Visual Rhetoric Analysis Shane
Land of the free?
Americans enjoy more personal freedoms than any country in the world, but, since the attacks on the “World Trade Center” and the “Pentagon” on 9-11-2011, and the subsequent passing of the “Patriot Act”, the American way of life has been forever changed, and a lot of the personal, private freedoms Americans enjoy are gone. The text in the center of the art piece sets the tone. It forces the viewer to ask themselves the question. Are we really free? By taking a second look at the image I am first drawn to the upper left hand corner, where the preamble of the U.S. Constitution is seen. To me the placement of “We the People” in the upper left hand corner, and the size of the print shows the importance of the “U.S. Constitution” to the intent of the image.
When America gained independence from “England” our “Founding Fathers” drafted the “U.S. Constitution“, it was intended to be a “living document”, meaning that it would adaptable, to grow with our “New Nation”, so that American law would not be stunted by archaic language or antiquated ideology. The language was also intended to stand the test of time, thus, certain passages were intended to be permanent, so that never again could “aristocratic interests”, use money or power to subjugate Americans, or have a tyrannical or oppressive government telling them what to do. “We the People”, means all of the governed have a vote, and, the first 10 amendments to Constitution, called “The Bill of Rights” are supposed to give all Americans personal freedoms, like “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness”, protect them from losing those rights to governmental control. The “All Seeing Eye” at the top right can be found on the back of a dollar bill. It also happens to be a symbol associated with the “Free Masons”, a secretive society with members that are not only very rich, powerful, and influential, the number of members in government is staggering. Over two-thirds of the people
Americans enjoy more personal freedoms than any country in the world, but, since the attacks on the “World Trade Center” and the “Pentagon” on 9-11-2011, and the subsequent passing of the “Patriot Act”, the American way of life has been forever changed, and a lot of the personal, private freedoms Americans enjoy are gone. The text in the center of the art piece sets the tone. It forces the viewer to ask themselves the question. Are we really free? By taking a second look at the image I am first drawn to the upper left hand corner, where the preamble of the U.S. Constitution is seen. To me the placement of “We the People” in the upper left hand corner, and the size of the print shows the importance of the “U.S. Constitution” to the intent of the image.
When America gained independence from “England” our “Founding Fathers” drafted the “U.S. Constitution“, it was intended to be a “living document”, meaning that it would adaptable, to grow with our “New Nation”, so that American law would not be stunted by archaic language or antiquated ideology. The language was also intended to stand the test of time, thus, certain passages were intended to be permanent, so that never again could “aristocratic interests”, use money or power to subjugate Americans, or have a tyrannical or oppressive government telling them what to do. “We the People”, means all of the governed have a vote, and, the first 10 amendments to Constitution, called “The Bill of Rights” are supposed to give all Americans personal freedoms, like “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness”, protect them from losing those rights to governmental control. The “All Seeing Eye” at the top right can be found on the back of a dollar bill. It also happens to be a symbol associated with the “Free Masons”, a secretive society with members that are not only very rich, powerful, and influential, the number of members in government is staggering. Over two-thirds of the people