But "dog" can mean other things, too. It can mean a performance or an event that just didn't match up -- "That was such a dog," or, in street language, can be a greeting or something based on meeting up, "What's up dog?" Getting back to the animal definition, though, one can be called a dog meaning faithful companion; while one can be a dog with the connotation of subservient; beat like a dog. The interesting thing about "dog," though, is the mental images conjured up. Given 50 people in a room, if asked to paint or describe a dog, would have likely 50 different breeds and/or sizes. Still more likely is that the large majority of these people would see the dog as a pet or companion, loyal as and with more fond than harsh memories of childhood and simpler times. Week 10- 1 -- People in Order is an interesting, yet thought provoking -- somewhat humorous view of human development in 197 seconds. We assume we are watching people in Great Britain, images run from childhood to age 100. It is also interesting to note that as people age, there are so many divergent ways they express even the simplest of thoughts -- "I am X year's old." There were people in their 70s spry and active and people in their 40s who seemed "old." It also seemed like we were getting a sociological view of society, not just by age, but by the way people expressed various levels of comfort ability with the camera, holding the drum, and the whimsical nature of the film. Mr. 89, for instance, had such a presence that he seemed to be 30 years younger -- quite vital. We get a sense of the older folks being...

The short film suggests a perspective that might be entitled "The Family of Mankind," in the more we are different, the more we remain the same.
Week 10 -2 -- Miroslav Holub's poem "Brief Reflection on Colors," is certainly a comment on the way we see images and textures, internalize those meanings, and come to unique understandings of what those images do to us emotionally. One is reminded of Plato's "Cave Allegory," in which the prisoners see only shadows on the wall as their reality; once released into the light, they not only do not believe what they see, but they cannot accept the pain of the world around them; for their reality was a small and shrunken world of greys and tans, based primarily on the reflection of puppets by the light of a dimming fire.

This is particularly relevant to the final phrase of the poem, which evokes how powerful color can be in changing emotions, inciting feelings (flags, posters, etc.), bringing people together, and defining the individual:

No wonder the authorities don't love poetry and guards

Linger in the shadows where nobody can see

How worried they are about the strict order of Colors.

Certainly, one can picture totalitarian guards, dressed in grey, working for their masters who disdain all the wonderful colors of individuality and life -- watching and waiting to find a way to limit the expression of color and life. and, if we take Plato's allegory a bit further, it is through this combination of understanding and expressing colors and tone that humans actualize their world. Bring emotion and joy into the light -- unhidden it is powerful, yet to many the idea of color -- of brightness, bloom and veracity, can be frightening since it asks us to throw off the bounds of negativity and celebrate life.