Roman Scott

English composition

Dr. Crowther

Essay  #2 Photo analysis Draft

Images are a great way for time to be captured and looked upon later. The following Images were all taken during the pandemic and all relate to me in a personal way. The first image is of my grandma beaming after she dyed her hair purple. The second image is of  my dad and the precautions he followed to make sure the neighborhood kids had a good Halloween. The third and final image is a screenshot of a text I received late October; it was an ad attempting to persuade me to “vote red” in the upcoming presidential race. The three images are unique in their own ways yet are tied together through a similar experience.

Image one is a picture that represents the experience of many people during the pandemic. All throughout 2020, people grew bored of sitting in their rooms and needed something to spice up life again while locked-down. A common theme was people changing their appearance, especially when it came to hair. Dying and cutting hair are simple and easy and only need a few materials. The pandemic sent many people into this frenzy and it soon became a fad. Many look back at this time with regret, as is the case with the image shown. The story behind it is simple. My grandmother grew weary of sitting in her home alone and needed something to pick her up. Before the pandemic, dying her hair purple would have been an outlandish idea that she’d turn her nose up at. However something about being locked-down for a year changed her opinion. Now, that things have returned to somewhat of a ‘normal’ state the thought of dying her hair returns to something she would never consider.

The pandemic made people do things they would have never considered. With little contact to the outside world, other people seemed to only exist through a computer screen. The fear of judgement no longer existed or was at least lessoned. How could these little pixels on my computer actually judge me? It is not like they are real people? A slight exaggeration, but many people felt this way, including myself. This lead to changes, temporary or even permanent, in hopes to make the pandemic lock-down more bearable. With less judgment people explored more parts of themselves and learned what they did and didn’t like.

The second image was taken on Halloween in the year of 2020. The image is of a father trying to make the best of what is available to ensure that the neighborhood kids had a Halloween at all. Before then, parents all around the US were worried on how to make this happen. What precautions to follow to keep everyone safe? Would Halloween even happen that year? This meant parents had to get creative. Masks were decorated and added to costumes. Candy and snacks were individually wrapped to ensue same consumptions. United, the neighborhood worked together finding ways to make Halloween happen. Unity was seen all throughout the pandemic. People putting their differences aside and coming together as one.

Taking care of kids is no easy task and the pandemic made it more challenging for parents. Kids missed out on many social opportunities, birthdays, holidays, school. Parents had to find ways to make up for the loss of social interaction. Following the precautions set by the CDC, parents invented new ways of gathering and celebrating to keep some sort of ‘normal’ life for their kids.

While the pandemic brought us closer together, while apart, there were forces that worked to divide us. The third image was an ad I personally received late October, right before the presidential election of 2020. The text reads “Vote Red” in a big bold font. The ad was aiming to persuade me vote for the then presidential nominee Donald Trump. The lack of logos and ethos were the ads downfall. The ad failed, as I was more worried about how I received this message from a spam number than I was interested in voting red. The ad also lacked any sort of evidence to back up its argument to vote red.

During this time the nation was more divided, split between ‘Red’ and ‘Blue’. Fear tactics involved pathos and were used in hopes to scare individuals into a certain way. They often lacked any sort of logos and were used with a big name or a political party to add some credibility. When logic and evidence are missing fear is used to ‘persuade’ which is never a good thing. Scaring people does not do any good. It does not actually change the mind, it merely makes the individual too scare to voice their own opinion.

The pandemic is not over yet, however things are starting to look better. What was learned over the course of the last two years will not be forgotten. Things changed and new ways of doing things were created. People are resilient and people are malicious. People are compassionate and people are narcissistic. The pandemic highlighted the best and the worst of people. What do you think the books will say about you?

The first few months of the Pandemic came out of nowhere. Many different emotions were experienced. But the most common among everyone was fear. The fear of contracting the disease, of death, if life will ever go back to normal, and many more. I have chosen images that represent the results or causes of fears during the Pandemic for me. I chose these three because they connect to each other in a way. Through the emotion of fear that is. 

