StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...

Language in Copley's Gibraltar - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
Name Instructor Class 24 November 2011 “Language” in Copley's Gibraltar The Siege and Relief of Gibraltar, 14th September 1782, c.1783 “Language” in the art world refers to the “visual language” (Rumold 77), while in communication, “language” is composed of arbitrary symbols and their combinations that can be used to express ideas and feelings, such as through words, facial expressions, and gestures…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER95.4% of users find it useful
Language in Copleys Gibraltar
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Language in Copley's Gibraltar"

Download file to see previous pages

Dadaism “unbound” language and played with its potential. I also want to “unbind” “language” as a concept by relating it to one of John Singleton Copley's paintings, The Siege and Relief of Gibraltar. I selected the word “language,” because it has a large role in several defining experiences of my college life. In this essay, I describe painting as a “language” in itself that can be directly experienced, struggled with, and enjoyed, which is like learning a second “language.

” A painting has a “language” that can be directly experienced, when the audience try to interpret its implied stories and meanings. The Siege and Relief of Gibraltar tells the story of the battle between two old superpowers, Spain and Great Britain, a battle that can be related to the struggles of learning a second language. The painting asks the audience to see the Battle at Gibraltar in splendid action and drama with definitive winners and losers. It is neatly divided into two planes of the two groups.

The British are depicted as an orderly and coordinated team. General Sir George Eliott leads his men through giving orders on how to float the Spanish flotillas or floating batteries. The Spaniards witness their flotillas sinking along with their crew. They are portrayed, not only as the losers, but also as barely human beings, because of the lack of details in how they were painted. I look at this painting and it teases my imagination, as I think about Eliott's ingenuity in planning always three steps ahead.

I can feel the experience of the action in the battlefield. I designate myself as an impassioned observer, but amazed at the military tactics and technologies used during these times. General Sir George Eliott has planned everything so well that his men hardly had to do anything, while the Spaniards, in sharp contrast, resemble cats who are at their ninth life. They will try everything to survive. The Siege and Relief of Gibraltar has embedded meanings and implications that “language” can dismantle.

This visual reading is similar to learning a second “language,” where I also have to make sense of the arbitrary symbols the English “language.” I find it perplexing to no longer see my native “language” as arbitrary, because I have grown with it. It is part of my breathing already. Yet this other “language” loses its natural character and becomes emerged into arbitrariness, transforming it into an alien code that I have to learn and decipher. I understand now why Dadaism undermined the linguistic sign.

A foreign “language” can take a psychophysiological eidetic experience, one that can be broken apart and played with (Rumold 77). In addition, Copley's painting fits what Keats describes as the ability of a work of art to become a “made” entity that catch the audience by “teasing [them] out of thought” (cited in Behrendt 37). Truly, reading a painting can bring the audience to an “imaginative alternative reality” (Behrendt 38). Furthermore, the painting, as an experience, pushes the audience to attack the works through reflecting on the process that it is perceived and assessed (Behrendt 38).

Learning a second “language” also invited me to be critical of this perception process. How do I see English as a “

...Download file to see next pages Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“Language in Copley's Gibraltar Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words”, n.d.)
Language in Copley's Gibraltar Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words. Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/history/1437417-literature-response
(Language in Copley'S Gibraltar Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 Words)
Language in Copley'S Gibraltar Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 Words. https://studentshare.org/history/1437417-literature-response.
“Language in Copley'S Gibraltar Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 Words”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/history/1437417-literature-response.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Language in Copley's Gibraltar

Language as a Political Instrument

Although everyone uses language in order to control and articulate various realities in life, it is worthy to note that language can sometimes transform into a political tool owing to its ability to bring out the identities of various persons and communities.... This paper has been written in an attempt to explore the various styles and views of political language by two authors.... This paper purports to clearly give similarities and differences in arguments about the use of language as a political instrument....
5 Pages (1250 words) Essay

Gibraltar Airport

In the essay “gibraltar Airport” the author discusses many hazards, which occur at very many airports.... gibraltar airport is famous for so many reasons.... It is very popular because of the transfer of passengers and cargo from one region to the next....
2 Pages (500 words) Case Study

Copley, Watson and The Shark

copley's skill depends on his ability to portray a paintings This tension is evident in the painting Watson and the Shark.... He was born in Boston in 1738 but went to London to improve his craft.... He was largely influenced by the painter Benjamin West, who encouraged others to study the old methods in… Copely was actually a portrait master before but the trend during 1700-1800s was to make historical paintings....
5 Pages (1250 words) Essay

Law, Language, Power

The meeting between the client and the lawyer takes place in closed door meetings where they establish the emotional climate of the divorce.... Sarat and Felstiner's book deals with the unprecedented… There is a suggestion that most divorces are marked less with a pattern of forceful advocacy than by one of inaction and flow....
5 Pages (1250 words) Essay

Gaps in academic achievement

The paper “Gaps in academic achievement” holds the argument that family and school environments contribute to the achievement gap between black and white students.... A critical investigation of existing literature reveals that the problem of educational gap presents numerous challenges....
10 Pages (2500 words) Research Paper

The American Artist - John Singleton Copley

The field of arts in the whole wide world has completely evolved and there have been so many great artists that are even remembered today for their incredible masterpieces of arts.... The field of arts has always been exhibiting certain realities of the various cultures, theories,… That is the major reason behind the turnover of the appreciation which has broadened the field of arts globally....
7 Pages (1750 words) Term Paper

Culture and Language

In the paper “Culture and language” the author analyzes is an intersection of language, culture and education in the society.... They bring deficit views of culture and language.... hellip; The author believes that language and culture motivate stereotypes.... The aspect behind it is that when children are born, the language and culture they are exposed to decide their cognitive structure.... The thinking structure of those children born in civilized places with civilized language are more intelligent than those born in remote areas....
1 Pages (250 words) Essay

Language and Literacy in the Math Area

This report "language and Literacy in the Math Area" discusses students that have a variety of challenges in today's world.... nbsp; According to Conley (2008), students may struggle because they have inadequate speech and language development.... They have to keep up with technology, and they have to keep up with social challenges....
6 Pages (1500 words) Report
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us