I'll Come for You

I was having some difficulty getting all the words to show up, I hope you are all able to read this one clearly.  Enjoy!

Menelaus by We the Living

Here is a link where you can find the song and I have posted the lyrics below. 

What I said before I said in truth

I've never seen before what I see in you

I knew not wrong from right, until first I saw in you

The sea may claim my life, but I'll come for you

Now hear these words and find some peace

The worlds is ours if you believe

I'll come for you, a thousand ships or more

I'll come for you, a cross a world at war

I'll come for you, if just this much you swore

May my kingdom fall till our kingdom come

For a love like this has only just begun

And against us both may the world unite

For my fleet I'd burn

For our love I'd fight

Now hear these words, your mind at ease

I'd give it all if you'd believe

I'll come for you, a thousand ships or more

I'll come for you, a cross a world at war

I'll come for you, if just this much you swore

That you would be waiting on the shore

Till my dying, dying, dying, dying breath

Till my dying, dying, dying, dying breath

Till my dying, dying, dying breath

Till my dying breath

I'll come for you, a thousand ships or more

I'll come for you, a cross a world at war

I'll come for you, if just this much you swore

That you would be waiting on the shore

This I swore till my dying, dying, dying, dying breath

Till my dying, dying, dying, dying breath

This is one of my favorite songs by this band. It always makes me feel like I am loved and that one day, my prince charming will come. The vocalist sings how he will fight for the death if that's what it takes. He sings of his world falling apart until his love is part of it also. He will risk his life through war and across oceans and all that his love has to do is swear she will be waiting for him. This song strikes a chord with me because I know what it is to be apart from the person you love because of distance that you have no control over. I always hear the longing in the singer's voice in my chest as if all these words were my own. The romance is constructed in this link by all the things that I have listed above. The opening verse is the strongest one. For a man not to know the great knowledge of the world until he set eyes on you, how can any girl not want to hear these words coming from someone she loves? He tells his love to keep her mind at ease and to feel peace because he is on his way. He will go through anything to be with his love. Isn't that what so many of us wish for in this life, to find someone willing to do anything just to be at our side? Because this song even exists it gives hope to us that there is a chance we can find someone special like this. This song is proof itself because one man sings this maybe just maybe there are more and maybe just maybe is there one for each of us. If you are not a "cheesy romantic" maybe this song sounds needy to you, maybe you believe that we should not be so dependent on another person. But I think this song argues it well that there is something more than just walking the world alone. 

cheap romance

Every year around early spring it seems, most of the girls I know can't stop talking about how cute the guy is on the show "The Bachelor". These girls love the show and plan their nights out so they make sure that they are able to see every new episode. I personally haven't been able to sit through more than 10 minutes of the show, because of a severe lack of interest. I have asked a few friends why they like the show so much and they tell me they like the drama of the girls fighting each other for the bachelor, because of how good looking the guy is, and because of the romance involved, how romantic it is when the bachelor finally finds is true love. Funny though how the bachelor and his true love, have most of the time, split up right after the ending of the show.

I can see how the show could be romantic. There's this hunky guy and many beautiful looking women that he goes on dates with. He tells them sweet things and makes them each feel individually special. He develops little relationships with everyone of them and but then slowly filters through them to find his true love. In the show there are allot of flowers, champagne, and physical affection between the bachelor and the women, all romantic things. Each woman gets to spend a special time with the bachelor where he sweeps her off her feet with romantic words and candle light dinners. The women watching the show probably imagine themselves and wishing themselves in this woman's spot, having a prince charming making you feel like the luckiest girl in the world. The most romantic part of the show is at the end when the bachelor follows his heart gets down on his knees and proposes to the one true love. This show gives to its audience everything romantic that they can think of, candle lit dinners, passionate kissing, flowers, cheesy love lines, prince charming and a heart felt marriage proposal at the end of the season. Most current romance shows/movies seem to be this way, a guy or girl is given a selection and he or she picks the best prize based on our culture's aspiration for beauty and wealth. All the while, the flowers, candle lit dinners and all the other little attributes of romance are thrown in to make it seem like a fairy tale story of true love. Hollywood's current portrayal of romance and love just seems to have taken a far different path than the days of 'Casablanca' and 'Gone with the Wind".

