Another Great Day By Ruth Peyser

Outline Questions for Close Analysis Questions Images for Semiotic Analysis (systems of signs) Images Is she really alone? (space) Is she really alone What do you think about this image of a housewife? What do you think “I'm in a way saying things shouldn't be like this. It's a harsher side of life, but it's a reality.” - Ruth Peyser

Questions for Close Analysis 1. What kind of life is this housewife’s like? What does she do, and not do? 2. Is her life completely uneventful? What populates her life? Where can we find ironies in it? 3. How does the animation begin and end? Are there recurrent images? Why is the woman only in underwear?

A Housewife’s Life Listening to the radio, and/or watching TV Eating breakfast; Doing dishes; dancing with the TV; Walking; Nursing a baby/doll; Reading a romance and fantasizing.

The Ironies in her life “Another Great Day”; Call-in radio program Child care; TV images Sexual fantasies The busy sounds and street scenes alone at home, begins and ends her day with the radio program; Wonder word: “hostage” Wants to kill; The content of the romance. The content Her isolation

The content of the romance Before she could prevent him, he was kissing her wildly, possessively and passionately. His lips were on her mouth, bruising it with a strength... His arms tightens her. She could not even cry out. A long long way, she could hear his voice, triumphantly, "I love you, you're glorious, adorable, a little white flower.

Daily Activities (1): dancing = identification with TV images

Daily Activities (2): eating commercials’ food images

Daily Activities (3): Fantasizing? From smothering to strengling

Daily Activities (4): loneliness Beginning...

Daily Activities (4): loneliness Ending...

She is actually not alone... her life completely penetrated by mass media and the public sphere.

Sound Intrusion – of mass media 1. Call-in radio program; 2. Noises from TV program; 3. Telephone rings – seems to be hers, but it turns out to be the radio’s; 4. The words on the books—like hands on her body

Image Contrast – mass media vs. the Housewife As the baby cries After the sexual fantasy scene

Images of Penetration or Intrusion

Lurking Sense of Danger After the housewife cannot get the ‘wonder’ word:

“The Ends Justify the Jeans”

Interpellation of the Mannequins

Male Spectators

Social Superego

What do you think about this image of a housewife? Not always so lonely or passive in today’s society, but could still be conditioned by mass media. The blurring of the boundaries between the public and private spheres could be true to every one in our age.  flows of information and commodities; ideology; mass media.