images

That’s Questionable…

This week I have to ask the question why an arab webstation? Are there not a million American webstations that spin the truth and depict “the other” all the time? Do you think perhaps other countries do this as well or is it just because we are “at war”?

OOOPS!

For some reason my blog on AL JAZEERA VS CNN got posted as a page not a post so just head up to the little tabs and click on it…sorry for the inconvenience…

EVIL

I missed the second half of class the other day so hopefully I have interpreted the assignment correctly….

PERSONAL

This image is so upsetting to me. Personally, I am christian and I get very upset when I see people protesting in the name of God. People like this are ignorant. To me this generates hatred and anger and from this the world becomes a little bit less of a good place. For me that is evil, generating hatred and discrimination. What good comes from this?

HISTORICAL

Every one has the freedom to protest what they stand for. This method of communication goes back as far as the problems people are protesting. Luckily we live in a country that this is a freedom we have and as long as it is peaceful there is no problem. But is this peaceful making someone feel less human?

TECHNICAL

Lighting

The lighting in this image is natural. The sun highlights the signs that these men are holding up. The sky is blue and the sun is shining making it look as though it is a happy day.

Composition

This is framed as a waste shot. The emphasis is on the signs more then the men. The photographer shoots from down low making the signs appear larger and more predominant.

Symolism/Vectors

The sign is a graphic vector that draws the audience’s eye straight up, perhaps to the “hateful god”. The red writing conveys the hatred as well. The man to the left appears to be putting up his fist which is symbolic of a supremacy or pride.

Ethical/Cultural/Critical

Ethically protesting this way should be wrong. However, we live in a culture that people are hateful and feel the need to make other people feel less human. I am glad we are able to voice our opinion but I do not see how these people are changing anything. What are they protesting…how are they making a difference? It is critical for us to be able to voice our own opinions. I feel that this picture is a representative of people who protest in a hateful way and this to me is evil. To make people angry and generate hatred is evil. This is a problem and the hate that they generate needs to be stopped.

That’s Questionable

My question for the week comes from the lecture. I am still slightly confused on the difference between the islamic religion and the muslim religion. I think it was said that you can be islamic but not muslim but all muslims are islamic? Perhaps I have that backwards. If someone could clarify that would be great!!

Arab femininity

PERSONAL

My personal response to this image is a cultural difference. Living in a culture where women walk around half naked and don’t think anything of it, this image is different then our culture. The women are happy and do not looked oppressed or reluctant to wear this dress. Our culture views this as a burden or something that a man came up with and so we have to “free” these women. I dont think this is how it is at all. So when I see this picture I think it just captures how different our views are of other people.

HISTORICAL

The history of arab women and their role in that society is not something I am familiar with. If I had to take a guess, I think that their religion has a lot to do with their culture.

TECHNICAL

Lighting

The lighting in this shot is natural because it is taken outdoors. You can see on the white especially the highlights from the sun. It appears to be a very sunny day, giving good lighting for the shot.

Composition

This shot is a mid body shot. I think that it is candid, but there are little things you could still pull out  from it. For example, the arches in the background mirror the arches of the women’s veils. Also, the splashes of blue that carry your eye through out the photo. The setting of the photo is unknown because it appears as though the photographer is just focusing on the emotion of the women. Also, if you notice the women are wearing colored garments that are patterned as well. This to me represents the style in the culture. This also appears to be a very horizontal image

Symbolism/Vector

The graphic vector of the arcading arches draws your eye horizontally from one woman to the next. Also, I think that their attire is symbolic for modesty.

Ethical/Cultural/Critical

The ethical portrayel that comes to my mind when stereotyping arabs is the violent radical image. These women look very peaceful and I think it is unethical to judge a group of people because one person messed up. Culturally, this picture screams at us. We are completely different in our culture and I think this picture can sum up the different approaches to beauty.

Overall approach to femininity

I believe this picture represents arab femininity because of the dress. This photo captures the beauty of their modesty. They do not dress this way because they are oppressed (stereotype) however they respect themselves enough to be modest. I think this is true femininity and beauty. Modesty is respect for yourself and these women look just as happy and they are not wearing skanky clothes. The pretty colors and patterns of their outfits show that effort is still put into style. They are not just thrown into something that appears ugly or unflattering. They also can pick something that reflects their personality.

That’s Questionable

That’s questionable for this week is on the concept of movie media. You said in class last week that everything can be considered for a reason because the attention to detail in making a movie is outstanding. But if it does not really mean anything and it is just us interrupting it that way then does it really symbolize something?

Movie analysis

I analyzed the final scene from the movie The Jacket starring Keira Knightley and Adrien Brody. Overall, this movie was about a soldier from the Gulf war. He was shot and he died but yet he never actually died. The basis is that he ends up in a mental hospital and he can’t remember what happened in his past so the treatments they give him are suppose to help him remember. So as he is remembering he begins to find out information that can help him change the future. He more or less is time traveling. Kiera Knightley helps him figure out what happened in the past so that he can change the future. The movie intertwined through the same characters at different stages of life. For example, the little girl he met in the begin played a key role when he was seeing the future because he was the same age but she was 20 or so years older, which showed him the time travel aspect. This is a crazy movie but it is really good and I highly recommend it!