Manufactured Romance

True love is what first comes to mind when I see this image. Romance not so much right away, but after you begin to think about it, it seems perfectly romantic, well the socially constructed idea of romantic anyway. The image provides a template. It gives you a heart shaped by two hands in the foreground with a colorful sunset over some body of water in the background. From here you can infer that the two hands forming the heart are from separate people. This leads you to believe love is the reason that they are forming this heart in the first place. And this isn't just any love, they are in love, true love. It isn't the love you have for your parents or your child or your best friend, this is the kind of love that makes you crazy, keeps you up at night, makes you not you, and everything else they tell you in the movies. What else leads you to believe they're in love? You may have not even realized it was part of your thought process, but the shape of their hands and the similar aging adds to your schema. And all of this happens from a glance at the photo, but what is it exactly that makes you think this is love? romance? The movies, everything they tell you is what allows you to form these ideas of what love is. Of course it isn't just the movies, it's every form of media and more. Magazines, commercials, billboards, music, books, friends, family, the list is endless.

But everyone has learned love the same way, they may interpret it differently, but love is universal. They could have called it anything, instead of saying 'I love lamp,' you could be saying 'I lamp love,' but no, someone chose to call it love and that's what you learned. It's the same thing with romance. The romance you see in this picture comes from the intimacy. They share a special connection and you can see this just through the lens that allows you to see one of each of their hands. All of this is constructed by the world around you. These predetermined notions plant these ideas in your head. Why else would you think to shape you hand to form a heart with someone else? It's almost surprising you don't see a sandy beach in the background and their feet up leisurely resting on something. But this is romance. At least what the world has told you what romance is to be.

This image represents the Romantic in a number of ways. For starters, it shows a young boy kissing a girl. This perpetuates a romanticized idea of heterosexuality. It looks normal to us, because this boy is supposed to want to kiss girls. The image of a boy and a girl automatically make us think couple, dating, engagement, marriage, having kids, being in love. A boy kissing a girl makes us think of the American Dream, and we impose this sort of narrative onto their relationship that assumes this image as evidence to true love.
The fact that these two love birds are so young create this idea that love and relationships are not socially constructed. Looking at an image of two very small children engaging in such an act as kissing, it shows the idea of love as though it were human nature. These two kids couldn't have possibly been taught to sit there so close, and have such a comfort with each other that even a kiss is acceptable; therefore, we assume that this image shows the bud of true love manifested through the bodies of toddlers.
The clouds that ominously hover in the sky, under which these kids sit calmly as though natural weather is of no worry, gives the viewer a counter point to the serenity felt through the relationships of the young ones. Nature becomes a force that happens around love. This image does not show nature as something that could possibly harm these kids, but rather a moment of beauty in which these two find comfort through each other.
I argue that this image glosses over any idea of cultural change. It represents a future of heteronormativity and a future of love as something biologically natural. This image could be taken in the 1920's, and the same ideology would be shining through. When people look at this image they find serenity; they find ease; they find reassurance that love is real. Believing that this love is a real thing traps us as subjects in a cyclical pattern, where one common normalcy is a reoccurring theme that keeps us stuck thinking the same way we've been thinking for centuries.

The Struggle Between Nature and Civilization

The Lake Isle of Innisfree
By: William Butler Yeats (Ireland)

I WILL arise and go now, and go to Innisfree,
And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made:
Nine bean-rows will I have there, a hive for the honey-bee,
And live alone in the bee-loud glade.

And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow,
Dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket sings;
There midnight's all a glimmer, and noon a purple glow,
And evening full of the linnet's wings.

I will arise and go now, for always night and day
I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore;
While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements grey,
I hear it in the deep heart's core.

This is one of my favorite poems. First of all, William Butler Yeats was Irish and very proud to be so. I have tried to attach the You Tube clip of him reading this poem. It is a very beautiful poem which describes Yeats idyllic place to go and live forever.

Although this poem just seems like a man proclaiming that he will go live in his "happy place," I believe that he is also conveying a clear political message or at least exhibiting symptoms of capitalism and how it prevents people from being one with nature. After all, before capitalism, families farmed and relied upon each other for everything. There were big families so that there was more help. Capitalism caused people to leave their homes and go to the large cities where factories, trade and big business existed. Instead of relying upon family to get by, one often relied upon him or herself as a free wage laborer.

