ruth post 1

Part 1

Image 1:

The first picture I chose was found in the New York Times on August 28, 2007. It is a photograph of a huge forest fire that took place on the Peloponnesian peninsula that killed more than 60 people. It is a representation of a great tragedy that occurred in Greece. For many, this image may call to mind some tragedies or instances of out of control fires in their own lives. An American may look at this image and immediately blame terrorists because there is a myth in American culture that all tragedies are caused by terrorists, mass murderers, or serial killers. However, some may connote from this image that not all mass deaths are caused by acts of violence. It could also remind someone from southern Georgia of the forest fires that only recently swept through that region. Though the photo may have many different connotations to its viewers, its denotative meaning involves the magnitude of the tragedy in Greece. The viewer expects the image to denote truth because it appears in a prestigious newspaper.

Image 2:

My second picture was also found in the August 28^th edition of the New York Times. It is an ad for eos airlines. In this image, the seating on airplanes is compared to that of a sports stadium. The people in the center with their own roped off area of the stadium and their own waiter represent passengers on eos airlines and the people outside the roped off area represent the passengers on other airlines. Obviously, this photograph was staged but there is still some truth value in it because it documents that the staging did happen and that the people in the photograph were on location when the ad was being shot. Also, it is meant to be a representation of an actual situation, albeit an exaggerated one.

Image 3:

This is the Rollins college logo. The rising sun portrayed in this image is a representation of the new beginnings that happen at Rollins College and the bright future it has to offer. The water below the sun calls to mind Lake Virginia beside which the college is located. Any one associated with Rollins would recognize the motto, “Fiat Lux”, as meaning “Let there be light.” Of course, the text above the center image is simply the name of the college and the Roman numerals below it mean 1885, the year in which it was founded. The image could be biased in the college’s favor because it was created by the college itself. However, it still has truth value because it can be assumed that an institution would get its own founding date and motto correct.

Image 4:

This image appears on movie posters for “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King”. It is a collage of stills from the film. It is a representation of the movie as a whole but it may represent different things to different people. A “Lord of the Rings” or other Science Fiction or Fantasy fan may look at this image as a representation of great triumph because it was the only movie in the history of the genre to win the Academy Award for best picture. For those who don’t love “The Lord of the Rings”, but know something of medieval culture, the poster could represent some examples of medieval clothing and weaponry. If one has never heard of “The Lord of the Rings” and know nothing of medieval culture, this collage would represent what the movie could offer. The truth value of this image lies in its depiction of the actual film. It gives the potential viewer some things they will see if they take the time and money to watch it. Since, it appears on movie covers and on movie posters, one can assume that similar images do appear in the film.

Image 5:

This last photograph was found in the August 29, 2007 edition of the New York Times. It shows two United States troops crossing a canal in Iraq. This image serves as a representation of the soldiers in the photograph as well as all other U.S. troops stationed in the Middle East. This could be considered a form of propaganda because it is an example of the harsh conditions American troops have to live through. It enforces some of the reasons many Americans have for wanting to pull out of Iraq. This image has immense truth value because it appears in the New York Times. For this reason, many will take the photo’s message to heart and call for increased efforts to pull troops out of Iraq.

Semiotic Analysis

Image 2:

Signifier: eos airlines

Signified: seating in a sports stadium where the two people sitting in a certain area get their own section of the stadium and their own waiter while everyone else has to deal with crowding.

Sign: Eos airlines will give you more space and better service. Any flight on any other airline will be much more crowded than Eos flights.

This image is promoting the ideology of flights that are not crowded and offer good service to their customers.

Image 3:

Signifier: Rollins College

Signified: a rising sun, which symbolizes new beginnings and a bright future

Sign: Rollins is a great place come if you are looking for new beginnings and a bright future.

The Rollins College logo is promoting the ideology that college should bring about new beginnings and a bright future.

High Art vs. Low Art:

“Rain Dancer’s Dream”, 1987

Dorothy Gillespie

Painted Metal

On display in the Olin Library

Cover art for "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J. K. Rowling
Illustrations by Mary GrandPre

The painted metal wall sculpture, “Rain Dancer’s Dream”, by Dorothy Gillespie is considered high art because it is on display in a library and was created by a renowned author. Also it was all done by hand and one can only guess as to what Gillespie was trying to express when she created it. This mystifies the average viewer. The cover of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” is considered low art because it is available to the masses. It does not take an art enthusiast to understand its meaning, only a person who has read the book. It was also created by the hand of a well know artist but its purpose is for mass reproduction and advertisement.

Part 2

Mass media always has been and always will be a fundamentally democratic institution. It allows many people to share their ideas and beliefs with others. If one doesn’t agree with something that is being expressed on a certain channel or said by a certain radio host, all one has to do is change the channel or turn off the radio. People have always had the choice not to listen to the media if they don’t like what is being said. Since the invention of the internet, the democratic nature of mass media has become even more apparent. A website such as this is a prime example of how anyone can post their views on the World Wide Web for anyone to see. The main function of the media has always been to further the world’s views and give the people of the world a better way to develop their own views. Television, radio, newspapers, and other forms of media present the masses with different opinions and facts so that everyone can create their own unique belief system. The media does not brain wash people or oppress them, it only allows them to see other’s viewpoints so that they can have a better understanding of their own.