Reflective Introduction

The definition of power is different for everyone, the word itself is very vague. Power is represented in many forms, its shown in people, actions, ideals, the list goes on. Power is worth being examined because its something that occurs in our daily lives. This paper will look at images of power that have a great influence and impact over me personally. Graphics are especially great when dealing with analysis, because as the old saying goes A picture is worth a thousand words. Not only does the image convey a visual description but it also shows the emotion and depth of the message it is trying to convey. When selecting my images, I thought the most effective and easiest way to pick out graphics of

power would be to do ones that were personal to me. I discovered a lot of new things, and this project
really helped me realize the amount of influence some things had over me. The pictures of my friends and family were already obvious in that they had a great impact on my life, but some of the others were surprising. Not only is this project personal to me, but it is also something its a good reflection of who I

am. When others see the images Ive chosen and read the reasons why they were picked, it gives a little
bit of insight on the things that are important to me and what really matters to me in life.

Reflective Introduction

Out of all the images, I think the three that I went more in depth to, the ones I wrote paradigms of, were the ones most personal to me. The others surely put a great influence on me, but Im not as emotionally involved with them. My family of course means everything to me, and has had a powerful influence over me since the day I was born. Theyve put rules and restrictions on me to help me grow into the person I am today, and also instilled the values and morals Ive always kept. Ive looked up to them for advice and I know theyre the people I can always turn to when Im in need. My friends are a close second when it comes to powerful people in my life. Theyre the people I trust the most with anything, and I strive to be like them in every way. They have power over me because they introduce me to new things and push me to be my best and open up to new ideas. The third paradigm I wrote about was the graphic of the girl listening to her IPod. Music has always had a tremendous impact on me and can change my mood no matter the circumstance. There is always a song that I can relate to and my passion for music is so powerful that it can completely turn my day around just by pressing play to one of my favorite songs.

Reflective Introduction

I definitely benefitted from this project, because it not only got me to really analyze the things that were powerful in my life, but it got me to really think about why. Swimming has always been a big part of my life as Ive been swimming since age four, but I really didnt understand why it was so powerful until now. Whenever I dive into the water, I get a completely different sense of self, like Im a new person. This is why I included the picture of Michael Phelps swimming butterfly, because it showed him taking over the water. When swimming, I feel

like I have complete control over the water, like Im much more powerful than I am when Im on
land. This shined a new light on my love for swimming, and I think of it in a whole new perspective now. This project definitely was helpful and beneficial, not only because it helped me analyze

the things powerful in my life, but it also gave me a new visual perspective. I had to go behind
the initial message the picture produced, and find a deeper meaning behind what its real purpose is. It really helped me realize that visual images can contain more than one meaning, and sometimes thats the most important thing.

Bibliographic Citation: IPod Advertisement." N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2013. Topic: Listening to music Image Sub-Genre: Graphic Mode: Persuasive Found Where: Online

Title: IPod Advertisement

Found How: Google

Why Select This Image? Music has a lot of influence on me. What Does This Image State About Power? Music can make people feel something outside of themselves. Why Do You State So? It changes emotions, and can put you in a different mood. How Does This Image Fit With The Others In Your Collection (if at all)? Its something extremely important to me and influences me a great deal.

Bibliographic Citation: "IPhone 4S 16GB." IPhone 5 at AT&T. N.p., n.d. Web. Feb. 2013. <http://www.att.com/wireless/iphone/>. Topic: Electronics Image Sub-Genre: Phones Mode: Informative Found Where: Internet Found How: Google

Why Select This Image? Its something that has power over me even though it shouldnt, and I rely on it .
What Does This Image State About Power? That I need this technology and its powerful to me even though it shouldnt be.

Why Do You State So? I need my phone most of the time to do anything, so it has some control over me.
How Does This Image Fit With The Others In Your Collection (if at all)? Its something that is important directly and powerful over me.

Title: IPhone

Title: Michael Phelps swimming Butterfly

Bibliographic Citation: "Michael Phelps Butterfly." N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2013. <http://www.clevedonasc.co.uk/wpcontent/uploads/2012/11/michael-phelps-butterfly-top-viewin-pool.jpg>. Topic: Swimming Image Sub-Genre: Photograph Mode: Expressive Found Where: Internet Found How: Google Why Select This Image? Swimming is something that I believe is powerful. What Does This Image State About Power? When youre in the water, you have so much more strength and you feel extremely powerful while swimming. Why Do You State So? Racing & Swimming has always made me feel powerful in the water and in control of something, especially when Im doing butterfly.

