How Does the Two Forms Of Visuality Address or Fail to Address The Issues Of Post-Colonial Visual Culture?

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How Does the Two Forms Of Visuality Address or Fail to Address The Issues Of Post-Colonial Visual Culture?
The paper discusses the concept of visuality as identified in both postcolonial and colonial culture. The paper focuses on postcolonial and colonial texts that have enhanced the understanding of image and picture. King (146-154) explains that visuality is divided into two main levels such as the ‘abstract reality and reality level’. At the ‘reality level’, numerous elements are combined to produce significant meanings, and comprises of message composition and message elements. Besides, the “abstract reality’ level comprises of generating meanings in culture and society. The level mainly includes representations and interpretations of visuality in communication.
Comparing and Contrasting the Two Forms of Visuality
Over the tradition, the communication research has had two main schools including the “process” and “semiotic” school (King 146-154). The process school focuses on transferring visual, written and oral information and messages from one person to other other. The “process” school mainly addresses the communication acts. Besides, the “semiotic” or “meaning” school states that message and information interpretation is generated in culture and society because of the association between receiver and sender. As such, the “semiotic” school primarily addresses the communication mechanics, whereby message interpretation is only created but not transferred. Semiotics evaluates the message ability to shape the reality and transmit meaning in the meaning’s production point of view.
The significant changes that occurred in social sciences between 1970 and 1980, shifted focus from discourse inquiry to discourse analysis and other techniques used to study lingual and communication expressions (Hughes 228-238). In the 1990s, literary authors began using different visuality forms and pictures. Visual culture research is multidisciplinary. However, it was developed recently and is widely applied in other discipline research including media-science, cultural studies, art history, linguistics, sociology, and semiotics.
* The Reality Level
Huovila (2) explains that the reality level uses simple visual message or objects as elements. The object comprises of dimensional forms or lines or a combination of the two. The form usually associates with the message whereby a horizontal line expresses peacefulness. In this case, artists can deliver a message with lines interpreted by the receiver. The primarily visually concepts in reality level include; the form, which is naturally shaped and forms the message for recipients, and the form that is advanced as a symbol learnt by the audience (King 149). Moreover, in the reality level, the visuality message is usually compared to language message, which forms the basis of the visual grammar theory. It is essential to note that visual grammar is not usually clear as the language grammar. For example, in visuality study, ‘Lexus” is not grammar because it fails to reach the exactness of language structure. Similar to language, people can study the object as a structure or the impact it has on a part of the society. Language use requires that the words, syllables, and letters should be properly arranged to help in interpreting ideas and meanings. Besides, it is possible to understand visual images without text interpretations. Visual grammar provides meaning to the analysis of visuality and picture, and enables the message receiver to take solid stand towards the image.
* Abstracct Reality Level
Visual object is structured in a complex way, which makes it a challenge for people to interpret culture and society. In this case, the object’s meaning is usually correlated with the people’s culture. For example, a ‘star” is identified as an object in the sky. However, the star is not primary a star because it can have other meanings (King 150). In this case, if a brand-car is associated with the star, the star becomes a sign, and it is no longer a name. The sign appears to be both an association and a name. Culture forms the meaning for existing objects and abstracts. Therefore, communication is based on enhancing more memorable objects and abstracts that represent the sign.
Understanding Colonial and Postcolonial Text
Colonial literature refers to the literature written during the colonization period, primarily from the colonizers point of view. The heart of darkness by Joseph Conrad is a definitive example of a colonial text (Said). The novel is mainly about a man who was employed in the ivory trade. The man sailed up the Congo river and observed the appalling impacts of imperialism and colonization. Conrad wrote the “Heart of Darkness” novel and mainly focused on addressing the psychological and emotional effects that colonization had on colonizers. The narrator encounters the black people, whom he portrays them as fully human. Besides, postcolonial text mainly refers to the text written in the postcolonial “after colonization” by people belonging to the colonized community. Postcolonial text is usually a reaction to colonization. In most cases, post-colonial text turns the generated narratives upside down because it specifically focuses on interpreting or responding to popular colonial texts. The term “postcolonial” simply means the end of colonization (Hughes 231). However, numerous scholars indicate that colonization still progresses in subtler ways such as through police brutality, high incarceration rates, Jim Crow laws, interference of western nations in foreign governments especially in Africa, and the lingering impacts of residential schools. As a result, it is usually a challenge to determine when a colonization period was over and human beings started reacting against it, most probably when colonized human beings started protesting against it, but got silenced by their oppressors.
Main Differences between Postcolonial and Colonial Literature
Hughes (230) defines postcolonial text as a resistance and challenge to the colonial theories, which forms the major difference between postcolonial and colonial literature. The characteristics of colonial literature include;
* Colonial tests were written during the colonization and used colonies as a setting
* The texts were written from the colonizer’s perspective
* The text portray colonization as unproblematic, natural, and a “correct” process
* The text portray indigenous cultures and people as primitive or savage
The following are the main characteristics of postcolonial text.
* The text mainly expresses resistance or opposition to colonization
* The text is usually written from the perceptive of the people formerly colonized
* The text portrays consequences and problems of decolonization and colonization
* The text focuses on describing indigenous practices, places, and people to ...