Summer Assignment

Man’s Woman

FIAT 500 Abarth |Seduction

Surface Meaning : It begins with a man walking down the street with a cup of coffee. He stops when he sees an attractive woman in a dress and high heels bent over. She catches him staring and walks up to him, angrily yelling in Spanish. She slaps him in the face. Then suddenly, speaking rapid Spanish, she begins to flirtatiously play with the foam in his cappuccino. Some of the foam drops into her cleavage. As they lean in to kiss, the man’s eyes close, and when they open he finds he is actually looking at a car, the new FIAT 500 Abarth.

Advertiser’s Intended Meaning : The advertiser is trying to show that the design of the car is unforgettable. The advertiser was comparing the appeal of the vehicle to the sexual appeal of a beautiful women.

Cultural Meaning : Even though the man could not understand anything the women was saying, he still found her attractive. What the woman was saying was irrelevant to the commercial. Her relevance was to be physically attractive, like the car. When the women disappeared, the man, although surprised, was equally happy to see the car.

 

http://www.womenactionmedia.org/2012/02/06/sexist-super-bowl-ads-of-2012/

Woman’s Man

Old Spice | The Man Your Man Could Smell Like

Surface Meaning : The commercial is introduced with the man saying “Hello ladies.” He is standing in a bathroom with only a bath towel on.  The man goes on to say that if “your man” begins to use Old Spice body wash, he will smell like the man in the commercial.

Advertiser’s Intended Meaning : The advertiser is trying to explain that if a man uses the Old Spice body wash, he will smell like the “manly” man in the commercial.

Cultural Meaning : The man in the commercial is very manly. His body type, facial expressions, and voice all come off as strong and confident. Ladies are more likely to be attracted to men who are indeed manly. “Two tickets to that thing you love.” Him saying this means that he cares about what his woman likes. A man that cares about what his woman likes is the man to be with.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owGykVbfgUE

Women’s Women

Taylor Swift COVERGIRL Natureluxe Makeup

Surface Meaning : Model Taylor Swift is dancing around in a tight gold sequined evening gown. She introduces the new Natureluxe makeup line.

Advertiser’s Intended Meaning : The advertiser is bluntly explaining that with the Natureluxe makeup you will be beautiful, and have a more outgoing personality.

Cultural Meaning : The idea of the commercial was to inspire woman to buy this makeup line. The Natureluxe will “up your beautiful.” The model explains that the makeup will not “weigh you down” with a “light as air feel.” The upbeat music playing in the background encourages one to buy the makeup line and go out and have a good time.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swFJRDbyEoY

Men’s Men

VS i-trim precise razor

Surface Meaning : A fairly attractive young male named Matt is introduced at the beginning of this commercial. A woman is laying in the bed behind him, in what seems to be one of his shirts. He goes on to say how he likes things to be just right, which is why he prefers the i-trim razor. The razor is described precisely. While he is in the bathroom using the i-trim, the women walks by, and becomes distracted by his attractiveness. She then drops whatever she was holding, which makes a loud noise when hitting the floor.

Advertiser’s Intended Meaning : The advertiser is trying to portray an attractive young Australian male as someone who has a fantastic love life, by using the i-trim.

Cultural Meaning : The man is the commercial is made out to be “all that.” He has a perfect figure, great facial structure, and a beautiful girlfriend. The man also has an Australian accent, which is associated with masculinity.  So to say, buying this product will give you great pleasures that will benefit your life.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBw0R3oYS08

Bucket List

A Stolen Life by Jaycee Dugard
While fondly remembering hearing in the news about a girl who was a prisoner for eighteen years, I was suprised to hear she has written a book about the experience. A Stolen Life recounts the story of a young girl who was abducted at a young age and lived an intolerable situation for eighteen years. According to the reviews on this 4.5/5 star book, it is an inspiratonal and touching story.


Chain Reaction by Simone Elkeles
I've always been interested in romance novels, and when I discovered the Chain Reaction series I was appealed to them instantly. When adventures Luis meets Nikki, who is high class and comes off as someone who doesn't need nor want a man in her life, they are instantly attracted to each other.

Strings Attached by Judy Blundell
Love, deceit, intrigue, and murder books have always filled my interest, and those things are exactly what happens when Kat moves to NYC. While leaving her home town in Rhode Island behind, she also leaves her stalker ex-boyfriend as well. Kit meets a man that has agreed to help make her ends meet, with a few favors. What Kat will soon find out is that the man helping her out, is also her ex-boyfriends father. I have read Judy BLundells award winning book What I saw and How I lied, and I'm hoping to enjoy this one as well.

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray
Beauty pagents have always seemed to be a little abhorred to me, to say in the least. By reading the summary of the Printz Award-winning book, it seems to be something I'd enjoy. Fifty beauty queen contestants are being flown to a fun trip in paradise, when the airplane crashes onto a dessert island, leaving the beauty queens with little food, little water, and practically no makeup.

Bitter End by Jennifer Brown
Being in high school, I'm sure every girl hopes to meet a boy and fall in love. When Alex meets Cole, she couldn't be happier about finding her "soulmate." Sadly, the "honeymoon" phase of the relationship comes to an end, and Cole seems to have become obsessive and controling over Alex. Alex must choose between having true love, or being herself again.

Stay by Deb Caletti
So far my bucket list of books have been filled with romance, and this one is no different. Clara's relationship with Christian is intense from the start, but it seems that devotion has soon became obession. Clara ends the relationship, and moves to what she thinks is an unknown location to Christian. This 4.5/5 star book is descibed as "breathtaking" while the tension builds up chapter after chapter.

