Blog #8

The powerful idea behind each of the images in the ad comes from historical, idealistic, and visual implications. For example, the symbol of an atom symbolizes the scientific discovery of the atom, the innovations of science, and the familiar complexities of the smallest known particle of matter. The Mona Lisa represents many ideas, from the Renaissance ideals of realism and beauty to the artistic technique of her eyes and the secrecy of her smile. The wedding topper of a male and female represents the idea of heterosexual marriage, a monogamous, lifelong union. The eagle is the national symbol for America, freedom, and power. The telephone represents the communication era and technology’s widespread advancements. A rose symbolizes love, sex, and romance. Santa Clause represents gifts, giving, and the Christian holiday of Christmas. The dollar sign represents money, capitalism, wealth, and power. A light up light bulb shows an idea, as it was invented along with electricity, an idea that changed the world, time, and culture. The sign of a sick figure woman, usually shown on a bathroom door, represents the idea that women, depicted by a skirt, may enter, just as the male, a straight stick figure, allows males in this designated area. All of these images in the ad tell the audience that this product is for everyone, who can be represented by each symbol. Fit for a family of a bride and groom and pink softball mitt and safe traffic light, an athlete represented by the cup of a champion, a king, an artist, a rich person represented by gold money, or a poorer person represented by a small piggy bank; this car is made for every type. The happy face represents just what it shows, a happy, smiling feeling, with open eyes and no other distracting senses or cares in the world. Four-leaf clovers represent luck, in Irish myth and recognized in societies everywhere. Since the Mercedes-Benz symbol is a peace sign, the contingent ideas of peace, love, and passivity are also associated with the nice, lovely, and safe car. In this ad, one can reasonably infer that the Mercedes-Benz automobile carries all of these traits and ideas from the “powerful ideas” associated with them.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfMPLfgtwws&feature=related

blog #7

At first glance, there is a sweet teenage girl with a touch of attitude taking a cute picture of herself by holding the camera in front of herself. But if you look closely, although her countenance mimics almost every online self-picture we have seen all too much, only the slight wrinkles around her arms really suggest that she took the picture, but with her arms cut out of the picture, no one can definitively know what her arms are doing. The second thing one would most likely notice in this picture would be the perfect pink ribbon tied over the girl’s mouth. It may look like she is holding it in her mouth, but that could also be gagging her. It is difficult to tell. By tying a pink ribbon in a bow over a girl’s mouth, the author of Image #1 claims that she simply follows the norms of beauty and has no say in what she does as she mimics others. This can be seen through the colors, textures, and individual aspects of the picture.
The colors, namely a pink ribbon and pink shirt, stand out from the black hair and background, suggesting youth and naivety against a harsher reality. The blue eyes suggest innocence in what she sees, especially as she is facing away from the blackness and yet there are shadowy figures reflected in her eyes. This could symbolize that although she sees the world with innocent blue eyes like rose-colored glasses, she physically sees more than she realizes. Therefore, the theme of distinguishing between what is seen and what is noticed appears in this aspect of the picture as well. A smooth pink ribbon over her mouth could symbolize that she did not struggle to be silenced and the simple cotton T-shirt suggests that she represents anyone from lower to middle class young and teenage girls. The pale skin against smooth, neat, dark, and slightly damaged hair also represents something mysterious, as does the car-window-like dark shape in the background. This seems like a normal, bored-in-a-car picture, but could also be a kidnapping (although not a very violent one) and this once again emphasizes the severity of taking away a person’s voice and parts of her in order to conform. Even though her other senses seem alert, eyes open, nose close to the camera with nostrils visible, arms probably out touching or doing something, she is missing her ability to speak her mind, notably a vital part of individuality.

blog #6

Amy Tan and Stanley Crouch took different approaches in describing the cultural assimilation into what is considered to be the American norm. Amy Tan’s description of her family’s Christmas Eve dinner in “Fish Cheeks” depicts the aspects of her culture that clashed with or were noticeably different than typical American cultures. The main character was embarrassed of her culture and wanted to seem like a “normal” American girl, not one who enjoys the meat from under a fish’s eyeball and whose father burps “rudely” after each meal. Stanley Crouch’s list of diverse American practices demonstrate the broad spectrum of what can be considered American and how assimilation into American culture is more of a contribution of ideas and traditions rather than abandonment of one’s culture. He also discusses how time and people influence the culture around them, especially by using the example of a little girl in 1945 wanting to grow up to be a mother, teacher, or nurse, while another little girl in 1981 a little girl said she wanted to be an astronaut, police officer, fireman, doctor, etc. Both Crouch’s list of American practices and Amy Tan’s family Christmas Eve dinner, however, analyze race as it affects the American lifestyle and ideals. They both emphasize extreme differences between cultures and time and how they influence the culture and ideals of different people in America. The setting, as in background language, cultures, and time of events, greatly affects every aspect Tan and Crouch address. Therefore, both of their backgrounds can be seen to have influenced their works. For example, Amy Tan was born in 1952 when girls and women still had designated societal roles to fill and therefore desired to fit in and was ashamed of the traditional Chinese food they ate that was never shown on Leave it to Beaver or I Love Lucy. Stanley Crouch, on the other hand, was born in L.A. in 1945, witnessed vast cultural varieties and different types of people as well as the Watts riots, leading him to the black nationalist movement, thus the Malcolm X theory on sticking to one’s roots and being “Americanized.”