Deconstructing Arnold

In class, the professor showed us two magazine covers, both with pictures of Arnold Schwarzenegger. The two pictures were both taken in the same year, but appeared very different. One image showed Schwarzenegger as the tough-guy and the captions were about the new Terminator movie. The other image showed him clean-cut and in a suit and was about his bid for California governor. The two covers conveyed very different ideas. The class discussed what effects were used to create this different contexts: clothing, lighting, colors, camera angle. This activity could teach students a good deal about modern media. By examining these images students will learn to critically evaluate information and determine the mediums purpose and potential biases.