HUMOR

MCDONALDS' FAT BABY

The rhetoric this image uses is definitely humor which is used very well to create a certain impression of the original image.

This advertisement shows a smile on the face of a baby or what looks like a toddler. The image appeals directly to the emotions and sentiments of those who have concerns over capitalism and corporate responsibility to society.

The fourth mode of rhetoric which is humor is what is used in this appeal. The child is question looks kind of obese stemming from his eating of fast food which in this case is Mcdonalds.

To some extent the use of pathos is also evident by the fact that obesity is a serious societal problem, more serious because this is childhood obesity. The sense of communal responsibility on the part of corporate companies and giants has always been a subject of debate among people in society.

What is often seen is the fact that these companies make money at the expense of the health of its customers or consumers. The problem is that these consumers which is this case is almost every child are the very bedrock of the future of society.

In a population where more than half is obese and conscious effort being made to solve this problem any attempt at continuing the trend makes it a source of worry for anybody who has the future of this country at heart.

On a very serious not therefore this image creates a social and cultural commentary for people of all walks of life to reflect on. This brings to mind all the issues that are usually elusive and yet form part and parcel of our daily lives. While parents are busy and spending time with their children in much different ways than before fast food companies are also busy placing ads on television to attract both parents and children.

The responsibility does not just lie with the fast food companies who try to attract customers to their businesses but it is really with the parents who should plan better meals for their children and find alternatives to fast food. This brings to focus the different lawsuits that fast foods have received from clients and continue to receive over how their fast food made customers fat, fat to the extent that they think they deserve some kind of compensation for their situations.

Without dispute these corporations have an equal responsibility to advise the customer of the alternatives available to them in terms of what else they can do to make their children more active and burn some of these calories they pile over time.

This in fact does not refer to just one fast food joint but all the others who are well aware of the obese effects of their food can have on their clients especially the "little ones".

SEX APPEAL

CHRISTY TURLINGTON

This picture from vogue for Calvin Klein is Christy Turlington, a typical picture of models for underwear. The use of sex appeal in this picture is open and straight foward. This lady is lying in a specific position with a particular look and body language for the camera. In every sense of the phrase the sex appeal is very effective because there is very little of other elements of the picture that comes to mind other than the sexual content at first glance.

The other glaring way this advertisement makes use of sex appeal is the the fact that is an underwear ad with the model barely covering herself beyond her waist down. It is striking the way the her upper part is covered sending the attention of the audience directly to the lower section of the body.

In the light of the foregoing this is effective is portraying a sexual appeal. Whether the advert is appropriate or not depends on who is looking at it. Many cultures around the world have different views about nudity or exposing certain parts of the body of a woman. While others seriously frown upon such images others do not see anything wrong with pictures such as the one of this model above. Quite apart from the cultural factor there are many religion that expressly consider such images immoral to look at regardless of whether it is an adult looking at it or a child.

For the writer any kind of advert that exposes a woman and her body in a manner like the above is definitely inappropriate.This is just from the point of view of culture as well as being a muslim. African cultural ethics do not allow such images to be exposed and in Islam the lowest level of immorality a woman could get to is not care about how much of her body parts can be shown to the public. This may not fall in the category of the lowest level of immorality but it is without doubt not moral by Islamic standards.

It is inappropriate in the sense that if an underaged child or teenager is watching this the signals it may send will not be right. It is the responsibility of society and community to instill good morals in your youth and especially growing adolescents. There are very few parents who would allow their children to view sexually suggestive images like the one above.

The use of pathos works out very well in this image because it directly places the emotions of the audience towards feeling that there is something sexy about the underwear the model is wearing. And this is done by the way the model is lying towards the camera while giving a look that can be termed as a "sexy look". The image also exposed specific parts of the body that clearly has sexual connotations to it.

ANALYSIS

The image of the girls in Rosalind Solomon photo is vivid in its portrayal of girls in a South African School. The photo is in black and white which gives it a very sober image, not too colorful and flambouyant but very definitive in putting across what it is meant to explain.

The contrast in the color is not very strong but all the audience can really read meanings from the message easily. The lunch the girls are holding in the photograph could not be much clearer in a color background photograph.

The photographer chose six girls for a good reason which represents a good sample of what a typical female school could look like. Perhaps the photographer could have added a little more message to explain that the girls are in a school of the deaf. Without any such clear message it is difficult for the audience to come to the conclusion that this is a school for the deaf.
Probably if the picture was taken at the entrance of the school with the sign that says school for the deaf or something of the sort.

The message of the photo depends on the reader looking at it. As an African I see it as a aberration of what usually pertain in the media of what Africa looks like.The fact girls are able to attend school to the extent that they have a school specifically for the deaf is a revolutionary idea comparing to what one usually comes across in the media.

