Ashley G. post 1

This image is of a record cover for singer Rihanna’s Umbrella. The song spent several weeks at the top of the music charts this summer. In a literal sense, the umbrella is meant to represent the protection it provides from the rain, or possibly in a figurative sense, troubling times. The fact that the singer, however, is not using the umbrella, even as water approaches, implies that she doesn’t need protection. As far as the truth value of the photo is concerned, this photo is a great representation of why photos can not be relied on to tell a complete empirical truth. The image shown is not an accurate of a female in our society, or even of the singer herself. She is made to appear flawless and perfect, promoting an ideal rather than a truth.

This image is a cover art for a comic version of a popular television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The setting is somewhat ambiguous, and it is not meant to be taken as a literal representation, but more as a figurative representation of a strong woman in a contemporary society. She is not a mere damsel in distress waiting to be saved; she is athletic and appears to be ready to fight if need be. The truth-value of the photo speaks to the attempted revision of what a strong woman should be in today’s society. She does not need to be someone waiting around to be saved, but instead someone capable of taking care of herself.

This image is an advertisement for the 2007 movie 300. It is very representative of the concept of the alpha-male, in both a historical context, and partially in current western culture. The male on the poster has a perfectly sculpted body, prepared for battle, and prepared for bloodshed. He appears to be a man of little or no fear, based on his fierce, intense expression. The photo holds truth-value in its attempt to portray a Greek, battle ready warrior. He shows no fear, no mercy, and is ready to fight until death. The photo, in some ways though, does appear to glamorize the idea of war and battle.

This image is an online viral advertisement for the popular “counter-culture” store Hot Topic. The image represents the idea of rebellion amongst youth against “mainstream” society. The truth-value of the photo is displayed by the assumption that many teens are enraptured with the idea of rebelling against what the rest of society wants and expects of them.

Signifier ----> Girls in Black with Devil Ears

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Signified ----> Join the Dark Side

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Sign ----> Girls dressed in black with funny ears are part of the dark side.

This image is an advertisement by PETA, made in order to promote vegetarianism. It uses a cute rendering of a baby chicken to promote sympathy for the chicken’s supposed use as a processed food item, and also attempts to invoke guilt among meat eaters for killing such an adorable creature. It subtly represents PETA’s belief that meat-eating is barbaric by playing for the sympathy of those who view the ad, and also would have the viewer assume that baby chicks are being killed and used for chicken nuggets. The ad does hold truth-value because baby chicks are in fact NOT nuggets, but the value could be compromised by a person’s knowledge that baby chicks do not actually look like that, and that most nuggets are not made from baby chicks.

Signifier ----> A Baby Chick

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Signified ----> I Am Not A Nugget

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Sign ----> Baby chicks should not be used for chicken nuggets

Salvador Dali’s The Persistence of Memory is an example of High Art in our society. The painting is Dali’s most recognizable works, and plays on our fears of time, and often, the lack of it. It is commonly considered as high art because its artist led an entire artistic movement, and this painting is often considered a seminal work of that movement. It also considered relevant because some of the world’s most powerful art critics deemed it an important work.

Tanya Chalkin’s Kiss could be considered a form of low art for several reasons. One reason is that it presents a physical relationship between two women, which is still considered taboo in the twenty-first century. It may also be considered low art because of its commonality. The reprints of the photo are sold in various stores, and the original photo is not thought of as “priceless”.

Part 2:

I believe mass media has both an oppressive and democratic function in our society, but its democratic function far outweighs is negative aspects. Mass media allows an unprecedented amount of information to reach the general public at a rapid and constant pace. Before the advent of mass media, the information the public received was very selective and one-sided. With media tools like the internet now readily accessible, the public has the opportunity to explore various ideas, events, and works with little limitation. Many would consider internet to be the most relevant of mass media tools today because it allows for a constant, uncontrollable stream of information. Various news and blog sites serve as a sort of checks and balances system for journalistic integrity, in comparison to just a few decades ago where most information was received solely by newspapers and a few news networks. Though this does not mean that people still do not try to bias particular information, but at least people have access to the full story if the choose to seek it out.