Peter Menzel and Faith D’Aloisio, Images From Hungry Planet: What the World Eats, 2005 April 12, 2010

It’s fascinating to see what families survive and live off of in different countries. With the Natomo family, they barely have enough to eat especially considering that they have to feed 15 mouths. Also, notice that all of their food is natural and comes from the ground. In contrast, to the Revis family, they are a family of four and have more than triple of what the Natomo family has for a week and all of the food is processed and packaged.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), Fur is Dead Poster, 2007

This poster demonstrates excellent use of ethos and pathos. Kate Ford is promoting the advocacy group. She is a British model and actress, which makes the audience think this must be important. The color red dominates the poster and symbolizes blood. Kate’s expression shows anger and disgust of what people do to get rabbits fur. The text is effective by saying “Try telling him its just a bit of fur trim.” This can hit people’s emotions and have them think twice about buying anything made of fur.

“HeadOn: Apply directly to the forehead.” April 3, 2010

I remember watching the commercial for this product. I thought it was absolutely ridiculous what the claim pitched. How on earth can this gel stick make headaches go away?! The girl that is shown using it doesn’t even seem to have a headache at all. She has a smile on her face and using prim and proper hand gestures to put it on. However, the use of repetition of the catch phrase made viewers remember the product. Therefore, shoppers are more likely to buy it.

Groups and Ethnicities March 31, 2010

What does identity mean? Is it where you’re from? Who your parents are? What you’ve done? There are literally billions of ways to classify a person. But does it all matter? I don’t think there is a point in labeling anything about anyone. None of us are completely alike. Sure, we may have several things in common, but there is only one true identity. And that is yourself.

Gallery: Representations of Identity

Dorothea Lange, Drought Refugees Camping by the Roadside, 1936

This photograph was taken during the roughest times in America. Having the color tones set to black and white alone give the image a “dirtier” feel. The mother holding her child has a look of despair and desperation. She is also no looking at the camera, only to whats beyond. On the other hand, the man is slouched on the table looking straight at the camera. He expresses the sense of lost hope and giving up.

Pepsi Advertisement Featuring David Beckham, 2004

The ad for Pepsi shows soccer player David Beckham in leather armor with a Pepsi logo and holding a brown hand made soccer ball. The lighting is set to cast a shadow on Beckham’s right side giving him an even more grimacing expression. On the bottom right, the ad says, “Let battle commence” and “Dare for More”. All of these feature gives the notion that if you drink Pepsi, you will be a warrior and risky to challenge.

Jim Borgman, I Want to Be…, 1998

Jim’s cartoon depicts how society has lead young girls to think they have to look a certain way to be seen as beautiful. The age when these thoughts are appearing gets lower each year.

Love Me Tender Movie Poster 1956

The movie poster predominately advertises that Elvis Presley will be featured. His drawing takes up the majority of the poster, while everyone else is about two thirds smaller. So of the King of Rock and Roll is in the movie, it must be good right?

Judy Syfers-Brady, “Why I Want a Wife”, 1971

The essay points out all of the expectations that many men have/had for their wives. They basically took care of anything and everything that needed or wanted to be done. In the meantime, the men did as they pleased and got whatever they wanted.

Razanne Doll and Muslim Girl, 2003

This Muslim girl and doll would be a culture shock to most American girls. The usually see a blonde doll dressed in a bikini with toned muscles and enhanced feature. This girl is adoring her fully clothed, “average” looking doll.

Edward Hopper, Nighthawks, 1942

I love to go to diners. I always feel welcomed and have a good time at them. This diner shows a couple

Choosing a Genre and Structure March 28, 2010

Writing a Description

• Know the difference between showing and telling your reader. Use a combination of both for pacing, priority, and space.
• Think about all five senses (sigh, sound, taste, smell, and touch).
• Avoid descriptive clichés.

Writing a Narrative

• Open with an incident, build a climax, and end with action/comment/observation.
• Provide your readers with background information.
• Use dialogue!

