English 101

Assignment for Wednesday’s class (10/11):

In order to work through some of the ideas we have been discussing in class -in particular, Susan Douglas’s notion of “deconstructing” the messages of advertisements- I would like each of you to do the following in your blogs:

• First, examine the two images from adflip.com below and explain the different approach (or argument) each advertisement uses in selling their product. How might our understanding of these particular examples within a historical context (think Berger here) help us to analyze the ways in which advertisements reflect a world view? Be specific in your analysis of the ads, taking into consideration the specific time period, aesthetic, approach and message (both explicit and implicit).

• Second, do your own search through adflip.com or some other advertisement database on the web. Locate two additional ads from different time periods that are selling the same (or similar) products. Make an argument, based on your selection, about the different ways in which advertisements sell products through selling consumers a value system. What is the particular value system in your ads? How does it change over time? What does it suggest about Douglas’s call for closely reading (and/or deconstructing) advertisements?

There is no maximum or minimum length, simply the expectation that you will closely consider, engage and respond to these prompts in earnest.