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October 07, 2005
Words and Pictures - and their blend!
I thought that this chapter reading handout, Words and Pictures, brought up a lot of points that we all experience each day of our lives, but do not recognize. If you asked me if there was a solid line between words and pictures, my first instinct would probably be "yes." Words are words and pictures are pictures, what's so complicated about that? Well... as with most things when you take a closer look, there is much more to it than we see on the day-to-day level. We realize that words go together in children's books, comic strips, newspaper articles, etc. Yet this article points out that pictures are usually ionic and words are usually symbolic. Even the size, boldness, and handwriting of words can have iconic affects; their visual characteristics have impacts on how we take in and analyze their meaning, and we do not even realize it until it's pointed out. Pictures still are important; this does not downplay their role. Pictures provide fundamental information words often do not. There are, however, overlaps in everything. Words and pictures can both be symbolic and iconic at the same time!
Posted by lcisthur at October 7, 2005 12:25 AM
Comments
Allie, I think you raise an important point here...that the line between words and pictures is a blurry, mushy one. When we look at an image, like we did with the Renoir, we automatically, make up a story, construct a narrative. When we read Harry Potter, we "picture" the characters in our mind's eys. So even, when they are separate, they are connected. Yes?
Posted by: Ellen Grabiner at October 9, 2005 07:47 AM