenced by the setting of the story.

            Another important aspect to understand while reading the story is the historical context of progressive Spain.  Throughout Spain in the 19^th century, and especially in northern Spain, the majority of the population was poor.  Only rich and powerful people owned land while the middle class and lower class people worked under them.  At several different instances, Bazán uses binary opposition to show contrast between the two classes.  By doing this, the author also educates the reader on the separate classes in society during this time period.  An example of Bazán comparison is seen when she writes “La rapaza, quien acababa de merodear en el monte del señor amo, entró y el tío Clodio no levantó la cabeza, entregado a la ocupación de picar un cigarro con uñas y córneas de color de ámbar oscuro.”  This quote describes the father’s physical state by describing the dirty color of his fingernails and his tired eyes from so much work.  Right before this description, we learn that the daughter had just returned from visiting the owners of their land, who live up on a hill in a large house.   

Blog One, Learning Outcome One

            In the movie review titled “Deflating That Big, Puffy White Gown” written by Manohla Dargis, the movie Bridesmaids is described using language and content that is affected byt the audience who will be reading the review.  The review is written to pertain specifically to women and it addresses the idea that women aren’t perfect, although this is a common expectation throughout movies.

            The author of the review refers to a common belief by stating “In most wedding movies an actress may have the starring part (though not always), but it’s only because her character’s function is to land a man rather than to be funny.  Too many studio bosses seem to think that a woman’s place is in a Vera Wang.”  This quote directly addresses the stereotype that men take on the important role while women stand on the sideline, though most women would disagree.  Dargis uses a sarcastic tone in this passage in order to pull in women and address women’s thought processes.  The sarcasm tone allows the female readers to see that the author of the review is on their side and agrees that not all women belong in a “picture perfect” role.  

            The author also uses descriptions that give equality to women in a quote saying “Lillian and Annie laugh, cry, hurl, and board a plane to Vegas to test the bonds of friendship en route to a hangover of their own.”  This text compares the movie Bridesmaids to the movie The Hangover.  The Hangover is a movie centered on the irresponsible and mischievous behaviors of men.  This comparison puts women at the same level as men and emphasizes that women aren’t perfect.    

            This movie review is written specifically for women and shows how the movie Bridesmaids unexpectedly switches the roles of men and women in the movie.  The review gives a sense of power and superiority to women.