Wednesday, March 15, 2017
Monday, March 13, 2017
Power in Coriolanus
The political play, Coriolanus, is written by William Shakespeare to represent how power can fall into the wrong hands and how power can be manipulated through various circumstances. It was a reflection of England at the time, a nod to King James I. Throughout the play, many characters portray some sort of power over the overarching plot, such as Coriolanus's mother or the power of the people, the commoners.
The commoners have little power that holds great responsibilities. They have voices that in the end, are heard as the subconscious. Coriolanus held the power of persuasion, which eventually gave power to the commoners to elect him as consul. It was also the people who then begged for the downfall.
Though, some may argue that Volumnia has her own way with words, her own power over her son, Caius Martius Coriolanus. Volumnia on her own persuaded Coriolanus to present his scars to the people, though he was unwilling. She was the woman who raised him to be who he was, and later she regret it and even managed to convince him to cease his attack against Rome. Ultimately, she holds that maternal force that is able to calm down the revenge seeking Coriolanus.
With power also comes with the loss of power. Coriolanus lost his power multiple times throughout the play. He gained it through serving his country in a war, then persuaded the people to vote for him. It worked out in his favor, however he later lost it due to his betrayal and banishment from his country and was later executed shortly after he had decided not to attack.
The commoners have little power that holds great responsibilities. They have voices that in the end, are heard as the subconscious. Coriolanus held the power of persuasion, which eventually gave power to the commoners to elect him as consul. It was also the people who then begged for the downfall.
Though, some may argue that Volumnia has her own way with words, her own power over her son, Caius Martius Coriolanus. Volumnia on her own persuaded Coriolanus to present his scars to the people, though he was unwilling. She was the woman who raised him to be who he was, and later she regret it and even managed to convince him to cease his attack against Rome. Ultimately, she holds that maternal force that is able to calm down the revenge seeking Coriolanus.
With power also comes with the loss of power. Coriolanus lost his power multiple times throughout the play. He gained it through serving his country in a war, then persuaded the people to vote for him. It worked out in his favor, however he later lost it due to his betrayal and banishment from his country and was later executed shortly after he had decided not to attack.
Sunday, January 29, 2017
Tuesday, January 17, 2017
Language is an instrument.
As medieval Spanish linguist Antonio de Nebrija said to Queen Isabella, "Language is an empire's greatest instrument." which could have many different meanings. Empires are known to conquer and colonize, instruments could mean a plethora of things such as devices, tools or even such things to create music. Taking in the account the context is colonialism, the instrument here could be meant as a device. Music is usually meant for performances, entertainment and joyous occasions, all of which colonialism is not. Language is a weapon that can deconstruct or add on to cultures, it can be used to assimilate itself unto a region unknown to the originators. Colonizers like France, Britain and Spain force their languages to their colonies like the mediterranean, North America, or South America respectfully. To the natives of those regions, their culture is being lost since language is a big part of culture.
Culture, as the British Oxford dictionary defines it, is "The ideas, customs, and social behavior of a particular people or society.". This means that it's a way of life, it's part of their history and surroundings and it should not be taken away from them. Languages, however, can co-exist, although colonizers of the past wouldn't agree as they though that it was their language that was the purest, and should be the only spoken tongue on stolen land. There are examples of languages in the modern world co-existing, post-colonialism. Countries such as Canada, Tunisia and the United Arab Emirates all have two or more prominent languages spoken in their nations due to the effects of colonialism.
So to conclude, Antonio de Nebrija clearly meant language is a device that can be used by empires spread their words throughout a region.
Culture, as the British Oxford dictionary defines it, is "The ideas, customs, and social behavior of a particular people or society.". This means that it's a way of life, it's part of their history and surroundings and it should not be taken away from them. Languages, however, can co-exist, although colonizers of the past wouldn't agree as they though that it was their language that was the purest, and should be the only spoken tongue on stolen land. There are examples of languages in the modern world co-existing, post-colonialism. Countries such as Canada, Tunisia and the United Arab Emirates all have two or more prominent languages spoken in their nations due to the effects of colonialism.
So to conclude, Antonio de Nebrija clearly meant language is a device that can be used by empires spread their words throughout a region.
Monday, November 28, 2016
Stereotypes in advertising
I believe that in order to progress in the modern world, we must be morally conscious of the content we distribute and publish. Therefore, advertisers should best avoid stereotyping because putting down one innocent group in favor of the other is never a sound thing to do. People must be treated as equals, everyone is different and there must be an acceptance of that. Stereotypes are based off of historical misconceptions or unfair assumptions in the modern day, contributing to any stereotypes is generalizing an entire group of people. Most stereotypes contribute to historical oppression towards marginalized groups, or contribute to toxic idealizations towards any group. Either way, they do nothing to make progress, they exist to guilt, punish or undermine.
Putting stereotypes into advertisements could mean two things: Garnering the attention of the wrong crowd, people like bigots who you would not want to associate with your product, or your product being boycotted for unethical, demoralized practices (like stereotyping). With internet culture, both are likely to happen which will either way, give you bad reputation and turned into a laughing stock of social media with jokes or memes. Normally, social media attention is a good thing, but having done something morally and ethically wrong will increase the jokes and decrease sales.
