What we have here, regardless of your politics, is an effective example of street art: a protest poster anonymously created for the recent protests taking place on (and against) Wall Street in Manhattan.
This poster is graphically dramatic and instantly "readable." It references ideas and images familiar to most Americans, but does so in a fresh way. It deploys only three words, but gets a lot of mileage out of them.
In a brief paragraph, analyze everything that's going on here. (You may need to zoom in on the image to capture the details.) Comment due Tuesday morning, 10/25/11 by 7:30 am.
BEST OF BATCH (according to student vote and Mrs. J ... truly a consensus affair!)
By Sade Cooper
America was founded in the spirit of democracy and liberty. These unique and distinct values can be seen whenever an individual asserts his right to freedom of speech, religion, press, and protest. Occupy Wall Street, the manifestation of the people’s frustration with the economic crisis, showcases the rights of the people outlined in the First Amendment of America’s Constitution. In the past few months, people have formed a grassroots movement, camping out in the financial district of New York City in order to express their discontent with the income inequality, unemployment, and collapse of the housing market, for which many of the protestors allege Wall Street is at fault.
The picture of the larger fish seemingly eating the little fish, dubbed Wall Street, symbolizes the goal of the Occupy Wall Street movement. Upon looking closely at the larger fish, one can easily see that it is comprised of many smaller fish, all working together to form one big fish. This depicts the mission of this demonstration: when all the individuals come together, they can be successful in defeating what they regard as the all-mighty, powerful Wall Street.
The poster urges people to “Organize!” themselves in order to create a movement strong enough to have an impact on Wall Street. This battle cry is written on the poster in order to show people that with organization, the movement can be effective. The sense of organization is conveyed through the combination of smaller fish, which creates one dynamic unit.
Wall Street is depicted as a smaller fish that lacks the idea of the “pieces of a whole” that the larger fish so clearly stresses. According to this drawing, Wall Street is comprised of identical corrupt and power-hungry corporate businessmen that all share a common goal. They are not complex or multifaceted; instead, they are one evil being responsible for the current economic crisis and the crimes committed on the people at the grassroots level.
Through this poster, one can see several of the primary goals of the Occupy Wall Street movement. It displays the people’s desire to unite in order to conquer their targeted enemy and change the economy and America as a whole.
13 comments:
Protesters flocked to the streets of New York to participate in the Occupy Wall Street campaign. This poster bears three elements: a black "WALL ST" fish, a giant fish comprising many small fishes, and the underlined term "Organize!"
The poster's theme is simple: if we small fishes of America can organize ourselves and work together, we can conquer the blackness, that is, wall street. This cardboard box street art deploys only three words (1. Wall 2. St. 3. Organize), but effectively gets across the message that this Wall Street black fish is conquerable when we combine as a whole.
Fish serve as very familiar images to the general public, and we know that the big fish will always beat the smaller fish. In this case, the big fish is an organized mass of little fish prepared to attack the evil, black fish that is Wall St.
Throughout the centuries, the upper class of the United States has often controlled the government and the way the country runs. This notion, often referred to as Elitism, has been an increasingly large issue that many have felt passionate towards. Recently on Wall Street in New York City, the middle and lower class, which make up 99% of the country, have joined together to rally and fight against the upper class of America, or the 1%. The poster depicts a massive fish, made up of smaller fish, gulping the smaller fish that represents Wall Street. The current system of economics is in favor of the upper class. The poster has one powerful word on the bottom: “organize.” If the middle class organizes and comes together, they can be successful in defeating the upper class. This same message is depicted in the larger fish. The large fish is composed of tiny fish. Without each fish organizing and fighting for the cause, it is nearly impossible to take down the bold “Wall Street Fish.” Furthermore, it is important to note that the “Wall Street Fish” is colored in boldly to signify their current power. The final aspect one can draw attention to is that the poster made up of ordinary materials (cardboard). The poster isn’t fancy or stylish, rather it proves a simple message and is made of materials that middle class families often purchase. All in all, the poster sends out a powerful message for the middle and lower classes to stand up for their power as they do make up 99% of the population.
Fight Wall Street. On the surface, this is what the protest poster in Manhattan immediately screams out to the casual viewer. However, the images of two fish and the difference in their complexion reveal much more than a cry to assemble the Occupy Wall Street protesters. The hundreds of fishes that together form the large fish represent the common people, who will only thrive by uniting and being a part of a system where everyone is given equal opportunity. This Socialist ideology, the artist illustrates, is more powerful than Capitalism on Wall Street, depicted in black as a tyrannical, evil fish. Wall Street is comprised of selfish people, who only represent a small segment of society. The Occupy Wall Street protesters, on the other hand, advocate an egalitarian approach, where each person is his own “fish.” This conjures up the image of a school of fish, which always swim together and never leave behind any one fish. The artist makes his message clear through a one-word command. To successfully overthrow Wall Street, all people need to do is organize in large numbers under a single purpose.