The first thing that I thought of after hearing about covid-19 was how deadly will it be and how many lives will it take. I used to look at the death toll daily to see how bad it is getting and which area is affected the most. The death rate went up so much in a few weeks. Just seeing this makes me scared to go outside and also work. You can get many information from the chart. For example like where the virus spread from and how deeply it is spread. This was probably one of the reasons people did’t go out as much anymore compared to the starting of the pandemic. This image was an example of ethos as it was trustworthy information that is constantly updated. 

My second image was the result of fear. This was not common but it was one of the first sign of fear for safety during the Pandemic for me. I used to work in a grocery store so I saw many people wear these masks in first person. These are respirators. There were even some people who wore these and also a plastic shield infront of their face. Some people were worried about their health more compare to others. It was mostly the elders or older people that I saw wearing these. This is an example of pathos because it showed that people were worried about their health and safety that they were extra cautious. 

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1VFjpxeihnw-ZXyREKCFekeDJKUm0MqVoZBffEN574u0/edit?usp=sharing

 

In 2019 the spread of covid 19 affected everyone’s life; however, that impacted diversity based on who you were. The experiences of each individual in the pandemic are hard to capture, but here are some images that reflect the bright side of the pandemic. “Life doesn’t get easier or more forgiving; we get stronger and more resilient.” ~ Steven Maraboli. The three images highlight how we have benefited from a tragic situation. since the outbreak majority of the people are following restrictions to keep everyone safe. We could start traveling again, electronics has satisfied the world for jobs and educational purposes, and we still can enjoy our freedom. All these images highlight how people have benefited from the pandemic.   

© Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images News 

By Kara Rogers   

In 2019 the outbreak of corona impacted the whole world and everyone in it. The public was closed to prevent the spread; everyone practiced social distancing, keeping everything that everyone came into contact with sanitized, and wearing masks as you see in the image. The setting is in an airport, a radiant place sun beaming through from the sunroof. It is a busy place; the people wearing gloves are cleaning the rails and handles with spray bottles and rags to clean and wipe down everything. Noone’s making eye contact because this is occurring today, there are not trying to convince anyone about anything. The image has ethos because it is trustworthy, it’s well-meaning because it shows you the different people from different races and religions from all over the world use airports and is going in and out of other states, countries all over. It gives knowledgeable information as well. As we stay safe, the pandemic calms down; the world is back to normal.   

 

A “Homework Hub” in New York City. By JESSICA ROSENWORCEL  from  SPRING, NO. 60 As the public started opening back up, schools started reopening, parents and students decided whether their child was virtual or back on campus. Some students finished online, and some went back on campus with masks. Electronics have become more beneficial than ever before. Today we use electronics for everything. We Mainly use them for work, learning, emailing, researching, etc. In this image, it’s a lovely sunny day; students are in a “homework hub.” Children played with chalk on the ground; they drew on white paper with colored pencils. From the looks of the image, it is a safe public community, brilliant and radiant outdoor learning environment for students. A student is on the laptop in front. The student is trying to catch a signal to do her school work from the smoothie shop behind her. Everyone is wearing a mask; We use electronics in everything we do; paper and pencils are an option majority of the population use electronics are our assignments. All teachers use electronics for learning, making it a must for all students to have a laptop at home. Its trustworthy image is well-meaning and knowledgeable because it is related to today’s world crisis. Electronics play a significant role in keeping the world safe; technology is the greatest invention we have, it’s very beneficial, especially during the pandemic.    

