An analysis of “Mythologies: Photography and Electoral Appeal”
With examples drawn from “The Eiffel Tower” text

During the period of races to win the election then and today, we have become familiar with the tactic of photographs and images that candidates release in order to express their ideals heavily. We may see him surrounded by locals who act in admiration of him, we may see him having dinner with his wife, children, and dog, and we may even see him playing some sort of sport to make him appear humane. The candidate has to commit to becoming a national symbol to expectations, or as Barthes mentions – he represents the ideologies. All too many times we have been fooled by these images because they fail to express the candidates in authentic moments. The artificiality of race elections is an issue because we tend to become attracted to the most put-together runner of the race. At least according to the images we are allowed to see. These images have to therefore be memorable. It is a display of irrationality by appealing to the emotions of the public eye.

“The types which are thus delegated are not very varied. First there is that which stands for social justice, respectability …” (“Mythologies”, p. 1321)

Photography plays a crucial role for the voters who have to make a decision based only on the information they have been given and the images that they see, while neglecting to realize that the photographers’ responsibility is capture the moments of honesty and naturalness that is essentially not actually there. It is essential to understand that these candidates are trained and so they are no different from one another. However, it is not always the case that the candidate is insincere and it is unfortunate because the winner is based on a popularity contest. It is unfortunate because one may miss the authenticity of one candidate by becoming convinced with the artificiality of another. In other words, some people are just able to play the part better than others and so their “mythic powers” as mentioned in the Eiffel Tower reading are interpreted much stronger. To further the metaphor, candidates must act as the Tower of a nation with similar functions. They create a utopian dream that almost feels possible to the irrational mind. Whomever is the better poser becomes the better choice for the world view, but those who are able to identify it. All too many times we fall into the traps of the candidate who can represent the government, while he will not be the only one to make the decisions. He is a symbol for the decisions the general public idealizations that go up to a point when they get false hope. The photographs are symbolic of this movement where all is fair and fair is to all, while we are subjected to perceive only what are in the photographs and none of the truths that go beyond.

Candidates in an election are a work of art similar to worldwide monuments, like the Eiffel Tower. They are there to help the people “perceive, comprehend, and savor a certain essence of [a nation].” (” The Eiffel Tower”, p. 241)