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Representation and perception essay
The importance of symbolism
The importance of symbolism
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The above photo is entitled to V-J Day in Times Square and was taken by Alfred Eisenstaedt in 1945. This photograph portrays sailor kissing a young nurse in the middle of Times Square in New York. The main focus of the photographer is on the couple kissing.This photograph has been popularetely interpreted as being a romantic picture, but just few see it as an iconic image of war.In order to analyze in depth this picture a go beyond the typical interpretation of it, I selected an interesting article by Wendy Christensen a sociologist who evaluates this photograph as a symbol of male dominance and sexuality.
According to Christensen ' article this photo has become famous because it seems to represent the happiness of people at the end of
For instance, to support her point she includes an important questioning aspect from a feminist blogger where the blogger questioning the kiss picture; Does a strong man grabbing a woman on the street in a “vise grip” and kissing her describe “wild elation, gratitude and passion”? Or does it describe a case of sexual assault? This blogger argues that people have to pay attention to other more relevant details besides romanticism that impacted a lot of gender roles and the male ideologies behind. This photograph does not capture the romantic moment that we believe it does. After reading Christensen argument and analyzing the picture, I agree with the idea that this photo might represent the power of men over women to the point of consider them as sexual submissive genders only that must serve men when they want. I interpret this picture like this because if we pay attention carefully, there are a lot of details on it that support my perspective. For instance, as we see in the photograph the woman sees to be vulnerable to the sailor that grabbed her brutally in his arms. The woman seems to be helpless and corresponding to the kiss because her arms look down showing not passion for the man. This behavior could be interpreted it as sexual harassment instead of romantic and
War is cruel. The Vietnam War, which lasted for 21 years from 1954 to 1975, was a horrific and tragic event in human history. The Second World War was as frightening and tragic even though it lasted for only 6 years from 1939 to 1945 comparing with the longer-lasting war in Vietnam. During both wars, thousands of millions of soldiers and civilians had been killed. Especially during the Second World War, numerous innocent people were sent into concentration camps, or some places as internment camps for no specific reasons told. Some of these people came out sound after the war, but others were never heard of again. After both wars, people that were alive experienced not only the physical damages, but also the psychic trauma by seeing the deaths and injuries of family members, friends or even just strangers. In the short story “A Marker on the Side of the Boat” by Bao Ninh about the Vietnam War, and the documentary film Barbed Wire and Mandolins directed by Nicola Zavaglia with a background of the Second World War, they both explore and convey the trauma of war. However, the short story “A Marker on the Side of the Boat” is more effective in conveying the trauma of war than the film Barbed Wire and Mandolins because of its well-developed plot with well-illustrated details, and its ability to raise emotional responses from its readers.
...s a combination show the unfathomable broadness of this cultural value as well as portraying the submissiveness of women as something that they are destined to become. This value in particular may also associate with racial and class stereotypes and operates in the same manner.
This photograph, taken in 1967 in the heart of the Vietnam War Protests, depicts different ideologies about how problems can be solved. In the picture, which narrowly missed winning the Pulitzer Prize, a teen is seen poking carnations into the barrels of guns held by members of the US National Guard. This moment, captured by photographer Bernie Boston symbolizes the flower power movement. Flower power is a phrase that referred to the hippie notion of “make love not war”, and the idea that love and nonviolence, such as the growing of flowers, was a better way to heal the world than continued focus on capitalism and wars. The photograph can be analyzed through the elements of image as defined by ‘The Little Brown Handbook’ on page 86. There are a total of nine elements that contribute to the communicative quality of an image. The message that this particular image tries to convey is the strong sense of way that conflict should be handled; by way of guns or by way of flowers. The ‘way of guns’ is violence and excessive force which heavily contradicts the ‘way of flowers’ which is a more peaceful and diplomatic way of handling conflict or disagreement. This photograph depicts these ideologies through its use of emphasis, narration,point of view, arrangement, color, characterization, context and tension.
This essay will be focusing on women who worked during the world war two and their roles; also, it will focus on the different work clothes that females have worn for their different occupations over the years. One of the major subject matter in this essay will be the “Rosy the Riverter” poster that was created by various artist during the World War II and the artist this essay will look at is Dame Laura Knight.
In “The Son of Man,” Natalia Ginzburg asserts that while the war did irreparable psychological damage to its survivors, it also gave the young generation enough strength to confront the stark reality of the precarious nature of human existence. Passionately but concisely, through the use of repetitive imagery, fatalistic tone and lack of classic organization, Ginzburg shows how the war changed the world around Man and how Man changed his perception of the world.