What Happen to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen
Sarah Dessen has been one of my favorite authors for a couple of years now, I can always seem to relate to something. McClean is having family issues with her mother, and has decided to live with her father. His opening of restaurants causes McClean and him to move often, and each place they go she changes personalites. She is reluctant to form any true attachments to others, until she falls for the boy next door.

Pearl by Jo Knowles
Dealing with a dysfunctional family, I can somehow relate to the craziness going on in this book. Bean and Henry have always been bestfriends, and both have the strangest mothers in town. Bean is in shock when her beloved grandfather Gus. Suddenly a host of family secrets is unleashed, and is now bringing them closer together, almost as fast as it is tearing them apart.

You Against Me by Jenny Downham
The saying has always been; if a boy hurts your sister, you hurt him. Just as; if your brother is accused of something he says he didn't do, you defend him. Mikey's sister claims a boy assaulted her. When Ellie's brother is charged with the offense, things begin to get difficult. When Mikey and Ellie meet, two worlds collide. As reviews say this book is an "inevitable choice between new love and old allegiances," it seems that this is just the kind of romance I'm interested in reading.

Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler
Any relationship that comes to an end always has some kind of reason behind it, some less painful than others. Min and Ed are breaking up, and Min is writing him a letter telling him exactly why it's happening. With the letter, a box is included with meaningful items from their relationship. This book seems very relatable with an experience from my past, with its recognizable high-school moments.

The Titanic

As I lay in my bed, I see the water starting to cover the floor of my room. There isn't a chance for me. I am a poor women who will soon be doused under the ice-cold sea. I think about my family waiting for me in New York, and how I will never see them again. Will I be missed? Or will my absence even be awknowledged? I do know that whoever is to blame for this disaster will have to live with the guilt of this for the rest of their life. All of the families, children, and young couples lives are now ending because of this one mistake. I sit up on the side of my bed, and feel the chill of the water rush over my already benumbed feet. The water is steadily rising, and as I take my last few breathes, I ponder the thought of forgiveness. Can I forgive whoever is to blame? I feel angry, but what does that do for me? To forgive someone for this tragic mistake seems impervious. But honestly... what else can I do?

To forgive and forget.

"An inmate in a concentration camp becomes an assistant to his captors, helping the captors beat prisoners to make them work harder." Does the man deserve forgiveness? "Deserve" is a tricky word. We do not "deserve" forgiveness, but God offers it to us out of love. Therefore, God wants us to forgive others - yes, everyone - because he has given us forgiveness when we didn't deserve it. I believe that being human comes with imperfections, we all mess up, and we all do things we aren't proud of. To forgive someone after they have done something to hurt you is hard. "Forgive and forget" is a common phrase that is often used when a person has been wronged by another individual. Forgiving somebody is not the same as forgetting what happened, though the two things are definitely intertwined. You may be able to forgive the person for the wrong they have done, but you will never be able to forget it.

Repent and be Forgiven

A teenager takes his or her own life to escape adolescent pressures.

Each year tens of thousands of teenagers in the United States alone attempt to take their own life. The Bible gives a fundamental reason why many are in such a state of despair. It explains that we live in “critical times hard to deal with.” People feel the pressures of life with great intensity. (2 Timothy
3:1; Ecclesiastes 7:7) When a person is overwhelmed by life’s anxieties, he may contemplate suicide as a means to escape pain. I believe all sins are forgivable if someone is truly repentent.

Nobody

you sit next to him in class
never speaks, or interferes with others
he's oblivious like the air you breathe
label: a nobody

walking home from school,
you see trash flying from the dumpster,
take a glimpse inside
mr. nobody

Character Analysis: Curly's wife

            The value a person places on his or herself is largely determined by the value others give to the person. Curly is a man who treats his wife as if she isn’t his wife at all. When someone is denied of love and affection they seek attention from others. Curly’s wife is in a relevant situation, her husband over-looks her most of the time, which makes her scout for attention from others. Her personality ranges from a “whore” to a “lonely wife.” She has a complex personality with questionable intensions, but who could blame her? Curly’s wife is a women who gave up her dream of being a star to settle with a man who doesn’t really care if she’s there or not.

            When Curly’s wife was fifteen, a show came through town. She met one the actors, and he told her she could “go with the show,” but her ol’ lady wouldn’t budge on that idea, being the age she was. Later on she met a guy who was in “pitchers.” He took her out to the Riverside Dance Palace and told her he would put her in the movies, and that she was simply, “a natural.” He promised to write her when he got back to Hollywood, and never did. She hung on the idea that her ol’ lady had stolen it, and believed she could no longer live in Salinas. Her solution to her insecurity: marry Curly.

            After marrying Curly, she became lonely. She was bitter when she spoke of how she was restricted to talk to anyone other than Curly, or “else he’d get mad.” She felt trapped into the marriage, and had no friends or family there to comfort her, and support her.

            Being unhappy for so long can lead to physiological damage. Many decades ago women couldn’t leave their husbands; they had no way of supporting themselves. She had confided in Lennie that she “[doesn’t] like Lennie,” and that he isn’t a “nice fella.” Curly’s wife goes on to tell about how she could have been in the movies, worn all the nice clothes, sat in the big hotels, and had pictures taken of her. If she had gone she assured Lennie that she “wouldn’t be livin’ like this.”

          Although Curly’s wife’s life ended tragically, there was a bit of joy. She was no longer suffering the regret of giving up her dream to be a star to marry Curly. Her life of misery married to Curly was at an end. Her spirit was free to ponder, and she could finally be a star.