Defamiliarizing Liberty Leading the People

In the background of Liberty Leading the People there is a yellow cloud of smoke that you can vaguely see men coming out of, their swords and guns drawn. A man in a top hat looks unscathed by the surrounding war scene. He holds a gun while looking at lady Liberty. She is holding a flag and gun, leading the men while she tromps past bodies fallen by the war. One body is half clothed wearing only a white shirt and one blue sock, the other is fully clothed in army attire. One man, on his hands and knees in a blue jacket with a red sash, is looking up at her as if only she can save him. A young boy stands beside her holding two pistols looking ready to march on. The light in the picture is around lady liberty while there is also a spot of light on the half clothed fallen soldier. While defamiliarizing this picture it could be questioned: at what price does liberty and freedom come? In this painting there is no liberty without death, as the focal points of light show. While the eye is immediately drawn to lady liberty and the positive outcome of the revolution, the underside to this that people die for freedom.

Aristotle, is that you?

While I was trying to find a video on you tube that encompassed all the points that were made by Aristotle, I found myself noticing his theories in commercials. In fact, in most commercials I watched his theories were threaded throughout. I then started thinking about the purpose of commercials and what the aim is: selling products or ideas.How does one sell a product or idea? By striking the chords that are Pathos,Logos, and Ethos. I came upon this recent clip from the past election that advocates NO on prop 8:



In this video all of Aristotle’s devises are present: Pathos (emotions), Logos (logic, reason), and Ethos (community). The arrangement of the video begins with Pathos as the women are immediately told “we are here to take away your rights.” This followed by the removal of their wedding rings evokes emotion in the viewer. The viewer feels bad for these women, who appear to be just as upstanding citizens as any. These women are your everyday people, average people, thus emotion is evoked.
Ethos is also at work here while the wedding rings are being removed the fade in facts about the percentage of same-sex couples that will be affected by this as well as the dollar amount the Mormon church has put into their YES on 8 campaigns. This brings in the community aspect and states the issue at hand,that too much money is being spent on taking peoples rights away. This leads us into Logos. Part of the argument is that it is a violation of rights which is projected in the video when the men enter the house, sifting through purses, drawers, and even undergarments. This strikes the Pathos emotional chord even further because these women are being violated in their own home. The video ends by one of the men saying “what should we ban next?” This is an effective end because it makes the viewer feel unsafe, as if anyone’s rights at any time could be taken away. I envision someone pointing their finger saying "it could happen to you" which is an effective scare tactic.
Regardless of what belief one subscribes to on this matter, it is clear that Aristotle's theory is still being used today.