I can just imagine Yeats standing in the busy city and feeling fed up. I can almost hear him saying: "That's enough! I am getting up outta here and going to the country where I am going to build my own home and grow my own food and listen to the lake water lapping on the shore. He goes on to explain that this is where he will finally find some peace. He says that even standing in the city upon the pavement, he hears the water in the deep heart's core. That last line resonates with me so much. We all long for a place where we can let our guard down, be ourselves, and not be bothered with the hectic life for awhile
To me this peom is romantic because it .woos me into wanting to go to Innisfree as well. I don't want to stay there forever, but a few weeks of visiting would be great. I think it would take at least that long just to finally relax because I am so wired to always be running, busy, and planning. I think that is why this poem gets to me so much.
I have been conditioned to always feel like I should be doing something. I don't even know how to relax anymore. I almost feel guilty just sitting around. I took a yoga class once and I had the hardest time meditating at the end. You are supposed to let your mind go blank and be still. That was just impossible to me. Seriously, I do not envision myself doing this until I am dead. I hope that isn't how it turns out, but boy am I wired to be a busy bee. I think that the only way I would be really happy living in the Lake Isle of Innisfree is if I am one of those busy bees in the bee loud glade!

http://http://youtu.be/hGoaQ433wnw

You Can Shine

This advertisement plays almost like a movie trailer for a inspirational, melodramatic, coming-of-age, being-different-but-overcoming-it, success story. It traces through the story of a innocent, downtrodden deaf girl who is trying to learn the to play the violin. The producers structured the advertisement to evoke a strong sense of empathy and sympathy for the deaf girl by having the world seemingly give up on her and her dream. Not only do other children pick on her for being deaf and working towards her dream, even her instructor gives up on her. With tears in her eyes, she leaves the music studio to find a man playing the violin on the street who uses sign language to encourage her to not give up. "Why do you have to be like others? Music is a visible thing" He tells her.

The camera shows a poster for a classical music contest, as the music changes from the peaceful and calming Pachelbel's Canon to a high-paced and intense force of sound from the piano which disrupts the viewer and increases the drama further. When the clip arrives at the the concert and she begins to play, the viewer is completely on her side. She has gone through so much hardship to get to this position that we absolutely want her to succeed. The advertisement then uses the connection we've developed with her when it starts focusing on her hair. The first three quarters of the clip use all the romanticism and drama of the girl learning to play and overcoming her situation to build this connection to the viewer. Next, that energy is channeled into her final performance when the music reaches a climax and her hair is flying everywhere.

By actually analyzing the advertisement with logic, we know that her hair probably had nothing to do with how she finally succeeded in producing something great, but it sets up such a powerful structure of feeling that subconsciously the connection is made between the inspirational story and her beautiful, flowing hair. I'm not usually one to have an emotional reaction to advertisements, but this one was pretty good. I'll be surprised if you haven't gotten some chills by the end of this.

Coke's polar bears

The coke polar bears are an excellent representation of Romantics being used in society. The ads are especially clear on this when the polar bears shown are young bears. The Bears give a more simple sense to the enjoyment of coca-cola, and tend to make one feel more natural when they indulge.

With young bears the sense of innocence is much more obvious. Many of the ads feature bears tromping around with each other and then getting a coke by the end, which makes them have a large smile on their face. They couldn't be bothered to care about anything else, which really plays to the Romantic emotions over reason kind of thoughts, since in reality wild animals can never truly let their guard down. Even referencing the idea of a fanciful wild animal getting some heavily manufactured drink is in itself a Romantic idea. There's no way a bear could reasonably get a coke for its enjoyment, but the suspension of disbelief must be done to make the ad have any power. It gives the viewer a warm and fuzzy kind of feeling to see a typically dangerous and ferocious beast reduced to a small, cuddly thing that seems like it'd make one of the coolest pets in the world.

The reasoning behind the romantic being used in this ad may not be so clear compared to it being clearly displayed though. From what I can tell people love to act on emotions over logic, and there is clearly no logic in this ad. People get to see that coke is connected to many different romantic ideas, from the playfulness of the innocent young bears, to the wild animals enjoying the soda. The connection is then made that the people who drink coke can then start living in a more romantic lifestyle because coke is connected to all these things. No one is going to think that they'll become a baby polar bear if they drink coke, but their life may take on similar qualities as the ones shown in the ad; which gives the viewer a sense of escape from reality, into a world that is guided by a completely different set of rules and allows them to be a different person. All of this, can come from simply buying a 12-pack of coke along with groceries, at least, that's what the message is supposed to be.

