Images.

This image shows a negative but ironic image of African Americans queuing for food at a homeless shelter. The image in the background showing a poster advertising living the 'American Dream' is ironic due to the fact that this is not the case for everyone. The poster shows an ideological white American family, how this is not the case for everyone as seen from the group stood in front. This shows America as being unfair to their citizens, and selling a dream which is not available to everyone due to their skin colour. This representation of America does not consist of the view of it being ‘land of the free’. Whereas the image of Barack Obama below, the current President shows that there is now more opportunity for all, due to the president being an African American. Although there is still opposition to his presidency, it is not as much as precious thoughts.

This first image is my positive image, it is an image of the 4th July, the celebratory day of Independence of America. This picture represents patriotism in Americans from a young age. The colours of the American flag are shown though out the picture and you can see the flag in the background. This picture also shows several different races of people. I believe this picture is positive because it shows that America is extremely patriotic and they make sure that the next generations of children follow on the patriotism of their parents and the population, this is why i love studying America because they are so patriotic and they love their country and the people who live there. I could have shown any picture of the 4th July but I believe that this picture has so many different aspects of it.  

You may think that this is a positive aspect of america but I think that the Hollywood sign also portrays a negative aspect of america because it is one of the only reasons people still believe in the 'american dream' where you can make yourself a different person and start again. People believe that once you have made it to Hollywood you have made it in your career but there are thousands to people are trying to believe the same story and and not many people actually make it in Hollywood. They are left with not a lot of money and performing on the streets trying to earn their rent.

Positive and Negative Images

This image is of The Statue of Liberty and is an iconic monument to New York City and also to America. This image I believe is a positive image of America, as The Statue of Liberty has a lot of sentimental meaning behind it. Lady Liberty stands for freedom and the fireworks in the back ground show Independence day and how Americans are independent and determined to achieve, relating to the iconic saying ‘The American Dream’. Lady Liberty is known as a land mark and when the immigrants were migrating to live a better life, when sailing in the first glimpse of America they saw was the Statue of Liberty, indicating a new life of Independence and freedom.

A photograph of a black man with scars from being whipped multiple times shows America in a very negative light. The image shows how America had a very brutal and barbaric background, forcing millions of Black men, women and children to leave their homes become separated from friend’s families and love ones to live in deathly environments and to be treated worse than animals. Being beaten and working on minimal food and water and women being raped by Americans. The image shows how the back ground of America wasn’t always as welcoming as it now may be in the 21^st century.

Although the image above may seem, at first glance, a negative one, i believe that the image is in fact positive. Why? Well because in the picture above we see regular everyday Americans, exercising their constitutional right (which many thousands of people have died for the protection of) to freedom of speech. A right which the United States of America was founded on centuries ago.

Built as a country of freedom, a country for the people by the people and a country of hopes and dreams, America has certainly changed rapidly from its relatively recent birth. The negative image above shows how in modern day America, corporate interests seem to be valued far higher than the needs of the common man. The image shows a 'fat cat' labelled 'corporate interests' towering over the small man, labelled 'common people'. The tag line at the top of the image reads,'campaign contributions are equal to free speech'. Although the image is designed to unite the common man of America to spark change, the central image itself i feel is dark, negative and all too true.  

Welcome to the blog for AM1111 for your group. For the first exercise, post any TWO images which are iconic of “America.” Choose one positive, the other negative and explain your choice in 150 words or so Please don't link to images - post them to the blog as images (use the picture icon that shows at the top of the page when you start a new post.)