Shealyn Fuller
Culture Wars
Blog Response 1
5 Images: Representation vs. Truth Value
1. A full page newspaper advertisement for Verizon Wireless places a shiny blue phone amid a solid red backdrop. Lines of text surrounding phone that describe it’s capabilities along with those of the network, have highlighted the word “new” in yellow, allowing it to stand out among the other white letters. A blue-eyed white woman gazes out from the phone’s screen as her long and fashionably unkempt blonde hair flows out over her otherwise topless torso and beyond the bottom of the frame. Translucent, glowing butterflies fill the side screen and background lending a magical tone to the scene. The name “Taylor Swift” is written in curvy handwriting across the bottom of the screen.
The main image displayed in this advertisement represents a celebrity and in doing so, the advertisement comes to represent the components that make up a celebrity; idolatry, desire, glamour. By combining fanciful images with those of perceived authentic merit, such as the girl’s photograph and signature, the advertisement leaves the viewer with a sense of achieving that which would normally be out if reach, as if to say “Maybe you can’t be/have Taylor Swift, but you can buy this phone.”
Without lending consideration to image association and other systems of interpretation, the ad becomes much less exciting. It merely denotes that there is a shiny new phone for sale and a network which offers wireless service for the new phone available. This message is achieved by means of text and a depiction of the phone as an electronic device rather than a portal into the world where Taylor Swift lives.
2. The symbol for Rollins College shows the sun rising above an ocean. This image is enclosed within a circle and topped by the words “Fiat Lux”. Surrounding both these words and the sunrise scene are the words “Rollins College” and the letters “MDCCCLXXXV”. This symbol or logo as a whole appears at first glance to be relatively simple without any color scheme or particular focal point but when examined thoroughly, there is no single and definite meaning that can be assigned to it.
“Fiat Lux” translates to “Let there be Light”. In keeping with this train of thought, the symbol could be made to represent the value of education. As the sun rises up over a vast and tranquil ocean, which would symbolize the infinite depth and potential of a human mind, it sheds the light of knowledge and wisdom upon it. “Fiat Lux” after all is a Latin phrase and Latin is said to be the language of the educated.
With a simple change in context, however, the image changes to an altogether more dark and daunting representation.
If the sun were said to be setting rather than rising, the logo would convey message of closing doors and endings rather than one of possibility and beginnings. The water would lose its majesty and become the tides of time, forever lapping away the days and bringing us closer to a final destination. Perhaps in this case college is the final destination; the end of careless youth.
Literally, the logo explains that this is an establishment called Rollins College and that the college’s motto is “Fiat Lux”. The sun really does rise over a body of water on campus and so there is direct truth in the central image as well. Unfortunately I don’t know the meaning of the letters below the sun so I cannot venture a guess as to their literal or connotative meanings.
3. A brief segment on News Channel 13 named “Coming up in the Next Hour” showed a series of three scenes taken from stories that would come after a commercial break. The sound was turned off so that the images were not influenced by commentary. First, well dressed men and women sitting in folding chairs with concerned facial expressions face a crowd of tightly packed, standing people in casual clothing. The scene seems to take place in a kind of courtroom setting and one woman with particularly untidy hair and exhaustion in her face holds a sign saying “My water bill: $184.00”. This scene is followed by an outdoor nighttime setting where officials walk around shining flashlights at empty cars parked on street sides. Finally a dark night sky is shown with nothing but a motionless treetop and yellow moon in view. The bottom of the screen displays the words “Lunar Eclipse” and after 15 seconds of this unchanged frame, the commercials begin.
These choices of stories and corresponding film clips represent what the news channel considers to be the immediate and significant news deserving the attention of their audience. The dark settings and seriousness implied by each clip creates a sense of unified misfortune among members of the community. There is a sense of urgency in the presentation of these images that arouses viewers’ concern and curiosity.
The truth of this segment may even have been easier to pick out without the addition of commentary from the anchors. It is clear, based on the images that a dispute over the price of water (utilities) has occurred, that an unfortunate event took place on that certain area of street displayed and that a lunar eclipse is scheduled to occur sometime soon.
4. The default desktop image on the Dell laptop computers issued by the school is a beach scene. A bright turquoise-blue ocean extends off into an unfathomable horizon, the water becoming deeper blue with distance. There is nothing else in sight save for a tiny island with palm trees and a white sailboat in the distance.
This frame appeals to the viewer’s sense of freedom and luxury. The only way to reach such a boundless and remote location, seemingly untouched by human hands, is with money and privilege. A scene like this one is prevalent in commercials for luxury lavish cruise lines or 5-star resorts. With associations like these, the Dell Company lets their customers know as soon as they turn on their brand new computer that they have just gained access to the exclusive and luxurious.
Without allusions, the picture denotes only that such a beach is in existence somewhere in the world.
5. A bottle of Secret brand deodorant shows a tall, thin, animated girl wearing bright and fashionable clothes. She looks confident and pleased with herself next to the printed words “Generation Me”. In combination, the words and the image imply an inherent individuality and independence about the deodorant. Both the girl and the product are unlabeled by a fragrance title so they are free to do or be whatever they like.
