Romanticism

Romanticism was an artistic, literary, and intellectual movement that originated in Europe toward the end of the 18th century and in most areas was at its peak in the approximate period from 1800 to 1850. It was partly a reaction to the Industrial Revolution as well as a rebellion against  aristocratic social and political norms of the Age of Enlightenment and a reaction against the scientific rationalization of nature.It was embodied most strongly in the visual arts, music, and literature, but had more of an impact on historiography, education and the natural sciences. It had complex effects on politics. Romanticism was also closely associated with liberalism and radicalism but had a significant long term effect on nationalism.

Romanticism Poet: JOHN KEATS

Visual Literacy: ADVERTISEMENT ANALYSIS

Analysis of Advertisement 

Analysis according to AIDA: Clorets Chewing Gum

Attention: When looking at this advertisement, the first thing one sees is the fish that is hanging out of the person's mouth. Fish is commonly associated with an unpleasant smell so the advert definitely pulls our attention to the product and its purpose, through the use of appropriate and suitable imagery. 

Interest: Now that our attention is drawn to the advertisement, we are interested is being advertised. Which will then lead to a desire for the product. 

Desire: Now that our attention is drawn to the ad, and we are interested in what is being advertisement, this creates a feeling if desire for the product.  It is obvious that no one wants or likes bad breath so we definitely take note and will want to purchase the product, all because of effective advertising. 

Action: Now that we have a desire for the product, it will bring us to the ACTION OF wanting to buy the breath freshening gum because you fear having bad breath

Futility by Wilfred Owen

Futility 

By: Wilfred Owen

Move him into the sun—

Gently its touch awoke him once,

At home, whispering of fields unsown.

Always it awoke him, even in France,

Until this morning and this snow.

If anything might rouse him now

The kind old sun will know.

Think how it wakes the seeds—

Woke, once, the clays of a cold star.

Are limbs so dear-achieved, are sides

Full-nerved,—still warm,—too hard to stir?

Was it for this the clay grew tall?

—O what made fatuous sunbeams toil

To break earth's sleep at all?

As Wilfred Owen was a poet in the WW1 era, he often wrote about the frontline and the ugly reality of war however, this poem talks about the existence and pointlessness(futility) of the war as well as the inevitability of death which is ironic, considering he died at the age of 25years. 

The main idea or purpose of the poem was to illustrate the daily lives and fear of death that the soldiers faced as they were constantly surrounded  by death. The first bit of the poem is about a soldier or soldiers moving one of their  fellow men into the sun in hope that it will bring him back to life, however despite it's life giving properties, in this case, there is nothing the sun can do. This shows us the reality that the soldiers faced - even though they were so young with their entire lives ahead of them, they were killed nonetheless, and there was not much that could be done about it. 

The tone of the poem then shifts from being quiet and hopeful to very much confused and angry. The writer begins questioning nature and existence; in that the sun adds life to plants and seeds but why not to the life of a human being?. This implies the futility of both the sun and life itself. The use of half-rhyme in the poem, helps create frustration and sadness, with this, we as the readers try to empathise with the soldier. 

Poem Analysis: In Detention - Chris Van Wyk

In Detention

by Chris Van Wyk

Analysis by Lelethu Yeki

He fell from the ninth floor
He hanged himself
He slipped on a piece of soap while washing
He hanged himself
He slipped on a piece of soap while washing
He fell from the ninth floor
He hanged himself while washing
He slipped from the ninth floor
He hung from the ninth floor
He slipped on the ninth floor while washing
He fell from a piece of soap while slipping
He hung from the ninth floor
He washed from the ninth floor while slipping
He hung from a piece of soap while washing.

Chris Van Wyk was a poet in the Apartheid era, as he was of 'colour' it is quite expected that he would have something to say about the country's happenings and does this through poetry. 

This poem portrays a very heavy topic, being the death of many innocent people under imprisonment in a very light-hearted and 'humorous' manner. The main idea and purpose of the poem is to state or show the reasons and excuses that were given by the Apartheid police for killing people in prison. The theme and diction of this poem is kept very simple and in plain English to make an important point and make sure that people  understand the reality of what is being said. 

