Image: You’re an extraterrestrial anthropologist, new to earth and it’s strange customs. You’ve altered your features, granting you the ability to walk
among humans unnoticed. One of your first assignments is to study every form of media created by humans. On the first day of your mission, you
open up a newspaper at random and see an advertisement. What does this advertisement tell you about the species that made it? What can you infer
about the culture, politics, values, morals, and religious notions of this species?
The assignment is to pick an image – you can pick more than one – and analyze it objectively. Consider the images hidden subtext.
- What does the image look like? Act as if you’re describing it to someone who doesn’t have the image in front of them.
- Who made the image?
- Who’s the intended the audience?
- Is there an agenda behind the image?
- What is the images intended effect upon the viewer? Does it succeed in achieving this effect? If so, what specific techniques does it use to bring
about this effect? - How does the image fit into the social milieu of the culture at large?
- What is your reaction to the image?