Study Task 1 - Reading and Understanding a Text

Tone of voice

Almost angry that people sit by and watch the government manipulate or thoughts.

Key points

Invisible Government

Manipulation of the mass consciousness

The way our society is structured

Mechanised society

Society: “those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country”

Culture: “As civilization has become more complex the technical means have been invented and developed by which opinion may be regimented”

Technology: “With the printing press and the newspaper, the railroad, the telephone, telegraph, radio and airplanes, ideas can be spread rapidly and even instantaneously over the whole of America"

Political: “Modern means of communication of getting quick replies and effective discussion have opened a new world of political processes”

The main issue that Bernays covers in this article is the fact that our mechanized society has been man made by an invisible government to mold and manipulate our minds as a form of order and control. This sense of control has been created and filtered into the public over many years by rich organisations that are predominately white men.

The ‘invisible government’ controls our westernized society from the shadows; they do this in multiple ways through the use of propaganda that is force fed to the public via numerous sources of media, including newspapers, posters and television. They plant subtle forms of control and due to the rising technological world, these ideas rapidly spread throughout the public and into the mass conscious, meaning that the government tell us lie after lie and because the public are being manipulated into forms of control they will believe everything they see on T.V.

To summaries, modern society’s like America are being manipulated through propaganda and are given a false sense of free will. Free will is something that has been taken from us and used against us. We don’t realize it but the corrupt system has made us think the way we do. Brainwashed.

Image Analysis Exercise

              

The main purpose of the image for The Uncle Sam Range is to advertise the cooker. It suggests that this brand has the ability to feed the world as Earth is sat at the dining table; it is a metaphorical dinner party. The house in the picture is decorated solely with American themed items, the illustration is obviously aimed at an american audience. The image was created in 1876, which is 100 years on from the declaration of independence. This could be interpreted as a way of showing how far America has come in 100 years; this is further supported by the image on the clock showing the date of the declaration of independence and present day. It is predominately aimed at white people and suggesting that life would be improved with the purchase of this item; however, whilst you have the white people socialising at the table they are being served by a black woman, this depicts the problems with race that were still rife at the time of the illustrations publication. 

Similarly the images of the East-African Transport also show this separation of races. It is suggesting that the white man has more authority and power over black people and their culture. The pictures main purpose is to communicate to British people that colonialism is just. In both pictures the black man is seen working for the white.

The old style East African Transport shows a very basic understanding of technology, people living a simple life. In the new style we see more advances in technology such as bridge-like structures and vehicles. This is suggesting that technology is progression and that by being taken from their native land these people will automatically be living a higher standard of life. However they are being stripped from their culture and heritage. This is shown through the difference in clothing from the first to second image, they are no longer in their traditional tribal wear and instead in plain white clothes. Therefore it is more an illustration of technological determinism. 

Overall both images are aimed at the same audience of middle class white people. Both are persuasive illustrations, the first being an advertisement trying to get people to buy the product. The second an image trying to justify to people that colonialism is a justified act. 

Study task

Social - needing companionship and therefore best suited to living in communities.

“I don't know half of you half as well as I should like; and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve.” 

― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

This is a banksy piece that addresses the social problems we face. especially in the westernised parts of the world.

This powerful piece of photography adresses social controversy.  

Cultural - The sum total of ways of living built up by a group of human beings and transmitted from one generation to another.

"A nation's culture resides in the hearts and in the soul of its people." - Gandhi 

"A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots." - Marcus Garvey

This is a mural piece created by street artist Neuzz aka Miguel Mejía.

Photograph by Jimmy Nelson "Before they pass"

History- A continuous, systematic narrative of past events as relating to a particular people, country, period, person, etc., usually written as a chronological account.

"The more you know about the past, the better you are prepared for the future" - Theodore Roosevelt 

"Those who dont know history are destined to repeat it" - Edmund Burke 

"Creation of Adam" Sistene chapeal by Michaelangelo

The man that refused to give the nazi salute, 1936

Political - The activities associated with the governance of a country or area, especially the debate between parties having power.

 Activities aimed at improving someone's status or increasing power within an organization.

 “Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly and applying the wrong remedies.

― Groucho Marx

 “Illegal aliens have always been a problem in the United States. Ask any Indian.”
― Robert Orben

This is a political piece by Banksy

Tiananmen square massacre protest

Technological -  Relating to or involving technology, especially scientific technology.

Affected by or resulting from scientific and industrial progress.

"It has become appalingly obvious that our technology has exceded our humanity" - Albert Einstein 

'lets go invent tomorrow instead of worrying about what happened yesterday" - Steve Jobs 

 

Technological prison by Sarah Chen 

 

 

Tesla experiment 1899