The tone of the poem is sarcastic however works out to be very effective. Through writing tools such as sarcasm and repetition, the writer brings our attention to the absurd variations of the explanations that the police gave. The variations of the explanations are rather absurd and quite frankly make no sense, showing that the police, in some sense abused their authority and were disrespectful enough to give such reasons and think the public would believe them. By referring to the men as "he" and not giving any specific names, shows that these deaths occured quite often to many people.  As the poem progresses, the explanations become more and more strange and queer, creating more of an effect of twisted facts.  

It is also important to carefully look at the actual explanations, where one can realize that in fact the police were highly dishonest: ie. with statements like "he fell from the ninth floor" one needs to remember that prisoners were kept chained and cuffed so it would have been quite impossible for these explanations to be true.  

Domestic Cartoon Analysis 2

Nkandla-gate" is a project, in which Zuma has spent US $28 million of public funds on renovations to his private country estate in rural KwaZulu-Natal province. These “security upgrades” have included underground bunkers, soccer fields for his bodyguards and a tuck shop for one of his four wives to run. The DA has gone to court to seek a copy of a report into Zuma’s spending that was compiled by the public works department but classified as 'top secret." Former ANC treasurer-general Mathews Phosa said that the truth about Nkandla must come out. He believed there had been a cover-up over security upgrades at President Jacob Zuma's Nkandla homestead in KwaZulu-Natal. Public Works Minister Thulas Nxesi had refused to make public a government investigation report into why his department spent over R200-million on Zuma's residence. The report had been kept under wraps since it was finalised nine months ago. The Western Cape High Court recently ruled that the DA's Nkandla application to make the report public was urgent. The matter would now be heard in February 2014 ahead of the general elections

The intention of the cartoon is to show the public how President Jacob Zuma has been abusing the public purse for his own private property, in doing so, has been hiding behind the so-called “security upgrades” to justify blatant abuse to government funds amounting to hundreds of millions of rands which has shocked the entire nation.

The cartoon displays President in his traditional attire milking a cow. The cow in this case represents the Public Works Department, which Zuma is happily milking. The grin on his face suggests that he is quite happy and sees no wrong or shame in what he is doing. The “cow” in this scenario is releasing milk in the form of money, which the cartoon suggests that Zuma has easy access to. He doesn’t seem to be supervised or monitored by anyone either. 

Domestic Cartoon Analysis 1

In 2008, Judge Hlophe approached justices Jafta and Nkabinde and discussed with them the Zuma/Thint matter in which judgment was pending. The Concourt signed a complaint against Judge Hlophe, and justices Jafta and Nkabinde were happy to be signatories to that complaint. Five years later, the tribunal is trying to determine whether an innocent collegial conversation took place – and so dismiss the desire by some to see Judge Hlophe sanctioned for judicial misconduct – or whether Judge Hlophe had improperly tried to influence the outcome of a Concourt case – and so recommend sanction. Bess Nkabinde and Chris Jafta have made a U-turn and are calling the judicial tribunal into allegations of misconduct against Judge John Hlophe an "illegitimate structure".

The intention of this cartoon is to expose the two judges that have “no backbone”; five years earlier they had complained about their colleague, Judge President of the Western Cape, Judge Hlophe for alleging that Judge Hlophe tried to influence them in concern with the criminal case against President of the ANC, Jacob Zuma t the time, before he could become president of the country. When an opportunity presented itself to the two judges, Judge Jafta & Judge Nkabinde, they refused to testify against Judge Hlophe in front of the Judicial Service Commission.This says a lot about their lack of integrity and backbone.

The picture  portrays them in a fish-like manner, displaying their lack of a backbone. The cartoonist illustrated this literally though it is meant figuratively, considering the situation. The text also gives a clear indication of how they ( Judge Jafta & Judge Nkabinde) could not stand firm with their word.