Modern Connections by Cindy Eastman and Angelo Farenga   

 

furthermore, we have been doing pretty good with preventing the spread of the virus, which has slowed the virus down. “As covid 19 pandemic winds down, people are more eager to party more than ever”.- Cindy Eastman and Angelo Farenga. I agree; in this image, there are pretty girls with bright smiles in mini party dresses one girl has on a bright pink dress, and one has on a purple one; they’re in a limo with colorful disco lights and LED lights, mirrors, speakers TVs, etc. It’s a small gathering, not overcapacity; eight to ten people. A guy is taking their group photo. Another person is snapping this image from behind him. They’re most likely close friends trying to stay safe and still enjoy themselves with friends, but no one has on a mask. Many people aren’t wearing masks when there out with friends at parties or clubs because it’s optional; many choose not to wear them. This image has pathos because people enjoy themselves. People should be liberal and decide to take risks when going out.   

The images capture events since the outbreak in 2019 until now 2022. These images describe how the world changed before our eyes; it was a tragic situation, but we learned how to cope and adjust to new things from this experience. Equally, we worked together to prevent the spread so we could travel, use electronics more than ever, and be liberal to decide to take the risk and not wear a mask.   

Rogers, Kara. “Questions About COVID-19 Answered”. Encyclopedia Britannica, Invalid Date, https://www.britannica.com/story/questions-about-covid-19-answered. Accessed 4 March 2022. 

Rosewood, Jessica. “Ending The Homework Gap”. Democracy Journal.org, Invalid Date, https://democracyjournal.org/magazine/60/ending-the-homework-gap/. Accessed 4 March 2022. 

Eastman, Cindy and Farenga, Angelo. “As the Covid-19 pandemic winds down, people are more eager than ever to party. Photo: Striptrips.com” VNY lavocedinewyork.com. June 15 2021.  

 

 

rIn 2019 the spread of covid 19 affected everyone life, however that impacted diverse obviously based on who you were. The experiences of each individual in the pandemic are hard to capture but here are some images that reflect on the bright side of the pandemic. “Life doesn’t get easier or more forgiving, we get stronger and more resilient.” ~ Steven Maraboli.  The three images highlight how we have benefited from a tragic situation, since the outbreak majority of the people are following restrictions to keep everyone safe so restrictions could be lifted and we could start traveling again, electronics has benefitted the world for jobs and educational purposes and we still can enjoy our freedom.  All these images highlight how people have benefited from the pandemic   

By Kara Rogers 

In 2019 a global pandemic started because a virus called covid 19 it impacted the whole world and everyone in it. The public was closed, to prevent the spread everyone practiced social distancing, keeping everything that everyone come into contact with sanitized, and wearing masks as you see in the image. The setting is in an airport, a radiant place sun beaming through from the sun roof. This is a busy place the people are cleaning the rails and handles are wearing gloves with spray bottles and rags to clean and wipe down everything. Nobody is making eye contact because this is something that is occurring in the world today there are not trying to convince anyone about anything. The image has ethos because it is trust worthy, its well-meaning because it shows you the different people from different races and religions from all over the world use airports and are going in and out of different states and countries all over. It gives knowledgeable information as well. As we continue to stay safe the pandemic as calm down the world is back to normal. 

A “Homework Hub” in New York City. BY JESSICA ROSENWORCEL   FROM SPRING, NO. 60 

As the public started opening back up ad schools started reopening parents and students made decisions on whether their child was virtual or back on campus. some students finish online and some students went back on campus with masks. Electronics has become more beneficial than ever before. Today we use electronics for everything. We Mainly use them for work, learning emailing, and researching and etc. In this image it’s a lovely sunny day, students are in a “homework hub”. There are children playing with chalk on the ground they were drawing on white paper with colored pencils. From the looks of the image, it is a safe public community brilliant and radiant outdoor learning environment for students. Another student is focus on the laptop in front of her, she is in front of a restaurant at because I see a boy with his bike going into the place it’s a green smoothie on the build signs, the girl is trying to catch a signal to do her school work. Everyone is wearing a mask; nobody is making eye contact so that tells us this was caught off guard. We are using electronics in everything we do; paper and pencils are optional majority of the population use electronics are our assignments. All teachers use electronics for learning which made it a must for all students to have a laptop at home. Its trustworthy image well-meaning and knowledgeable because it is related to the world crisis today. Electronics play a major role in keep the world safe, technology is the greatest invention we have, it’s very beneficial especially during the pandemic.   

