Introduction to Visual Theories and Narrative Form - Article Example

Introduction to Visual Theories and Narrative Form s The image Brings out the human in men. Braun Series 1 signifies how man has evolved over time to become a better person. The ape on the image symbolises the image of the modern man some centuries ago. The ape has undergone transformation to become what it is depicted in the image. According to Braun, unshaven modern man resembles and behaves like the ape that lived several centuries ago. At the same time, the image portrays how the intelligent man who has undergone evolution can be involved in behaviors similar to those of the ape which depicts the stages he was before reaching the current status. Humanity has severally met its doom due to neglect and failure to take careful measures (Hall 1992). The natural world has in turn severally taken advantage of humanity’s don’t care attitude to bring threats like asteroid impacts as well as eruption of super-volcanoes among others (Graham 2003). Its no wonder in the image, the first image representing the ape is marked 8.00 am and the next image representing humanity is marked by 8.05 a.m. This signifies the short span of time within which humanity can change his mind and engage in actions below his intelligence. Most of these behaviors are very destructive to humanity. According to Barthe’s mythologies of 1957, he has interrogated specific cultural materials to expose how bourgeois society asserted its values through them (Graham 2003). For instance, he has portrayed how wine in the French society was regarded as a robust and healthy habit among the bourgeoisies ideal which contradicts the fact on the ground that wine is unhealthy and inebriating. The same way, humanity pretends to be doing the right thing whereas it’s fully aware that the act is inappropriate (Hall 1997). For a long time, humanity has won a mask and assumed many wrong things to be right. For instance, the nuclear Armageddon was developed for the benefit of humanity (Graham 2003). Although the cold war came and went, the nuclear woods have their remains on the ground. These remains are likely to bring worst situations in future. The nuclear weapons were developed for their awesome power during the old technology era. Bombs were developed in 1940s for the goodness of humanity. Today, humanity has forgotten that these technologies were invented for its good like safeguarding it from its enemies and used the technology to kill itself (Graham 2003). Groups like A-Qaeda and Al-Shabbab are using these technologies like bombs to kill innocent lives from the humanity race. It’s worrying because nations have continued adopting these technologies negatively. North Korea and Iran are the latest examples to use these technologies negatively. The immediate problem which has worsened the situation is that we live in the information age where blueprints for these things are readily available to everybody including members who do not belong to the state (Hall 1997). The same way Berthes found semiotics in his study of signs useful in interrogating facts is the same way the image Brings out the human in men. Braun Series 1 brings out the semiotics in interrogating humanity and his fast forgetting culture. Barthes explained that the bourgeoisie cultural myths were connotations whereby a picture of full, dark bottle is a signifier relating to specific signified a fermented alcoholic beverage. These bourgeoisies related this experience to a new signified which is the idea of a healthy, robust and relaxing experience. There have been variations on the motivations from desiring to sell the products to desiring to maintain the status quo (Hall 1997). The same way, according to Braun’s image, there is semiotics whereby he has introduced the issue of evolution parodies just to sell his shaving machines. Braun’s numerous campaigns just like Brings out the human in men. Braun Series 1 are controversial ads despite the fact that they offend most people. The print ad by Braun illustrates a picture of a man who is a monkey at 8.00 am and another one as a normal human at 8.05 am after shaving (Miller 1992). Braun’s is trying to illustrate the difference five minutes can bring into the life of human being. The ad is not confined to the physical image but also to the thinking of man. A short duration like five minutes can ruin the life of man completely or change his life positively for good. In the fashion system, Barthes illustrated how adulteration of signs can easily be translated into words. He has explained how fashion world can be loaded with idealistic bourgeois emphasis (Hall 1997). Hence if a famous fashion agrees that a t-shirt is ideal for certain occasions, the idea is naturalised immediately and accepted as truth even though the actual sign can be easily interchanged with a trouser and vest. In the ad, brings out the human in men. Braun Series 1, adulteration of a hairy man who resembles a monkey has been idealised to mean an animalistic man. On the other hand, a shaven man has been idealised to represent a modern, intelligent and sophisticated man (Miller 1992). Some centuries ago, afro styles of keeping hair were preferred as compared to shaving. As time has gone by, today shaving is preferred as compared to keeping hair. A man keeping hair today is regarded to be abnormal, unhygienic and not fit in the society. Turning of events leads to questions of overall utility of demystifying culture for the masses. For many centuries back, men grew beards or decided to shave them short while leaving a thin fleece of beard to protect the face from weather elements like strong wind (Hall 1992). This practice of cutting the beard to the skin line continued for sometime since clean cut shave was inconceivable and unknown to most men who lived in the 20th century. The barbers of the time were limited and they were the only professionals who possessed the necessary implements to remove facial hair. No man attempted to shave himself during that time (Said 1985). This fact led to meteoric rise of the neighborhood barbering in the 19th century. Hence the ape in the image under analysis represents man during the 20th century and back when technology and professionals were limited. Man was not as intelligent during the period as the man of today. Hence, the ad portrays an unshaven man as primitive, unintelligent and sophisticated. The other side of the image with a shaven man portrays an intelligent modern man living in the technological era. The first image of the monkey in the ad portrays man during the tool age. Although the use of tools was interpreted as a sign of intelligence, it is theorised that the tools stimulated certain issues of human evolution to reach his current sophistication (Said 1985). The tools were beneficial in the expansion of human brain. The tool age gradually changed to paleontology which led to the expansion of man’s brain millions of years ago. During the tool age, man’s brain demanded high energy levels to function. Man was hairy all over his body hence did not require clothing to protect him from harsh climatic conditions (Hall 1992). The modern man’s brain consumes around 13 watts which is an equivalent of 260 kilocalories of energy per day. This is a fifth of the body’s total energy consumption (Hall 1992). Increment in tool usage by early man allowed him to hunt for energy rich foods like meat among other animal products. This enabled him to process more energy rich plant products. According to research, early hominids continued to live under evolutionary pressure to increase their capacity to create and use tools (Said 1985). The same spirit continued up to technological era when some useful machines like shaving machines were invented which have changed the life of man tremendously. Hence Braun Series 1, Brings out the human in men” image has tried to highlight man’s evolutionary process to the modern times when man has some useful machines like the shaving machine depicted in this context which have made his work easier and changed his entire physical outlook. Other the image can be interpreted from various contexts like done in this essay, Braun’s aim was the literal meaning of shaving to look like the modern man. The first image in the ad contains an ape representing a masked man. The man is masked by the hair. Once the hair is shaven or cut, the nudeness of man is exposed. This is the reason why Braun called described it as bringing out the human in man. Humanistic characteristics comprise of self control, understanding, patient and conversing among others. Animalistic characteristics on the other hand which are represented by the ape are lack of self control, impatience, lack of understanding, cannot converse, and cannot dress in clothing because it has enough hair to hide its nakedness and keep it warm during the cold weather. Generally according to Braun’s image, man is an animal as long as he is not shaven and the only way to end the animalism and bring out the human is him is through shaving. References Graham, A 2003, Roland Barthes. Routledge, London. Hall, S1992, The West and the Rest: Discourse and Power, (in Hall, S. and Gieben, B. (Eds) Formations of Modernity, Polity Press in association with Basil Blackwell and Open University Press, Cambridge. Hall, S 1997, The Spectacle of the Other’ in Hall, S. Representation: Cultural Representations and Signifying Practices, Sage Publications, Stuart Hall. Miller, DA 1992, Bringing Out Roland Barthes, University of California Press, Berkeley. Said, E1985, Orientalism: Western Concepts of the Orient, Harmondsworth, Penguin. Read More