The use of signs and pictures in the public are a great way to catch people's attention. Signs are easier for the public to read compared to reading a whole textual document because the picture plus a few words can be interpreted much quicker. The author of this particular sign would probably be a state government, a local government, or a local business in the south during segregation. By using a sign, the author can portray his or her message very simply. Signs are usually straight to the point and very informative. The public audience knows exactly what the author wants. In this case the author is very successful. The government policy of segregation, primarily in the south, lasted nearly 100 years. The implied message displayed in the image is that whites and coloreds are different, so they should be separated. Also, the sign shows that the author is racist. Whether the author is a government agency or a local business, they are using their authority to impose segregation. The arrows pointing in opposite directions, and my knowledge of segregation led me to this conclusion.
In this case, this sign has many aspects of oppressive language. It is racist, discriminatory, stereotypical, and disrespectful to people who don't believe the same thing. To begin with, segregation is a racist policy. It assumes that coloreds are inferior to whites. The policy discriminates against coloreds by excluding them from the freedoms that whites were able to have. This is clearly the author's view on the topic, but he she does not consider those who do not agree with the situation. I believe the author uses the oppressive language to express their authority. I believe the author created the sign to do two things. It gives whites a sense of power, and it demoralizes coloreds. The language used by the author is very effective in reaching his or her audience. The sign is easy to understand and to the point. The public audience could easily understand the meaning of the sign and follow the instructions. Evidence shows its effectiveness. The instructions were followed by many people during the time this sign was in use. However, the author's oppressive language also worked against him or her. The author's oppressive language led to oppressive language from those who were being discriminated against. All of the oppressive language directed towards coloreds led to things like the Civil Rights Movement. Eventually coloreds received their rights, and the oppressive language kind of backfired on the author.
David Sacre
(417 words)
http://images.search.yahoo.com/images/view;_ylt=A0PDoKryf1pQ9CQAgJiJzbkF;_ylu=X3oDMTBlMTQ4cGxyBHNlYwNzcgRzbGsDaW1n?back=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.search.yahoo.com%2Fsearch%2Fimages%3Fp%3Dsegregation%2Bsigns%26fr%3Dyfp-t-701%26fr2%3Dpiv-web%26tab%3Dorganic%26ri%3D2&w=600&h=353&imgurl=www101.pair.com%2Fmsdb%2Fmrb-papersign-RestRooma.jpg&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fitm%2FBLACK-SEGREGATION-SIGN-L-N-RAILROAD-REST-ROOMS-%2F360289744811&size=29.1+KB&name=BLACK+SEGREGATION+SIGN+L%26amp%3BN+RAILROAD+REST+ROOMS+%7C+eBay&p=segregation+signs&oid=7f196d128cb3ba52da99ce842c3de2e7&fr2=piv-web&fr=yfp-t-701&tt=BLACK%2BSEGREGATION%2BSIGN%2BL%2526amp%253BN%2BRAILROAD%2BREST%2BROOMS%2B%257C%2BeBay&b=0&ni=128&no=2&ts=&tab=organic&sigr=12kus56b4&sigb=13an0m5nf&sigi=11gb16ee5&.crumb=OqwaGcM0Nal
Hey David, your political post was the most eye-catching to me because I have actually learned about segregation. I completely agree with your stance on how the author is racist. Segregation is bad, in fact, racism is bad. That picture is very oppressive and I’m really impressed by your finding. Anyway, putting me as I am now, back into a time zone when people actually used these types of signs to discriminate against colored people, breaks my heart. Can you image what those poor, innocent people were thinking? I don’t think I would have been able to handle it myself. I would not want to have to use a certain labeled bathroom just because a stupid little sign told me I have to. But, because how people are raised, any normal person would not want to cause trouble and do as they are told, no matter the consequence. I agree with what you say on how it’s easy to read and it’s to the point. It’s somewhat a command telling the reader to follow order. I’m so glad we live in a society now were all different types of people can be equal, even if it was after such a long period of time. You know what they say, better late than never. I’m just happy it happened.
ReplyDeleteWord Count: 218