In John
Lennon’s “Imagine” music video, Lennon uses visuals and diction to appeal to
pathos. The video opens with a shot of Lennon and his wife, Yoko, holding hands
and walking through a path of nature to the sound of birds chirping. This image
naturally evokes a sense of tranquility and prosperity in the audience.
Eventually, the couple reaches an entirely white house, which evokes these same
feelings in the audience since white is often associated with innocence and
peace. In contrast, if Lennon had used an entirely red house, the audience
would feel less content and less secure, as the color red is associated with
violence and anger. Additionally, Lennon looks directly into the camera, thus
humanizing himself and allowing him to make a more personal connection with the
audience. Finally, Lennon uses words with positive, comforting connotations
such as “brotherhood,” “dreamer,” and “sharing” throughout his lyrics. By
creating a sense of harmony and happiness in the audience as well as the video
itself, Lennon is helping the audience better understand his overall message of
the promotion of peace.
-Madi
-Madi
I thought it was interesting how you provided a counter example and the implications of it when you described the red house, although I think you should include some outside source to explain why each color represents the emotions you claimed. I also thought your conclusion was was effective in tying together all of your points into a singular argument. As a whole, I thought your post was very well written and effective.
ReplyDelete~Micah Plotkin
I think you did a great job analyzing the song here, especially with your mention of color. Every color and prop in a music video is there for a reason, and you really hit on all of the emotional appeals that they provided in this video. One thing that I think you could have maybe focused on more was how having Lennon's wife in the video made it seem more intimate and believable, but overall great job!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad the pathos was taken from the music video. Not only does it provide more material to work with, but it reinforces the point.
ReplyDeleteI really like the way you explained the video and how through each scene, Lennon elicited the desired emotion from the viewer. You did a great job analyzing the scenes and lyrics to show how Lennon appeals to pathos in his video. Like Micah said, you were very effective in tying together the message as a whole.
ReplyDeleteYou did a really good job analyzing the pathos within the music video and song. You went through every scene and focused on the feelings it gave the viewer and how the color would change the feelings that the viewer associated with that moment. You also did a good job with relating the feelings of the video with the lyrics of the song and how all together it promoted peace.
ReplyDeleteI like the way you explained how the play a role in establishing pathos. You went through his word choice, the colors used, and his attempt to humanize with the audience. Great job.
ReplyDeleteMadi, nice post! In a prior post (by Amrita, I think), Pei-Jo commented to ask about the scene when Yoko opens all the curtains. I'd be curious to hear your thoughts on that and the appeal to imagination!
ReplyDelete