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.

Sunday, March 2, 2014

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.

1 comment:

  1. I think it's really important to the meaning of the image that through the stance the figure is embodying confidence and strength. Though it is a person standing alone and not a united group, there is still a feeling of union because of the way the figure's arms are opened wide and the viewer gets the sense that the figure is joined by a huge crowd not pictured. This is essential imagery because the whole point behind Amnesty is to create a massive movement.

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