The acclaimed book, What Soldiers Do: Sex and the American GI in World War II France by Mary Louise Roberts, encompasses the dynamic and rich relationship between the American military and the people of France during the ending years of World War II. Unlike other historical analysis books, this book particularly concentrates on the sexual relationship between the two parties in terms of human sexual desire, prudish attitudes from the American military and even rape. However, what makes Roberts’ novel so prolific is her method of addressing this variety of sexual topics through past interviews and primary resources such as letters from American soldiers and French civilians. Furthermore, Roberts uses these primary resources to develop the intricate
According to the book entitled Ways of Seeing written by John Berger, the power of an image is extraordinary given that it can speak a thousand words. This has also been enhanced by the rapidly evolving technology that elicits more subconscious views about an image by anyone who sees them online or in real life. Some professional writers like Susan Bordo have emphasized that pictures of men often receive a wide range of negative tones or opinions due to the physiological effects that are fashionable to society or any other individual who approves or disapproves the beauty in a portrait of two men or women (Berger 38). This essay offers my opinion concerning the pictures of the Doloce and Gabbana, the gay Italian designers, as well as that of
Meyerowitz, Joanne. “Beyond the Feminine Mystique: A Reassessment of Postwar Mass Culture, 1946-1958” The Journal of American History (March 1993): 1455-1482
Modernism was the word of the era because it was the opposite of the last. People pined for new and exciting ways to make up for time lost to the war. This feeling of looking ahead through the ambiguity of the time permeated through all tiers of society from the working class to the elites. In Judith Walkowitz’s “A Jewish Night Out,” we find a dance hall catering to Jewish youth. One can rent a dance partner and learn how to dance well. It was suddenly important to be able to charm the opposite sex in talent, attitude, and appearance because sex wasn’t just for procreation anymore. Deborah Cohen’s Household Gods, she gives a look into architecture and material things. There’s a clear clash between the older and younger generations, and the younger ones enjoy modernism. “Advocates of the modern insisted that the new era required a new style. They deplored the vogue for reproductions, which, in the psychological language of the day, they analysed as evidence of an ‘inferiority complex’.” As well, stream of consciousness writing emerges from the depths of collegiate, middle class bohemia. The Bloomsburry Group were named after the London neighborhood they inhabited and were an artist collective, living life according to art and the new fragmentation of life after war. Virginia Woolf’s writing reflects the general feeling of the interwar period: confusing, ambiguous, hopeful, and moral-less. The Bohemians took the disassociation of the era and put it into new and modern art. All of these cultural ideas and forms of recreation were a result of the Great War because there was a generation of young people who were lost and needed a future meaningful to them, so they created
In the first image of Mapplethorpe, a defined-square jawline, lit cigarette, leather jacket, furrowed brow, and coiffed hair all point in the direction of male. The brow and cigarette can symbolize toughness, which is essential to the stereotypical masculinity in society. In the second image, a longer hairstyle, softer facial expression, presence of makeup including longer eyelashes, and an overall brighter image from the lack of a shirt causes the viewer to relate the picture to the female gender. Along with the makeup, a sense of vulnerability from the lack of a shirt furthers the idea that femininity equals
It is evident that the occurrence of war throughout history has made a lasting impression on soldiers and civilians alike. This has been expressed over the years through different works of literature. The cost of war to the individual is illustrated in “The Red Convertible” by Louise Erdrich, “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien, and “The Shawl” by Cynthia Ozick because each story shows some element of mental, emotional, and physical toll.
Feminist criticism focuses on girls and their relationships between the girls and their males. It is important to use this lens because the issue I used is over domestic violence and how they are used. In my essay I was explaining how abusing people isn’t a good thing in the essay. Some people always thought that abusing others was a good thing because they have been abused for so
However, some believe the decision to not release Jarecke’s photo was less about protecting the readers than preserving the “dominant narrative” of a good, clean war. According to Stella Kramer, freelance photo editor for Life, “As far as Americans are concerned, nobody ever died” (DeGhett 81). Photographs tell stories and Jarecke’s told a story about the effects of combat, and allied air strikes. I believe that photos such as these should be published, if we are fighting in a war we should be able to face the effects of it. War is something that should not be taken lightly, therefore we need to face the devastating effects. These photographs serve as a reminder to those who may not understand the severity of war that people die fighting each day so that we can live in a world of
The only appeal of emotion that is truly used is anything that is used towards women to make them emotional. “Her breasts and genitals are blanked out with dark, modesty-style strips; her hair is styled as a rat’s nest with lollipops sticking out of it.” This quote makes one feel uncomfortable about the image as if they were viewing the image. This feeling is relevant because it shows men what it is like to put yourself out there like it. This also shows how presidential candidate Hilary Clinton should feel when these images of her were posted, but she did not express any opinion about them. So, this makes the audience question if she will stick up for and discuss the policies and issues that they believe in, which one of them is feminism and the view that women should not have to be sexual to get attention or
Eisenstaedt’s photo reflects the elation that U.S. citizens felt after President Truman declared that World War II was over and they had won victory over Japan. The black and white coloration of the photo shows that this is an older, yet classic photo. Set in the heart of Times Square, this photo captivates the observer and captures a...