 

 

Modern Connectionsby Cindy Eastman and Angelo Farenga 

 

In fact, we have been doing pretty good with preventing the spread of the virus, which has slowed the virus down. “Masks are coming off: restrictions are being lifted.” and “as covid 19 pandemic winds down, people are more eager to party more than ever”. I agree, in this image there are pretty girls with radiant smiles in mini party dresses one girl have on a bright pink dress and one has on a purple one, they’re in a limo with bright disco lights and LED lights, mirrors, flections, speakers TVs, and etc. It’s a small gathering not over capacity eight to ten people sic ladies and a guy taking their group photo, there is another person taking this image from behind him they’re most likely close friends trying to stay safe and still enjoy themselves with friends, but no one has on a mask. Many people aren’t wearing masks when there out with friends at parties or clubs because its optional many choose not to wear them. This image has pathos because the people in the photo are happy enjoying themselves now that restrictions have been lifted. People should be liberal and make their own decision to take risks when going out. 

 

The images capture events that occurred since the outbreak in 2019 till 2022. These images give descriptions on how the world changed before our eyes; it was a tragic situation but we learned how to cope and adjust to new things from this experience. Equally we worked together to prevent the spread so restrictions could be lifted, the world open back up with everyone needing electronics, we are liberal to make the decision to take the risks to not wear a mask.  

 

Covid-19 has placed an everlasting effect on our lives. A simple example could be seen as a never-ending coin flip. As the coin flips and turns across the cosmos it shifts and changes depending on our circumstances. On one spectrum people were not affected at all and on the other, some were affected in unimaginable ways that are too tragic for anyone to handle and those who are in middle are random variables blended in between. But in retrospect, what if there was a hidden effect that went undetected by the naked eye? One that has slipped by the masses and has continued to affect our daily lives in the pandemic. What about our spending habits and consumption of goods? I have provided three photos to support my argument of America’s complex and overwhelming consumption of goods and how it has affected us during the Covid-19 pandemic.

We have all been a victim of compulsive buying way more than we will ever realize. This impulsive behavior has increased during the pandemic as we became more recluse and reserved. Sometimes we buy a few things that we didn’t truly need either from an errand, or maybe you noticed a great deal on Amazon. However, America has a big problem with compulsive spending on a grander scale. This buying habit has been a part of our capitalist society for decades.  Not only is consumer spending 70% of our nation’s income by GDP but it has in many ways been the dramatic downfall of our society both pre-pandemic and post-pandemic.

 

Figure 1.
The photo above is a display we have seen in department stores in every mall or retail shop. The soft sandy brown pastel walls and perfectly shelved clothes neat placed in the designated area with colors that are richly isolated from the coloring of the rest of the room.  On top of it shows a 60% off displaying luring in eager consumers. The room was an abundance of lighting filled with comforting warm and cool colors. Our attention automatically focuses on the sale sign which is our Ethos, the authoritarian that demands our full undivided attention.

 

Before the Covid- 19, one of the biggest examples of America’s compulsive consumer spending is the infamous Black Friday sales that swallow stores nationwide since 1951. This massive event typically takes place around thanksgiving weekend and sets the scene for scramble and chaos. Without fail hordes of people line the malls and local stores in the luck of “one-in-a-lifetime” deals to tote home, but at what cost? Wherever Black Friday comes, violence and hoarding come after. There are endless videos and photographs of people pushing, fighting, pulling, and even trampling one another to snag mediocre sales and at the end of the day, the items that they are fighting over are not a necessity.  From 2006 to 2021, there have been a total of 17 deaths and 125 injuries stemming from Black Friday violence as sourced from BlackFridayDeathCount.com. The unprecedented scores of violence from this event have placed an irreversible plague on our society and yet the profits continue. “In Black Friday 2019 (Thanksgiving plus Black Friday) raked in $11.9 billion in online sales. That’s $7.5 billion spent on Black Friday and $4.4 billion spent on Thanksgiving. That’s a 20.2% increase over 2018.” (Source: BlackFriday.com).  