Vamos a Paris, mi amor!

My neighborhood is full of public art in the form of murals and stencils, and I will admit I love it. I am a sucker for the aura it produces; that sense of community I feel by simply looking at it, regardless of the fact that I do not know my neighbor’s first names. There is a specific mural two blocks down that I witnessed in creation this past summer. There were kids from the neighborhood who donning t-shirts 5 times too big, paint covering their hands and faces. They were working with adults from the community center on a summer project. The mural they were painting was of a lake and well known world sites surrounding it. The sites included the Eiffel Tower, the Statue of Liberty, the Pyramids, a set of snow-capped mountains, the Taj Mahal, and an airplane flying above the whole thing. The public art form is romantic in itself, but the content of the mural provides an example of our romanticized view of travel. In schools, media, and the termed ‘global society’, travel has become an asset. Study abroad is as regular in college, and even high school, curriculum as an internship or a job. Travel falls under the category of cultural experiences and many would claim that one is less cultured if they fail to travel. The themes of adventure, finding oneself, and unexpected love used to apply to novels, film, music, and day dreams. Now people have taken these romanticized epochs to heart and have written novels, films, and songs about their own life-altering experiences of travel. This romantic concept of travel is so culturally engrained in the United States it seems we would be incapable of admitting we did not ‘grow’ or ‘change’ exponentially on our travels. Should it be deemed a failure that we did not encounter a spontaneous love while in France, find adventure while in Egypt, or stardom in New York? These children painting the mural are surrounded by cultural references that say so. If worldly travel is the producer of these romantic circumstances what is the option for those who cannot or choose not to travel? It appears as if they are doomed to an unromantic life forever! I do not want to project a negative view of travel, I myself have studied abroad and feel lucky to have been able to do what I have, but it was hard. It was not full of amazing adventures every second, no one whisked me off to the coast, and tears were plentiful. These romantic ideals of travel can be dangerous in setting people up for disappointment, somewhat like post-Avatar depression. The projected view is one of immediate pleasure upon arrival to a foreign country—but people are living daily lives everywhere in the world as well. Capitalism has found a remedy to this in the form of tours, resorts, and recreations of entire films so one can live out their fantasy as created by said businesses and forget the rest of the world exists. It seems a bit ironic, doesn’t it?

Romantic Getaway

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rXLYPNulx8&feature=related

What is more romantic than an amazing tropical vacation with the one you love? This commercial for Sandals Resort is the definition of romance. Every image the commercial shows is one of beauty: from the sunset sky, the turquoise blue ocean, the island view and even the extremely good looking couple laughing and starting into each other’s eyes, looking in love the whole commercial.

In the commercial, the couple is alone for the entire time except for the occasional waiter or masseuse, who are also focusing on the couple. This reads that the couple is on some secluded beach or island and won’t have to worry about other people around to interrupt them. It shows images of the couple doing fun activities, walking along the beach, diving in the ocean, swimming in a beautiful pool, sipping tropical drinks and laying on a lounge chair in the middle of the beach. These vacation packages use the message that everything is about the couple and making sure their happy and relaxed.

The song used in the commercial, a remake of “Time of My Life” with the lyrics “I’ve had the time of my life, and I owe it all to you” say to the audience that you will have the time of your life with the one you love on these Sandals vacations. You won’t have to worry about anything except for yourself and your loved one.

What the commercial is also selling is an escape from reality for these couples; a week to get away from their jobs, kids, stress, bad weather, whatever, and spend it relaxing in such a beautiful place with the person they love. The commercial is packed full of romance, and when couples see this, they want it for themselves.

"May the odds be ever in your favor"

If you have not heard of The Hunger Games yet, you will in a couple months time. Currently it is a bestselling book series that is being made into a movie in March of 2012. The books take place in the future in the destructed land once known as America, where the Capital is in control of the other districts. Every year, for their entertainment, they put on The Hunger Games, where one boy and one girl from every district must fight to the death. Katniss volunteers for her younger sister, and from then on her life changes in ways she would never expect.

[spoiler alert]

Throughout the books, you can’t help but fall in love with Peeta, the other tribute chosen opposite Katniss. He has always been in love with Katniss and says the sweetest things to her and always does the right thing. Throughout the first book, Katniss plays up their romance in order to survive as a ploy against the other players.

