We are the Other - Chicago Avenue, South Minneapolis, MN (2012)
Photograph by: Wing Young Huie
Small Picture:
Imaged is a torn American flag flying in the winds at the top of a flag pole. To the left there is a house, and what appears to be chimney. To the right is deciduous foliage. The sky is overcast and looks like the prelude to a storm moving from the right side of the picture to the left.
Big Picture:
The picture could allude to the famous "Star Spangled Banner" Poem by Francis Scott Key. This poem later became the american National Anthem, and portrayed a torn American flag in a hostile environment flying in the wind besides its surroundings.
Question Response:
This picture of a torn American flag may at first seem uncorrelated to Margaret Atwood's book The Handmaid's Tale but as we look closer it is possible to see a relationship between the two. The flag could easily represent both the women and men the Atwood's book. The flag is in a position of power, at the top of a flag pole flying high. Yet, it also represents the women of Gilead. It is torn, and left unkempt. It is seemingly uncared for, and unwanted. The background also alludes to the stormy community that creates the make up of Gilead.
I think that you've made an excellent connection between the torn flag and the men/women in Gilead. How could this torn flag relate to our world, similarly to Atwood's Gilead? Do the denizens of our world face the same social issues that those of Gilead do? Are our women torn and unkempt, while the men are high on the social flagpole? If so, what can we do to combat this issue?
ReplyDeleteMore importantly, what can be done about the paint on that house? Why did the owner decide on such a strikingly mustard-like shade of yellow? Is the house even occupied? The state of the flagpole and the flag itself seem to indicate otherwise, though the owner may just not care about the well-being of his outdoor adornments. Such are the issues of our lives.
I found your interpretation of the flag very interesting. The position of power it represents relates excellently with The Handmaid's Tale. One further connection I noticed was how the flag was attached to the pole. Much like the handmaids who are forced into their societal roles, the flag is forced onto the pole and cannot fly free in the wind.
ReplyDeleteJackson and Craig- no. You are absurd.
ReplyDeleteTristan: How is "othering" represented in both texts? Part of your analysis should have examined the sociological concept in terms of Wing Young Huie and Atwood's composition and 'language'. I also would have like to have seen more of an analysis of the image- there are choices made by artists that have an effect on the audience's perception, understanding, and interpretation of their work.
Dude, this blows. No offense though. You really should of explored the idea of othering and language a little bit more in depth. You made a very basic comparison. However I would have pointed out the distorted, or destroyed flag, and how it could compare to Gilead, as a distorted America. Not only that, but the flag can represent many other aspects of Gilead that have are altered or disfigured; falsified christian values to validate inhumanities, cruel and unjust punishments, the absence of love within relationships, or even the degrading sanity of many of the handmaids.
ReplyDelete