Blog Assignment #9: Picturing "The Other"

The following picture was taken when I was on a community service trip in Jamaica, West Indies. I took the photo to adequately capture the beautiful scenery combined with the laidback attitude seen within the two boys. In composing this photograph I decided that the beautiful scenic atmosphere drew the attention of the viewers away from the horrible conditions of the country. My experiences shaped my taking of this photograph because I had seen and understood the horrible conditions of the country, which provoked my intentions. The person in this photograph might have taken a similar picture of me. My nonchalant and blasé attitude would be reflected in my photo. I may be seen sitting down relaxing with my sunglasses on, staring into the ocean. The caption might be something like: “Perri’s view of the world.” “The other” could assume that I am a very relaxed person. This exercise might change the way that I take travel photographs by truly trying to incorporate an individuals characteristics and different aspects of their personality. I would look to take photographs that properly epitomize an individual. When I snap pictures of people that I do not know I will try to really integrate the scenery and try to show how the person is involved in the scenery. In order to represent others properly I think that it first depends on who the person you’re taking the photograph of is and if they do or do not know that the photograph is being taken. 

Blog Assignment #7: Metaphors in Media/ Creating Reality

If I were to incorporate Forrest Gump into an event from the 21^st century, I would put him on the plane from the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. I chose this because it was a huge historical event that has drastically changed the stability of foreign affairs for the future. The scene that I think would be most appropriate for Forrest to be in would be him sitting next to one of the terrorist bombers on the plane. His jovial personality would lead Forrest to greet the terrorist with benevolence and altruism. This scene would be just like the scene in the movie where Forrest is sitting on the bus stop bench talking to anyone about anything. The conversation between Forrest and the terrorist would consist of Forrest talking about his time in the Vietnam War, his mother, and Jenny. The terrorist may seem uninterested or aloof, however he would really be listening and thinking about the irony of the conversation. Forrest would not think twice about to whom he was talking to. The flight would just be an opportunity for Forrest to open up to someone in a confined setting, regardless of whom the person was. The scene would first start when walking through security, and focus on Forrest’s buoyancy when stepping onto the plane. After the attacks, Forrest would help people with an open mind and open heart. Of course, in the movie the attacks would not have been as drastic as they were in real life in order for Forrest to survive and be able to help people the way he would in any other situation. His devotion to the nation and his unbiased views would lead him to help anyone in need.

Blog Assignment #6: Iconic Images as Tropes

Rosie the Riveter is an iconic image of the United States, representing women that worked in the factories during World War II. When the American men were in the military overseas fighting in the war, women replaced them with dedication and perseverance in the factories. The image of Rosie the Riveter in the “We Can Do It” poster was originally an advertisement properly captivating the enthusiasm felt by women and their new jobs. This image is a perfect paradigm of women during World War II, showing their willingness to support the country, seen through their work. This image is actually ironic because the quote, “We Can Do It” is falsely represented by the lack of muscle shown on Rosie! This irony creates a trope through implying the opposite of flashing her muscles; however, her determination is seen through her austere facial expression. This image relates to my field of study as a journalism major, because I can do it! By enforcing the notion to not judge people based on appearances, race, or gender, this iconic image perfectly encompasses the enthusiasm and commitment one sees when taking on a new task. Initially, Normal Rockwell’s image of Rosie the Riveter was posted on the cover of the Saturday Evening Post in 1943. However, this image has received profound recognition as not only the cover of a newspaper but as the image of a generation. This iconic image works as a trope in relation to its historical context. When this image was produced it may have been considered that women actually cannot replace men in the work force, acting as irony. This image is a metonym because Rosie the Riveter does not represent one individual woman, Rosalind P. Walter, the woman from which the image developed; however, the image represents an entire generation of women during World War II. Today, this image captures the changes in society that have been made since the struggle for women’s rights. 

