Second Semester Blog 1

Image Number 2:

In the image you see a white dove with wings spread outward as if in flight, a branch with green leaves in his mouth, the dove is wearing a gray and black vest that appears to  be bulletproof and on his chest appears to be red cross hairs from a gun.
The flying dove with the branch in his mouth has a very biblical connotation and symbolizes peace. In the Bible, a dove with an olive branch flies back to Noah as a peace offering from God. The bulletproof vest is associated with violence and protection from danger. The cross hairs symbolizes immediate danger or a target.
I would say that the message here could be interpreted in many ways. I see it as saying that peace is artificial now because if you are to really offer peace you wouldn't also be protecting yourself. Or that having peace in our world is in danger. With all the sickness and violence in our world peace has had to find a way to protect itself but with the cross hairs on it, it really seems as if this bird will be shot soon.
The audience that this image would appeal to would probably be adults of all kinds only because it takes a bit of prior knowledge to understand what is happening in the picture. Because the audience is adults I would say that the purpose of the image is to shock people when they see something so innocent in danger that it will make them see what violence has done to humanity.
The creator of this image used the dove wisely because of the pure, innocent and biblical connotations it has would evoke a feeling of shock, sadness and maybe even anger when it is portrayed with a bulletproof vest and cross hairs on his chest and that is what makes it effective at conveying its message.