Critical Introduction

This blog is written by first year undergraduates in the Scholars Program at the University of Maryland College Park. The purpose of our blog is to investigate and compare and contrast the different subculture gatherings of the 1960s and the contemporary era. We compared the power and exigence of each movement but contrasted the principles, method of communication, and targeted audience of each subculture gathering. We chose two distinct texts. Our first text includes a poster advertising of the “Gathering of the Tribes for a Human Be-In” movement in San Francisco, CA. Our second text consists of an Amnesty International poster advocating for human rights through the advertisement of the Bringing Human Rights Home concert at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY. We first analyzed the audience of each text, finding similarities and differences between both, as well as the rhetorical situation/exigence that each text brought to the table. Furthermore, we explored the ethos and pathos present in each text, finding the authority/credibility and the specific emotions each text expressed through its poster. Finally, we explained the logos, mood, and imagery within each text. Through analysis and discussion with our English 101S class, we concluded that as time proceeded, subcultures of America lost the drive for a targeted audience (focused on the individual) and began to rely on reaching out to the general public in ambiguity. Expanding the audience allows for a more diverse group to take notice of subculture advertisements thus creating a larger fan base.

Monday, March 3, 2014

Logos to the Human Be-In


The Gathering of the Tribes was brought forth to fight for the beliefs of the people. The Human Be-In was to bring together cultural and political revolutionaries who did have different ideas of liberation. The poster captivated the exigency for reformation as the invitation was directed to all the “tribes.” These “tribes” were subcultures with rich individuality and each encompassing their own vision of the world. To the hippies of this era, the world had been corrupted with war, hate, and overall had lost its ability to stand for social justice. Including speakers such as Tom Leary, a radical psychology professor from Harvard, this poster screams for human liberation. The issues at hand were not in question but it was a matter of doing something about it. The gathering comprised of a fundamental questioning of authority, personal empowerment, cultural and political decentralization, ecological awareness, individual focus, acceptance of illicit drug use, and radical liberal political consciousness. The symbolism of the third eye can be seen to represent this higher cognizance; an unquestionable perseverance to these matters at stake. 

Sunday, March 2, 2014

Miscellaneous The Human Be-In Poster

Imagery The Human Be-In Poster 

The Human Be-In Poster utilizes imagery to appeal with the audiences senses. The pyramid with the eye at the top connects with the audience visually by painting a mysterious picture in their minds of the extra sensory realms that the third eye is symbolic of. This represents the highest level of consciousness. The image of a supernatural setting gives the audience an uncanny feeling as to what the motive behind the picture is. The use of clouds represents the possibilities that exist beyond this earth. It represents that fact that there are other worlds beyond what we can see. It enhances the argument that these realms can be reached through the use of LSD. Appealing to the audience visually is a quintessential part of persuading the audience about the possibilities that can be accessed through the use of LSD.

The Logos Behind Amnesty International

Not only does Amnesty International establish a sense of credibility but also establishes an appeal to the emotion of its followers, audience, and promoters. However, the organization relies heavily on establishing the logos, or appeal to rational thought, logic, and facts behind their cause as well. After all, what would a human rights organization be if it could not logistically present the unjust crimes committed around the world through graphs, statistics, and startling facts. One look at Amnesty's main web page and you will soon be confronted with dozens of images and facts ranging from mass slaughters in the Central African Republic to the arrest of Yevgeniy Vitishko in Sochi, Russia. The organization is up to date with current events and constantly reveals injustices very candidly through the website, through commercials, and through advertisements. The logo of Amnesty, which is of a lit candle surrounded by barbed wire, also conveys a rational approach to human rights. The lit candle represents hope amidst barbed wire, which represents oppression. The combination of the candle and the barbed wire makes it known to the world that Amnesty stands for good and retaliation. The main colors of Amnesty International are black, yellow, and white and have been for a very long time. Thus, the constant continuation of the logo and the colors ingrains the symbols of the organization into the mind of the public and further embellishes their goal to maintain an equal world for all individuals.

