http://ivysays.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/sexist-arbys.jpg
It's a pretty apt name for the ad I chose. It immediately grabs (ha) your attention with the two hands clutching two immediately recognizable objects - Arby's Roastburger. This ad infers sex for both genders - women can be more attractive, and men can be slightly luckier, if they buy a couple of the new menu items from Arby's. It's a classic example in which the advertisers are selling more than a product - they're trying to tap the pathos through humor and slight sexual inference. Logos is addressed where the fine print lets the reader know where they attain these lifestyle-altering products. Unfortunately, there is no real context of character in the ad - but, that in itself may be a test of character in that the advertiser is trying to make the product universal, or comment on the largely bland personality of mainstream America, where it is most likely to display an English print ad with such sexual advocacy.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Sunday, August 28, 2011
the Collective
Never assume you know exactly what everyone else is thinking...
http://xkcd.com/610/
In this cartoon, irony is the primary mover and shaker. The cartoon's anonymous author obviously wanted to convey a couple of messages:
1) There is a collective conscious, a collective mindset and general trend of ideas for groups of similar people. The general idea here is that everyone is "asleep" in the sense that they don't make their own decisions, that they are all subject to influence of forces that the subjects feel they are above the influence of.
2)We are all subject to these influences, it is blindingly obvious, and we are all deluding ourselves by thinking otherwise.
The evident irony is part of the dark, bleak humor associated with many cartoons depicting society. It appears that the train car depicted is full of people who belive they're the only "real" human left, potentially lending a hand to the prominance of technology in everyday life, for almost every individual.
http://xkcd.com/610/
In this cartoon, irony is the primary mover and shaker. The cartoon's anonymous author obviously wanted to convey a couple of messages:
1) There is a collective conscious, a collective mindset and general trend of ideas for groups of similar people. The general idea here is that everyone is "asleep" in the sense that they don't make their own decisions, that they are all subject to influence of forces that the subjects feel they are above the influence of.
2)We are all subject to these influences, it is blindingly obvious, and we are all deluding ourselves by thinking otherwise.
The evident irony is part of the dark, bleak humor associated with many cartoons depicting society. It appears that the train car depicted is full of people who belive they're the only "real" human left, potentially lending a hand to the prominance of technology in everyday life, for almost every individual.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Rhetoric
It's everywhere. Every day, when I open my laptop, I see a triangle that persuades me that college life makes true satisfaction unobtainable. Incredibly simple and quite direct, it is the easiest example of rhetoric out there. Here's a link: http://28.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lcqa6gsOF31qepdiso1_500.jpg
It represent's every college kid's main predicament: contrary to popular belief, we're not superheroes, and there is a hard limit at twenty-four hours per day. As such, there is never enough time to do the three main things - make good grades, have friends, and obtain adequate sleep. I won't break the numbers down, but you get the idea: with such limited time, it is not probable to do all three of these things with anything more than mediocrity, unless two are focused upon and one is ignored.
However, rhetoric isn't limited to my laptop. It pervades the advertisement industry and even everyday conversations - trying to convince a friend to go talk to a girl, persuading a teacher to help you out, and even responding to someone simply because you believe that it will elevate your stature somehow. Everyone is trying to persuade everyone else that they are "cooler" than they really are, and it's all smoke and mirrors.
It represent's every college kid's main predicament: contrary to popular belief, we're not superheroes, and there is a hard limit at twenty-four hours per day. As such, there is never enough time to do the three main things - make good grades, have friends, and obtain adequate sleep. I won't break the numbers down, but you get the idea: with such limited time, it is not probable to do all three of these things with anything more than mediocrity, unless two are focused upon and one is ignored.
However, rhetoric isn't limited to my laptop. It pervades the advertisement industry and even everyday conversations - trying to convince a friend to go talk to a girl, persuading a teacher to help you out, and even responding to someone simply because you believe that it will elevate your stature somehow. Everyone is trying to persuade everyone else that they are "cooler" than they really are, and it's all smoke and mirrors.
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