At first glance, one sees a large fish eating a small fish that represents Wall Street. However, if one looks closely at the picture, it will become obvious that the big fish is actually made up of many different fish. The word “organize” at the bottom is referring to the big fish made up of other fish. The little fish symbolize the little people of America, the poor and the unemployed, and the Wall Street fish represents the people of Wall Street. The “little people” of America want to destroy Wall Street and get free money from the government, and in order to do so they must all organize and come together in order defeat the evil that is Wall Street. As Qui Gon Jin said, there is always a bigger fish. The little people can be that bigger fish if they simply work together. The creator of this poster used imagery, perhaps because he realized it would appeal to pathos more than words. Images are pleasing to the eye, and often more effective than a paper full of words.
Anyone who has been politically aware of what is happening at the national level knows that there are several people occupying Wall Street as a method of protest. In this particular poster, the message that is trying to be conveyed is simple: if everyone joins together, Wall Street will topple. This is shown in a very interesting way. Firstly there is a rather large black fish that has “WALL ST” written on it. The color black represents evil as well as predators in general. Right behind this fish, there are several hundred smaller fish. One thing worth noticing is that these fish have grouped together to form one giant fish similar to what the school of moonfish does in Finding Nemo. The group of big fish has formed a mouth that is about to engulf the Wall Street fish which now seems miniscule in comparison to the school of fish’s size. Underneath, the word “Organize” is written as a message to the citizens of America. The citizens should unite and organize, because when united, the many little civilians can engulf Wall Street and tear it down limb by limb.
America was founded with the spirit of democracy and liberty. These unique and distinct values can be seen throughout the country, as any individual retains and frequently asserts their right to freedom of speech, religion, press, and to protest. Occupy Wall Street, the manifestation of the people’s frustration with the economic crisis, showcases the rights of the people outlined in the First Amendment of America’s Constitution. In the past few months, people have formed a grassroots movement, camping out in the financial district of New York City in order to express their discontent with the income inequality, unemployment, and collapse of the housing market, for which many of the protestors allege Wall Street is at fault.
The picture of the larger fish seemingly eating the little fish, dubbed Wall Street, symbolizes the goal of the Occupy Wall Street movement. Upon looking closely at the larger fish, one can easily see that it is comprised of many smaller fish, all working together to form one big fish. This depicts the mission of this demonstration: when all the individuals come together, they can be successful in defeating what they regard as the all-mighty, powerful Wall Street.
The poster urges people to “Organize!” themselves in order to create a movement strong enough to have an impact on Wall Street. This battle cry is written on the poster in order to show people that with organization, the movement can be effective. The sense of organization is conveyed through the combination of smaller fish, which creates one dynamic unit.
Wall Street is depicted as a smaller fish that lacks the idea of the “pieces of a whole” that the larger fish so clearly stresses. According to this drawing, Wall Street is comprised of identical corrupt and power-hungry corporate businessmen that all share a common goal. They are not complex or multifaceted; instead, they are one evil being responsible for the current economic crisis and the crimes committed on the people at the grassroots level.
Through this poster, one can see several of the primary goals of the Occupy Wall Street movement. It displays the people’s desire to unite in order to conquer their targeted enemy and change the economy and America as a whole.
The poster illustrates a big fish eating a smaller yet solid colored fish labeled Wall Street. Beneath the image, there is only one single word - “Organize!” At first, it is quite confusing what this image is trying to convey; however, if analyzed more profoundly the message becomes quite clear. The bi fish is actually made up of numerous tiny fish. These fish all represent the indigent people in America. The word “Organize!” is actually directed towards all the little fish to try to get them to become more unified. The poster wants to overtake the Wall Street fish which represents the minority of rich people in America. The fish is solid colored in order to symbolize its strength and power. Nevertheless, the poster is still saying that if all the poor and unemployed people in America, who actually make up the majority of the population (hence why they are the larger fish), come together, they can take over the Wall Street fish despite its prestige. This poster uses very few words in order to express a big idea. The image might be very simple but has a very effective symbolic meaning. Lastly, the image establishes pathos because it is very pleasing to the eye as opposed to a poster full of words and it appeals to more people within the population.
