Entry 2

The film, Edward Said: On Orientalism, really helped to clarify the book reading. However, it seemed to be a quick overview with little detail, unlike the book. This is understandable as it was just a relatively short recording. In contrast, Stuart Hall: Representation and the Media, was incredibly repetitive. It raised several good points on the subject, and then devolved into a reiteration of points already mentioned. I found one image to be somewhat questionable, although that might have been his point. It was subtle, and may wall have been imagined, but when Hall used the image of two women to show communication, it was the blonde woman who looked straight at the viewer confidently while the brunette with darker skin looked away from the viewer and down, in what could be considered a nervous pose. This could well be imagined, or it could be a subtle point Hall was trying to make. The book by Lockman was particularly useful. the reading assigned gave a good overview of the historical background for Western views on the East, starting with the Greeks. It was very interesting , and though it skimmed over major events, it gave a good analysis of what had happened and how that had shaped various views.