Blog Post 8: Inferences

After searching and searching for a photograph, I've finally found one that stands out. After looking at this picture for a while, I began to feel free and limitless. This picture, labeled "Shepherd with his horse and dog on Gravelly Range, Madison County, Montana," gives the audience a peek into the life of a man who herds sheep for a living. Though there's only one person in this picture, the relationships displayed are truly remarkable. As a shepherd, this man probably lives a rather solitary life. The empty, barren background supports this assertion. The only day-to-day relationships that he maintains are with his horse, his dog, and the sheep that he shepherds.

The alignment of the man, the horse, and the dog are reflective of their relationships. The shepherd is the highest character in the photo, supporting the true meaning of what it is to be a shepherd. He is shown as a leader and supervisor over all. Even the camera is lowered slightly so that the shepherd is raised above the center of the photograph. The horse, being slightly lower, is closely related to the shepherd as his main means of transportation. The horse holds him up, allowing him to see over the sheep and watch for predators. The dog sits at the shepherds feet, loyally looking up to the shepherd and waiting for a command. In this sense, the dog's posture creates a symbol that represents the common perception of dogs and their loyalty towards their masters. The dog and the horse are both probably the shepherd's closest companions.

As I mentioned already, the dog's attention is aimed at the shepherd. But where is the focus of the shepherd and his horse? Rather than smiling at the camera, the shepherd's attention is directed somewhere off the edge of the photograph. Here I notice that the shepherd and his horse are aligned on the right side of the photograph, allowing some of the background to be viewed in full. The background is composed of grassy hills and partly cloudy skies; the main feature here is the horizon line. This leads me to believe that the shepherd is probably viewing the same sort of scenery. He probably experiences the same expansive setting, heading towards the same distant horizon every single day.

Though the day appears to be bright and sunny, the shepherd is wearing a long-sleeved jacket, pants, boots, and gloves. This gives him a sort of weathered look, as if he is prepared to tackle the job at hand in any given conditions that are thrown his way. From both his clothing and his aged appearance, it can be concluded that he has much experience and wisdom in shepherding. As he looks out into the rising sun, it's easy to see that he's ready to face whatever the day presents to him.

Blog Post 7: Photography

When I think of photography, my primary emotions are that of annoyance and boredom. My most common experiences with photography are placed at events such as family reunions and vacations where there's always someone who wants to take five million pictures of the five million combinations of family members in front of five million different backgrounds. Of course, the process must be repeated immediately with a different camera, too. I know these instances aren't meant to be professional, artistic photography where every little detail makes a difference in the final product, but that doesn't change the fact that I absolutely hate having my picture taken.

When I'm on the other side of a camera, though, my feelings completely change. As a photographer, I'm about as inexperienced as photographers can be. However, I absolutely love to edit pictures with photoshop. "Photoshopping" will always be my favorite form of photography, whether the goal is to submerge myself and a group of friends into a scene from "The Lord of the Rings" or to design a puzzle that makes the viewer ask "How did he do that?"

Unfortunately, I'm rather inexperienced with all forms of photography--even "photoshopping." I've always enjoyed viewing photographs of sunsets, mountains, and other impressive landscapes, and I've always thought it would be fun to capture scenes like that on film, but good cameras are so overwelmingly expensive and I never have the time or money to simply drop everything and go on a photo-taking road trip. Excluding pictures from the photoshop-world, I've never really liked pictures of humans, animals, buildings, etc. I'm not completely sure why I dislike these pictures. It could be that when I take the time to admire a photograph, I'm not looking at it to figure out what kind of an argument the photographer is trying to make; I'm simply admiring the beauty what's captured in the photograph itself.

Blog Post 6: Logos

Pathos might be the main strategy that "I'm Yours" uses to convey its messages, but it also uses logos in order to contribute to the pathos and ethos generated by this music video. Right away we see the brightness of colors being used to set the mood that is meant to be reflected. From this point on, repetition is used to associate love and companionship with bright colors while loneliness is shown through dark, shadowy settings like the cabin of an airplane. These associations are used in respect to Jason Mraz's surroundings to suggest that a life filled with love and happiness can only be achieved by spending time with and simply enjoying the company of other people.

