Decode

The scene opens with an aerial view of a mountain scene in Washington state. It shows the green tips of evergreens high above a river with low hanging fog creeping in the top of the screen. The fogginess gives an air of mystery to the video, which helps set the tone for rest of the song. This first image is a clip from the movie "Twilight," but the rest of the video parallels this. It cuts to a similar shot of a dark green forest, but here a guitar can be seen with the hand of the guitarist producing the music. The video then takes quick shots from different angles of the band, showing them with mysterious looks on each of their faces. Suddenly embedded within the quick camera shots of the band, a clip from "Twilight" is thrown in. It has the two main characters, Edward and Bella, perched high up in one of the original evergreens in the first shot. The evergreens remain a constant symbol of being in a dark, moist, spooky forest in both the music video of Paramore and the film Twilight.

The way the band members are portrayed is very similar to the way the vampires in the movie. One clip shoes three vampires gliding quickly the forest. They are walking, but also appear to be on a moving sidewalk their movement is so fluid. The lead singer is also shown with this same type of technique. In some shots it appears as though she, along with the camera are gliding swiftly backward through the forest. There are even more movements and camera shots that parallel the movie. There are clips that show the vampires moving quickly, as though trying to catch some prey. The video will the suddenly cut to a camera angle where it appears that the camera is in the eye of the running vampire. It is shaky and moves quickly as it weaves through the trees, almost as if it is in fast forward. Members of Paramore are also often depicted running around trees, looking like the vampires themselves, which adds to the mysteriousness.

The final part of the video brings the climax. As they hit the bridge and go into the last chorus, the music begins to speed up. The band gets more excited and into their music. The clips from "Twilight," at this point, cut to the most violent, exciting scenes of fighting and running. The vampire James is on the hunt, adding anticipation. One scene shows Edward and Bella fleeing for Bella's life, driving at fast speeds down the road. Final act of danger is a fight scene in a ballet studio. People are thrown around, and it is very dark, giving this part of the movie the most drama.

2.) The video does a very good job of relation a very popular movie to a song. Not only does it give the movie some good background music, but it helps promote the band Paramore. In one way the band could be seen as trying to be like the "bad" vampires in the movie. Their actions, gestures, and different scenes related very much to the scenes in the movie with the vampires. The lead singer could be related to Victoria, the red-headed vampire with a huge attitude. The member that is shown creeping behind trees would be related to James the hunter. The way he moves gives off that aura. This technique of trying to be like the movie will hopefully help them sell records, since "Twilight" is a wildly popular book and movie, and the audiences who would read the book are likely the audiences who would be listening to music like Paramore.

Although they relate to the bad vampires, the music's actual lyrics relate more to the protagonists--Edward and Bella. The lyrics are fairly hopeless, and deal with he star-crossed lovers: "There is something I see in you. It might kill me. I want it to be true." Throughout the film, the two struggle with the fact that Edward wants to kill Bella, yet they are so in love that it doesn't matter.

The idea of taking Twilight and trying to relate a style to it not only was tried by Paramore, but amateurs took on trying to recreate this film. Some students made a spoof of the Twilight trailer, but they were basically doing the same things as Paramore--trying to recreate the popular film to heighten their popularity.

WP2

``We are seeking to incite the (Islamic) nation to rise up to liberate its land and to (conduct) jihad (holy war) for the sake of God," said Osama Bin Laden to al-Jazeera (U.S. Veteran Dispatch). Jesus said, “In the world you will have trouble but take courage for I have conquered the world” (ThinkExist). These two quotes have similar meanings—their gods are the rulers of the world, and they will go to all the means they can to have their god in control of the world. The idea of two religious icons with the same, yet different ideals is a startling thing to compare. A painting of the morphing of Jesus Christ into Osama Bin Laden by Priscilla Bracks, gives a deep meaning to the controversies over two wildly different religious views. To understand it, however, one has to know the troubles of the world at this current time. Bin Laden is seen as a hero to many radical Muslims. He planned and ordered the September 11 terrorist attacks against the United States in his “jihad,” or holy war. This act has been viewed many ways. From America it has been seen as terrible. He is seen as a threat to society. In other countries and to other cultures he is revered as someone to stand against the wrongs, things that Allah—the Muslim god—would not approve of. So what does he have to do with Jesus? Through the rhetorical strategy of compare and contrast and the rhetorical appeals the relationship of the two icons will be most apparent, and cause one to think about how Bin Laden is going to be portrayed in the future.

In the painting, one similar to a common representation of Jesus Christ, Osama Bin laden is gazing out to the audience. A halo of light surrounds his head with rays of purity beaming from it. His caring-like posture resembles the idea Christians have of Jesus, the way he would look upon a child he cared for. The rest of Bin Laden in clad in a white robe, giving off a feeling of goodness. The hair that flows on to his shoulder is distinctly Christ-like however, and the image is clearly seen as an in-between stage of the transformation of Jesus to Bin Laden.