Figure. 2

Fear-based impulse buying and labor shortages from the pandemic affected our ability to obtain the goods that we need. Tissue and laundry detergent are the only few items that have been left behind by consumers. The empty walls and minimal selection of items show us the true effects of our overconsumption during the pandemic. The isle is empty minus the single customer passing by looking around for her groceries. The image leans only on logos and pathos. Pathos could instill that this was a daily issue for almost everyone. Not being able to buy what you need from your local store due to the shortages is both unsettling and fearful. However, this is not the only way we have overachieved our consumer limits and leveled the playing field for other issues.

Such issues played a part in how we chose to react to the growing impact of COVID-19. As the covid shut down in March, people would migrate to grocery stores to horde and gather resources out of fear. As panic and worry filled our lives during the pandemic time went on, the worse people become with their anxiety and hoarding.  People rushed in and over-packed their cart with food, cleaning products that they didn’t need, and this panic indulgence caused major shortages for essential products the people needed to survive.  Unfortunately by April of 2020, this deep-rooted fear caused major shortages in toilet paper and this did not help rest the thriving anxiety of our broken society.  If anything this further shook the stability of the pandemic. This was a new wave of impulse buying that was both very new for our generation and also very unpredictable.

 

Figure 3

In figure 3 there is an amazon prime box fixed on top of the trash. The walls are dull and grey and the objects around the trashed are blurred. Our attention is fixed on the grey corner of the room and the lighting helps us focus on the trash in solidarity. The Ethos in the photo is the amazon box and Pathos stirs a form of guilt for our impulse consumption.  As we only buy what interests us within the moment but not necessarily long-term. One of the champions of pandemic consumer consumption is Amazon. During the first few the of 2021 Amazon has reported earnings were 108.5 billion dollars from pandemic consumption. That is a 200 percent increase from their earnings in 2020. That is a dramatic increase from 87.4 billion dollars in revenue from 2019. The majority of their revenue is from Amazon subscriptions and memberships from their Amazon Prime services and Amazon Video services. The purchases from Amazon are just quick fixes for our entrainment and when the time comes sooner than we anticipate we forget about it, and trash it.

 Which has also been a massive issue since Amazon plastic waste has grown to become a problem. As reported by the conservation group Oceana, “Amazon’s plastic packaging waste soared by almost a third, to 270,000 tons, during the pandemic last year (2020).” That has placed a tremendous strain on our oceans, landfills, and ecosystems. Amazon has done a few things such as the Amazon Recycling Program and in 2019 they officially made all the packaging completely recyclable. Yet, their waste from their consumer is still affecting the environment and all for the sake of convenience and comfort.

 

The pandemic has forced us to isolate and internalize our traumas.  It makes sense to seek entertainment in other ways. Home renovations, personal entertainment, and retail have been the main focus for consumption. But we do actually need the things that we ordered at all? At the end of the day does it truly fulfill our needs and deepest desires? Or is it just a way for all of us to temporarily remove ourselves from our current issues? This could imply that we have further contributed to our economic dependence on our capitalistic society for the better and worse. Although, it could all just mean nothing and simply imply that we have made peace with our growing solitude.  

