Watch this first:
Respond to the questions below. Points will be based on the depth of your analysis. CRITICAL: Always show HOW you are connecting your observations with your interpretations.
Let’s pretend that this is your primary source. How will you analyze it? Remember: to analyze means to break it down. This is not about opinions. First, make a list of denotations (concrete things that you see in the video: a young girl in a bedroom, girl playing a music video, girl dancing, the girl is a person of color and deaf, etc.). Second, look for connotations (the interpretation of the video based on your observations). Remember denotation + connotations = your analysis. This helps a reader to know how you got from A to B, or how you arrived at your interpretation.
For the purpose of discussion, list THREE things that you notice (denotation) and how you arrived at your analysis (connotation or interpretation of the video). Do you think the video plays into one of Dolmage’s disability myths?
Dolmage’s disability meths are overcoming and compensation, disability as object of pity and/or charity, physical deformity as sign of internal flaw, disability as isolation and individuated, disability as sign of Social III, disability as pathology, kill-or-cure, disability is a sign from above, disability as symptom of human abuse of nature, disability drift and the disability hierarchy, disability drop
If so, which disability myth? What stereotypes are being played out in the video? It is a complex video, so take your time. It is not all one-sided.
An example of how to analyze the Tamara video:
1. Look for denotations and connotations before you submit your analysis:
Denotation examples (the concrete things you see in the video): bedroom, a little girl dancing, both girl and mother are people of color, girl puts her head on desk while music box is on, mother works for a diner, mother watches daughter, girl continues to dance without the music box, mother wipes tears from her eyes, etc. [come up with many more of your own]
Connotation examples (interpretations based on your denotation observations):
Girl is deaf (feels the vibration from the music box; how much she can or cannot hear is unknown), video is more about dancing (pictures on the wall, girl dancing, mother and daughter dancing), BUT the emphasis seems to be more about sound due to 1) music box, 2) Tamara continuing to dance without the music box, 3) mother’s tears (sadness). Why? Are the creators wanting to elicit sympathy from the viewers to show that Tamara can dream and be whatever she wants to be? Why is this idea misguided? Is one of Dolmage’s myths being played out here in the video? Are there other stereotypes playing in the video?
BUT the video is not one-sided: mother and daughter communicate in sign language. Is it possible that the creators are also wanting to show how the positivity of ASL? Is there a mixture of where the video perpetuates, but also challenges certain disability myths?
