WeaverL+1RA

@LRW 1RA Draft

3/23/23 Audience Profile
Kind of Viewer: Primary Secondary

Education: educated, middle/upper class college student

Professional Experience: well experienced in work setting not set in career yet, minimal experience professionally

Job Responsibilities: non laborer, office school full time- part time work at hospital

Personal Characteristics: intellectual, sense of humor down to earth, intellectual, sense of humor

Personal Preferences: likes nice things, might be from suburbs or currently live in suburbs basic things

Cultural Characteristics: end of vietnam war, early 70s 2012 liberal era

Attitude Toward the Photographer: talented, esteemed talented

Attitude Toward the Subject:pity at times, sympathy, able to relate, humor pity,relatable, satirical

Expectations about the Subject: they are like me, could be me unhappy under surface

Expectations about the Photograph: seeing themselves in a way, seeing reality showing reality during 70s

Reasons for Viewing the Photograph: interested in subject matter/photographer class project

Photograph: in a published book internet
 * Way of Viewing the

Viewing Skill: well viewed? high skill?

Viewer’s Physical Environment: nice, well off, most likely suburbs middle class, suburbs

2/29/12 Thesis
The American Dream is considered to be the epitome of happiness and success, and many people strive for it their entire lives. Americans may have such high standards for this dream, that it might no longer exist. Not only did Bill Owens attempt to capture this cultural belief in action, he tried to expose it through somewhat of a satire, showing in stark black and white what it //really// meant to be an American in the suburbs during the 70's.

**2/23/12 Standards, Trends & Claim**

 * Standards:** Ethos, Pathos, Identification and Metaphor all play a large role in each photograph. The images make the reader wonder if what is pictured is "right", and can the viewer sympathize? Many things within each photo also can be seen as metaphors and representations for other things, such as the dishes in photo 1 representing the woman's inner conflict, what is holding her back.
 * Representational Trend:** All the photos are in black in white, they were all taken in the suburbs, they all have people as the main focus.
 * Claim:** By looking at these people who are "living the dream" in the suburbs, we are able to see how sometimes unrealistic and even pathetic that dream might look on the outside. We are able to relate to the subjects, and therefore we are really looking at ourselves when looking at these pictures.

2/15/12 Metaphor, Identification, Ethos & Pathos
Photo 1--
 * Metaphor:** The woman's inner struggle with her own personal chores such as dishes may seem trivial and insignificant when compared to the devastation in Vietnam, but for her, it is her reality. The dishes represent her own daily reality, her day to day life, as mundane as it might seem to an outsider. The fact that she is acknowledging that fact, that the dishes in retrospect are not as important as other things going on in the world, tells us that she looks at her own life as less important and less significant.
 * Identification:** Everyone can relate to the feeling of insignificance or feeling unimportant compared to something bigger. We all sometimes feel shallow or even superficial for worrying about things that are important to us (such as the woman's dishes) and then when looking at the bigger picture, realizing how silly it is. Looking at this photo we sympathize for this woman, especially mothers viewing this picture. Despite how she might feel her duties at home are much less important, she still needs to do it, she still needs to take care of her baby and the home, or else she is looked at like a bad mother. A lot of people can identify with that feeling.
 * Ethos & Pathos:** Is it ethical for this woman to feel bad for worrying about the dishes when there are children dying in Vietnam? Should she ignore the problems throughout the world in order to focus on the problems in front of her, however insignificant they may seem? Do people emotionally connect to the woman's inner conflict?

Photo 2--
 * Metaphor:** The subjects in this photo equate success with happiness. They have a nice home, good food and money, so they consider themselves happy. This symbolizes the American Dream, and how at a first glance, if you appeared to have all of these things, you were "happy". The subjects put on a happy face, the man has a drink, and they look at the camera and claim they are happy. But something in their expressions tell us otherwise.
 * Identification:** The fact that they appear to be putting on a show is something everyone can identify with. We have all experienced times when we tried to put on a brave face, or tried to be something we weren't. These people appear to have it all, and maybe they do, but looking at their little family, there is misery in the eyes of the parents, and they show no emotion towards eachother. Many people can relate to that type of emptiness, as well as the effort to cover it up.
 * Ethos & Pathos:** Is it ethical for these people to consider themselves happy because they have material items and are successful? Is it right for that to be the standard of happiness during that time period?

Photo 3-- Ide**ntification:** Many people looking at this photo can definitely relate to the feeling of being unwanted. We look at the woman, the expression on her face, and we have all felt that way before, and we can sympathize.
 * Metaphor:** The man laying face down, appearing uninterested in the woman, symbolizes a common relationship between men and women. Many women will give their all into a man, trying to get him to love her back and treat her well. It symbolizes an unhealthy relationship, an unhealthy love.
 * Ethos & Pathos:** Is it ethical for that man to ignore the woman, when she is clearly trying to gain his attention? Do the viewers emotionally connect with the woman, and her feeling of loneliness?