Blog Assignment 5: Representing Others

The media manipulates our perception of war. In regards to sympathy and feelings of accomplishment, different sources of media guide how the public feels about each of the battling sides during combat. Whether images evoke condolence for the brave or hatred for the enemy, our thoughts are persuaded by the messages seen visually. In Regarding the Pain of Others, Susan Sontag wrote, “Or the images may be too terrible, and need to be suppressed in the name of propriety or of patriotism… To display the dead, after all, is what the enemy does.” (64). According to Sontag, the images that are used to show the conditions of war are manipulated to augment ardent emotions within the viewers. Images may be manipulated because they are too appalling, or they may be fabricated to induce advantageous feelings. As viewers, we do not consider the implications of these situations. We do not think about the lives of innocent civilians. Clint Eastwood’s film, Letters from Iwo Jima, focuses on the horrible conditions of the Japanese soldiers during the Battle of Iwo Jima. The film guides our sympathy towards Saigo, a baker forced into the Japanese army. A connection to Saigo’s life is established through his flashbacks from before he was in the army. This aspect of the film leads viewers to innately feel compassion for Saigo and the Japanese troops. This humanitarian nature supports the theory that the media controls our emotions. For example, in the film, when the two Japanese soldiers surrender to the Americans, we resent the Americans for their brutality. However, Eastwood gives the viewers false hope regarding the sincerity of the Americans when they offer the Japanese soldiers water prior to shooting them. Seeing the war through Japanese eyes directs our solace towards the Japanese and away from the Americans reinforcing the idea that the media controls the way we feel about combating sides during war.

Blog Assignment 4: My Online Persona

I have 2,282 facebook friends. This huge number is composed of my friends, friends of friends, family, and a lot of other people! In the developing online social world, it is hard to distinguish the different subgroups within my “friends” and control what I do or do not want them to see. When composing my page, it is also hard to find a common equilibrium between the different subgroups. However, privacy settings are available to control this problem. Initially, I had certain people, such as family members and professionals, on limited profile. With this enabled, they were not able to see my pictures. Recently, I changed my settings to friends only, now only people that I am friends with can see my information. I was ambivalent at first as to what I was going to disable and enable people to see. The persona manifested of myself does not properly show who I am. To those that only know me by my page, it may seem as if all I do is go out with my friends and drink a lot; however, in a face-to-face confrontational setting I am not perceived like that.

In this picture, it looks as it I am going to have a good time. The sunglasses, bathing suit, and gators t-shirt emphasize the strategic ability to capture my “party” persona. This picture is specified for the subculture of my real friends. The exclusion of details, such as my academic interests and extra curricular activities prevents others from seeing that side to me. This negatively affects my persona created by my facebook page. Without this part of my life shown I’m perceived as a person who does not regard academics and prioritize.

This next photograph is of my pledge class for my sorority. This represents the emphasis on friendship and bonding in society. This picture can appeal to all of my different subcultures because it shows the strength of my friendships with my sisters. 

Project 1: Multimedia Blog

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqOO1o0JFQY

        When I stepped onto the plane on February 17, 2008 I was not aware of what I was moving towards, my mind was overwhelmed with intransigent, selfish worries. What if my cell phone doesn’t work there? 

Why did I have to leave on my 16^th birthday? What am I getting myself into? My views, engrossed by these pessimistic thoughts, disappeared the second I stepped off the plane and I have yet to see them since. A long, bumpy, ride and we had arrived. It may sound cliché, but from the second I walked into “Mama Heaven’s” home, where I would be living for the next week, I knew I would never be the same. 

Our mission was to clean up their community, but my mission was to change this community the way they had changed me. We spent our time cleaning up parks and tutoring the children at local schools. The school I remember most vividly was the Petersfield Primary School.

            We were in Petersfield, Jamaica, West Indies; living in a community where running water was destitute and electricity was a commodity, the incessant smiles and happiness may come as a shock. Did they not like us or were they just afraid or our differences? What could I do to get these kids to trust me and understand I was just there to help them? All it took was a formal introduction before over a hundred kids were surrounding us giving huge hugs. These children ran to us with open arms, yet submersed in bewilderment by our presence. Who were we? We were an intimidating group of Caucasians. 

I was shocked at the children’s ability to welcome us without the slightest bit of bias. After the first initial greeting was over, looked down to see that this was only the beginning of an amazing journey.

His name was Demar and he was five years old. He wouldn’t let go of my hand. I looked at him, and in his eyes I saw an empty sadness. He took me to his classroom. With a look of confusion, I pointed to a belt on the teacher’s desk. “She hittin’ us when we bad.” Before I could fully grasp the implications, the bell rang—recess time! This was the students’ escape from the brutal conditions in the classroom. Looking around, I saw smiling, ecstatic kids and tons of vibrant, exquisite flowers; however, there that exuberant image was littered with garbage.  Literally. The field was the liberation from the classroom, yet it was completely covered with garbage. Despite this, the children walked barefoot among the trash and flowers, seemingly oblivious to the differences. 

