004: WK 5 Blog Exercise: Visual vs Symbolic Language

image taken from http://www.life123.com/career-money/find-a-job/unemployment/apply-for-unemployment.shtml

woman

box

quitting

fired

laid off

recession

stylish (jewelry)

office

expressionless (face not shown)

unhappy

single woman (ring not visible)

professional

person of color

In this photograph, a woman, presumably African American or Hindu is shown wearing a grayish brown pinstripe suit. The suit notes that this woman is in a setting that has a dress code. She is wearing two pieces of jewelry, a necklace with a small, white oval-shaped jewelry in the middle and a thin, golden bracelet on her left hand. These accessories add on to her professional appearance. A ring is not in view as her ring finger is not in full view, due to her holding an item, so it is hard to determine whether if she is single, engaged, or married. Only from the neck below down to her upper thigh is shown because the focus of the image is to be placed on what she carries.

She is holding a large cardboard box with its blue lid underneath, leaving the top open to make room for her things that she needed to pack. What is shown sticking out of the left of the box are large thick books, facing upright, possibly the best way she can squeeze them in along with whatever else is in the box. On the very right a black, metal netted pen holder is in view stuffed with various thin and cylindrical items such as a makeup brush, No. 2 pencils, ballpoint pens, and a large pair of scissors with the outer part of the handle navy blue with the inverted side a baby blue. The items in her box indicate that this was a type of office job.

This is a typical scenario as seen in TV shows and movies of one leaving their job permanently, whether they were laid off, fired, or quit themselves. However, in the nature that was intended of the photograph, this woman was most likely laid off. The absence of her face leaves her expression up to interpretation by the viewer but with all things considered, it would be a safe guess to say she is crestfallen.