Category: Blog 5

1. Piper, Adrian “Decide Who You Are, Anita Hill” is a photograph that I found intriguing. I believe the piece’s usage of picture and text around the photos made the interpretation of the content a little simpler or more broad. Many of the phrases in the article remind me of questions I’ve asked myself, and it makes me wonder if other individuals have asked themselves similar questions. There’s also a black girl smiling in the background, which makes me question whether this photo has any racial connotations.

2. Because I believe the author’s comments describe how many people of color feel in today’s society, I believe this image connects with societal topics such as inequality. “It’s not your place to say that,” for example, is a phrase that people of color frequently hear because they are informed that their voices and thoughts are unwanted and that they should know their place and be silent. “This is so needless,” I also noticed. That’s another term I’ve heard in general because people of color are told that protesting or speaking up for what they believe in is unnecessary and that they are doing too much.

3. I believe the author meant to include all of these words in the graphic because, like me, many others have pondered similar concerns or have been told these comments. When you look at the image, I believe you will reflect about systematic racism or any other sort of inequality you may have experienced. The graphic also depicts how individuals often smile despite their anguish or concerns, yet they are actually thinking about all of these things.

I chose to talk about Adrian Piper’s “Decide Who You Are, Anita Hill” Already, the text is in red drawing my attention. At first glance, it could like like any other text or thought, but the deeper i looked into it, the more i found. This painting was made during the “MeToo movement”. The artist must have specifically chose red to show pain and suffering with their voices not able to be projected. Some examples were, “You’ll get over it” and “You’re overreacting”. This sounds like it can be to quiet down the victim or specifically gas lightning them making them seem like there is nothing wrong when in fact there is. This happens in todays society still some are afraid to speak up against their oppressors from fear. This artwork is very powerful and can motivate anyone who might come across this and would like to know more about it.

Adrian Piper’s “Decide Who You Are, Anita Hill” was my choice because it may be read rhetorically in a variety of ways. It was the one that stood out the most from the rest. A number of text appear above a portrait of a young Anita Hill in the first artwork. There are countless red-word statements related to various social and political movements. The first two that came to mind were the Black Lives Matter and #MeToo movements, both of which I believe encapsulate what this piece is trying to express. “Surely you’re exaggerating a little,” “you’re being irrational,” or “what’s the issue?” You’re being paranoid” sounds like someone is gaslighting someone else. The two movements I described deal with power dynamics in specific societal settings, such as between men and women, white people and black people, and affluent people and poor people. Piper’s usage of a picture of a black small girl accurately reflects what women and black people go through as they grow into adulthood. Art has the potential to have a significant impact on social and political issues in our society. Art begins a discussion and allows people to express their thoughts on the topics presented. Like Piper’s artwork, it can elicit a variety of responses and inspire others to think deeply about the issues depicted in the artwork and possibly take action to address them. Other pieces of art that support diverse causes can help stimulate conversations and put attention on other critical topics, like this art piece does with the #MeToo and Black Lives Matter movements. The text could also be interpreted as a social issue. It can be compared to a wealthy and impoverished individual. There is a man and a woman, as well as race. The statement “What’s the matter?” reminds me of the Black Lives Matter campaign. You’ll get over it” refers to the racial mentality that pervaded the movement in the United States.

Adrian Piper “Decide Who You Are, Anita Hill”

The artifact, “Decide Who You Are, Anita Hill” by Adrian Piper displays a series of questions, doubts and concerns projected on the little girl smiling in the poster. Most of the writings on the poster specifically appear to be gaslighting with comments such as, “I don’t understand where this is coming from”, to “Everyone does that so what”, to “your perceptions are distorted” and so on. This text appears to take place during the civil rights movement; an era dedicated to activism for equal rights and treatment of African Americans in the United States. People who were opposed or insecure to the movement would gaslight African Americans in an attempt to manipulate the situation to their favor. This artifact can attract a lot of people due its red font and the adorable smile of the little girls face. I also feel as if the little girl smiling contradicting to the words being said in the artifact will make people think, “what is this poster trying to tell me”, therefore spreading awareness. Overall, this artifact is well designed and I can see why it has been glamorized many years later by people across the United States. The lesson I learned by this artifact is: Don’t let society box you in. Stand on your beliefs and always do what is best for you and whoever you consider family. Lastly, stay the course because you will only fail when you stop chasing your mission. You can’t fail if you keep going.

 

1. How does this piece’s rhetorical properties contribute to its meaning? (think blending of image/ text, tone, audience, color, design, etc)

The piece I chose is, “Pandemic Haiku” by Gregg Bordowitz it has a unique use of the Haiku format, which is a poem consisting of only 3 lines each. Bordowitz’s piece stood out as he used only a couple lines for each page. I found this interesting and unique because it is something I have not personally seen other writers/poets do. I feel like Bordowitz’s choice of spacing out each stanza really helped enhance the feeling of “living during a pandemic”, while I read the poem for the first time. As we are recovering from a pandemic now, this poem is very relatable to us an audience who have experienced similar things mentioned in the poem. The poem is very relatable because it describes how one felt or what our daily lives were like during the beginning of the pandemic until this day.

