"The Parable of the Ring around the Collar"

For this assignment I chose to do three advertisements about frozen entrees, because they were the ones that really stuck out to me and actually related to Neil Postman's beginning, middle and end parables. The first ad I found was about Ore-Ida Steam n' Mash potatoes. The parable's beginning was basically a picture of a potato peeler with a phrase next to it saying, "give your potato peeler a time out." Then the middle would be on the bottom left where it says "a new way to make real mashed potatoes, and it introduces the item. The end parable is just the picture of the actual bag and the potatoes in a bowl showing the items used to make them. I thought this one was the best at showing Postman's idea, because it did have a beginning middle and end even though it was just showing frozen food. This one ad really showed people who have busy lives, that they can create a nice meal once in a while without the hassle, that's how it worked its magic on consumers. But, this definitely shows that our society is getting a bit lazy or maybe just the fact that moms are just to busy to make long homemade meals anymore.

The second ad that popped out at me was a bagel bites one. It has a girl sitting at a table with two plates in front of her, one with the bagel bites and one with pizza rolls. So, that is obviously the beginning, basically saying which one will she choose or would you choose? Then under the bagel bites it says "zero trans fat," while under the pizza rolls it says "more than you want," which states that the bagel bites are better for you and less in everything. Then at the bottom of the page it shows the brand name and what they have in them and how your snack choice just got easier; clearly showing the parable's end. The entire ad just catches your eye, especially if you're a mom looking out for a child and the food looks good, so you want to know why it's on the page. Although, in terms of society I think this shows that we are not that concerned about the food that go in our bodies, because after really taking a good look at this ad it was talking about giving bagel bites to your children as snacks rather than something healthier.

Then the third ad I did was about skillet meals from TGI Friday's. It is actually a very simple advertisement when looking at it; the only way they catch your eye is with the bold red and white stripes across the page and the bag of food smack dab in the middle. So, our beginning is the in all capital letters phrase at the top of the page saying,"turn on taste buds you never knew you had." With that phrase you think, okay with what? Then you look down, showing the parable's middle is the skillet bag with a picture of a meal on front of it. Then at the bottom, being the parable's end is a phrase saying, "eat bold, not bland." This all captures the audience's eyes by showing that nothing is bland with this meal according to the colors and big letters you see, everything is out there and tastes good and different. As for society I would say it is just like the first ad most people don't have time to make homemade meals, so when they see this meal in a bag, they think why not? Society has definitely changed over the years and advertisements had to change with it, and that's just the way it goes. Nobody is perfect; not everyone can sit at the table every night eating a home cooked meal or grab a snack that is better for them, it's just the way society is.

Ad Gallery

I chose to write about the car advertisements in the gallery, because they were the ones that really caught my eye. Each one showed what the car could do for the person. One being that you will be able to do all the major sports you set out to do, and the other being that moms don't have to stay at home now that they have this great car. I noticed that in both ads the phrase had everything to do with the action in the picture. In the truck ad there was a mountain climber in focus with the phrase "no boundaries all new ford explorer sport trac," meaning that not only does the climber have no boundaries but the truck has none either, which would make some athlete very happy. Then the other one has a mom and kids slightly out of focus and the van in the background, with the phrase "what idiot coined the phrase stay at home mom?" This shows that any mom can take their kids out if they have the right car. I just think they made these ads perfect, fitting them to the specific audience they wanted and making them inviting and likable.

"Sex as a Symbol in Fashion Avertising"

I found an advertisement in Woman's Day magazine for a yogurt shot that helps remove cholesterol, it is called SuperShots. The entire advertisement creates a very happy and bright mood, leaving you wanting to buy the product in the end. Most of the information on the ad is scientific or more facts than anything, letting us know that this is a sure thing. At the top of the page in capital green letters are the words "removes cholesterol,"catching your attention right away. There is a lot of white space surrounding a stethoscope with the supershot bottle in front of it and two strawberries. The stethoscope makes it seem like doctors approve it or it really is good for your health, and the fact that there is strawberries made me want it even more. Right underneath the graphic is the scientific fact that out of 310 cardiologists, 4 out of 5 endorsed the product for cholesterol from the nutritional information. At the bottom of the page is a portion of green with a picture of the package the bottles come in and some more information. To me the green actually makes me feel like this product is really good, because green is such a bright and warm color. I think there are some cultural attitudes that are indirectly reflected here, because practically everyone now wants to make the effort to become healthy, and the ad reaches out to all those people.

Cell Phones

For my topic, I chose to do text messaging. It is a very broad topic right now, but I haven't yet decided what I am going to narrow it down to. The four sources I chose were the essays given to us, and I am also planning on looking for additional ones. Some things I learned about my topic, from reading the essays were that cell phones have definitely taken over our lives and texting has become the new rage with kids and adults. We cannot take cell phones lightly, because they are apart of our lives and we have become attached to them.