Peeta is particularly appealing to me in the series because of his ardent love for Katniss. Though she is (at first!) faking any love between the two, he means everything he says. I think the conversations that go on between Katniss and Peeta are so precious when they are in the games as the desperation sets in. Peeta will melt any girl’s heart. Their conversations are very intimate and deep and thoughtful and real.

I think the situation Katniss is in makes any girl wish they could change places. Also, Katniss’s character is very attractive because of her tom-boy personality. Throughout the book, we see her thoughts and feelings and see she is a survivor at heart and is very instinctual. Peeta on the other hand, has a lot to learn about being in the woods. I know for me, I like Katniss’s character because of the survival skills she has that I lack. It’s refreshing to have a heroine that can actually take care of herself! Because of her headstrong attitude, she does not feel she needs a guy to rely on or take care of her, and that is why it is so romantic to me when we see them fall in love. The Hunger Games situation is so unreal and I think that adds to the appeal, like any other movie and book series that makes it big.

For more on what happens to Katniss and Peeta, read the books!

Will you?

http://youtu.be/WEoDj7MLq9w

This Zales jewelry ad is a good example of the romantic in action. The advertisement starts with a guy throwing a ball of yarn out of an apartment window. Drawn in because of curiousity (what is he doing with a ball of yarn?) the viewer follows him out of the front door and into the street. A soft, accoustic song accompanies the advertisement. He then climbs up a ladder and onto a roof, the string is pulled and then you realize he tied the string to his girlfriends finger. She wakes up and goes to the window, a sign reading "will you?" is on the window. The romantic uses closure to connect the "will you?" card to an engagement. The song in the background is more audible at this point and you can hear "don't forget me" as he slides the ring across the string between them.

The romantic uses reasons of feelings or emotions over reason or fact. A romantic loves this ad because it is a creative, original way of asking someone to marry you. Which is a cultural construction that has a typically joyous, personal, and romantic feeling associated with it. Because culture is inside of us, we have seen numerous ways someone can propose. With the original ones always being seen as the most romantic. Like the ring in the wine glass for example. This is why we ignore the fact that the guy would have probably woken the girl tying the rope to her finger. Or that the tiny ball of yarn seen falling out of the window could actually go all the way across the street and up a building. And that the building across the street has roof access for just some random guy. Also, that the woman would enjoy being asked in such an original way. Perhaps he is jobless and has way too much time on his hands. Nope. He's the most romantic guy ever, his lady is thrilled and "love rocks."

Because the act of proposing to someone with a diamond ring is a Western concept, it certainly advances that ideological and political standing. Without the perpetuation of that particular custom an engagement ring store would be in trouble. In an ideological situation similar to places in the Middle East, where marriages are arranged, stores like Zale's simply don't exist.

This engagement photo screams "romantic" to me. First of all, this couple is fairly young, most likely with big dreams and ambitions. He chose her out of all the fish in the sea. His one and only love. Second of all, they are alone (besides the photographer) in a secluded field. Possibly back to their first picnic or walk together? She is the only one that matters at this moment in time, no bystanders are important. This is the only girl for him and his and her face show love and excitement, which is truly romantic. Lastly, the fact that this soon-to- be fiance hired a SECRET photographer to catch this exact moment is incredibly romantic. This moment will be remembered forever. I think this would be a dream come true for a lot of women, including me.

This image argues that anything but this exact proposal would be less romantic. Of course, once she slips that ring on her left ring finger, they promise to 100 percent devote their time, energy and their whole self to each other, which is the same promise any proposal makes. But, for every woman to have this high of expectations for her engagement is ridiculous. She is setting herself up for a big disappointment. We must remember the gap between the "image" and our own "self-image." Yes, this is an epic proposal, just you and your future husband, but there are plenty of other ways to get the same "aww" moment. Who decided that a diamond had to be the engagement stone, or that the guy proposes, or that he has to get on one knee? As Robin said, "It comes from somewhere." This proposal is a perfect example of an aspect of psychodynamics. Male proposes on one knee with a diamond, the "perfect" way, well, to society anyways.