 

 

News has been largely dominated by stories about Covid-19 since its outbreak. The new images and stories have the effect of offering people the necessary ingredients that they can use to construct their knowledge and understanding about the coronavirus pandemic. Noting that stories in the news are repeatedly known as accurate info and news images being their graphic proof, the effect they have is considerable. The covid-19 pandemic has been largely constructed and utilized to assemble intergroup relations and national identities. News about the pandemic has since its outbreak been spread throughout the world in various forms to create awareness, and one of the most effective ways of achieving this is through images. This paper will focus on the rhetorical analysis of images used in communicating the spread of covid-19 in Sweden. The pandemic reporting in Sweden has since been cast as an issue of national stereotyping and nationalism among the Finnish press. From the images, it can be observed that there can be three distinct multimodal rhetoric strategies relating to stereotyping: nationalizing, moralizing, and demonizing. The strategies hypothesize discussions of immoral, dangerous, and arrogant Swedes originating from national stereotypes.

The immense attention that the media has given to the coronavirus pandemic has had the effect of leading to the rise in cases of discrimination and prejudice against various groups of people, for example, the Asian people and Chinese, among other vulnerable minority groups and immigrants. Consequently, this points to the need to study the coronavirus’s effect on intergroup relations adequately. Previous studies relating to nationalism have established that reporting in news shifts in times of crisis whereby the media uses exclusionary and hyperbolic language designed to generate distinct boundaries. Notably, routing reporting is not characterized by detailed national accounts. Journalists instead use language in the third person to detach themselves from the reported events and their audience. It can be observed that the coronavirus pandemic is such that it offers a certain background for the crisis journalism by the media whereby the press constructs national identities. Moralizing is a rhetoric strategy that constructs a comprehension of Sweden and Swedes to be indifferent and haughty concerning coronavirus pandemic. As used in this strategy, one of the images in the newspaper includes Anders Tegnell, who serves as the state’s epidemiologist in “Public Health Agency.”

Although everything was put on pause during covid, school work was not.  Throughout my long study sessions and my face stuck onto technology, I realized my goal for the future.  This goal wasn’t exactly a goal, more of a realization; to graduate high school.  I always had good grades and school life but I never realized how this was a real thing I have been working towards but haven’t really thought of till this picture. I was sitting in the library after the lockdown was opened, was in the middle of my study session when I wanted to go home.  I was surrounded by Emory students who all had been where I was and somehow succeeded.  The lights were bright but dim enough to feel relaxed while reading or talking with friends. The bright orange divider helped with keeping the focus on “your side” of the desk. I sat back and tried to understand why I was feeling this when I was in such a groove.  I didn’t have a reason to go home but I did have a reason to keep doing my work. So I can graduate. I decided to take a picture to remind myself. 

Legos are by definition building blocks. It can be argued for what audience these building blocks are made for.  Many would say for kids while I would argue they are for any age.  My goal when buying a lego set was to purchase something I could build to relax. This was the outcome of three nights and five Marvel movies later. This is an almost finished white, Porche, lego set. The room has a lot of browns.  Including; the table and the tv stand.  The lego car is majority-white with parts of red and black. The lights are dimmed enough for the area to be best for watching a movie but also bright enough to build the lego set. This night was a reminder for me.  Reminder to continue for the end goal.  I sat back to look at what I had accomplished from the continuous struggle to find that one missing piece.  It reminded me of goals.  My goal is to graduate.  It’s almost done. 

 

Although this wasn’t graduation itself, it was my graduation photos.  Putting on the cap and gown itself was interesting, to say the least.  I’ve never worn something like that before.  It didn’t feel like a dress but more like a thin sheet across my body.  I posed as my mom took my photo to keep the “memory” of accomplishment. “Pose,” she said as I stood next to the “Class of 22” glass poster.  The bright lights reflecting across from the glass show the lack of professional photographer skills of the photo taker (aka my mother).  My smile shows that I am happy to be there, taking that picture.  Standing on one foot in heels makes the audience a little anxious.  Did I fall? Was I able to hold that stance long enough for multiple pictures? This picture is a reminder of the goal.  To graduate. The unusual look/feel of the practice cap and gown try-on was almost over.  The real thing was soon ahead.  My dedication and time were used wisely.  Class of 2022.  Almost built the whole set.