PERSONAL

I personally really enjoyed this movie. I had never heard of it and so I was unsure what to think. After watching it I was glad though. At first I thought it was a little creepy because the guy kept dying. After I understood the basis of the film however I really enjoyed it. Even though time travel was involved the movie never repeated anything so it did not cause confusion. I like movies that are easy to follow.

HISTORICAL

The movie is from 2005. It was directed by John Maybury. It is a sci fi film. The character was in the Gulf War but the history of the war was never given. Other than that the movie does not really tie into history because it is so fictional.

TECHNICAL

I chose the last scence to analyze. The technical components were really good.

LIGHTING

The lighting is natural in this scene because they were outdoors. The rest of the movie the lighting was dark and so in this final scene the brightness represented happiness. The final scene was the sort of happy ending that summed the whole movie up.

COMPOSITION

The composition of this scene is a mixture of far away and close up. When Adrien Brody’s character is talking they tend to be more closeup to catch the drama of his character. When Kiera Knightley is talking however it tends to be farther away and get more of her surroundings in the shot. This may be because his character’s lines are more informative and you need to focus but yet her lines are more in response to him.

SYMBOLISM

This final scene is repeating the opening scene with Kiera Knightly, but yet the future has changed because of his semi time travel. When the characters are driving away there is a shot looking in through the windshield at them. A dream catcher is hanging in the window and this is symbolic because all along his character has been in a dream like state. He bounces from reality to images in his mind. Also, she changes cars from the first scene this is mimicing which was more of a truck and she was aggressive and stand off-ish, but in this she has changed to a more loveable character and she is driving a VW bug. The first scene was at night. Night represents more of a dark and gloomy time, but this replica scene with the happy ending is shot during the day. Behind his character a semi truck drives by honking. This just shows the truck stop middle of nowhere type setting. The music sets the mood for a finally.

ETHICAL/CULTURAL/CRITICAL

This is kind of hard to decipher in this scene. The culture would be that it is two American’s looking happy talking on cell phones and driving a nice car. It is a typical stereotype but I dont think that this ties into the movie. The final scene is critical because it sums up the whole movie. By repeating the opening scene it shows how it has changed because of his time travel and the events leading up to that moment.

THATS QUESTIONABLE!!

My that’s questionable comes from the guest lecture on March 6th. The speaker is Native American and was talking about life on the rez. She showed us a video clip of a Native American girl singing rap music. She made a comment that this girl was trying to connect to the African American culture.  I  am wondering why? Not being part of a minority, I can not relate to minority pride. In the context of how she said it though, she made it seem like the girl was proud to be looked down upon. This does not make sense to me. It is important to be proud of who you are, but why would you be proud of being looked down upon?

Reno Subculture…A homeless community

PERSONAL

My personal feelings toward this photograph connect to the entire subculture. I have a heart for the homeless culture in Reno. There are so many people that shy away or judge this subculture, but yet they do nothing to help them. I like volunteering at shelters and talking to these people and seeing what their lives are really like and how they became part of a subculture that we have never been part of and probably will never truly understand.

HISTORICAL

The history of a subculture like this is hard to pinpoint. Because of all different circumstances people have been forced to live on the streets. I am sure that the great depression was a huge part of causing this in the United States. But it has been around forever and I really do not think that it is going away.

TECHNICAL

Lighting

I took this photo downtown by the river. The lighting was natural because of outdoors. The sky was very clear and this helped make  the picture bright. The sun is to the upper right because his cast shadow is to the left. This man’s blanket is absorbing light very well, and the underside of it is dark.

Composition

I chose a long shot for this photo. I wanted to center the man in the photo and get his environment as well. I chose to take it from behind because it shows the disconnection with this person. From behind you can see where he is heading, but you don’t know where that is, and he may not either. I wanted to capture the essence of his appearance. He has dread locks and you can tell his hair has not been washed in a while. His clothes are not as raddy as others, but they are worn down. You can tell by his layers that he keeps everything he owns on his persons.

Symbolism/Vectors

I wanted to get the man walking because it shows that he moves around. The walking is symbolic for his non-stationery life style. There are not any vectors pointing your eye to anything important. The cement roadblocks on the other side of the road draw your eye to a horizontal plane, but the tree draws your eye upwards.

Ethical/Cultural/Critical

The culture of the homeless community is one that is very individual but yet the individuals make up a large population. Being homeless is a state of seclusion. I once heard a homeless person say that the only thing they miss from society is being looked in the eye. Society disregards homeless people. How many times a day do you walk past a homeless person and walk around them so you don’t have to encounter them or merely don’t pay any attention to them at all. They are human too. Regard them with the same courtesy that you would show anyone else. Is it actually ethical to walk by and not help someone in need.This can go on to a greater scale of the government. How many homeless shelters have been closed because it is too expensive to maintain? Police officers kick homeless people out of parks because it does not look good, but where will they go? Everyone is responsible for their own actions but just keep in mind if something horrible happened in your life beyond your control and you ended up in this situation, how would you want someone to treat you?