In reality, the product will make the user smell better than she would without it, and this could add to her confidence level. Another truth to be obtained from the image alone is that the product is intended only for women.
Semiotic Analysis
The semiotic tools involved in interpreting an image like the Rollins College logo are hard to pinpoint because of the surrounding text. It is most convenient to glance at the words and form an immediate association between the superficial image and the college without searching for a meaning. Closer examination brings to mind the common perceptions and connotations of the sun. Biologically, the sun supports life on Earth. Some religions grant the sun with the status of a deity. The sun’s enormity in both size and never-ending power, frequently outlined in basic science classes, give it a mysterious and intimidating quality. Pictures of sunrises and sunsets are often used in films and television commercials, both for aesthetic purposes and those of metaphorical birth or death. These simple and unconscious outside connections brings Rollins College to a stature of profound power and significance and in doing so encourages the ideal that belonging to an important organization, increases one’s own sense of purpose and importance.
The Verizon Wireless advertisement is attention-grabbing even before the girl is noticed because of the solid red background. Red conveys emotion through its connection with love and passionate anger. Red is the prominent color on both St. Valentines Day and the day of a bullfight or a battle. Taylor Swift is a rising country star and her picture on the phone’s screen brings to mind her fame and success. This particular picture also brings sex to mind by showing Swift in a vulnerable, barely covered posed. The butterflies add to her femininity and to a sense of fantasy that makes the image seem more detached from reality. The Verizon spokesperson in the corner is a familiar face for anyone with access cable television and he brings reliability to the scene. This ad promotes the ideals of feminine beauty and establishes a connection between Verizon Wireless and the principles of success, fantasy, desire and passion.
“High” Art vs. “Low” Art
http://www.laboratorio1.unict.it/lezioni/02-magritte/pagine/06.htm
The painting above is another of Rene Magritte’s works. It is no great display of artistic skill or brushwork as it simply shows a single repeated image over a basic geometric background. The implications delivered by the piece, though, contribute to its position as an example of “high” art. The identical appearance of the figures and the houses comment on the loss of individualism in favor of the so called “masses”. Its material value is also heightened by Magritte’s fame and historical significance as a breakthrough surrealist in a time period when this style was just beginning to be explored. Its use of a new technique to highlight an issue of social concern that still exists today, as well as Magritte’s contacts with other well known artists of the time such as Salvador Dali (www.magritte.com), lend to the painting’s position of “high” art.
The illustrations found in the Japanese graphic novel, or manga, called Death Note would not commonly be considered “high” art. That is not because the illustrator, Takeshi Obata, does not display artistic talent but because of the medium in which his drawings are presented. Manga is an extremely widespread form of entertainment not only in Japan, but in other countries like the United States as well. The label “pop-culture”, which applies to this series of graphic novel, suggests a certain superficial commonplace. The sheer number of drawings within each book and easily obtainable prints circulating throughout the globe defies the rarity treasured by most works of esteemed “art”.
Mass Media: Democratic or Oppressive?
It is difficult fully support either side of the debate over whether the mass media is our friend or foe. On the one hand, the broadcasting capabilities of media like television and radio have made world wide information easily accessible to the educated, uneducated, rich and poor alike. Regardless of social or economic stature every member of a particular channel’s audience is receiving the same message by means of the same medium. It is inevitable that each member of the audience will apply their own personal interpretation based on prior knowledge and experience, so it cannot be said that each person will come away from the message with the same thoughts in mind. This is however a progressive step away from the exclusion of unprivileged members of society described on page 153 of chapter 5 in Practices of Looking.
By the same token however, this uniform method of delivery makes it more likely that individuals will develop similar opinions about those issues discussed in the message. Such straightforward access to a source of constant and supposedly reliable information about the world makes it all the more difficult for individuals to seek out an alternative means of gathering news. This is a dangerous brand of laziness because it limits the number of people who deliberately put themselves in a position to collect first hand accounts. A lack of variety such as this puts quite a lot of power into the hands of those who produce the primary media. Chapter 5 also illustrates this point by saying “Television and radio restrict authorship of information to those with access to means of media production”.
The 5th book in the Harry Potter series also offers an example of media as an oppressive force. The Daily Prophet, a fictional newspaper, denies the existence of a certain dangerous wizard for an entire year, despite evidence and appeals presented from outside sources, in an attempt to maintain order and morale within the wizarding community. Because they are denied information about the return of this wizard, the public is left defenseless and unaware of their compromised safety. The Daily Prophet’s actions in this case exemplify how the media can drastically influence an entire population’s behavior depending on what they choose to report.
In general I feel that the media brings too much good to the public to be considered an entirely oppressive force. At the same time, I feel that is the responsibility of the public to go beyond the simplicity of a single medium and combine a variety of sources before formulating an opinion.
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. 
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.
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”.