So I put on my gardening gloves and spent the next three hours picking up trash. Suddenly, I was in shock. Yes, about the work I had to do, but also about the dynamic of the field. From the second they ran out of their classrooms, the kids had become animals, violent animals, each trying to out do the other. Why were they acting like this? Was it something they observed and picked up on or was this how they were taught to survive and be strong? My goal: teach the children how to embrace one another through compassion and ardent friendships, and stress the dangers of violence.

I was recently reviewing the journal of my time at the Petersfield Primary School in Jamaica, West Indies. Interestingly, I came across a quote by Pico Iyer. “We travel, initially to lose ourselves; and we travel, next, to find ourselves.” During my travels, I lost an ignorant part of myself that was unaware of certain unpleasant circumstances that exist in the world. I also found a part of myself that I will take with me in my future. I will bring a degree of sensitivity to understand differences and improve people’s circumstances. I will bring a breadth and depth of perspective that I will use to explore, serve, and understand the individuals and the community that comprise this world. As strangers, the Petersfield community opened their arms to us and I will open my arms to others throughout the world. I will never let go of the memories and knowledge I achieved by reaching out to people and connecting through education.

         For many, Jamaica is considered a vacationing spot. On the other hand, for me, all it took was a minute off the plane before my views completely turned around. When I understood what I was about to experience my appreciation and compassion for my journey had been immediately elicited. Jamaica, West Indies is no long just another tropical island for a possible vacation, but a place where I made a difference and changed my views on the world.

         This narrative on my experience is written through my own adventures and encounters. By embedding the pictures throughout the text, the reader has the ability to visualize my experiences with their own opinions and judgments. The explicit comparison and contrast between the two cultures I lived through is seen through the pictures to further clarify the disparities read within the text. The order and combination of the images strengthen the comparison. The manifested images help the reader feel as if they are seeing what I saw. Working together, the narrative and the images help to describe each other more effectively. The images I included throughout this post add to the expansion of idiosyncratic views, which would not be possible with either the text alone or the images alone. The pictures serve to emphasize the happiness and emotions associated with the community. However, the text further accentuates the ephemeral smiles even during times of hardship. As a semic code, my position throughout the narrative is changing. Initially, I did not reveal the motives and location of my trip, evoking a sense of confusion within the reader. The role of the images is to induce sympathy and compassion throughout the reader. On the contrary, the role of the narration is to tell the story of my journey. By juxtaposing the two points of view, I was hoping the reader to see my experiences through their own eyes.

Assignment 3: Clip Analysis

There are police cars and a flare is lit indicating the scene of a crime. *ACT: The question is proposed as to what had just happened. The initial point of view is ambiguous; as the viewer is unaware as to whose eyes they are watching through. When focused on the man in the car saying, “I’m okay… I don’t know what happened,” a partial answer is revealed. Once the answer to what has just happened is revealed, the focus is turned to Cole and his mother in the car. **HER: What is Cole going to tell his mother? Cole is confiding in his mother to tell his secrets. Her perplexed facial expression indicates her anxiety awaiting Cole’s confession. However, there is the promise of an answer to what Cole is experiencing through the shot reverse shot dialogue between him and his mother. There is fraud when the viewers see the dead woman and we know Cole can see her too; however, his mother cannot. Equivocation is evident when we see Cole and standing behind him is the dead woman. This combination of fraud and truth evokes bewilderment within the viewers. However, a partial answer is revealed also through the shot reverse shot dialogue. When his mother says, “Cole, you’re scaring me.” Cole responds, “They scare me too sometimes.” This interaction is unique because his mother is worried about him and he is worried about himself, indicating a common concern. The climax of the conversation between Cole and his mother is when he talks about his interaction with his grandmother. The validity of this conversation leads to the disclosure of the question that is what are Cole’s secrets and what will his mother think. ***ACT: another proairetic code is when Cole and his mother are talking about her missing his play. This is a minor part of the conversation; however, it relates to the conversation Cole had with his dead grandmother about his mother’s dance recital. ****SYM: It is obvious that the mother is disconcerted with this information about her son and doesn’t know how to deal with it. The focus on her wedding ring symbolizes loyalty, however, this is contrary to her conversation with Cole, which is focused on abandonment and the reasoning behind it. *****REF: There are many cultural references in the initial scene of the crime, including: the obedience to a higher authority (the police), the reaction of the guy who had just been in an accident, and mainly the interaction between Cole and his mother, resembling the son or younger person approaching his mother, the higher power.