Wednesday, March 1, 2017
Pathos- Image from the 1960s
In the two images, we see very clear emotional appeals which portray a powerful message to the viewers. In the image from the Watts riots, we see men looting a store, without seeing the full context of the image, such as all the destruction surrounding the looting. The viewer might have trouble feeling sorry for the two men, as even though the people of Watts were pushed to such extreme measures through repeated issues of police brutality, the image itself simply shows two men taking advantage of the situation. The image from the present day creates a much more powerful emotional message. Many people may not have any understanding of the fear helplessness felt by African Americans. While seeing the instances of police violence happening might not be enough to persuade people that it remains a problem, seeing this image of an African American woman who has to question whether she will be the next victim makes the viewer immediately empathetic to the fear she faces. The 1960's image requires a deeper look into the context of the struggle of the men when compared to the clear message of the present day woman.
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I agree that emotion and reaction are often different when comparing different races and groups of people. A good way to make sure it is used effectively is to know the target audience well. Also, I like your point that more information should always be present with images so an audience gets the bigger picture and can make a closer connection.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your analysis on the image from the Watts Riots. I feel like this could be an instance where the media may have been trying to antagonize the black community by failing to provide context for the image. However, in context, I think it does demonstrate the desperation of the people at the time but also how determined they were about change.
ReplyDelete^^Somehow this says it was Nathan but it was actually Eva. Sorry for forgetting to tag myself again.
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