Following is an essay I wrote for one of my English assignments at the University of Arizona. Each student was to select an advertisement from a collection provided and write a visual analysis. I hope you enjoy it!
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Saving the Imagination
Can the mysterious stranger be saved? This is
the question elicited by the award-winning advertisement created for Madrid
Book Publishers Association, one of three in their “Save a book. Read a book”
series. The advertiser’s initial goal is to capture a viewer’s interest through
artistic visual appeal and by creating curiosity. This goal is effectively
achieved by first mimicking a popular World War II (“WWII”) game theme for the
setting and then inserting a foreign-looking young man, one whose identity as a
classic book character can be discovered by reading the text. At the same time,
to further enhance the ad’s visual appeal, the image is realistic in its representation
of a WWII combat scene replete with subtle contrasts, plentiful details, and
nuanced lighting. Thus, the readily apparent message of the ad is to entice
gamers, a broad demographic from teens to mature adults, away from spending all
of their time with increasingly popular video war games and, instead, encourage
them toward exploring the world of books. However, a deeper meaning, one
revealing the benefits of cultivating the imagination and recognizing its
profound impact upon our societies, lies waiting to be discovered through the
characters and author of the specific book chosen.
Myriad details contribute to
the scene’s authenticity as well as to its mystery, and work to lure viewers
into solving the contradictions. We note the specificity of WWII uniforms and
the armed soldier’s helmet displaying a white poker spade, which is the
insignia of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment. This insignia was prominent
in the popular WWII video game “Call of Duty.” Someone who plays these types of
games is instantly attracted to the familiarity. The uniform of the young man,
however, is distinctly dissimilar from that of the soldiers. With its broad
lapels and cuffs trimmed in gold piping, along with its formal cumberbund, the
ensemble lends a dashing ambience to the otherwise dreary scene, and points to
how the boy has been dropped into this time and place from somewhere else.
Thus, a gamer’s initial familiarity is skewed and intrigue is added to the mix.
We are also intrigued by the disparity between WWII soldiers with guns and a
youth whose golden rapier has fallen from his open hand. The juxtapositions of
attire and weapons illustrate that the distinctive young man doesn’t belong in
the soldiers’ regiment. The advertisement is holding our attention.
Our curiosity is further
incited by how the lighting ebbs and flows through the image; the diffuse
background, the out-of-focus foreground of the window frames, and the shadowy
browns and grays all contribute to a spotlight effect that illuminates the
youth’s curly hair with golden highlights. His cream shirt, light tan pants,
and leathery lapels all reflect light — his body almost seems to glow, though
his face remains in shadow. The artistic projection of the young man is toward
innocence, gallantry, or the numinous, none of which fit the grimness of war.
The preceding visual cues keep
directing our attention to the mystery of the young man in the WWII combat scene.
The image is enticing us into its story through contrast, detail, and lighting,
taking every opportunity to communicate by piquing our curiosity. We can’t help
but try to imagine what the story might be.
As our curiosity drives us toward further
exploration, an artist’s rendering of a dog tag draws our attention. The dog
tag tucked into the upper left corner of the image has a translucent or ghostly
quality that is emphasized by the contrast of a black, all caps, Engravers
style font reminiscent of that often used in a headstone for a grave. The dog
tag, a symbol of identity even in death, supports our desire to know who the
fallen stranger is. The minimal text provides abundant information, starting
with an undeniable comment that, “When you spend all that time playing war
video games, it’s not just your enemies you finish off” (Nudd). People spend
inordinate amounts of time playing these popular combat action games. In
particular, those designed around WWII are even considered psychologically
legitimate because gamers are “killing” the Nazis. But who else are we
“finish[ing] off” according to the text (Nudd)? The advertisers imply that when
we don’t allow time for reading books, we are also “killing” the incredible
characters created within a book’s pages. Specifically, the implication here is
that gamers are responsible for the young man in the scene: Be a hero and save the young man! This
is the superficial message of the advertisers, and they provide instructions
for doing this: “Save a book. Read a book” (Nudd). The simple phrase is one
easily recalled, and may remind a gamer of the potential for entertainment via
books.
Beyond
pure entertainment, though, is the realm of the inner world as well as its
creator, and their combined benefits to our society. Within the text on the dog
tag, we find the identity of the author, Antoine de Saint-Exupery. This is
another connective layer that lies within the mystery of this advertisement
because the author was a reconnaissance pilot during WWII. In fact, not long
after writing the book about the young man in this scene—The Little Prince— Saint-Exupery disappeared; he was rumored to
have been shot down during what was to have been one of his last missions
(Antoine, Wikipedia). If people stop reading his books, then Saint-Exupery will
also be “finish[ed] off” (Nudd). Writers create stories to share what is
important to them, to provide a bit of insight into their own personality and a
perspective of the world in which we live. We miss out on getting to know human
nature, and the treasure of individual experiences and views, when we spend all
of our time immersed in action games. For instance, Saint-Exupery was seventeen
when he sat beside the bed of his dying brother. Further, in 1935, the author
crashed his plane in the Sahara desert and nearly died of dehydration before
being rescued (Antoine, Wikipedia). There is little doubt that these
experiences informed his creation of the character and story of The Little Prince. Every time we read a
book, we “save” the author by honoring not only what they’ve written but also
their personal life. A book provides many gifts to us and one of those is the
ability to see through someone else’s eyes, to appreciate a different point of
view, which tends to enhance communication.
Published as a children’s book, The Little Prince is more a simple
philosophical story for adults, one that contributes significantly to the
deeper layer of this advertisement. Even though The Little Prince is not about WWII or even about war, the very
fact that it was written during war time and by someone who was on active duty
during the war, is telling. Just as we see through the window of this
advertising image into a war scene, reading the book is also a window, though
one into innocence. The Little Prince
has come to the earth from a star, and his revelations remind the narrator—and
all of us—just how much we lose through growing up and becoming lost in a
cynical society that is obsessed with war and power. The prince also traveled
to other stars before visiting earth and he elucidates some of his experiences
with the narrator in the desert where they meet (Saint-Exupery). This book
carries us easily into our imagination where we can understand other
perspectives and begin to solve our problems. Essentially, the Little Prince was “born” in 1943 and
death comes nearer to him every time we play a video game instead of read a
book, any book, because he is a chosen representative of the world of books and
the imagination.
By
using our imagination to explore this advertisement, and to dig into the deeper
layer provided through the careful selection of The Little Prince as the referenced book, we can go beyond the
obvious message of trying to tempt gamers into buying books. A deeper analysis
reveals that book publishers are supporting a greater purpose than one of mere
profit. They are advocates of greater levels of communication and the
broadening of perception, both of which are enhanced through reading books.
Imagine seeing a homeless person, a soldier, or a traveler from another
country, through their eyes because
we read a book about a similar situation. Books allow us to inhabit the minds
of other people, other characters, and through this vicarious symbiotic
relationship we can understand how someone else thinks and why they respond
with certain emotions that might be different from ours. Ultimately,
imagination is the key to saving our world from war and destruction, because it
creates within us the ability to empathize with people from all walks of life.
As Albert Einstein said: “Logic will get you from A to B, imagination will take
you everywhere.”
Saint-Exupery,
Antoine de. The Little Prince. Trans.
Katherine Woods. Reynal & Hitchcock, 1943. Print. EPUB.
This is beautifully woven to connect so much more than "story". Thank you for what you do!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you enjoyed the piece and go with me into the deeper layer!
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DeleteSuch a cool assignment and what a well thought out response! Almost makes me wish I was back in school...
DeleteThanks, Vicki…I notice the "almost"…LOL
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