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Essay #1 - Consumerism and Advertising
DeAnza College, EWRT2 Critical Thinking
Lydia Hearn
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Essay #1
Fall 2002
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UNIT 1 – CONSUMERISM AND ADVERTISING |
Assignment:
Write a 3-4 page essay that provides a semiotic analysis on one of the text options noted below (e.g. advertisement, shop, package, toy). Construct a specific and argumentative thesis statement that makes an assertion about what the text tells the viewer about American culture or the American consumer.
For example, you might assert that “Advertisers try to appeal to the consumer’s paradoxical need to excel and the need to be like everyone else.” Then by analyzing the text you have selected, you will support your thesis statement. Other support should include ideas and assertions from the articles we have read for this unit as they relate to your argument.
- Select 1-2 ads and provide a semiotic analysis of the ads. You should address the following questions: Do the advertisements appeal to similar or different needs? Do they use similar signs to present these appeals? Are they directed to the same or different audiences? How are the signs in the advertisements used to convey a message to the audience? (Include the advertisement when you submit your essay.)
- Select a product. Compare and contrast the packaging of 2-3 different brands of that product. What are some of the similarities and differences? Do not provide merely a literal comparison/contrast; instead, discuss what these elements of packaging suggest about our cultural practices and beliefs. Do we also “package” ourselves in a similar manner? To whom do we “package” ourselves and in what ways?
- Analyze semiotically a store (preferably in a mall). Discuss how the store uses certain signs to appeal to a specific group or demographic. Consider different aspects such as layout, space, store name, personnel, etc.
- Select a toy or game to analyze. Discuss ways in which children are socialized through the toy or game. How do gender, race, and/or class figure into the games?
Objectives:
- To think critically about the way in which America has become a consumer culture.
- To think critically about the signs that are used in the world of consumerism use and to provide a semiotic analysis of a text from that world.
- To utilize other writers’ theories to help support and/or to articulate your own opinions and disagreements with those writers.
- To provide a central thesis statement and to support that thesis statement with evidence from your analysis.
Logistics:
- Must be typed and double-spaced with 1" margins on all sides.
- Standard 12 pt. font should be used.
- Papers must be a minimum of three pages in length (not including the heading, title, or any supporting graphics). Number all pages except for the first one.
- The paper is due on Wednesday, October 9, 2002 in class. The revision (post-peer review workshop) is due on Friday, October 11, 2002 in class. If you arrive to class five minutes late on either day, your paper will be considered late.
Related Articles:
- Solomon, Jack. “Masters of Desire: The Culture of American Advertising”
- Gladwell, Malcolm. “The Science of Shopping”
- Hine, Thomas. “What’s in a Package”
- Scanlon, Jennifer. “Boys-R-Us: Board Games and the Socialization of Young Adolescent Girls”
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