The photo taken in a specifice mood is very interesting because it represents a true and sensitive summation of the feelings and emotions that arise in a crowd or populace of people who share the same challenge. The attitude of the girls are different in a number of way. Some are just sober , others indifferent without any emotional displays while other are happy with what looks like reluctant smiles and others surprised,shocked or amazed at something.

The concepts of individuality and collective challenge that face each and everyone of them is shown in the way they are together on a lunch time. They are different from each other and yet together because they are all deaf. The hope lies in the fact that they have a good chance at education.

The most important concept is the fact that these girls do not look bad in tattered clothes or scantily dressed in a typically destitute situation like other African girls will be shown. This is what the central message of the photo is. The idea that there is not much difference between these girls and any other girls anywhere except they are deaf.

The elements that bring the picture together as a good piece include the background the number of girls he thought is enough to portray his idea of poverty,disadvantage and a hope in the fact that things are about to be better that it would have been without education.

REFLECTION

The most important aspect of human society is our ability to look out for the downtrodden in society. A world in which being challenged physically will not be a barrier to achieving our fullest potential. Reaching a potential include being able to access all the tools necessary to reach this goal. Fundamental to these tools is basic education which not many people have access to.

Depending on the kind of society in which one is born or raised being challenged could mean a lot of things. I could mean being blind,deaf,leper or sitting in a wheel chair. The interesting part of this phenomenon is that being a female or male can add to the woes of a challenged person or ameliorate the conditon.

In many African societies including South Africa, in which the issues of gender are still evolving and the place of the woman is society in constantly being redefined in society being a woman is one thing and being deaf is another. It certainly adds up to the challenges of womanhood and being an African.

The most important elements which need to be portrayed for the African girl is surely painted well in rosalind Solomon's picture.

plight of the deaf girl in an environment is certainly clear but at the same time society is making significant strides in improving the lot of the challenged in society. The mixed feelings that come with such thoughts are reflected on the faces of these girls as some of them pose for the picture while others stay indifferent to the photograph.

OBSERVATION

This image by Rosalind Solomon is a photo of six girls in South Africa in a school for the deaf. In this image the girls are wearing what looks like a school uniform seeming to be very aware that they are being photographed.

The girls look like they are in their teen years with the younges close to thirteen and the oldest most likely around sixteen or seventeen.

The mood of these South African girls is very varied showing surprise,shock,forced, smile and indifferennce. The girls are shown holding sandwiches which comprised bread and something in the middle of it. If it is lunch there certainly is no drink that goes with it.

None of the girls have any long hairs on their head, in fact all of them have very short hair but still portrays the image of the regular school going age. Even though not the same image of the girl people might be familiar with in a western type society such a Europe or the United States where a photograph of six different girls will show different hairstyles or even hair color.

The girls are dressed in what looks like decent clothes or uniforms with each and every one of them in black shoes and socks. The building behind them which can safely be assumed to be the shool is a brick built house.

The background looks like a typical sunny day in South Africa with shadows of the girls on the concrete ground and grass they stand on. The picture in in black and white which does not give too much of a color contrast to bring into focus what other elements can be gleaned from the photograph.

LONDON AND DIVERSITY

The floor of the airport was flawless reflecting the lights in the wide and shiny ceilings of the airport. Queues and lines formed to different directions with each one indicating separate destinations for travelers. Heathrow International Airport at six o’clock in London was as busy as a bee hive. Airport security personnel and police are scattered over the airport in flamboyant green uniforms affirming what I had always thought London Police wore as seen on television.

This airport was in many ways DIA except it was located in Europe. The other difference was that the thick British accent that welcomed me in the London was not akin to what is heard over the intercom at DIA. The first sentence I heard was “welcam to Heethro Intternnational ayeport”.

My host had not arrived yet but there were many other people who had also come to meet and receive their guest. The first thing that struck me was the diverse nature of the people of London. The man who checked me in was a Indian and the overseer at the baggage retrieval station was African.

I had always thought and anticipated that my stay was going to be great and this was immediately confirmed by the different people. I had anticipated London, an old city of Europe to filled with people from around Europe to create a predominantly white society. This was not the case at all.

I went up to the currency exchange counter to get some Pound Sterling because all I had on me was dollar bills. The lady that was at the counter was Muslim and I quickly greeted her in the Islamic greeting of Salaam which she gladly responded to while she offered every inch of assistance I needed.
In the taxi I thought I was not in England, it felt like walking on the streets of Bronx, New York or a different cosmopolitan area.

On my first night in London my host who I had known for years before decided to show me some night life in London. We were able to do what in the United States is called club hopping visiting about six different clubs in one night and most of the ones we visited were ethnic clubs. Some were Zimbabwean clubs, others Kenyan, rock and roll, Jamaican reggae, hip hop and regular London pubs.