Putting stereotypes into advertisements could mean two things: Garnering the attention of the wrong crowd, people like bigots who you would not want to associate with your product, or your product being boycotted for unethical, demoralized practices (like stereotyping). With internet culture, both are likely to happen which will either way, give you bad reputation and turned into a laughing stock of social media with jokes or memes. Normally, social media attention is a good thing, but having done something morally and ethically wrong will increase the jokes and decrease sales.
The Army Print Ad
The US army put out an add urging young people, young men in specific, to think about their future jobs by listing off qualities the army can help you develop. In the image, a soldier, holding an AK-47, is seen taking a leap from one ledge to an elevated ledge with the sun shining in the background. The target audience for the ad must be young men about 16-18, as those are the years people start trying to think about their future and what path they would like to take. It uses statistics, like 9/10 employers look for these certain qualities that the army can easily help you improve and hone.
The model is obviously a young man, leaping for his life with faith to higher ground which can be seen as leaping for a better, or brighter, future. To add on, his body position points towards the sun- a common symbol for hope. The soldier is also holding a gun, a typical symbol for American patriotism. The entire image indicates that serving for the greater good of the country will lead you to a better, brighter future.
The text at the bottom of the image says that you don't have to start in business to be in business. This further urges the audience to join the military in order to hone the skills that 9/10 employers seek (determination, co-ordination, confidence, etc.). The ad indicates that being in the military provides qualifications to add to your resumé if you haven't thought much of it yet, especially since this is targeted towards young men. Although, there is nothing in the text that indicates the target as it uses strictly neutral pronouns (such as 'you', it is speaking to the audience themselves) but the model, a fit, young caucasian male, is enough to understand the context.
The model is obviously a young man, leaping for his life with faith to higher ground which can be seen as leaping for a better, or brighter, future. To add on, his body position points towards the sun- a common symbol for hope. The soldier is also holding a gun, a typical symbol for American patriotism. The entire image indicates that serving for the greater good of the country will lead you to a better, brighter future.
The text at the bottom of the image says that you don't have to start in business to be in business. This further urges the audience to join the military in order to hone the skills that 9/10 employers seek (determination, co-ordination, confidence, etc.). The ad indicates that being in the military provides qualifications to add to your resumé if you haven't thought much of it yet, especially since this is targeted towards young men. Although, there is nothing in the text that indicates the target as it uses strictly neutral pronouns (such as 'you', it is speaking to the audience themselves) but the model, a fit, young caucasian male, is enough to understand the context.
Monday, November 21, 2016
Pitch Reflection
In my group, we had to advertise a bike sharing program in Abu Dhabi. We used the corniche, an iconic location, as our reason for the aesthetic appeal as we demonstrate where people will be able to ride their bikes. Along with the scenery, a bike ride can be a relaxing, quick get away, which is why we decided that the need to escape and need for aesthetic sensations could be combined. Our other two appeals was the bandwagon appeal and the need for prominence. First, the need for prominence is rooted in community. The bike sharing program would be a community of people who share the love of biking, being seen in that community will get you some regards of respect and people who see you biking may feel motivated to do the same, making you an important figure at the scene. Next, the bandwagon appeal is to advertise it as a motivator. If you're not part of this new, inviting and healthy community ten you're missing out on certain personal benefits.
We wanted the people in the advertisement to be regular, diverse people because we want to be inclusive and think about everyone who wants to be part of the program. It's meant to be an act of encouragement, along with the use of nostalgia. Not many people continue riding bikes after they've grown up, so persuading people by showing children on trikes to adults on bikes would induce nostalgia to the audience. Experts are trusted with the general population, all we need to say is how the bike sharing program can benefit your health and wellbeing and that immediately scores with association, because if experts are recommending it, then why not?
Our target was the general audience, the group and I are familiar with Abu Dhabi because we live here. We know, from experience, that riding a bike is common practice among youth and we had an easier time figuring out how we were going to go about this. To add on with our familiarity for the setting, we knew which places are scenic and most recognizable for an advertisement.
If I were to redo this, I would have kept eye contact with the audience and keep a fluid word flow to keep it interesting. Less use of filler words and to be more concise and to the point.
We wanted the people in the advertisement to be regular, diverse people because we want to be inclusive and think about everyone who wants to be part of the program. It's meant to be an act of encouragement, along with the use of nostalgia. Not many people continue riding bikes after they've grown up, so persuading people by showing children on trikes to adults on bikes would induce nostalgia to the audience. Experts are trusted with the general population, all we need to say is how the bike sharing program can benefit your health and wellbeing and that immediately scores with association, because if experts are recommending it, then why not?
Our target was the general audience, the group and I are familiar with Abu Dhabi because we live here. We know, from experience, that riding a bike is common practice among youth and we had an easier time figuring out how we were going to go about this. To add on with our familiarity for the setting, we knew which places are scenic and most recognizable for an advertisement.
If I were to redo this, I would have kept eye contact with the audience and keep a fluid word flow to keep it interesting. Less use of filler words and to be more concise and to the point.
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