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- EA 1: Analyze an advertising image Choose an image from print, Internet, or television advertising and, using the points from pages 22-26 in Petracca and Sorapure, write an essay in which you analyze the image. Be careful and original when choosing your image, as some might lead to more self-evident conclusions than others (a picture of a model draped over a Corvette, for example, conveys a pretty obvious message). In your pre-writing analysis, consider the context in which the image appeared and why this is significant. Also consider the image in terms of its intended audience (age, social class, ethnicity, education, and assumed beliefs/knowledge). What is the overt message, and what are some of the less obvious ones? What psychological and emotional needs are targeted in this image? If it is a well-known image, there might be something already written about it, so consider reading what others have said. Remember, however, that you want to find sources which are reliable in their analyses. Eventually, of course, you must make a point (thesis) about the image. Perhaps you will have an opinion about this before you begin your analysis, or maybe your opinion will come as a result of your inquiry. Remember that your thesis should not be an obvious point, or one that we have heard before (the thin model compelling young women to anorexia, for example). A good essay will point out the subtle aspects of the image, which will only come from serious and in-depth study. You will have to learn to navigate a UCM library database for this assignment. In particular, you will need to learn to use MELVYL. You will also be expected to take notes from your research, write an informal outline, and learn drafting and revision processes. Since this is your first essay, you will have more time for this assignment than for any other writing assignment this semester. It is expected that the research skills you acquire for this assignment will be employed for your other writing assignments throughout the term. The information you seek will depend on the direction your thesis takes. For example, if you write about how an image appears to encourage responsible drinking but actually targets underage drinkers, you might follow this up with some statistics about underage drinking. On the other hand, if you find an article through MELVYL in which another author has written about the same image you are analyzing, you might want to quote that author to support a point. The critical aspects of this assignment are the inquiry and thesis. Once these have been attended to, the rest of the assignment will fall more easily into place. Remember that once you have completed your MELVYL research, you will need to select the information that helps to develop or support your argument. You are allowed to work with a class partner on the research and inquiry part of this assignment, and in fact I encourage you to do so. If you choose to do this, you will of course write about the same image. This is a research-based essay. In the spirit of academic inquiry, I expect you to go beyond the ordinary information you will find in online websites and encyclopedias. See the requirements below for more details. Minimum Requirements (you may exceed these requirements if you choose): • Two sources from UCM databases (MELVYL or some other database in our library) • MLA format and documentation • Three pages minimum of text (not including a copy of the image) • A written summary of the image and the image itself, embedded in the essay • Preface
