Cartoon Analysis

http://cagle.msnbc.com/news/LindsayLohan/main.asp
"Lindsay's Crazy Life"

As depicted in the cartoon, the only person that is concerned with Lindsay Lohan’s wellbeing is a strange, old woman, opposed to the large younger fan base she used to have. Since she has continually been making poor decisions, everyone that used to look up to her as a successful young star, are no longer her followers. This picture also shows that the average American is more concerned with celebrities in the media than our war heroes. This is shown by the caskets with American flags draped over them and the text “who cares”. American citizens should care a lot more about our soldiers willing to give their lives for the country than an immature celebrity who gets in a drunk accident with a light post. The car crash tells us a few things. First, the Mercedes and wine, both a nice car and nice alcohol, show that she has a lot of money. Lindsay is not actually in the cartoon, conveying that she is above the law and the rules don’t really apply to her. Lastly, crashing into a light post shows how it is completely her fault.


Caitlin, Rachel, Janine, Katie, Grace

Economy Troubles

Outline

-plane falling from sky-plane = economy
-the passengers are frantic and don't know what to do- American people panicking about the economy
-the caption shows the pilot's downplaying of the situation
-luggage falling out- meaning that the American people are "losing everything."
-The plane represents the 9/11 attack, which is already associated with tradgety in the minds of the American people

This political cartoon represents many powerful images relevant to today's economic issues. First, the plane, with the words ECONOMY written in bold letters insinuates that our economy is indeed crashing. The passengers are representing all American's in that we do not know what to do and are in a state of panic, just as they are frantic in the picture. The pilots of the plane are also frantic, which illustrates that the leaders of our government are not taking charge of the situation and the caption further illustrates that they are down playing the severity of the problem. The luggage falling helplessly out of the plane shows the effects of the economic problems. Even today, many Americans are facing tighter budgets and are having to make many financial sacrifices. Finally, the image of the plane strikes emotion with many people in the association with the 9/11 tragedy and it is a direct comparison of how bad things were then and how bad things might get now.

Group members: Candace, Dave, James, Kelley, Rhett, and Meisha

In Class Writing-Visual Rhetoric Outline

1. Please read the article Tapping into the American Psyche: Using Bird Flue to Critique the American Government in EID p. 24-27 in group.

2. Summarize the argumentation structure of that article.

3. Pick up a cartoon picture from this website: http://cagle.msnbc.com/ and write an outline and a short paragraph of visual rhetoric analysis on that cartoon

4. Post your outline and paragraph on class blog and do a presentation (remember to note your groupmates' names)

James Newhart
Observation #1
This ad is a 1997 Apple commercial called “Think Different No. 1” that was used to sell a new version of Mac coming out. This commercial was a narration and an analogy because it told a story about people and how they changed the world and then made this narration an analogy to how the product from apple would change the world.

Observation 1

I found in this particular Macintosh ad, the differences between Macintosh and Windows processors are compared. During the ad the differences between the two computer processors are compared through narration, compare-contrast, and description. In the commercial the appearance of the Macintosh representative is a young, well-dressed man who is compared to the Windows representative who is an older, awkard looking man. The difference in the appearance of the two representatives shows the viewers how Macintosh is the newer greater version compared to the newer, but not comparable version of Windows. In the commercial the narration of the two representatives argues the differences and the advantages that Macintosh has against Windows. During the narration, the comparisons and the contrasts describe how the Macintosh processors are easier and less stressful to use compared to the Windows processors.

Observation 1

As Janine explained, the commercial we chose was a Chevy Silverado commercial with Howie Long. We found it particularly persuasive for a few reasons. First, Howie Long, a famous, familiar face, drew our attention. Second, the small crash between the two trucks made it both dramatic and relatable; everyone's been in a fender bender before and they're always a hassle. Lastly, it had us both laughing, as Howie Long took a shot at the other drivers manhood and choice of truck. The argumentative strategies chosen for this commercial were both convincing and memorable.

Summary--Observation 1

Good. Everyone has posted Observation 1 on time, except for James. But he didn't have time for the assignment since he just joined in our class. Let's welcome him and I will see you in class today.