The current protests that are occurring on and against Wall Street are against a supposed elitist form of rulership that is going on. The protestors believe that the wealthy inhabitants of Wall Street are calling all the shots, based on their own needs, and do not really call for the rest of America, specifically the jobless and poor. As such, many of those very people have gathered to protest the "Wall Street rule" and are attempting to change current regulations and laws regarding the businesses located there. At first the movement was small, but after a few weeks people around the world have joined to protest the wealthiest citizens. As the Occupy Wall Street movement gains numbers, they will not be able to be ignored, a consequence its members long for. In fact, this is happening right now since the Obama administration has released a statement saying that the Occupy Wall Street movement and its values will be a large part of the 2012 reelection campaign. This is what the poster is signifying; with large numbers of people banding together, Wall Street can go down. All it takes is a little organization, such as one sees in New York with the laundry, food, and hospitality services being arranged for those who camp overnight. The question is, if Wall Street does go down, as many of the protestors want, what impact will it have on our economy and the world?
What are presented here are very understandable images, and very few words. The combination of the two, create a very easily understandable idea. The word organize on the bottom expresses the idea that if all the little fish come of business come together, like they do in the image, then they can overpower the large fish of Wall Street who make a significantly larger income than most of America. This Image clearly represents the opinion that the little guys are at a disadvantage because they are earning far less than the big wigs of Wall Street. However, if they group together, they can overpower the big fish of the business world.
Although the poster only contains three words, it still sends a very strong message to try and rally support for the Occupy Wall Street cause. Wall Street is considered the headquarters of the rich and powerful of the United States. Wall Street is depicted as a big, bold fish. Very often when one wants to show a disparity in power, one uses the catchphrase “a big fish in a small pond.” This is the image that the artist would like to invoke. Wall Street is considered a corrupt and greedy institution which drives our country’s social and economic power. In contrast, all of the little people who comprise the other 99% of our population are depicted as small fish. The artist is trying to say that if all the little fishes unite they can become an unstoppable fish that can defeat the big, bad fish, otherwise known as Wall Street. The regular citizens must “organize” and unite in order to accomplish this goal.
The picture shown is one of the most famous icons of the current Occupy Wall Street protests taking place on, of course, Wall Street, NY. At first glance, this picture seems like it can be explained in just as simple a manner as the picture was created. The picture shows a big fish eating a slightly smaller fish labeled “Wall St” and the word “ORGANIZE!” written in all caps across the bottom. It seems that they, the representatives of the 99% of America's population not involved in the madness that is Wall Street, want the wealthy businessmen of the Wall Street, part of the top 1% of America, to be swallowed by a fish. After all, that is what the drawing suggests. Do the protesters want the businessmen of Wall Street to actually be swallowed up by a giant, cardboard fish? Probably not. That is why, in order to fully understand the image shown, we must look further into its meaning and grasp the symbolism behind it. Looking a bit closer, one can see the little outlines of small fish which have all come together to make the seemingly-united bigger fish. Under the sea, bigger fish eat smaller fish; that is just the way it goes. However, the protesters of Occupy Wall Street are implying that they, the smaller fish, although once being scattered small fish running for their lives from their imminent doom by the “bigger fish” of Wall Street, must “organize” themselves, as the caption suggests, to become one giant fish and ultimately overpower the now-smaller fish of the once-powerful Wall Street.
The purpose of this protest poster is to get across a message that has been in the minds of many through many generations. In every time period you have the “haves” and the “have nots.” The “haves” are the select few percent of a population that possess and control the majority of the population’s economy. The “have nots” comprise the majority of the population who are the working, lower class of the population. In these circumstances, the “have nots” usually end up rioting and wanting to take control and change the economy. This is what we see here. The big group of smaller fish all combines to create one single fish entity that wants to “gobble up” the singular, “greater” fish. What they want is to “organize” the current economy so it will circulate more money to the lower, middle class, and not just to the “haves.”
This demonstration poster is a great way of showing the protests and the people’s beliefs through two simple images and three little words. Although there’s not a lot of writing, the word “organize” is written in huge letters for everyone to read. It want to show how the big population of Americans, from the lower and middle class should come together and demonstrate to gain more respect and organize the economy to their advantage. The picture is made up of many little fish which represent the lower and middle class, and once they come together they can create one big group, like the big fish and gobble up the smaller, black fish. This fish, not only is black to show the negativity of the higher class of people, but it is also smaller, to show the numbers the people are dealing with and that if everyone would come together they could be the majority and overrule the high class.
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