The first essay I chose to read was "The Affliction," because it discussed the fact that cell phones have made people rude, and have seriously taken over society. When we don't have our phones on us, we feel "naked" and that is hard to think about. The fact that we rely on our cell phones everyday of our lives is just crazy. The second one I read was "Our Cell Phones, Ourselves," which talked about how we always reach for our phones when put in uncomfortable situations. I liked it because it said that our cell phones are used for security, making us feel safe in times of need. In the third essay I read, "Text Messaging as a Toy or Tool," it discussed the topic of kids using texting as a reason to get away, it is private. Parents can't read the texts as they walk by, so kids are able to talk to friends right out in the open. Lastly, the fourth essay, "U R 2 Old" says that texting gives the child a separate life away from the parents. But, more parents are learning to text so they can be more close with their child and stay in touch with them. For me, all these essays really helped in seeing the different view about cell phones and texting, and how this specific technology has taken over adults and children everywhere.

"The First Technological Revolution and Its Lessons"

After reading "The First Technological Revolution and Its Lessons," by Peter Drucker I was very confused at the beginning because it kept talking about irrigation cities and I didn't quite understand what Drucker was trying to say about them. But, then I realized that irrigation cities are what started the "technological revolution." Drucker discussed the fact that technology just keeps expanding and there is always going to be social and political issues when it comes to new advances in technology. If technology continues to advance, I'm sure it will cause more social and political issues, just by the fact that it already causes people to not talk to others and be completely unsocial. Text messaging has become the new rage and talking has gone out the window.

Technology is definitely moving up and it is a little scary to think what the world will be like in the future after seeing all the technology they have come up with so far. New devices keep coming into our stores everyday, like the iPhone, a touch screen computer, newer ipods, and it gets harder and harder to keep up. One has to wonder, what will they come up with next, what will the future hold?

Great American Vacation Destinations

The three videos I chose from "America at Leisure," were Claremont Theatre, The Roller Skate Craze, and Basketball, Missouri Valley College. When I watched the Claremont Theatre video, it was interesting to me that the people dressed up for the movie, so in that sense it was more like a play. Similarly, the movie is played throughout the day and people are always together and talking when they come out of the theatre. I think one of the emotions that is brought up when going to the theaters is excitement, because you want to see the movie and you are glad to be with friends and family. The next video, Roller Skate Craze, showed clips of people skating around town, falling, being with friends. Things have definitely changed since back then, because we now have roller blades, but they aren't even the rage anymore. Roller skates brought up excitement, nervousness, and more. The last video, Basketball, amazed me because the girls were actually wearing dresses while playing. I know when I play basketball, I am happy, but also frustrated when something doesn't go right. The way things were back then are in some ways different than today, but I think most of the similarities come from the emotions we get when doing them.

So, I was very excited to watch the Disneyland video, because Disneyland is a huge part of my life. I have never been to Disney World, but most of the things there look very similar to Disneyland. When tourists visit this magical place, I think they have the best time, because they get all they expected and more. They have a ride that takes you around a tour of the entire park, stores galore and rides for both children and adults. Every time I go to Disneyland, it seems like there is always something new and I always have the greatest time. I think it has only changed a little bit since back then, because they have tried to keep that magical feeling. Some things that have changed is the rides, some have become more like movies to keep people interested, and prices have certainly gone up. Other than those things, I think the park has stayed exactly the same. I used to go to the park every summer of my life, it stopped at the beginning of high school, but I have gone a few times since then, and it never gets old to me. Whether your a teenager or an adult, once you step into Disneyland, you become a child all over again.

"Why We Travel..."

While reading this article I was having a hard time understanding the last half of it because it began turning into metaphors about travelling and the different meanings and I just wasn't getting what Pico Iyer was saying. But, I did understand the beginning and his thoughts about travel. When we travel, we like to forget our troubles and just "lose ourselves to find ourselves." We like to see a new setting from what we are always seeing on a day to day basis, allowing us to feel alive and free to do what we please. Then Iyer started talking about tourists and how they can destroy cultures, but also revive them. I totally agree with this, because they take away from the culture's uniqueness, but they also allow them to show their skills when making things for tourists to buy. Travelling does many things for people, including changing our moods and states of mind.

I can say that travelling is a big part of my life, not that I go outside of the United States, but I do love to travel. When I travel it takes away so much stress in my life, allowing me to be in a happy mood the entire trip. I think I also love to travel because it gets me away from home life, and puts me into a completely different environment where there are new sights to see. I think everyone should travel every once in while; it not only gives you a different outlook on the world, but also relieves you of normal life situations.