Tuesday, October 10th, 2023

Inside/Outside the White House

A House or Home

There are three photos of the White House.

Photo 1 : We can see President Kennedy playing in the Oval Office with his
children (Katherine and John John). The scene takes place in 1962. Here, the
WH is a home, Kennedy wants to show he’s a father and a President at the
same time. He cares for his family and for his people.Even if everything is
staged, Kennedy wanted to give a new/modern image of presidency.

Photo 2 : We can see President Trump sitting at his desk in the Oval Office,
he’s smiling. His wife, the First Lady is standing next to him. They look very
official, there’s the Star-Spangled Banner in the background.
Trump wants to convey the image of a President who is authoritarian, a
President who works. It illustrates public space, it’s a working space.

Photo 3 : We can see people protesting in front of the White House in 2018.
The WH is called the People’s House, here it’s a public space, a house.

The first quote by William Seale means that the WH is a theatre, the
President is compared with an actor on stage and the US people are
compared with the audience. It’s a historic and public place where the show
never stops (curtain).

The second quote by Truman, former President of the USA means that the
WH is like a prison, it’s beautiful, the First Family can feel under scrutiny and
can feel locked/trapped in it. ( security services/body guards…).