Race and Representation -Media Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Race and Representation -Media Analysis - Essay Example These image representations fall under sub-genre of exploitation images (Fanon, 1986). The degree of representation in these images is highly detailed. It is explicit that the human figure of the drawing has been based on a live model hence it is â€Å"a life drawing†. The aspect of color plays an important role in ensuring that the recipients get the right information. Color has been used to distinguished blacks from whites. The element of aesthetic has also been used. In the first two images, the blacks are revealed to be ugly whereas the whites are portrayed as beautiful. Lighting has been used to reflect the location of this incident (Snead, 1994). Ideological critique of the Images These are stereotyped images of blacks that are found in the national archives of developed countries of the west. According to Bonnett (2000), such images were dominant in European culture especially during the era of Western imperialism. The images negatively represent the blacks as a way of undermining their humanity. It is the concept of whiteness that contributes to the belief by many whites that blacks are naturally deviant people. Black males have been mythologized as hyper-sexed. This is reflected particularly by the first two images where blacks are stereotyped as animal-like entity (Gates, 1999). The whiteness concept treats whiteness as a social construction. The concept is cultural property that has been used to undermine the rights and privileges of the blacks. The concept has been used to provide symbolic privileges to the whites as portrayed by the images. The conception of the beauty is tied the whiteness and explicitly exclude the blacks as indicated in the images (Bonnett, 2000). The images have been used to reveal gendered social framework within which the relations between the blacks and the whites has been taking place. From the images, black femininity has been devalued. The images show that black male go for white female hence privileging white femi ninity (Carrington, 2002). From ideological perspective, whites perceive black people as sub-human. The image representations mean that blacks cannot easily attain standards of morals. The belief that blacks are animal-like is portrayed in their biological make-up through the image comparison of black male with primates as portrayed in the first two images. Whites believe that black people are the most degraded human race. The approaches commonly used by these individuals are similar to those of wild beasts and their intelligence is low enough to fit in the social systems (Watkins, 2004). The question racism has been inherently portrayed by the image representation of black masculinity as a sexual threat. The image is connected with a vast range of issues concerning gender and sexuality. They powerfully demonstrate gender dynamics as fundamental aspect through which whites can secure and maintain imperial enterprise. The images show close connection between domination of black peopl e and sexuality thus explaining the lynching that commonly takes place in the west. According to Coleman (2005), many blacks were lynched in the 20th century especially in the United States of America. Majority of these cases occurred on accusation of blacks for rape activities. The image representation of the blacks in these circumstances sought to portray the character of black communities as negative. During and after World War I, black males were