Analyzing Psy

The music video is very random. In the beginning of the video there is a plane, which made me think that he was travelling to a foreign country. I thought that he might have been going on vacation because it shows him sitting on a beach with a playground. I also noticed him in a sauna, which means he is just relaxing and living a comfortable lifestyle. Other things I noticed were a nice car, a yoga class, a train, and a boat. I think the video is about his life as a rock star, and his ability to get any girl he desires.

Peer Review Anti-Ad Reflections

This peer review went well. It was interesting to read how other people approached the assignment. I was not especially surprised with the suggestions my reviewer gave me to improve my paper. Since I was unsure about how to approach my anti-ad, I just decided to write down everything that I thought was wrong with the advertisement. I also was aware that I need to incorporate a credible source to back up my claims against the advertisement. I do like the whole anti-ad pitching step of this writing process, however I do not feel that I had a sufficient enough time to gather my thoughts and write a rough draft. I am confident that I would have a better basis for my paper had the rough draft been due sometimes next week. This would save me a good amount of time in editing my draft. I do plan on making significant changes to my paper to make it more organized and credible. So far my favorite peer review was the first one because I think working in a larger group gives more opinions about how to change the paper. Also I feel that this first review gave us enough time to write the best paper possible.

Corporate American Flag

This spoof ad is appears to be an normal American flag, however instead of the normal stars, there are logos of companies that are omnipresent in American culture. I believe for one to appreciate this ad, he must be aware of the politics behind it to understand the meaning. An average observer of this ad may just assume that the companies are replacing the stars just because they are popular American companies. However, at a deeper level one may understand that the implications behind these logos. The deeper meaning is that these corporations have taken over the American culture, and has so much money while today many Americans have lost their jobs. In this sense, the logos can symbolize the greed and proportional distribution of wealth in the USA.

Magazine Ad

The Ad in the Sports Illustrated that really caught my attention is the advertisement for Planters peanut butter. In the ad, there are two peanut people and one is firing a banana cannon at the other blind folded peanut who is standing in front of a brick wall. In actuality the image of the ad does not have much credibility, aside from the fact that Planters is an established brand. However the ridiculousness of the image is a good way to grab the reader's attention because it is so unusual and funny and it can appeal to the emotion of the reader. Although the picture does not show that the product has much credibility, the there is a caption at the bottom of the ad that describes the picture. By using descriptive wording that describes the new banana infused peanut butter, the text gives the ad credibility, especially because banana and peanut butter is not an unusual combination. Also the text gives the reader logical reasons to purchase the product because it mentions that the peanut butter is nutritious.

Story Editing

There is nothing like finding out school has been cancelled. Kids all over the United States jump for joy when they find out class has been cancelled for the day and they can just stay home and have a day to do whatever they wish. The process in finding out that school is cancelled plays a huge role in the excitement that goes along with the cancellation of classes. First, the night before you log on Facebook and see all of the generic statuses about how everybody “needs this day off.” Suddenly you get your hopes up, but you cannot let yourself believe it just yet so you return to your homework. After an hour you decide to take the gamble. You decide to neglect the rest of your assignments and watch TV. Before going to bed that night, you have a slightly uneasy feeling in your stomach because you know if school is not cancelled, you might be “screwed.” The moment of truth comes either when your mother wakes you up to tell you school is cancelled, when you take it into your own hands to go downstairs and turn on the television, or when you wake up in the afternoon. Nevertheless finding out that school has been cancelled is quite the relief. But what if finding out that school is cancelled had the exact opposite effect? What if the reason school was cancelled was not just because of the concerns for going outside in unsafe conditions due to the weather? What if the cause of danger was not the weather, but actual people who wanted to kill you? This is the reality for the children of southern Israel. Their school is not cancelled because of inclimate weather, but because of acts of terror from the Gaza Strip. In fact this past week, while everyone in the Northeast was joyful about their classes being cancelled this week due to a hurricane, class was cancelled in the major city, Be’er Sheva, in Southern Israel due to rocket attacks from Hamas, the terrorist organization that controls the Gaza strip. This story is all to common for the children in Southern Israel, and should serve as an example of how lucky we are to be able to walk outside on a beautiful day and attend our classes.

 There is nothing like finding out that school has been cancelled. Kids all over the United States jump for joy when they find out that they have the day to themselves. The process in finding out that school is cancelled plays a huge role in the excitement that goes along with the cancellation of classes.You may find out the night before, or when you wake up early to check the news. You may even find out when you wake up in the afternoon. Nevertheless finding out that school has been cancelled is quite the relief. But what if finding out that school is cancelled had the exact opposite effect? For the children of Southern Israel a clear day can bring the cancellation of class. Instead of weather concerns, terrorist attacks from their neighbors in the Gaza strip are the cause of the cancellation of school. In fact, this past week, while everyone in the Northeast was rejoicing about their classes being cancelled this week due to the hurricane, class was cancelled in the major city, Be’er Sheva, in Southern Israel due to rocket attacks from Hamas, the terrorist organization that controls the Gaza strip. This story is all to common for the children in Southern Israel, and should serve as an example of how lucky we are to be able to walk outside safely to attend school.

Peer Review Feedback

My peer review went exceptionally well.  So far I am confident in my efforts to point out small details in the  Rosie the Riveter icon because, although they may go unnoticed at first glance, there really is a great deal of meaning behind them. An example of this is the small pin on the collar of Rosie the Riveter, and the Michelle Obama version. I am not going to change much about what I have written so far, but it is obvious that I must elaborate on more of my points. For example, I need to incorporate the original Rosie the Riveter into the paper more and make direct connections between that and the Michelle Obama version. I was not confident that I would be able to write enough to reach 7-8 pages, however I feel that if I elaborate more on the points that I already made, and maybe make one more point about the stereotypical roles of women, while providing examples about how Michelle Obama has used her position for the good of the American people then I will have enough words. 

Second Draft Responses

I believe that the advice written on the back of my second draft is very helpful. I really felt like I would have trouble writing 7-8 pages analyzing the "Rosie the Riveter" version of Michelle Obama. Ms. Lang suggested that I analyze the original "Rosie the Riveter" first. I am happy that she wrote this because I thought that I had to just stick to analyzing the Michelle Obama version. I feel that if I include analysis about the original poster, I would not only have more to write about, but also I would be able to support my analysis of the Michelle Obama version better. Another suggestion was to avoid stereotypes. While I should avoid stereotypes, I believe a main purpose of the actual icon is to disprove a stereotype and inspire women. For this suggestion, I will ask Ms. Lang to explain a little more about what she means. Overall I am fairly happy with the responses to this second draft. It is reassuring to know that I am on the right track, after a great deal of doubt about how I would approach this paper.