JOURNAL ENTRY #10: THE POWER OF IMAGE RESPONSE QUESTIONS TO "REEL BAD ARABS"

1.) Aladdin is an animated film aimed primarily at children. Do you agree that we should take the images and representations of a film like this seriously? Why or why not?
I feel that although it is a Disney movie it isn't all that innocent,  and does heavily portray images that are stereotypical towards Arabs. When really analyzing movies like such, we should take into consideration that movies are separate from reality. It doesn't necessarily need to be taken seriously unless it reaches to a point where it's evidently gone too far. An example of this can be shown in Aladdin with its subliminal racism within the portrayals of the characters and their actions.

3.) What images come to your mind when you think of Arab men, women and children?
Are those images different after having seen this film? Why or why not?
When I think of Arabs I do imagine men with beards in robes and there's a link with violence. Arab women and children seem to be helpless, innocent and taken advantage. The reason for these visuals in my mind is due to how much the media such as Hollywood and the news has engrained these stereotypical images and representations. After watching the documentary it opened my eyes to how much Arabs are falsely portrayed and the images I previously changed after having seen this film.

8.) Do you think films have the power to influence how we see the world? Why or why not?
Yes I do think that that films have the power to influence how we see the world. Preferably if they are true to reality, and also if they influence us positively and not lead us to believe evidently false judgements based on stereotypes.

JOURNAL ENTRY #9: National Anthem paragraph

My selection was the Chinese national anthem, and my chosen image is a red piece of cloth. Red symbolizes the flag of China and is a common color. Within the text, there are words concerning war and violence like flesh and blood. I can visualize armies of soldiers wearing a piece of cloth around the heads and in the flags they are holding while marching past the Great Wall of China. The red cloth can also be associated with fire which could also be held by the soldiers. The text of this particular anthem create great visual picture and include emphasis on words like "arise" and "march on" and seems to portray "fighter".

JOURNAL ENTRY #8: Semiotic Analysis of People magazine ad

       
When interpreting this magazine cover as a sign, the nature of celebrities and celebrity status is also highlighted. It displays a celebrity gay couple with their new baby. The headline is titled "Elton's Baby" and he is the one holding it in the ad, which seems to show that he is the "mother" in their relationship, and David Furnish is the "father" beside them both. In reality they are both fathers, and they share the fatherhood so there isn't necessarily a "mother" in the relationship. This questions masculinity because as Elton John is holding the baby, he comes off as less masculine. It almost seems as if if readers don't want to look at the exclusive interview and photos of the gay couple and baby, they can resort to "16 pages of hot photos" mainly regarding women. If people were to see this magazine in a local store, they would most likely not want to get it just because it's a gay couple with a baby. But there are countless magazines of nearly naked men women on covers and they seem to be circulating around more. I think just the fact that Elton John has a husband affects his celebrity status greatly and the majority of people just judge him. In addition, there is only one common race especially when associated to celebrities. Ultimately this magazine cover would be portrayed as controversial.

JOURNAL ENTRY #7: Dolce & Gabbana argumentative paragraph

 
In describing the advertisement, it depicts four sweaty men and one woman. Three of the men are surrounding the fourth man hovering over the woman is pressed to the ground while the lower half of her body is thrusted towards his. The background consists of a blue sky with clouds and it appears to look like some rape fantasy-like place with the women portraying some type of sex goddess, while the four men are sex gods waiting in line for their turn to seduce this “goddess”. The woman seems to enjoy it because the expression on her face seems satisfied. There is a lot of sex appeal displayed and a lot of skin shown they are all either half naked, or have their shirts open and exposing their upper body. The ad works because all five models look the same in appearance. The same types of minimal clothing, the same shade of skin color, are all glistening in oil and seem like sex symbol figures. The various components all work together to create a cohesive advertisement with the branding, the placement of the models and the colors of the background. With the branding, the logo is cleverly placed lower on the ad right around the woman’s crotch area. The placement of the models is positioned in a way so that they surround the couple posed on the ground. The models are all tanned with the same shade in skin and are wearing dark colors in clothing. The water matches, while the bright blue sky and clouds contrast with the dark in the background.

            This advertisement is clearly over sexual and inappropriate especially if it were posted on a public billboard towards the public. I feel that the idea behind this particular ad was intentional with its sexual content and everything is placed cohesively. The company was clearly attempting to make a bold statement. The company also may have taken into consideration the kind of consumer that would purchase their products, and so based on this; they have models mimicking the type of consumer. Their target market may be geared towards young adults that are willing to spend for high fashion and want to look “sexy”. Unbelievably “sex sells” and so it just encourages youth to give in to the luring of the advertisement.