How Does This Image Fit With The Others In Your Collection (if at all)? Its something I enjoy doing and is a

Bibliographic Citation: Family Day, UNC Charlotte. Personal photograph by Brooke. 2012 Topic: Family Image Sub-Genre: Photograph Mode: Expressive Found Where: Personal photos Found How: Looking through photos Why Select This Image? My family means a lot to me and has a big influence on me. What Does This Image State About Power? My family has a lot of power over me, to influence my decisions & set guidelines for me. Why Do You State So? Theyre doing their jobs as parents, to influence me in a good way and play an important role in my life. How Does This Image Fit With The Others In Your Collection (if at all)? Its something important to me.

Title: Family Day at UNC Charlotte

Bibliographic Citation: "Why Gen Y Is Avoiding Government Work." Come Recommended RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Feb. 2013. <http://comerecommended.com/blog/2012/02/23/why-gen-yis-avoiding-government-work/>. Topic: Government Image Sub-Genre: Photograph Mode: Informative Found Where: Internet

Found How: Google

Why Select This Image? It not only has power over me, but the entire United States population. What Does This Image State About Power? Its a big building and symbolizes power, the power that it does in fact have. Why Do You State So? Congress is one of the three most important governing bodies in the United States How Does This Image Fit With The Others In Your Collection (if at all)? It symbolizes something that has immense power over me.

Title: Government

Bibliographic Citation: "Flickriver: Most Interesting Photos from Russell Hills, Cary, NC, United States." Flickriver: Most Interesting Photos from Russell Hills, Cary, NC, United States. N.p., n.d. Web. Feb. 2013. <http://flickriver.com/places/United States/North Carolina/Cary/Russell Hills/>.

Topic: Church
Image Sub-Genre: Religion Mode: Informative Found Where: Internet Found How: Google Why Select This Image? Its something important to me and sets rules that I follow by. What Does This Image State About Power? Its a place that is religious, which is a powerful thing to some people. Why Do You State So? Religion is a big part of a lot of peoples lives, including mine, and has a lot of power over me and them. How Does This Image Fit With The Others In Your Collection (if at all)? Its something that is important directly and powerful over me.

Title: First United Methodist Church

Bibliographic Citation: Friends at Christmas Party 201, Cary, North Carolina. Personal photograph by Brooke Cohn. 2010. Topic: Friends

Title: Friends at Christmas party 2010

Image Sub-Genre: Photograph Mode: Expressive Found Where: Personal Photos Found How: Looking through photos Why Select This Image? The people in this photo mean a great deal to me. What Does This Image State About Power? My friends have the power to influence my emotions & things I enjoy/ what I go out and do. Why Do You State So? Theyve changed me to make me a better person and kept me in line most of the time. How Does This Image Fit With The Others In Your Collection (if at all)? This image has people who mean a lot to me, all the photos correlate with things that are important to me.

Bibliographic Citation: "Life of an Educator by Justin Tarte." My Thoughts on Homework... N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Feb. 2013. <http://www.justintarte.com/2011/08/my-thoughts-onhomework.html>. Topic: Education Image Sub-Genre: Graphic Mode: Persuasive Found Where: Internet

Found How: Google

Why Select This Image? Its something that reminds me of power What Does This Image State About Power? Stressful things such as homework can drag you down and be powerful

Why Do You State So? Homework can cause a lot of stress and can hinder the things you want to do.
How Does This Image Fit With The Others In Your Collection (if at all)? Its something that I deal with everyday and has power over me.

Title: Homework

Bibliographic Citation: Smith, S.E., and Bronwyn Harris. WiseGeek. Conjecture, 29 Jan. 2013. Web. Feb. 2013. <http://www.wisegeek.com/what-isgrease-money.htm>. Topic: Money Image Sub-Genre: Photograph Mode: Expressive Found Where: Internet Found How: Google Why Select This Image? It not only has power over me, but the entire United States population. What Does This Image State About Power? Its something that we all need to survive, something that we cannot live without.

Title: Money

Why Do You State So? You need money to buy necessities such as food, water, and shelter. Without any money you arent able to get the things you need. How Does This Image Fit With The Others In Your Collection (if at all)? It is something that I need, and has power over the things that I have and do.

Bibliographic Citation: "Senate Votes to Increase Funding for Amtrak Service - America 2050." Senate Votes to Increase Funding for Amtrak Service - America 2050. N.p., n.d. Web. Feb. 2013. <http://www.america2050.org/2007/10/senate-votes-to-increasefundi.html>. Topic: Transportation Image Sub-Genre: Train

Title: Train

Mode: Informative
Found Where: Internet Found How: Google Why Select This Image? The train controls when Im able to go home, therefore it is powerful over my decisions. What Does This Image State About Power? Amtrak determines their price, and that has a lot of power whether I go home or not. Why Do You State So? The train is the only way I can get home since I dont have a car. How Does This Image Fit With The Others In Your Collection (if at all)? Its something that is important directly and powerful over me.

