Week #5 Reading Assignment (Chapters 3-5)
1. Copy and paste a quote from
each of the chapters that causes you to have a strong reaction
(agreement, disagreement, confusion...) and explain your reaction.
Chapter 3-
“Perception is a transaction
between the qualities of the environments in which we live and the experiences
a person brings to those qualities” (Eisner, 2002).
I agree with this quote because I
truly believe our environment, our upbringing and even our cultural background
determines our perception of everything we see. Images can be interpreted in
various ways depending on a person’s life experiences. As teachers we MUST recognize our
students come from a vast array of backgrounds and life experiences. What one student may interpret about an
image may be completely different from another student. For this reason, using multimodal
ensembles is an effective way to help students express and demonstrate a
meaning that is relevant to their life experiences. It is also extremely revealing to a teacher to see how her
students interpret the world around them.
Chapter 4-
“The choices about what to
represent in written text or in visual images are based on the concepts of
materiality, aptness, and modal fixing.
Illustrators use different materials and modes to communicate their
ideas than authors. What can be
done with photography, for example, is very different from what can be done
through writing.”
This was an interesting quote from
chapter 4 and I strongly agree with this statement primarily because of my
hobby…scrapbooking. Because I take
many pictures, I do so to create a chronological story of my family’s life. My
pictures relate to not only the activity but also the feelings and emotions of
the day. As it has been said, “ a
picture is worth a thousand words” the author of our text relates to how much
meaning an image can give and therefore why illustrators use them. Much of the meaning that comes from
images and photos cannot be relayed in written text. For this reason, students should be given a chance to
utilize multimodal ways to communicate their work. PowerPoint presentations and illuminated texts are both an
effective way to allow students to relay the personal meaning and a deeper
understanding to what they have learned.
Chapter
5-This chapter was extremely interesting to me in relationship to the colors,
size, shape and design of multimodal ensembles.
“Students need to consider how colors
work in an image, going beyond colors or being attracted to specific colors to
consider what they might signify.
Helping students consider how specific colors are used in an image and
how they may affect their interpretations is a good pedagogical starting point”
(Serafini, p.58).
I strongly agree with the author’s statement
regarding the effectiveness in teaching how color (and other facets of
presentations) effect the interpretation you want other to perceive. For example, a red color can refer to
“hot” or “angry” whereas blue is a peaceful color. When teaching about multimodal presentations and how to
construct these ensembles, students should recognize how color and shape leads
to a deeper meaning than the text only.
I have realized the effectiveness of color and animations of text when I
have developed my projects thus far in this class. This was a concept that I was aware of but never recognized
the complexity of something as simple as color and shape.
2. Find an image, symbol or motif and upload it to
your blog.
3. Conduct a content analysis:
•
What do you see?
When looking at the image I see a woman possibly a princess or
queen with a crown on her head. She has long hair and womanly figure.
•
What is the image about?
The image is represents a siren from Greek mythology. A siren
was a goddess with a nautical origin.
This logo was chosen by Starbucks because the company was originated in
Seattle in 1971 when it was known as for its sailing and a seaport where ships
docked. These sirens in
Greek mythology lured sailors with their beautiful singing that caused them to
become obsessed and crash their ships into the rocks.
•
Are there people in the image? What are
they doing? How are they presented?
Yes, there is a woman in the image. She is a goddess and looks appealing. There is also a nautical sense to the
image with the fins or tale of the woman flaring up.
•
Can the image be looked at different
ways? Explain how the image might be interpreted from two different
socio-cultural perspectives. Which perspective is dominant?
I believe
the image could be viewed in a couple different ways. Adults and especially the ones who drink coffee would
recognize as the Starbucks logo.
Young children might view this as a princess/queen with a crown, maybe
even Ariel from the Little Mermaid.
•
How effective is the image as a visual
message.
This is a
powerful visual image especially for individuals that are like me, addicted to
coffee!!
4. Conduct a visual analysis: Use the
Chapter on Elements of Art, Design and Visual composition to assist your visual
analysis.
•
How is the image composed? What is in
the background, and what is in the foreground?
Image is
composed with a green image and a white background.
•
What are the most important visual
elements in the image? How can you tell?
The most
important visual elements are the color and the symbolization that the image
represents. The woman on the logo makes it look inviting or almost enticing.