 

 

The Coronavirus Pandemic affected how everyone lived. From being able to go out in a big space with others, having to sit away from friends and family, or not being able to use public facilities. If asked how it felt living during the first part of this pandemic, a common word of loneliness or isolation would probably be used. The four images show isolation during the Covid Pandemic. From church chairs being distanced from each other to a subway ad separating essential workers from everyone else and two snaps of Times Square in NYC of before covid full of life to during when no one was there. These images show that because of covid many things in our past known lives have changed like not being able to go out in crowded groups.

The image is of chairs being separated in a church so that everyone can social distance and be apart basically. This was taken June 22, 2020, and is titled “Spaced seats in a French church during Covid-19 pandemic”. In this image the chairs are spaced in rows and windows so people can see through gaps between other chairs. Church is supposed to be a loving place where others come together but this photo looks almost the opposite. There is so much empty space that it feels isolated and lonely. The lightning of the photo is dark with lots of neutral colors. There are a few patches of sunlight peeking through that could represent hope. On the very back wall there is a cross, and it is also lit up by the sunlight. It looks heavenly and like the photographer meant for it to happen. We can feel pathos from this photo because of the dark lighting, empty space, and few patches of sunlight. It gives off a sad and cold feeling and possibly haunted with the old architecture plus empty space

 

 

The image of the subway sign displays the way essential workers and non-essential workers were treated differently during the pandemic. The sign is a bright yellow and white color that has big black bolded words. It could catch attention of commuters rushing to get on their train. The sign says “Essential worker” big at the top then follows which yes or no. If yes, then it’s okay to ride the subway but if no you shouldn’t even be there and should “go home.” The company “Safe Travels” has their logo at the very top of the message. Their goal is to “shut down the New York metropolitan area” to keep essential workers safe and they would limit how many tickets were sold for the subway. By knowing the overall goal of this company, people may want to listen and support the cause of keeping essential workers safe. This image goes deeper into the social class levels and the work expectation in America – essential workers must work and put into dangerous environments. This photo was taken about a month after the first lockdown (peak pandemic). (This also shows how different groups of people were separated in the pandemic – isolated – these people had to go work and were allowed on the subway, but non-essential workers had to just stay home and be isolated as well.)

 

 

 

 

In 2020, roughly 125,000 pedestrians entered Times Squares each day. On the busiest days, Times Square has pedestrian counts as high as 450,000.” (Timessqaurenyc.org) Looking at the empty photo we see not one person or car in times square. All the billboard signs are still on and showing ads and many colors. The photo has a gray “filter” over it and looks very gloomy. When no one is there, it gives off a sad and lonely feeling. The sign that sticks out the most says “We are all essential” – The whole movement promoted small business, which were hit hard in the pandemic. In contrast the busy photo is livelier. The colors are more vibrant; red, white, blue, yellow, blue. And they are hundreds of people. The colors are drawing people in, to go shopping or to stay longer and eat and sit down. Not only are there people walking, but there are also taxis and buses in the streets.

These four pictures come together to make us think and reflect on how covid separated everyone. Because of Covid many had to stay inside or social distance from others meaning we couldn’t hang out in groups. While some people had to stay home, essential workers could go out. This shows a level of separatism of a cultural stance in America. It was all based on what people’s needs were. Some felt theirs were religion and that they would risk their safety to feel close to God, and on a personal level, others in their church environment. This shows how several people got to a point of hopelessness that they needed to change their lonely surroundings with some hope. While some felt that they needed money and were going to work their essential jobs. Even if that meant being the most exposed to the virus. A price that comes with working an essential job means not being able to see family and friends, with the thought of them being exposed to the risk of covid. Others felt that doing public events wasn’t worth it. Including traveling to the busiest city in the U.S (New York). The bright lights and inviting signs weren’t enough to keep everyone together.

