Inhuman thoughts on "I am a man"

I Am A Man”. Photograph. Amalgamated Transit Union Local 900. “Memphis Sanitation Workers Strike (1968).” No Date. Web. 13 August 2014.

This image show how bad america treats its lower classes, and how they think that lower classes are like animals that do the dirty work for them.  In the image sanitation workers are being watched not by police, but multiple army men with tanks and bayonets (knives) at the end of their guns, which conveys that americans think that the lower classes are inhuman. The phrase that the sanitation workers are say ”I am a man” is trying to get the message to the higher classes that they are people like everybody else, and should be treated equally with the same rights.

A History of Monotony and Repetition: An Image Analysis of "I Am A Man"

The image “I Am A Man” shows two distinct lines of men who were participants in the Memphis Sanitation Strike of 1968. The contrast between the two lines portrays that 1960s America placed a large focus on maintaining monotony within the society. On the left side of the image there are military men standing in a row. Each of them has the same gun, helmet, and clothing. The military men are accepted and welcomed into American society; used as a model for all other citizens. They have a position of high rank in the society, which allows them to be representative of the values in American society from the 1960s. On the right side of the image there are sanitation workers walking in a line. They are, unlike the men on the left, distinguishable from one another because of their clothing. These men perform undesirable jobs, as sanitation workers, which implies that they cannot procure better jobs because of how they are viewed in the society. In the image, the military men are fighting against the peaceful rebellion of the unaccepted group. This is representative of mainstream American society fighting against change and difference within its society. Although the protest is asking for gradual and limited change, the Americans are unable to accept the changes for a group who clearly show off individuality. The 1960s American culture was fixated on blending in with the rest of the group, therefore shunning the groups who did not create a homogenous mixture with the rest of society. In essence, this image is representative of 1960s America’s resistance to social change.

"God Has Not Given You Equal Rights" Image Analysis

The image "God has not given you equal rights" demonstrates that the burqa portrays the role of women as insignificant. This is proven by the contrast between the clothing that the men and the women wear. The clothing that the men wear you can his face and who he is. This displays that the men are important and have an identity. The woman in the burqa you cannot see her face or any part of her, which creates a sense of unimportance and that they are invisible.

"God Has Not Given Equal Rights" Photo Analysis

When looking at this image, I see men around this woman not covering their faces or skin but the woman is obligated to cover all skin. This woman is looking down while the other men are looking straight forward at the camera. You also notice the composition of the men around this woman, all standing around as if to close her in. The questions I ask myself include wondering if she wants to wear the burqa or if she is forced to. I wonder if she were to move away, if she would still wear it. I wonder if the photographer put her in blue to contrast the orange to the right of her because orange and blue oppose each other. The overall topic of the image is that men control women and we are not given equal rights, especially in the middle east. This image is negative because it shows men having power over women, the placement shows men surrounding this woman which demonstrates the idea men overpowering women in general. This photo shows that the background, middle ground and foreground, are placed there for a reason. For example, in the background there are more men surrounding the woman, in the middle ground there is the woman walking towards us and in the foreground you can see the man walking towards us as well, as if leading the woman, another way of showing control. The direction of the shadows are coming forward, giving the photo more depth and direction. Overall, this photo displays the inequality of men and women through depth and placement of the people in this photo.

Unlawful Police Brutality

The image "I am a man" (1968) conveys a strong message by showing a group of men peacefully protesting. Meanwhile during the protest soldiers were aiming guns and baronets at them, very unlawful during a peaceful gathering. I think that the message being represented here is that the law treats people of colour more harsh and inhumane while protesting than others. This is shown through a lot of body language acting in contrast to each other, one side is very offensive and the other side is continuously calm and mild mannered. The calm side is seen walking in a straight line holding signs at mid-level with no sudden movement, and meanwhile the armed side is pointing guns at the protesters’ heads, outstretched. This shows the aggression and fear that encompasses the officers because of the ability that the protesters have to turn a peaceful protest into a riot. Also the fact that the majority of the people are black shows the racism in play since knowing that during that time, people of colour and other minorities were in fact minorities and not equal in the eyes of the law. This also proves the submissive ways that minorities had to develop in order to survive in the white community, were it reverse, white protesters would most likely be more violent because they could without fearing of being shot and killed. In summation, this image reveals the brutality and unlawfulness that was in play during the sixties that continues to happen even to this day.

Source: “I Am A Man”. Photograph. Amalgamated Transit Union Local 900. “Memphis Sanitation Workers Strike (1968).” No Date. Web. 13 August 2014.

God has not given you equal rights

“God has not given you equal rights”

Message

God has given women a faceless image in comparison to men.

Textual Elements

The only women in the picture standing a mist of the men,

The woman's  burqa is covering her entire body

The contrast of the men and the women in the photo

The only thing visible on the women is her feet

Analysis

It pretty significant that there is only one women in the photo making her the population representative of women in the world.

The women is covered down and you can not identify her face and features or anything about her, which represents a faceless image for women.

The men all seem to have an identity which makes the women stand out more who seems to not have an identity

The only thing that is visible is the woman's feet which could be considered significant if you see it as the only need for the women is to work on her feet.

In Tune With The Infinite~ image analysis

The message that this image portrays is how a mother unifies her own family, and family members give her their full attention.

The colours in this pictures are very settle, until the complementary colour (red) is added to create a focal point on the mother. This was done to make a connection with the audience that they too focus on the focal point “the mother”, and that the family members surrounding her give her the full attention as the audience do when they're eye automatically focuses on the bright colour red.

As well most colours around the mother blend and seem very settle do to the shades and slight colour changes but as well are very bright at the same time portraying happiness but safety as well do to the lack of changes in the picture’s colours and the blending throughout the piece keeping all of it connected. These very little settle changes of colour convey the unifying of every individual in image, symbolizing a family perhaps.

I Am A Man Analysis

The image “I Am A Man” shows that men who are black in this time period are given what would be the less important jobs such as a sanitation worker while the white men get more important jobs like soldiers. The textual element I found in this image is the use of foreground. The soldiers with the guns are placed in the foreground to appear bigger and more important to the workers who stand in the background of the image. This image compares the difference between white men and black men and how at that time, white men were given a sense of power and hierarchy whereas the black men were stripped of any sort of dominance or power.