Piece A picture of Michael Phelps swimming. It was found on Google, and the main point of it is to show a powerful image of the fastest and most powerful swimmer in the world.

Paradigm: Michael Phelps Swimming

Agent The person who created and took this picture is unknown, they dont have any copyright on the photo so the agent cant really be contacted without further research. Receiver The primary audience is probably swimmers, because its an image that would be effective to them. I am apart of the intended audience, because Ive been competitively swimming since I was four. I swim butterfly like Phelps, so its a powerful image to me, possibly more than others. Agenda There really isnt any bias presented. Demands The piece urges that swimming and being in the water can make you feel and look powerful. If the demands are met, itll convince people swimming is a powerful sport. Inquiries I want to know where this photo was being taken and how it was taken from overhead, and what race this was. Gains It makes me want to swim more, but thats really all I gained. Motivators The agent is unknown, so its not certain but probably to promote Michael Phelps. I was prompted to find it because swimming is a powerful thing in my life, and we had to find powerful images.

Piece The picture is one of my family at family weekend in October at UNC Charlotte. It was found in my personal photos, and its dated from October 2012. Agent I created the picture, but an unknown person photographed it. Receiver The primary audience is friends and family, or people from UNC Charlotte. I am apart of the intended audience because Im in the picture. This picture influences me because not only am I in it, but my parents are in it.

Agenda There really isnt any bias presented in the piece.

Demands It doesnt really urge anything, and there arent really any demands. Inquiries I dont really need to know anything beyond the piece considering I was there when the picture was taken and Im actually in the photo.

Gains Im gaining a perspective of how I looked during this time, so later I can look and see how the three of us have changed every year. Itll enhance my collection of photos and Ill be able to look back and remember these moments later in life.
Motivators The picture was taken because it was family weekend and a good memory to capture. I was prompted to find it when we had to find pictures of power.

Paradigm: Family day at UNC Charlotte

Piece This is a graphic of a silhouette of a girl listening to an IPod. It was found on Google when searching for listening to music on images. Its dating age is probably less than 8 years old, as IPods havent been around for too long. Its main point is that music can help get you moving and change your mood.

Paradigm: IPod

Agent Apple created and sponsored the piece, because it promotes their product. The agent can be contacted by going to Apples website. Receiver The primary audience is generally teenagers, as theyre the generation who IPods were originally geared towards, although it can really appeal to anyone. I belong to the intended audience because I not only own an IPod, but the advertisement appeals to me. My love of music influences how I feel about the piece, as well as my age, because IPods are a popular fad. Agenda There really isnt any bias presented in the piece. Demands The piece urges you to buy an IPod, because it is in fact an advertisement, so its doing what its purpose is to do. If the demands are met, Apple will profit from it. Inquiries I want to know when the ad came out, because the IPod shown is an older version and nowadays most people purchase the IPod touch. Its not really manipulating anything, just showing that the IPod is something fun and entertaining. Gains I didnt gain much from the piece, Ive seen similar images from the same product multiple times. Motivators The sponsor created the piece to advertise its product. I was prompted to find it when looking up images of power, because music has a powerful impact on me.

Bibliography

Family Day, UNC Charlotte. Personal photograph by Brooke. 2012 "Flickriver: Most Interesting Photos from Russell Hills, Cary, NC, United States." Flickriver: Most Interesting Photos from Russell Hills, Cary, NC, United States. N.p., n.d. Web. Feb. 2013. <http://flickriver.com/places/United States/North Carolina/Cary/Russell Hills/>. Friends at Christmas Party 201, Cary, North Carolina. Personal photograph by Brooke Cohn. 2010. "IPhone 4S 16GB." IPhone 5 at AT&T. N.p., n.d. Web. Feb. 2013. <http://www.att.com/wireless/iphone/>. "Ipod Advertisement." N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2013. "Life of an Educator by Justin Tarte." My Thoughts on Homework... N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Feb. 2013. <http://www.justintarte.com/2011/08/my-thoughts-on-homework.html>. "Michael Phelps Butterfly." N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2013. <http://www.clevedonasc.co.uk/wpcontent/uploads/2012/11/michael-phelps-butterfly-top-view-in-pool.jpg>. "Senate Votes to Increase Funding for Amtrak Service - America 2050." Senate Votes to Increase Funding for Amtrak Service - America 2050. N.p., n.d. Web. Feb. 2013. <http://www.america2050.org/2007/10/senate-votes-to-increase-fundi.html>. Smith, S.E., and Bronwyn Harris. WiseGeek. Conjecture, 29 Jan. 2013. Web. Feb. 2013. <http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-grease-money.htm>. "Why Gen Y Is Avoiding Government Work." Come Recommended RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Feb. 2013. <http://comerecommended.com/blog/2012/02/23/why-gen-y-is-avoiding-government-work/>.