2. How does the text resonate with social or political concerns of the present?

The poem resonates with the social concerns of the present because we have experienced similar things to what is mentioned in the peom. For example, when the author mentions, “Time to be alone, To listen to my music, No interruptions” it something I can relate to, especially during the beginning of the pandemic. I spent a lot of time alone in my room without going out or spending time with friends and family. Everything had changed and we had to isolate ourselves from others, just as the poem described. Even as things are slowly returning back to normal I noticed that I had built a bit of social anxiety when I had first returned back to in person classes. To add on, I believe that this wasn’t only the case for me, but there were/are many other students who experienced the same thing.

3. What conclusions can you draw from this text to build an argument for what impact art might make on political or social concerns?

A piece of art, like the “Pandemic Haiku” by Gregg Bordowitz shares the experience of life during the pandemic and dealing with Covid 19. Its relatable aspect allowed us to follow along and reflect on social concerns developed by the pandemic. One being, the increasing amounts of social anxiety on students who are now returning to in person classes. Many, like myself, have developed social anxiety after spending a long period of time being isolated and attending classes electronically, through Zoom. Making it difficult for us to return back to how we were and how life was before the pandemic.

The art piece I chose was

 

David Wojnarowicz “Untitled” (One day this kid)

 

     The rhetoric properties of the art piece impact it greatly, and help get the message across. The piece is black and white, putting the focus very much on the image and the text. The child pictured in the piece seems to be happy and smiling, while the writing lists all the hardships he will someday inevitably face because of his sexuality and deviation from the norm. The juxtaposition of the image of a happy child, surrounded by heartbreaking words, to me, makes the piece very impactful. The kid, who is now oblivious to these hardships, who seems content, will grow up to face so much hate, discrimination, and violence. Although the child’s emotion is not depicted as he grows up, you can imagine how his emotion changes through the process and through the disturbing experiences he will have to go through simply because he is who he is. I found that the image of the kid in this piece is a self portrait of the artist himself, David Wojnarowicz, who had to face all these difficulties in his life, and this image represents him when he was unaware of what he would have to go through.

     The text resonates with the social concerns of the present, where homophobia is still at large. Though some progress has been made, homophobia exists, even in our society, putting a lot of people through a lot of hurt. Although not mentioned in the text, David Wojnarowicz was diagnosed with AIDS and passed away two years after making this piece, which speaks even more about the societal concerns of the time. By looking at the art, we can draw the conclusion that art can be a vessel to advocate for acceptance and freedom, which is still a struggle for many. The piece gives off a lot of emotion that conveys these hardships, showing how difficult, unfair, traumatic, brutal and deadly society’s views can be on something like sexuality.

 

     

• How does this piece’s rhetorical properties contribute to its meaning? (think blending of image/ text, tone, audience, color, design, etc) 

The piece that I chose is “Pandemic Haiku” by Greg Bordowitz. It accurately represents how everyone felt when the COVID pandemic first started. Each Haiku represents a period of time during the pandemic that each reader can viscerally recall. The poem also embodies how the pandemic continued to drag on and eventually altered our perception and meaning of time. The way Bordowitz chose to organize his paper was also very interesting because most of the pages are empty and do not contain many words. I believe he did this to reflect how there were not that many things happening during the early stages of the pandemic which felt very isolating. The tone seems to be reminiscent and reflective, but also deeply sad and disheartened. The piece uses multiple rhetorical properties to give the audience an insight into how life was during the pandemic.

• How does the text resonate with social or political concerns of the present?

This text resonates with the social concerns of the present because everyone has experienced the instances Greg Bordowitz is describing; we all sat in our homes and watched the seasons pass, we all went to get the vaccine when it was released, and some of us chose not to, which created controversy. Because we are still in the pandemic, the Haiku’s also represent how everyone is still trying to slowly get back on their feet and recover from the lockdown. We are all trying to find a new “normal” despite the fact that it seems like things will never be how they once were. 

• What conclusions can you draw from this text to build an argument for what impact art might make on political or social concerns?

Art is an abstract medium that enables authors to convey feelings, emotions, and desires without having to present their thoughts in a conventional way. Especially in the case of a Haiku, it forces Bordowitz to include only the most relevant words and events. Despite his simple language, he is able to make us recall lived experiences that we all shared. His Haikus are reminiscent of the desperation we have all felt for answers, the hopelessness we endured as seasons dissolved into the air, and the human urge to still find meaning and life in the most mundane of times. Bordowitz’s collection of Haikus is written and formatted like the physical embodiment of time passing. Often, politics becomes polarized to an extent that everyone must pick a side, everyone must choose their version of right and wrong; art enables commentary and bias without polarization.

1,After reading Greg Bordowitz’s “Pandemic Haiku”, it resonated with me more deeply. The author has divided the words into many different parts, and the content is basically related to the epidemic we are facing, and each part can make me feel different inner activities. The sentences are concise but cool and you can’t stop thinking about them. During the epidemic people felt different emotions such as pain, grief, despair, sadness, etc. People were unable to explore the beautiful world outside and had to stay at home and look forward to the end of the epidemic. It is like a tomorrow without hope, which makes people feel infinitely bleak.

2. This poem illustrates much of the situation we are in today, and it also reveals the author’s concern. People are living like machines during the epidemic, dull and drab, with no hope in sight. The poem also speaks of the many effects of the epidemic on people, as well as the questions and frustrations about the current response, which has forced people to rethink these issues.

3, we can see how art can have an impact on social or political issues, and it does so in a refreshed way so that more people can see what the author is trying to say. The author is using his voice to pour out more about the epidemic so that others can relate to it in order to achieve the goal of changing other people’s minds and making changes for it.