PEACE CORPS IN THE 21 ST CENTURY: A RHETORICAL ANALYSIS

88Figure 3.18 Figure 3.19The pictures of the elderly women are both tight shots of the women, showinglittle of the background world around them. There is no mistaking their age or theirtraditional dress. These elderly women reinforce the pre-modern mentality whichincludes exotic or traditional dress. The vibrant colors in image 3.18, including thewoman’s dress and jewelry, are cultural implements that represent a bit of the culturalstyle of another world.The elderly women in these photos bring to the fore an association betweenculture and age. In many cultures around the globe, wisdom is assumed to be embodiedin its elders, and the elderly hold an authoritative position in some cultures. The elderlyhave a cultural memory that is to be held sacred. However, in the case of the images onthe web site, the elderly represent a tight grip on the past and on pre-modern society. Theelderly are rarely used for recruitment because they represent another time.AnimalsMultiple images of animals show up in Peace Corps’ visual rhetoric. Animals,much like the images of children, display an innocence in the culture. For example, inFigure 3.21, a pig hides behind a piece of lace, revealing only an eye and a seeming smile