Writing a Comparison and/or Contrast Project

• Introduce what you will compare/contrast and what you will be demonstrating.
• Explain how you chose the subjects you are comparing/contrasting.
• Purposefully compare/contrast things with evidence.

Writing a Report

• Convey information by answering who, what, where, when, how and why.
• Write “plain”
• Make sure all of your facts are 100% up to date, correct, and documented.

Writing a Response or Position Paper

• Thoroughly read the text and use your own reaction and response.
• Make connections with similar texts.
• Using first person is recommended.

Preparing a Problem/Solution Project

• Describe the problem by answering who, what, where, when, how and why.
• Explain why it needs to be solved. What attempts have been made as well as failures?
• Describe your solution and its advantages.

Writing a Rhetorical Analysis

• Know the subject backwards and forwards.
• Ethos, pathos, or logos?
• Focus in a specific claim about the subject.
• Give background information.

Reaching An Audience

When you are writing, you must always think about who will be reading your work. The language, style, and tone should be appropriate in order to convey the right message. Also, choosing how much to inform your audience with background information can influence the audiences’ response. Once you have your work done, earning the interest of the audience is the next step. This can be done with pictures, videos, or even Web presentations.

Choosing a Subject or Focus March 24, 2010

I think it’s really interesting that when we write or even talk about something that interests us, we don’t freak out about what to write next. Our ideas just flow from us. On the contrast, writing about the history of grass may seem like Chinese water torture for most people.

When choosing a topic for a project, dig further within the subject. If you  choose too much of a general idea, it would take you forever to complete. Knowing the reason and purpose is important as well. This is known as the thesis statement and it is used to “sum up” what it is you are writing.

The Campaign For Real Beauty Background February 28, 2010

The Dove Campaign for Real Beauty was started in 2004 to change the narrow stereotypes of beauty for women. The ads featured real everyday women that weren’t the typical model type figure. Later, in 2007, Dove launched another campaign to change the views about women and aging. I think Dove started something wonderful. Everyday, young girls and women around the world are bombarded by society’s expectations on how they should look. We have a skewed image of what real, true beauty is. This causes many self-esteem issues. I was shocked that only 2% of women around the world think that they are beautiful.

Gallery: Messages In The Media February 24, 2010

Got Milk?, 2004: Oh yea, he’s a hottie! BMX bicyclist Dave Mirra is advertising milk. The intention is to have more people drink milk for health and strong bones. Using Mirra as a spokesperson is a great way to get active teens attentions. Young boys can see this and think “This will make me indestructible too.”

Crowd Gathered Around an Outdoor TV Set in India, 1996: When I looked at this picture, I saw how much we take for granted. Even though I don’t watch TV often, I can still watch it whenever I want. These people gather together to enjoy television and take part in each other’s company.

CNN/YouTube Democratic Presidential Debate, 2007: This got me thinking: Pretty soon, we are going to have to get out of bed because everything will be done online.

Personality Identification Playing Cards, U.S. Army, 2003: These are very clever. Soldiers could be playing a simple game of Go Fish when out of the blue, Abdul Rahman Yasin shows up. But wait is it really him? Let me check the cards. It is! Shoot him down boys!

Lewis Hine, Girl Worker in Cotton Mill, 1908: This is a fascinating picture. It shows the intricacies of a cotton mill but at the same time, the crudeness of child labor.

Philip Greenberg, Viagra Model Car: NASCAR isn’t my cup of tea. I don’t understand the point of driving 200 miles per hour around a round track 200 times. However, NASCAR has advertisements galore.

Human Rights Watch Web Site, 2008: With the Internet, we are completely connected and have access to great amounts of information.

Princess Mononoke Still, 1997: I love seeing movies and books in “classic” cartoon style. I think it gives it a more artistic and authentic character. Though I’m not a big fan of anime, I believe it is a form of literacy.

All of these pictures attract a certain group of people, each with a different purpose.