Friends

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGvBl_N3xD0

Most of my female friends (and more than a few guy friends) have a high appreciation for the TV series Friends. In the final episode of the series, in season 10, there is a difficult situation going on between two of the main characters, Ross and Rachel. Ross and Rachel had been off and on throughout the series (to my knowledge, because I actually know very little about the show), but in the last episode, as all of the characters are leaving the apartment complex where they have all lived for 10 years, Rachel is going to Paris and Ross is staying in the United States. Ross realizes as Rachel leaves for the airport that he wants to be with her, and basically chases her down in the second half of the episode. He undergoes a lot of problems in the process, but finally catches up to her JUST as she is about to get on the plane. He pulls her aside, and basically professes his love to her, and says that he wants to be with her, so she ought not go to Paris.

Now, I was at a friends’ house when 3 girls were watching this scene. When Ross barely caught up to Rachel, haggard and stressed from his journey, just in time to profess his love to her, every girl in the room gave an audible sigh, saying how cute it was that Ross caught up to Rachel just in time, and that he would go through so much for her.

Every girl loves this scene because it portrays great feelings to a female, that a man would consider her valuable enough to go through such turmoil simply to express his feelings for her. The problems Ross experiences on the way, the tension rising between Ross and his companion, even the music in the scenes preceding the plane scene all build up to this moment. Every female wants to be Rachel at that point. The romantic doesn’t care what it cost to get there, if the decision is wise, moral, or intelligent, or even what it will cost the couple in the future. The romantic loves that touching scene where, for one brief instant, everything is laid out on the table, and vulnerability is high.

Don't Ever Look Back.

This image goes against the archetypal "romantic" image we've been talking about in class. It's obviously set in a club, packed with way too many people, and it's a crazy enough scene to be crowd surfing. For me, though, this image screams "romantic". First of all, the photo was taken from above the crowd, almost as if to make the viewer feel like they are up on stage too, waiting to jump in the crowd just like the guy in the picture. All we can see is what's right in front of us- the huge crowd of people that seems never-ending; we don't need to see beyond that. The photo is asking us not to see beyond it. The words going across the center of the photo take precedence, because, well, they're smack dab in the center of the photo. "Don't ever look back", scrolled across an image of a sea of people that's seemingly endless, calls us to jump in there, without thinking. It's asking us to just go. This whole image argues for us to lose our inhibitions, go with our intuition, and go with what we FEEL. All of these are keywords for romanticism that we discussed in class. We even discussed a "hands over heads" kind of ideal, meaning that, with romanticism, we are called to let our bodies do the talking instead of thinking critically. The sea of people in the photo have their hands stretched to the ceiling, both symbolizing a loss of inhibition and the fact that they are waiting to catch the next surfer.
All of the people in this image are completely lost in themselves; hands thrown in the air, smiling, laughing, lost in the moment and in what is going on RIGHT NOW. They are completely focused on what they are feeling right now. The crowd surfer surely isn't thinking about the bills he has to pay tomorrow or his schedule for work next week. Romanticism is all about being in touch with what's real, connecting with yourself and your feelings, and nature. While this photo was taken in a very urban setting, the people in it symbolize a connection with nature that goes beyond taking a dip in a secluded lake or hiking in the woods. They are lost in themselves and what they are feeling at the moment, which, to me, is more natural than anything.

Awww...so perfect...with a hefty price tag

You Have My Heart by dianabanana featuring high heel shoes

This image seems to be the epitome of a romance, in the literal sense. A couple that not only loves each other and are thoroughly committed to one another, but are looking to expand, solidify, and immortalize their love by having a baby. This kind of image never fails to extract a sentimental “awww” from the viewer as it is a reality that every guy and girl aspires for. Looking at these images puts us in a mind frame of what can be and what should be in the general, natural, ideal scheme of things. The quote below the image furthers this impression even more, “meeting you was fate, becoming your friend was a choice, but falling in love was beyond my control.” The fairy tale type, happy ending and walking on air feeling takes over us as the possibilities flow thru our minds, we share the timeless moment captured in the photo, adoring the couple, the emotions, and the story represented.

This image appeals to our emotions first, assaults us with its utter sentimentality and when we are done basking in those emotions, we see what the ad is advertising—the girl’s dress (a mere $2,850), ring, handbag, lipstick, heels, etc. It seems to be selling the image—the emotions conveyed to the viewer make the viewer want to BE the image/part of the image, and due to this, the products advertised seem to be even more appealing than before considering the story connected to them. This ad associates those emotions, the classic-ness of the scene with these products, and the projection of the relationship between the products and scene gets to the reader, and the products, which we may not have taken a second look at were it not for the photo/story, get our attention. The politics represented are that high status/brand name/wealth paves the way for a classic, happy, romantic relationship and makes those timeless moments even more eternal, while in truth, materialistic aspects do not even enter into such romantic stories/moments. There is truly no relation between one’s economic status and the success of their love lives, we see successes all across the spectrum, with no specific concentration of success stories on the high or low end.