Observation 1

Rachel and I used a Macintosh commercial that we found on the Apple website. It compared Macs to PCs using comedy and persuasion. The guy representing the PC was in a pizza box trying to appeal to college students, while the guy representing the Mac was just standing there. The PC pointed out all the benefits of a Mac versus a PC, and was trying to trick Mac users into using PCs. The commercial was effective because it presented good points about Macs through comedy and appealed to college students by appealing to their lifestyle.

Observation 1

The commercial Grace and I chose was shown during the NFL playoff game between the Chargers and Steelers. In this commercial Howie Long’s, NFL Hall of Famer, Silverado truck is hit by a Dodge truck. Howie then steps out of his car and goes and talks to the driver of the Dodge truck. When he goes to his car he comments on how the driver of the car has a heated steering wheel and manicured nails. After Howie notices this he goes “Oh well it figures since you’re driving a Dodge”. He says this implying that the Dodge is a sissy truck and that his Silverado is the more masculine truck. This commercial’s speaker or author is General Motors and it uses a comedy to persuade the audience that the Silverado is the better truck. The media is a visual rhetoric and the audience is the viewers of the commercial.

Observation 1

I watched a pepsi commercial on AdvertisementAve.com. The commercial was very entertaing and captured your attention because it had the old song "Your cheatin' heart" playing in the background. The commercial played this song because after the guy who worked for the Coke comapny finished stocking Cokes in the refrigerator, he went and got a pepsi from the other refrigerator. When the worker grabbed the pepsi, all of the pepsis fell out of the fridge and everyone in the store saw that the Coke worker liked Pepsi better than Coke. The author or maker of the commercial would be the Pepsi Company. The audience of the commercial would be the people all over the world watching it. The commercial was trying to portray the message that Pepsi is better than Coke, and even the people who work for the Coke Company would rather drink Pepsi.

Observation 1

I watched the iPod touch commercial on YouTube and found it very interesting. The commercial used music instead of speaking to get its advertisement across, which I thought was very unique. The song itself was very catchy and used descriptive words like "music" and "touch", which helped emphasize the product. I thought this commercial was especially clever because the song stuck in ones head and was a constant reminder of the new iPod touch and the advertisement itself. Along with the great music selection the ad used only the iPod touch as a colorful visual which made the viewer focus entirely on the product at hand. Overall I think that this commercial was a great combination of musical and visual stimulation that marketed the product the best way that a commercial could. 

Observation 1

Anderson and I found a commercial on www.thetruth.com and found it very interesting.  The commercial dealt with the issues with smoking. It also appeals to the younger generation by using animation.  During the commercial, we found it to be a comical but informative point of view at looking at the consequences of smoking.  The commercial also shows how society is naive to the affects of cigarettes.  This advertisement deals specifically with the number of deaths caused by tobacco in the past year.  It goes on to say that there must have been a "typo" in the number of deaths from smoking cigarettes. Eventually, we learn from the commercial that the facts were actually correct and that cigarettes lead to death. This commercial was made for the public in order to inform them about the truth of smoking cigarettes. It also easily catches the viewers eye by giving information that the public is not usually shown.  Overall, the TV ad was successful in getting the audience's attention and portraying the truth.

Observation 1

Meshia and I choose a Super Bowl commercial by Pepsi featuring Justin Timberlake. The commercial begins with Justin hanging out with some friends and then all of a sudden being mysteriously dragged backwards. Then it shows a girl drinking a Pepsi through a straw. Every time the girl sips her Pepsi, Justin seems to move and gets into amusing accidents, including being dragged across a soccer field of screaming girl fans and getting hit by a car door. Finally, Justin is pulled into the girl’s backyard, where he gets hit by a television that the girl’s father picks-up. The advertisement uses a well-known celebrity to make it more appealing to a wide audience and to influence the audience to buy the product. The commercial uses cause and effect to show that if you buy Pepsi, one can get free stuff such as MP3’s and HDTV’s. The commercial also shows illustration because it shows how to use the product and the impact a user’s life. Illustration is showed in how the girl in the commercial was satisfied because not only did she enjoy her Pepsi, but she also had Justin Timberlake appear right in front of her in her own backyard. Commercial can be found at www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLcgFo0CPss

Observation 1

I watched a commercial for Play60, which is a program sponsored by the NFL that tries to get kids to go outside and play. The commercial grabbed the attention of its audience because the commercial featured Eli Manning showing kids how to throw a spiral. It is pursuasive to kids because it shows kids having fun outside in the commercial. It is also pursuasive to parents because it reminds them that they are responsible for making sure their kids get enough exercise. If Eli Manning has enough time to teach kids about the importance of going outside and getting exercise, then surely you, the common fan/television viewer, have enough time to teach your own kids the same lesson.

