Audience Analysis of Civil Rights Amendment Protest Photo
I believe that the audience of this photo is anyone who was still on the fence about the adaptation of the Civil Rights Act, including members of Congress. The Civil Rights Act was essentially a watershed moment for equality, coming at a time when the division between various races, age groups, ideologies was quite high. I believe this photo to be influential because it clearly strives to demonstrate how many people were protesting, and the rigor to which they did so. This article provides an excellent overview of the CRA. It was initially proposed under Kennedy, but was put on hold as Southern Democrats viciously sought to prevent it from becoming law. I think the photograph appeals to a broad audience by being zoomed out so we see the overarching movement rather than just one protester. As we discussed in class, when trying to capture the emotion of an event it is often best to have one action that summarizes an entire point, such as this photo summarizing police brutality in the 1960’s. This photo on the other hand seeks not to summarize a movement but to speak to the scope and gravity of the protest, as a mass protest rather than a few people. The photo is taken from the very front, and seems to stretch on endlessly, perhaps a metaphor for how tirelessly these people had worked for equality. An outside observer would immediately notice the extreme large number of people, and their clearly worded signage, and feel at the very least sympathetic towards this group. Overall, I feel the photograph does an excellent job of appealing to a broad audience by showing the mass of people, but also being intimate enough to see the expressions and signs of those protesting.
I'm not sure exactly what to comment on, I'll just say that this blog looks great but the black text on dark grey background makes it a little difficult to read. I enjoy your use of examples to further prove who you believe to be your audience. However, somewhere in the middle I think you meant to link in an image representing police brutality but there was none so I got a little confused. Other than that I believe you explain who the audience is and why wonderfully.
ReplyDeleteI really like how you specified your audience down. Many times people give a general audience, and although that is still correct, I believe that a more specific group leads to a more concise text. I also appreciate the in depth description of the background of your subject matter. This is important because part of your audience is us, and I really needed that.
ReplyDeleteI believe your analysis was very thorough and well written, however, I am confused about the organization technique your group used. I am not sure if placing the audience analysis first was the most effective route. I wish I had more of a background on where exactly the photo was take and the time period so I could better understand the picture. I am interested to see how the rest of your blog's order plays out.
ReplyDeleteWhile I agree that the audience for this picture is people who are on the fence about the Civil Rights Act, I believe that it speaks to everyone. I think that this picture can light the fire for people who do support civil rights for them to do more to help the cause. It can also persuade people who do not support civil rights into wanting to support the cause. While it might not convince them totally, it could start the process of them fighting for civil rights.
ReplyDeleteI really like that you mentioned the scope of this protest. Numbers are so valuable is persuading people, so the fact that so many people are representing this protest speaks to the overall dissatisfaction of the public.
ReplyDeletePeter
I agree with you that the Civil Rights Act was a "watershed moment for equality." The photo does not intend to incapsulate the uncertainty behind the 1960s but rather drive away that uncertainty by unveiling the resolution behind those who believed in the progression of civil rights.
ReplyDeleteI like how you gave outside examples and think you did a good job with analyzing what the photographer might have been trying to capture with this image. I do think you could have also mentioned how you can clearly see both black and white people in the photo which shows that people of all races supported equality. This may seem obvious but I think it's an important point to make.
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