Tangled Movie Clip - Lantern Scene, "I See the Light"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yD_IEqxp-e0&feature=related

The link above leads you to Youtube to watch the lantern scene from the Disney movie Tangled. If you have not seen Tangled, it is basically the story of Rapunzel and how she has lived in a tower her whole life. Flynn, a thief, stumbles upon her and along with him, she discovers the world for the first time and her identity as well. This scene is when Flynn takes Rapunzel out onto a boat to see the lanterns that she has been awaiting her whole life. The purpose behind the lanterns is that every year on Rapunzel's birthday, her kingdom releases thousands of lanterns in the hope that the princess would return. Little does Rapunzel know that she is the princess that her kingdom has been looking for. In this scene Flynn and Rapunzel realize that they have a special connection and adore each other.

This scene is perhaps my most favorite from the movie because it brings such joy and conveys a magical feeling. In the beginning of the clip, the viewer sees a king and queen releasing a lantern and slowly the whole kingdom is lit up with thousands of lanterns. The camera pans over to Rapunzel on the boat and the touching and beautiful song "I See the Light" plays in the background as she gazes at all of the lanterns in the sky. She turns back and sees Flynn holding two lanterns, one for him and one for her to release together. She gives him back his satchel as she promised after trusting him and they sing together and share a special moment. The two look into each other's eyes and then are about to kiss at the perfect moment. This scene is the perfect moment from any fairy tale that a little girl loves. It does a great job in making the moment very beautiful with the effects of the lanterns and pretty setting. It makes the viewer want to have an "Awww" moment and possibly shed a tear. The viewer is placed in a position to be captured by this scene and to adore the couple.

The purpose of this scene and its effect on me is that it gives me such a magical feeling because I want to BE in that scene/moment too. Just like any girl that loves Disney movies, we love scenes or stories where the prince rescues the damsel in distress. We love romantic/cheesy moments because they are adorable and instill in us a desire to find the "right one" as some would call it. This scene wants to capture the hearts of its viewers and to love the couple, Flynn and Rapunzel. I'd say it did a successful job but what I experience from this scene can be different from others. While I found this clip touching and beautiful others might say this scene is too cheesy and unconvincing. The concept of feelings or emotions over reason and fact correlates to this because the feeling of love is prevalent in this scene and influences the viewer to be touched by this moment.

How would you like it if someone came and ripped your home to shreds?-Green Peace Advertisement

This Green Peace advertisement I think does an amazing job of not going through the typical rhetoric of just listing random facts and figures saying that Tropical Rainforest deforestation is a bad thing. Instead they get us to see the issue as if someone were to rip into our home and tear it to shreds with chainsaws and bulldozers.

We are then blasted by images of various primates that, as many of us know, are our closest genetic relatives. They capture images that resemble panic, fear, and a very anxious state of being as the process of deforestation begins taking place. The advertisement is very effective at placing those that sympathize with animal rights in a position that would make those individuals want to take action; for those that typically do not care about animal welfare, we see the wasteland that is left after the logging process and see trucks ripping out of the rainforest.

What we later see is the shadow, or perhaps ghosts of the animals that were displaced from the destruction of their home. Where are they to go now?

The politics I feel is the balance of maintaining ecosystems for various reasons, aesthetic beauty, future resources from the plants, ethics such as animal welfare, whatever the reason we should want to stop these things from happening because they apply to us in different ways depending on our culture and what we find as important. As we have discussed in class, urban dwellers are the main people that seek to escape from the grind and get to the great outdoors. What if we had no place to go since we tore it all down? Perhaps we were raised with modern medicine values, what if we could not produce the many organic based drugs any longer because we killed off all the important drug producing plants. Maybe, We were raised with Environmentalists that value responsible deforestation and cycling different areas so we can maintain the ecosystem at that location.

The nature vs civilization aspect also occurs, I feel at the heart of this is do developing nations desire money to bring their country's standard of living to that of Europe, and America, even though that means ripping the rainforest out for monetary gain to drive this economic development.