Observation 1

Kelley and I watched several Super Bowl commercials on You Tube. We chose to use a commercial that featured Justin Timberlake in an ad for Pepsi. He is minding his own business when he is all of a sudden dragged across town, while we see flashes of a girl drinking Pepsi out of a straw. He is finally dragged all the way to her backyard, after several humorous accidents. The ad is pushing MP3 giveaways from Pepsi. This ad uses a celebrity as the main character, which can sway consumers to buy the product, as well as cause and effect to show consumers that if you buy Pepsi you will get free MP3 downloads. It also insinuates that by using this product you can get Justin Timberlake, even though the chances of that are, in reality, very slim. Finally, this ad is an illustration because it shows how to use the product and the impact it could have on the user. Obviously the Pepsi drinker in the commercial was a highly satisfied customer because not only did she get to enjoy a refreshing Pepsi, but she had Justin Timberlake dragged to her backyard.

Observation 1

Emily and I watched a commercial about the Sunny Side of Truth illustrating the effects of tobacco. The one we picked is an anti smoking commercial showing how smoking cigarettes while pregnant can lead to health effects in the baby. It is an illustration showing how the product can effect the lives of not only mothers but their children too. Many people become addicted to smoking and although they know the effects it can have on their lives they still choose to continue with their addiction rather than trying to break it. However, if women knew the harm it can put on their babies, they may think twice about smoking while pregnant. This commercial encourages women to break their addiction to tobacco and the nicotine in the cigarettes they smoke.
The commercial can be viewed at http://www.thetruth.com/videos/magicalAmount.cfm.

Observation 1

Sarah and I viewed an anti-smoking commercial that was produced by the "Sunny side of Truth" company. The commercial illustrates how smoking can impact the size of a pregnant woman's baby. Strong sarcasm is used by the characters of the commercial to humor someone wanting a healthy, normal-sized infant. The point of the commercial was to show how smoking tobacco can affect the healthiness/size of a woman's infant. It is ironic how the characters of the commercial dance and sing to a happy tune about how small, unhealthy babies are preferred by some women rather than healthy, average sized ones. The authors of the commercial use a TV median to convey an anti-smoking message to their audience based upon the rhetorical situation about smoking having negative effects on pregnancy. The commercial can be found at http://www.thetruth.com/videos/magicalAmount.cfm.

OBSERVATION 1

I found an interesting ad on YouTube about Dove soaps and lotions. It was on Dove's "Pro-age" campaign and the commercial is not like any other commercial I have ever seen about beauty products. This commercial features several nude women around age 60 seated on the ground. They are naked to show their skin, and you can see almost ALL of their skin. The text, "Too old to be an anti-aging ad," repeats several times, after each woman. The commercial ends by saying, "but this isn't anti-age, it's pro-age." This commercial is meant to show the audience that even though one may be old, that there are still products out there for them and not just for beautiful 25 year old women. The audience of this product is obviously older women, and it is meant to make them feel like there is still a product directed at them. You can find this commercial is you log on to YouTube.com and search Dove Pro-age campaign.

Observation 1

Sir P. Jagielski and I worked together on a safer sex commercial ad that we had found which obtains the audience's attention by using a combination of humor and tangible logic. This ad appears as a television ad which is seen by millions and catches their attention by relating a real life situation to an overlooked problem facing many Americans. If the commercial were bland and straight forward then the general goal of the t.v ad may not have been accomplished, or taken as seriously by the general public. Overall, it is a good example of a good influencing ad that makes the viewers think as they finish watching the commercial.

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