From the church chairs being distanced, the subway sign telling essential workers to ride and others to go back home, and the before and during of Times Square, all these images represent a different way of isolation during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Arthur Brewer

English 1101

Dr. Crowther

03/02/22

In this essay, I will be talking about how black people should be treated equally through three different images.  Black people deserve just as much respect as people of all other races.  I will tell you about images of George Floyd’s death, a mural of Breonna Taylor, and the Black Lives Matter protest.  They all happened during the time of the covid pandemic.

 

This first image is about George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  A store clerk falsely accused Floyd of using a counterfeit 20-dollar bill.  A white 44-year-old police officer named Derek Chauvin showed up along with J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane and Tou Thao and restrained Floyd.  Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck so hard for over nine minutes that it killed him.  Chauvin was convicted of second-degree murder.  The other three officers were charged for helping Chauvin in murdering Floyd.  Floyd did not deserve to be killed because he did not commit a crime.

This image is using logos because Chauvin thought the most logical thing to do was kneel on Floyd’s neck.  The photo is dark around Floyd and it looks lighter everywhere else.  It is cruel for a police officer to kneel on someone’s neck, especially if they’re black.  Kneeling on people’s necks should be illegal.

The next image shows a mural of Breonna Taylor, who was shot and killed after her boyfriend Kenneth Walker fired a warning shot at the police officers, whom he thought were intruders.   White police officers Jonathan Mattingly, Brett Hankinson, and Myles Cosgrove were investigating drug dealing operations.   Hankinson was fired for firing through Taylor’s apartment window and the covered patio door.  He was also accused of endangering Taylor’s neighbors with his gunshots.

On a basketball court at a park, a mural of Taylor was made to honor her memory.  The text on the mural that reads “Black lives matter” is saying that black people do not deserve to be killed over crimes they don’t commit.  It was written in bold black to send the message to racist people.  The picture was taken on a very nice day at a park.  The image uses pathos because the people who made the mural seem very sad about Taylor’s death.  It also uses ethos because it is trying to gain credibility from the children at the park.

Lastly, this picture shows people at a Black Lives Matter protest in Washington DC.  People also protested in Louisville, Kentucky, and Los Angeles, California.  They were demanding justice for George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and other black people who were falsely accused of crimes and killed.  The protesters also said “Defund the Police.”

The picture has the protesters in the foreground and the Washington Monument in the background.  There are people of different races and cultures.  The monument symbolizes freedom and justice, which is what should be served for the black people who were killed after falsely being accused of crimes they didn’t commit.  The signs the protesters are holding also symbolize justice for black people.  One of the signs reads “BLACK LIVES MATTER,” which means black people deserve more respect.  This image uses pathos because the people are angry about black people being treated unfairly.  The image also uses ethos because the people are using authority to send the message to everyone around the world.

In conclusion, the images are saying that black people do not deserve to be killed, berated, or mistreated in any way shape or form.  Black people deserve as much freedom, justice, rights, etc as other races and cultures.  It should be illegal to mistreat a black person because that would be racist.

Works Cited

Penn Live Patriot News, 4 Minneapolis police officers fired as FBI investigates George Floyd’s death, 03/02/22 https://www.pennlive.com/nation-world/2020/05/4-police-officers-fired-as-fbi-investigates-in-custody-death-of-man-in-south-minneapolis.html

Denver7, Lawsuit: Breonna Taylor’s death connected to Louisville gentrification plan, 03/02/22 https://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/america-in-crisis/lawsuit-breonna-taylors-death-connected-to-louisville-gentrification-plan

Gottbrath, Laurin-Whitney, Aljazeera, In 2020, the Black Lives Matter movement shook the world, 03/02/22

https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2020/12/31/2020-the-year-black-lives-matter-shook-the-world