•
How is color used?
Green
refers to nature and a calming color. I also see green as a bold or crisp color
that could represent the boldness of the coffee they serve.
•
Can the image be looked at different
ways?
I believe
the image can be looked at differently.
Adults and people who drink coffee would view the image as a place to
purchase good coffee and even relax and read the paper or surf the Internet in
a peaceful yet interactive environment or socialize with friends. Others may just see this image or logo
and recognize the woman with a crown and a “mermaid-like” tail such as
Ariel. They may also focus on the
fact that the woman is wearing a crown and therefore must be a princess or a
queen.
•
What meanings are conveyed by design
choices?
The
meaning conveyed by the design choice was to represent a siren from Greek
mythology. Starbucks Company chose
this symbol because the company began in Seattle, WA in 1971. Many years ago
Seattle was known for its sailing and seaports and the siren in Greek mythology
was thought to lure sailors with her beautiful melodies. When sailors would hear the melodies of
the sirens they would become obsessed in finding them and hit the rocks in the
harbor area, ships would sink and they would die.
References
Serafini, F.
(2014). Reading the visual: an introduction to teaching multimodal literacy.
New York: Teachers Collage Press.
Image retrieved from http://russell.heistruman.com
on June 20, 2014.
I have found a consensus about student's backgrounds and their perceptions. I am still shocked when a student has never seen a lake or river. Sometimes, it seems as if they are looking through the eyes of a child and it sets of alarm bells in my head! How are these students ever going to 'make it' in the real world with such limited life experiences! I love the Starbucks logo. I asked my 17 year old and he knew immediately it was Starbucks as did my 3 year old niece! It is also amazing the power of advertising. I feel there are so many symbols that our kids automatically know (such as McDonald's) and we need to constantly find stimulating images that involve creative thinking. Great post!
ReplyDeleteCara,
ReplyDeleteI liked your quote for chapter 4 about different modes serving a concept better. I wholeheartedly agree that different mediums of communication evoke different reactions from people, sometimes for the good and sometimes for the bad. An example my mind keeps going back to is the Vietnam War (I've got history on the mind thanks to the history channel being on ;) ). At that point in time, the war was only read about in newspapers and talked about on the news but there were no images. Then when images and videos of what the war actually was came across television screens it completely changed the mood of the citizens towards the war. A different medium to convey the same topic, but majorly different response.
Secondly, I loved your analysis of the Starbucks logo. Such a great idea! I really liked that you pointed out people who drink coffee would recognize the logo but you children might associate it with Disney and the Little Mermaid. It's amazing to me how much influence Disney has on children but that's a whole different topic. Great post!
You did an excellent analysis of the Starbucks symbol! I love Starbucks! Quality products and socially responsible. Do you know they just offered to pay college tuition for all their employees! However, different people interpret the Starbucks image differently. Here is what Starbucks says about their image on their website:
ReplyDeleteShe is at the heart of Starbucks.
As a writer, though, I can tell you that there is a lot more to her than just the design and how she looks. This is what she means to me, and to us.
She is a storyteller, carrying the lore of Starbucks ahead, and remembering our past. In a lot of ways, she’s a muse –always there, inspiring us and pushing us ahead.
And she’s a promise too, inviting all of us to find what we’re looking for, even if it’s something we haven’t even imagined yet.
________
And here is another interpretation
According to the Starbucks blog, she was chosen as the logo because Starbucks was looking for a nautical theme to capture the spirit of Seattle. Remember that this was back in 1971, when Seattle was known for sailing and seaports instead of grunge rock, rain and hipsters.
In mythology, sirens are consistently seen as a personification of the ocean -- and that's not a good thing. They're brutal sociopaths who murder you by being attractive. According to scholars, they would sing an "irresistibly sweet" song that "lapped both body and soul in[to] a fatal lethargy." Sailors who crossed paths with a siren would become so obsessed that they would crash into the rocks and die.
Much in the same way that countless people have been seduced by the lure of overpriced coffee, buying cup after cup until they finally succumb, buying an Apple laptop and spending the rest of their lives at one of those tiny tables, joining the other broken victims.
Read more: http://www.cracked.com/article_19688_7-horrifying-historical-origins-famous-corporate-logos.html#ixzz36KMhN6XK