The Most 'Romantic' Vacation Destination

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWWTabHiV2E

Jamaica has long been known for its beautiful scenery and beaches that attract so many tourists. Arguably one of the most popular places to visit in Jamaica is Sandals. There have been numerous commercials advertising for the destination's resorts. The ad I've linked here is especially rich with romantic content. The romanticism in the commercial is constructed through the three theories of beauty, knowledge and politics; the ideological message of this ad significantly promotes a hegemonic political structure.

In this ad, the romantic is constructed through the phenomenal images of nature that provide the viewer with a theory of beauty. The images showing the beaches and the clear, aqua-colored ocean romanticize the destination. The sights are all so bright and clear that they appear almost ethereal. Specifically, the scene where the angle of the camera is tilted upwards from under the surface of the ocean showing a couple snorkeling as the sun streams in makes the picture seem mythical. Clearly, the filter of the camera has been adjusted in order to produce such perfect-looking scenes. This aspect of the commercial connects to what William Wordsworth calls “colouring of imagination.” Through this concept, Wordsworth says, “Ordinary things should be presented to the mind in an unusual aspect.” This commercial fully embraces Wordsworth’s idea. It takes ordinary, daily activities, such as walking on a dock or wading through the ocean, and presents them in a way that makes the viewer enter a state of awe because of the mystique. This affects the viewer’s understanding of nature. As Jean-Jacques Rousseau says, “The human understanding is greatly indebted to the passions.” This is demonstrated in the ad through the viewer’s emotional response to the images. Seeing the majestic pictures, as Wordsworth says, the viewer’s “heart leaps up,” which affects how they can comprehend nature. The emotions evoked due to the sights have a great impact on how the viewer understands the environment and its beauty. The images are edited so that they appear better than reality. The producers of the ad took artistic license and altered the color saturation of the images, as well as many other aspects, in order to engage the viewer’s emotions. This same alteration is seen in the Hudson River School painting we discussed in class. The image captured a waterfall with a healthy forest, though, in reality, the actual location did not have a waterfall anywhere nearby. This addition makes the painting more beautiful and engages more of the viewer’s emotions. These kinds of alterations evoke a similar response in the viewer: one of awe accompanied by a desire to be a part of that location.

This desire to be a part of nature contributes to the romanticism of the ad and provides a theory of knowledge though the concept of natural piety. The speaker in the ad says, “I want to go on a vacation where I don’t have to worry about a thing.” As he says this, the ad shows a couple strolling through the clear, blue water. The statement of carefreeness coupled with the image of the two people in the natural environment of the ocean demonstrates this man’s desire to return to living in the simplistic state of nature that Jean-Jacques Rousseau talks about. Rousseau says, “The simplicity and solitude of man’s life in this new condition…left him a great deal of leisure.” This is the epitome of the lifestyle the speaker in the ad desires. This quote expresses the same attitude of relaxation and the same desire for a life free from complexities as is reflected in the commercial. The speaker declares, “I want to ride with the wind.” This depicts the concept of becoming one with nature. Through this pure, effortless, uncomplicated connection to nature, the speaker is able to access truth. Such unification is demonstrated in the romanticism of Avatar in the scene where the seeds land on Jake, thus anointing him. This natural piety is captivated throughout the commercial and it demonstrates this man’s longing to connect with nature as man did long ago. Romanticism argues against the scientific rationalization of nature; the man in this ad seeks not to rationalize nature—instead, he yearns to simply become a part of nature, demonstrating the romanticism of this ad.

Romanticism also aims to provide a theory of politics. Specifically, it provides a model for how society should live. In the case of this ad, the political message is largely hegemonic and closely aligned with the 19^th century ideology of manifest destiny.
                        
This is a painting illustrating the political ideology of manifest destiny popular in the 19th century
In class we discussed manifest destiny and how the belief behind the ideology was that it was the obligation of American settlers to expand and impart their values and their way of living on any natives. This concept does, in fact, connect to the ad. Though the commercial is attempting to make Sandals seem like the most carefree place, the only people living a carefree, schedule-free life are the tourists. The native Jamaicans are shown entertaining or cooking for the tourists. There seems to be no residents of Jamaica snorkeling or enjoying the nature. This inequality connects to the belief of manifest destiny because it shows how the natives have been forced to leave their home and work for the tourists. This creates a hegemonic cultural hierarchy. In the ad, the speaker describes his ideal place to vacation and Sandals has been molded to fit his ideals. This is similar to manifest destiny because this, judging by his accent, American man travels to a foreign nation and influences the way it is to be structured. The speaker claims, “Once you’re in our world, everything is free.” His “world” is clearly Sandals, yet, at the beginning of the ad, he described Sandals as his place to vacation. So, in fact, the speaker is a tourist claiming Sandals as his own “world.” This demonstrates the imperialistic aspect of manifest destiny. The political message of the ad is hegemonic in the fact that this man culturally influences a place, then claims it as his own, showing his imperialistic domination. In this way, Sandals really is just an extension of the expansion of America.

            The romanticism of the ad provides the viewer with three main theories: the theory of beauty through the images shown, the theory of knowledge through the speaker’s desire for natural piety and the theory of politics through the imperialistic language used. The romanticism in this ad makes the viewer mesmerized by such beautiful sights of the ocean and the beaches, making the viewer want to connect to the land and return to the state of nature Rousseau discusses, but also promotes a hegemonic ideology closely aligned with manifest destiny.