2/13/12 Context: Rhetor, Audience & Text

 * Photo 1--**
 * Rhetor:** The photographer who took this picture is Bill Owens, and is known for his attempts at capturing the "nuclear family" just living the American Dream. Every photo in his //Suburbia// series is in black and white and has a small caption from the person within the image. He has the woman's permission to take her photograph. Owens tried to capture the sense of the woman's daily routine. Owens does not try to capture big, over the top moments. What he gets are daily things, small things that are just day to day for the people in the photo. He wants to capture the normalcy.
 * Audience:** The audience looking at this picture today would probably see her caption, and agree, how could she possibly worry about something as trivial as dishes when children were dying in other parts of the world? Today, looking at this picture with a more feminist view, it feels as if her job as a mother and housewife is put into perspective by that statement, and her job feels small when compared to something like children dying. But when this picture was taken in 1973, I'm sure a lot of housewives felt this way, therefore the audience in the 70's probably agreed with her. The audience would sympathize and understand. Today's audience might look down on her, because she appears to look unhappy or unsatisfied with herself.
 * Text:** This photo was taken in 1973 like all the rest in the //Suburbia// series. A woman with curlers in her hair stands in her kitchen with her baby in her arms. She looks distractedly at a sink full of dishes. On the countertops are other dishes or papers scattered around. Her baby is chubby, and looks bored as he slumps in his mother's arms. We get the feeling the woman is unsatisfied, she looks overwhelmed and dissheveld.


 * Photo 2--**
 * Rhetor:** The author capures this image with the family's permission. He takes the picture of an ordinary moment, a mother feeding her baby. The message conveyed by this photo at first glance is a seeming utopia-like life, a happy family and a nice home. But looking closely, the message shifts to something less perfect.
 * Audience:**The audience today looking at this picture would probably have a more feminist point of view, similar to photograph number one. The woman is tending to the baby, whereas the husband stands nearby with a drink in his hand. We assume the drink is an alcoholic drink by the looks of th glass. The fact that the father is drinking during the day, while the mother feeds the baby gives the audience something to think about, like there is more under the surface than what we are seeing. Also the caption that is given, "We're really happy. Our kids are healthy, we eat good food, and we have a really nice home" almost sounds as if they are trying to convince themselves that they are happy. Today's audience knows those things don't equal happiness, but in the 70s, if you had money food and a nice home, it didnt matter if your husband drank too much, you had made it in the world.
 * Text: **A woman stands in her kitchen while feeding her baby who is laying in a baby chair on the kitchen counter. Her husband stands slightly behind her, with a drink in hand. He has an uncomfortable look in front of the camera. The woman looks put together, wearing jewelry, makeup and nice clothring with her hair done. Their kitchen looks spacious and nice. The caption tells us that they consider themselves happy, but for some reason the looks on their faces seem to contradict that statement.

**Rhetor:** Bill Owens also took this picture for his series entitled Suburbia in 1973 in which he tried to capture life in the 70s, people just living the dream. He took this photo with the subject's permission. **Audience:** The audience today looking at this would probably assume the man laying face down away from the woman is a dead beat. He is showing her no attention, and the girl looks very dressed up as if she put a lot of effort in getting ready for him. The audience today would notice that, and assume he treats her badly, maybe even ignores her. **Text:** A young woman sitting on a blanket in what appears to be a park, on a grassy field. Next to her lies a man, his face buried in the blanket so we are unable to see him at all. He has a hat on. The woman looks really dressed up, highheeled shoes, a nice dress, fancy hair do and makeup. The expression on her face is one of boredom mixed with a sense of pleading, as if she is saying "please believe me." The caption from her reads "I really love him", which seems to make sense with the look on her face, its as if she is trying to convince us, as well as herself, that he really is a good guy, despite the fact he is ignoring her, possibly even napping, while she sits there bored. It looks like a summer day, the sun is showing and the man is wearing a tank top and the woman is wearing just a dress.
 * Photo 3--- **

In 1973, Photographer Bill Owens put together a series of photographs entitled //Suburbia//, in which he tried to depict the "American Dream" of the era. Each photo has a caption of what the subject in the photo had to say.

1.

"How can I worry about the damned dishes when there are children dying in Vietnam"

2.  "We're really happy. Our kids are healthy, we eat good food, and we have a really nice home."

3.  "I really love him"