Fatema K. post 2

Fatema Kermalli

http://imagesource.allposters.com/images/pic/135/054_8435~Faith-in-America-Posters.jpg

This picture by Donald Zolan is capable of uniting the country and leading it forward as a whole. It inspires love for the United States and faith in its values. This binds all Americans together, which in turn gives strength to the country itself. The US is represented by the flag in the picture’s background. The children standing in front may be seen as a symbol of innocence and trust, the same feelings which the image is meant to evoke in the viewer. Both genders are represented in the artwork, as both men and women are the intended audience. The children appear well fed, dressed, and cared for; when seen as America’s “children”, this representation offers a view of the US as a concerned and loving mother. Also interesting is the fact that the children are seen in a praying position. This put together with the image’s title, Faith in America, also seems to attempt to connect the nation itself to religion/those higher ideals which Plato was so intrigued with and connected to.

Plato would have heartily approved of this image as a method to empower the nation and lead it towards a more unified existence. It provides an image of the country that is good and can serve as a base for patriotism. He also may have considered this particular image to be more “inspired” and therefore allowable due to its relation to the ideal (as seen within the faces and actions of the children). In Ion it states: “The gift which you possess… is not an art, but, as I was just saying, an inspiration; there is a divinity moving you, like that contained in the stone which Euripides calls a magnet….” This explanation is only reserved for the best forms of art as it relates one to the highest realm of existence, just as this image attempts to do. The aspect of prayer that is present therein also correlates with Plato’s council in Book X of The Republic, “…that we hold fast ever to the heavenly way and follow after justice and virtue always….” Thus, his view of this piece of art would very likely have been favorable.

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This image of Guantanamo Bay protesters in Cuba is one which some would argue leads the US towards disharmony and away from glorification. It makes the American government appear to be weak and to lack control of and backing by the people. The picture itself was taken in Cuba, which is indicative of the disapproval shown by other countries regarding Guantanamo. However, a simple glance at the image would neither tell you the location of the scene nor the nationality of the protesters themselves. The mixture of various peoples shows unity against the actions of the United States, while the presence of stereotypically “American-looking” Caucasians gives the impression of disunity within the US itself.

The wording on the front banner is also harmful towards the country’s image because it associates Guantanamo with torture, an illegal action which is considered inherently wrong in today’s age. A closer look at the sign in the top left corner of the picture provides yet another reason for interpreting the image’s connotation negatively. The sign calls for justice and, by doing so, accuses those in charge of Guantanamo Bay of being unjust. This association of the US with torture and injustice is harmful to America’s image and is a source of great conflict both within the country and among potential allies. In a world where human rights are valued above militarism, it leads the country away from glory instead of towards it.

Plato would most probably have deemed this image detrimental to the society. Its power is used to go against the government rather than to aid and empower it. This power lies a great deal in the ability to evoke emotions through reference to torture. Such emotion which is awoken by a mere imitation of the “passionate and fitful temper” is seen by Plato in Book X of The Republic as “irrational, useless, and cowardly”. Such a state of heightened feeling he would find dangerous to the health of the country, and would thus rather keep under check. In the sense that this image, just like poetry or “honeyed muse”, plays to the emotions, it may be said that Plato would reiterate his warning issued in Book X that “not law and the reason of mankind, which by common consent have ever been deemed best, but pleasure and pain will be the rulers in our State.”