Just as the video uses strategies of logos to communicate these ideas, so too does the audio composition. To begin, a single ukulele is used to present the main melody. Then, after a moment, the vocals are added. The song continues in this manner with percussion, a keyboard, and finally an ensemble of voices. This simple structure is used so that the audience focuses on each new part one at a time, allowing further contemplation of the song's meaning. First the audience hears the soothing melody of the ukulele then interprets the meaning of Mraz's words. The percussion begins at the same moment that Mraz is seen enjoying the love and companionship of fellow human beings. Percussion creates the sort of feeling that the song "picks up," which parallels Mraz's experiences with love. Even the choir that can be heard towards the end of the song supports the idea of fellowship.

The airplane shown in the beginning of the video can be thought of as a symbol of travel or journey. Throughout the video, more symbols appear representing the same concept. For example, the inside of a taxi cab is shown as the video progresses. "I'm Yours" isn't simply a song; it's a journey experienced by the author, Jason Mraz. It's a story about the events he experienced as he opened his heart to love. In the end, a picture of a runway is shown, making us ask the question "Is the journey finished, or has it just taken flight?"

Blog Post 5: Ethos, Pathos, and Logos

As I mentioned in the end of my last post, I believe "I'm Yours" presents its main arguments by invoking strong emotions within the audience. In other words, Mraz uses the pathos of his song to convey his message. This is done through lyrics, visuals, and even instrument choices.

Through lyrics, Mraz makes the audience experience many different emotions. For example, in a part of the chorus Mraz sings: "Open up your mind and see like me./ Open up your plans and damn your free." Mraz wants the audience to simply let go of all their plans and stresses of life, and to feel free to do anything they want. A little later he sings: "I guess what I'm a saying is there ain't no better reason/ To rid yourself of vanity and just go with the season./ It's what we aim to do./ Our name is our virtue." Here, Mraz tells the audience to quit worrying so much about what others think. People need to simply be true to themselves. To summarize these points Mraz sings: "It's our Godforsaken right to be loved loved loved." From this, the audience experiences a sense of indivuality. Mraz makes the audience realize that they should be loved for who they are no matter what.

Mraz uses scat singing at one point in this song. Scat singing, generally used as a form improvisation, supports Mraz's idea of being open and free to do anything. This parallels the feelings that Mraz wants the audience to experience. Besides vocals, other audio components are used to evoke feelings in the audience. The most audible instrument used throughout the entire song is the ukulele. Most people, myself included, think of Hawaii when they hear a ukulele. And to many, Hawaii is a sort of dream vacation. In this case, the ukulele represents all sorts of happy thoughts in general to the audience.

When I first attempted to interpret the lyrics to "I'm Yours," by Jason Mraz, I was rather baffled. I initially thought it was a romantic song about Mraz's love for a woman; the recurring theme of love and the title itself had me completely convinced. After I watched the music video, though, my opinions completely changed. Visual contexts are the key to understanding the theme of this song. The video doesn't focus on any specific love interest; rather, it focuses on people in general and beautiful scenes. Aesthetics play a major role in reflecting the purpose of this song.

As the song opens, everything is displayed in a sort of dark, gloomy light, showing Mraz in somewhat of a solemn, reflective state as he travels and lives the stressful city life. The mood of the song becomes brighter as the setting moves from the city to more remote areas with features such as waterfalls and rivers. Mraz begins to appear blissful and free, letting the wind flow through his hair. Because of this, the repeated line "I'm yours" begins to form a new meaning. Perhaps Mraz means that he belongs to the great outdoors, away from all the stresses of the city.

Mraz is shown relaxing and having fun with groups of people swimming, for example, skateboarding, and sitting around a campfire. This shows humans loving one another, simply letting loose and enjoying each others company. Loving people for who they are seems to be a major theme in this song.

The aesthetics in this music video play a large role in the pathos of "I'm Yours." Listening to this song and being able to see people having fun together and loving one another in beautiful, relaxing settings simply evokes peaceful thoughts. In a way, it gives me faith in humanity. I love the overall message of this song. We need to stop looking in the mirror and finding everything wrong about who we are. Being ourselves is truly the best thing we can do. "Our name is our virtue."