The cosmopolitan nature of the city made staying in the city very easy or me. On the third day of my stay I decided upon myself to so sight seeing not on a tourist bus but by myself on the regular subway or underground as it called in London.
While riding I had seen a gentleman walking towards me and smiling. I thought this was a bit odd but he kept coming and sat just right by me. He introduced himself as Ali from Iraq who had just got there six months ago. I warmed up to him and he found out that I had just got day a couple of days ago. He assured me that London would be good to me as it was good to him and almost all visitors so I should enjoy myself.

Almost everyone who knew that I was visiting from the United States met me with such admiration and joy as if I was coming from where the long to be. I had gone to the Central Business District which is called Downtown in the United States taking a peak at a spectacular resting place almost like a park called Trafalgar Square. The square was made up of more people from Asian that from the United Kingdom. This by now was no surprise to me because I had come to understand that The United Kingdom and London in particular is only second to New York in its diversity of culture.

The city of London looked old in its architecture but new in the people who occupied it. On twelve Downing Street which is the seat of parliament I could not help but to appreciate the different groups of politicians who represented the United Kingdom. Universities, businesses, shops and so on line up the streets of this political hub of the United Kingdom while quietly displaying the different people and nature of the city.


The preparation to travel to a different city on the other side of the Atlantic ocean can be a exciting near nervousness experience. The problem usually is that we do not know what exactly to expect. Our anticipation might be met well or we could be disappointed. No doubt this was a feeling I had about London but by the time I was leaving, London had felt almost like somewhere I had lived for a year even though I spent only a couple of weeks.

The Buckingham palace of all places proved more comfortable that any other places in London. I took so many pictures of the palace and gardens that I ran out of film for the day. There were all kinds of people going to see the palace and its surroundings. Again people from different parts of the world who either lived in London or were visiting. Many who late described themselves as residents of the city offered to take pictures of me standing in front of the Victorian and Edwardian looking statues compound of the Queen of England. Diversity was the hallmark of London. I felt more welcome in London than I had felt in many United States cities when I first visited them.

A market square on a Wednesday proved to be the last prove I needed to conclude that London does not even belong to the people of the United Kingdom anymore as the social and racial tapestry of the city had gone beyond anything typically European which I mean white.

Visiting different places should be on the list of anyone wiling to learn more about the world around us. The other side may sound so different but anyone could be taken by surprise that the world is almost the same. If you visited DIA the degree of diversity of the employees alone could take you by surprise which you probably have not noticed because you lived in Denver.

You do not have to be an avid traveler to enjoy going to different places. All you may need to do is to go once every four or five years and could be taken aback by what you may find out. It does not have to be on another continent and crossing the ocean but it could be a state in the south or Canada or even next door Mexico. I did not have the same view as I did when I entered London.

Finding something to eat was much easier that finding a bus. You look around you and there are all kinds of restaurants from Italian, English, African and Caribbean, more Chinese than any other, Middle Eastern cuisines, Vietnamese and a host of other choices with each of them prepared to get your business again anytime you visit.

Leaving London was not the greatest feeling as I felt like I needed more time to enjoy my stay fully but I had had enough to make me want to come back over and over again. The spring weather was perfect for me only a little breezier because London is close to the ocean. In the end London was one of the best cities I have ever visited because I have been to different cities in the world and Europe and very few beat London.

“Welcam abord the Unitted” in a thick British accent signaled by return to the Unites States and I immediately reminded myself that I was on a flight.

The Root Of All Evil:Money.

Just thought I would pose a question; if money really is the root of all evil. I do not personally believe that money is the root of all evil.People usually decide to defy both natural and human laws that govern morality and commit heinous crimes in the name of money. There are of course many situations when money has been the reason why people have commited evil.

If you took a look around people do all kinds of things for money. There was in recent news the espisode of Lacy Peterson who was killed for insurance benefits her husband was supposed to receive.This was done because of the money involved in it.

Everyday in the United States as illegal as it is in some states prostitutes line up the streets of different cities just to make money. For some of these women they have genuine opportunities in other areas of life to make it but decide to rely of selling themselves and their honor at a price. For some of these women they have to make money to feed their families and make ends meet.

There are people who sell drugs for both young and adults in order to make money. The effects of drugs in our society include the cause of broken homes, child and spousal abuses, wasting of potential for youth,chidren born with defects due to drug addicted mothers,cold blooded murders among a host of other negative effects.

In many other developing countries in Asian, Eastern Europe and Africa among other areas of the world there are children put to work to support

There are countless stories of corruption,discrimination and raw evil and crime commited in the name of money. To all intents and purposes money is the root of all evil.

On the other side of the coin money has made life easier for the world in terms of exchange. In primitive society on had to exchange what he or she has with what is needed. Money has made transaction smooth without much problems of measure and value.

Money has helped alleviate poverty in many areas of the world. Charities run across the globe to assist people in need including the disabled, war torn regions of the world, hunger stricken parts of the universe, uplift the downtrodden and the list goes on and on. Money can be used for good things.

At the end of the day money has been used for bad things and to me seems to be at the fundamental base of most problems in society. Your take depends on how you look at it.