There are many similarities between the two icons historically. They are both seen as leaders or teachers for a specific religious group. Jesus was King of the Jews, whereas Bin Laden has been a huge leader for the Muslims. Both were also frowned upon by a larger political group. Jesus was persecuted by the Romans. They feared his teachings were blasphemous to the church and that he posed a huge threat to their control if he was really the Son of God as he said he was. Bin Laden is opposed by the United States. He is in hiding for his life because the United States is afraid of him for their safety. In the end Jesus was killed by the Romans, sentenced to death by Pontius Pilate. In the end will Bin Laden be killed by America—the ruling of our government sentencing him to death out of fear?

Although they are similar, the two figures also have many extreme differences, which makes one wonder if the painting is more of a comparison of good and evil, rather than two alike things. From the perspective of a Christian, Jesus came to earth to help people. He brought Lazarus back from the dead, fed five thousand with only two fish and a few loaves of bread, and brought sinners to God. He was perfect, unlike his counterpart in the drawing. Christians see Bin Laden in another light. He preaches about his “holy war.” He wants those who are not of the Muslim faith to be killed “for Allah.” He is not merciful, he is merciless. He ordered the killing of many Americans, and has yet to perform any miracles. However, from the radical Muslim’s point of view, he has done much good to purify the world of non-believers. He is starting the fight for Allah against the Christian nation of America. Jesus is frowned upon in Bin Laden’s world, and this painting would likely be seen as an insult to the Islamic faith to see one of their heroes portrayed like Jesus Christ.

The differences in the two icons above show the rhetorical strategies of compare and contrast and analogy and begin to bring ethos, or appeal of character, into play as an important appeal to understanding this piece. Depending on the culture of the viewer, this painting could invoke different types of ethos. To a Christian it could be seen as an insult to their faith. The way a halo of light surrounds Bin Laden’s head gives him a good aura, which might be taken as offensive, just as the way his physical characteristics mimic Jesus. They might believe that the artist was trying to give Bin Laden the good ethos that they associate with Jesus. On the other side, followers of Bin Laden might see it as a detriment to his ethos. Since they believe that Islam is the right religion, they don’t hold the same ideals of good and evil associated with the two icons. They could see Bin Laden’s portrayal as being like Jesus as an insult and negative ethos.

It could mean that evil can be disguised as good. Bin Laden appears to be like Jesus, but because of the kairos, or cultural context, of the subjects, the viewer knows that not to be true. This comparison could be showing a relationship between the two people. Jesus was in a similar situation as Bin Laden, only two thousand years ago. Now he is worshipped by millions and seen as a hero for the Christian faith. Could Bin Laden be headed down the same path? Many people believe him to be a hero for the Islamic faith. So not only does the ethos of the subjects of this art piece get challenged, but the ethos of the people of the world gets challenged. Some could question if this representation of Bin Laden is how the world we think of him in two thousand years. If the trend is turning from Christianity to Islam, will ethereal portraits of the radical leader be hanging in homes being worshipped? From a Christian standpoint, the ethos of the world seems to be heading down a bad slope, their character slowly diminishing to worshipping terrorists. Radical Muslims might see the ethos of civilization in a negative way also. This painting might make them feel like the world sees their leader as a joke, giving them a negative character.

This comparison and establishment of the two icons’ ethos illustrates sets a basis for emotional connection or reaction to the piece. Seeing this comparison would inflict many emotions, or the pathos, of the viewer if he or she was American or Muslim. To any audience, this comparison will “put the audience in a particular mood or frame of mind” (Alfano and O'Brien 38). Both sides would likely be outraged at the way their heroes were made subject to a comparison. Neither side likes the idea of being associated as the same as the other, which is sure to cause resentment as well. The image could almost be an exaggerated use of pathos; the striking idea that Jesus and Bin Laden are on the same level could be argued to be a scare tactic, making the viewer look longer to figure out what is really going on.

This art piece, through compare and contrast, argues where the world is headed to—putting terrorists on the same level as prophets, or replacing a hero with a blasphemous Jew who believed he was the Son of God. This idea of Bin Laden being the same as Jesus is just an analogy for the beliefs of many people of the world and how they view their religion. As a Christian it has switched from being an idea of making miracles and loving people to holy wars, killing, and destruction. Yet, Bin Laden is still an iconic figure, and may someday two thousand years down the road have is portrait hanging in homes as a martyr and leader of a widespread religion.

Works Cited

Alfano, Christine, and Alyssa O’Brien. Envision: Persuasive Writing in a Visual World. Longman, 2005.