Miscellaneous Amnesty International (MOOD)

The emotions conveyed in the Amnesty International's concert poster are showed throughout the poster to express more than anything hope and power. Beginning with the most eye-catching piece of the poster, the man standing in the center, the viewer feels a positive vibe. He has his hands pointed towards the sky, giving a sense of happiness and power. A purpose of the concert is to give victims and their families the power they need to stand up for themselves and help others do the same. He is also standing with good posture, both feet on the ground with his feet shoulder width apart. The stance makes the viewer feel strong and anybody feel they can stand strong for what they believe in. The colors of the poster also provide some emotions to the viewer. The yellow symbolizes happiness, hope, and light. At the same time, the other half of the poster is black, symbolizing that there is also a level of seriousness, and sadness for those who have fallen victim to human rights abuse. The barbed wire cutting through the poster gives a sense of containment and fear. Because not everything is all fun and games, the poster needs to add some seriousness apart from the color black. The wire symbolizes how victims of human rights abuse can be contained from the fear they feel and isolated from society because they are afraid of speaking out and seeking help. Overall, the concert poster provides emotions of hope, power, and seriousness.

Thursday, February 27, 2014

Pathos of The Human Be-In Poster 

The Human Be-In Poster incorporates pathos to inform the audience about the new found hippie culture, and convince the audience that LSD can be used for spiritual purposes. By portraying a supernatural setting (the poster), the poster appeals to the audiences' spiritual side and conveys the idea that higher realms can be achieved through the use of psychedelics. It also emphasizes personal empowerment. The pyramid with the eye at the top represents the all seeing eye, and in a sense appeals to the audiences' sense of power. The poster's use of an eerie, cloudy setting appeals to the audiences' sense of curiosity, and may perhaps spark their interest as to how this extra sensory realm can be accessed. The eccentric vibe that the poster gives off may spark the audience's interest as to what this new found hippie culture is really about. What is so different about them? What messages do these unorthodox group of people want to let the world know?

Ethos for Amnesty International

Amnesty International uses a great deal of Ethos in every event they hold, explaining why they chose the bands for the concert at the Barclays center. Among the chosen bands, Imagine Dragons, The Fray, Pussy Riot, and Madonna are the most popular, however, every band chosen to play contributes to the Ethos of the concert and of the Amnesty International organization. These are respectable bands with millions of fans each, bringing credibility and authority to the event and organization. The bands play for current followers, new followers, soon-to-be followers, and to those victims of human rights abuse. Pussy Riot, a punk rock protest band residing in Russia, will also play at the event. They bring in a sense of urgency to the concert because they specialize in the human right of those who fall victim to the Russian government under Putin. They have played at many public areas in Russia, sometimes being stopped by security, all in an effort to bring justice to the victims, and hope to everyone. Not only do the famous bands provide a considerable amount of ethos, but Madonna does too. She is set to introduce the event in New York, creating even more authority and reliability to the organization. Madonna became famous partly through pushing the limits of her song's lyrics in mainstream popular music and though her imagery in her music videos in which MTV became very interested in. She is not only a song writer, but also an entrepreneur, philanthropist, actress, author, and director. With her introduction to the concert and organization, Madonna, a cultural icon, will bring in even more credibility and authority. Followers and even the competition will see how much support and hope Amnesty International provides for everyone, no matter who they are.

The Pathos Behind Amnesty International

Amnesty International is an organization that fights for human rights around the globe through connection to people. In other words, the organization connects to society through pathos, or emotion in pictures, videos, and poignant stories. The poster for the "Bringing Human Rights Home" concert evokes a sense of exigence through the symbolism of the rockstar at the heart of the poster. The silhouette symbolizes confidence, strength, and unity through the open stance of the rockstar. The silhouette, in conjunction with the contrast in light and dark colors, makes people of all backgrounds feel welcome because the rockstar's face is kept hidden and the guitar, which is globally recognizable, appeals to music lovers around the world. Because Amnesty International is a non-profit human rights organization, the charity needs a way to influence the emotions of the audience. One such way of connecting to pathos is through advertisements. Not only do advertisements convey a product, in this case support for human rights, but they also use pictures and music to sell this product. The video below is an advertisement for Amnesty International and for human rights in general. The ad utilizes John Lennon's song, "Imagine" along with images of abused individuals to draw out the caring nature in each one of us. Thus, the organization establishes pathos through the delivery of their advertisements, thus creating a sense of urgency and sensory stimulation in their message as well.