The U.S. Veteran Dispatch. 22 Nov. 2008. 22 Nov. 2008 http://www.usvetdsp.com/osam_qts.htm

ThinkExist. 22 Nov. 2008. 2006 http://thinkexist.com/quotes/jesus_christ/2.html

"Olympia"

Placed at the top of the Steinway and Sons website is the motto, "For over 150 years, Steinway has made the world's finest pianos--and inspired the artists who made them sing." Not only did these pianos inspire the artists that made them sing, but they inspired one in particular who had the courage to turn it into a symbol of world cooperation. Chihuly, a world-famous glass blower turned a Steinway piano, popular world-wide, into a new piece of art. Steinway is the greatest maker of pianos in the world. They are respected by artists and audiences alike for their exceptional quality. Since it is such a widely-known brand, it makes sense that it could be a unifying factor through other aspects of art and current events. This art piece is called "Olympia" for good reason. It was unveiled during the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City. Olympics are always an event in which the entire world forgets its problems and comes together for two weeks in pure enjoyment of watching its athletes compete for honor and global fame. A time when tensions can run high, and the spirit of pure competition and sportsmanship can be easily forgotten. This artwork makes a quiet attempt of bridging the gap. Although it is an abstract piece, its simple designs can speak peaceful meanings to the observer. The translucent glass top, a first for Steinway, is decorated with the abstract images of the typical mountain forest in the middle of winter. The Promethean color palate of the piano keys, and the bright red and yellow mountain-scened glass is the fiery bright colors that capture the Olympic spirit (Pittsburg Post-Gazette 2007). Prometheus was a Titan who stole fire from the gods and give it to mortals(Wikipedia). This fire is the same fire that blazes in the torch in the Olympic games. The Greek origins that ignited the first Olympic games in Athens can still be seen today through even modern art such as in this Steinway. The use of all things that relate to spirit of Olympics helps to convey the message of global cooperation and remain a symbol of the Winter Olympic of 2002. The mixture of genres of entertainment--art, music, and athletics--in this one piece easily shows the ability to capture a moment of world-wide appreciation for events that bring the lives of unrelated people together for a few short moments every four years.

*Twilight*

On November 21, the first movie of the Twilight saga will be released, creating a furor of excitement among girls of all ages. There are many things that make this movie so appealing. As it started as a book, there is a very deep emotional connection already to the characters and plot by those who have read Twilight. Being able to put a face with characters and see them come to life is very appealing.

This trailer combines a minute worth of clips from the movie. Starting off it begins with mysterious music in the background, followed by and intense moment of revelation between the two main characters in this epic love story, Edward and Bella. Part of the charm to this video is the mystery. It is an intense romance, but still very intriguing and twisted, as shown by further parts of the clip. Edward stops a van from crushing Bella. This type of act is something all girls dream about. They want their "Prince Charming" to be strong and courageous and able to save them from any danger. On top of this desire, the movie pairs this extremely stong character with an actor who has extremely good looks, adding to the intrigue.

If the "superman" character doesn't pull in everyone, then there is still the element of mystery and adventure, which this clip shows very well. There is temptation, threats, danger, and challenges, if even subtly. Bella says to Edward, "I'm not scared of you." He then grabs her and jumps out of the house. Since this is only a trailer, it leaves the audience is suspense, and will more than likely bring many to the box office.

White Horse

This video, rather than being an actual music video, is a placement of the lyrics on screen in combination with the actual song being played. A silhouette of Taylor Swift is placed on the right, while the lyrics appear on the screen in timing with the song. This is a new song from her new CD. The only bad thing is that it has the same chord structure as almost all of her other songs, such as Teardrops on my Guitar, making it less original. There are some things within the video and within the song, however, that make it stand out.

One thing the maker of the video did was use pink loopy writing. This is a contrast to the lyrics. She says "I'm not a princess, this ain't a fairytale." The use of princess- or fairytale-like writing contrasts this statement, making the video seem more intriguing.

As for the actual meaning to the lyrics, during the first part of the song, she is sad because her lover has left her, and she misses him. She is resigned to the fact that they were not meant for each other, but would in a heart beat take him back because she misses him very much. The chords stay the same and slightly sad throughout this entire part. Finally the song reaches the bridge. Here the chords become more accented, with a feeling of power. The lyrics tell of him coming back and begging her to take him. She finds strength in the power of the song and turns him down. The chorus's original lyrics are then changed to reflect the dramatic mood swing of the song from depressed to powerful. She says, "I'm gonna find someone someday who might actually treat me well." The part of the chorus, "this is a big world," originally had a negative meaning, but now she sees it as a chance to actually find her knight on a white horse.