September 25th Assignment

Class,

We are working on deconstructing arguments and building our own. Often, part of deconstructing arguments means that we first need to consider the source. This week, we looked at many examples of Fake News, Propaganda, Satire, and Scholarly sources. I hope you found this valuable. When we are working on research, we need to make sure that we are dealing with reliable information. Keep this in mind as we work throughout this year's assignments.

Our next novel is The Giver. Please secure this as soon as possible. I will be assigning your reading out this starting this week.

Your next essay asks you to deconstruct an advertisement. If you cannot find the prompt, I am copying it below. Please bring your ad into class this week. We ran out of time last week before we could examine them.

You will need to bring in a copy of  your rough draft to class on October 8th. Please don't wait to get started on this. :)

Prompt for Essay 1: Deconstructing Advertising (Example Essay)

Considering the issues raised during our class discussions on Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave,” propaganda, and advertising, your assignment is to find a print advertisement from a magazine, newspaper, or website, (or use one of the ads from the PowerPoint) and write a 500-750 word response that analyzes and explains how its images and text work to form an argument.

Brainstorming suggestions/ Questions to consider:

·     Identify the intended audience and primal motivator (fear, guilt, peer pressure, sex, patriotism, etc.) of the ad and address the perception that if that person buys the product presented, he or she will obtain the things, experience the scene, or become the image portrayed in the ad.

·     In your thesis, consider forming your argument around your interpretation of whether a false portrayal in the ad exists. In other words, what differences are there between real life and the images of life presented in the ad? Is the advertisement’s argument convincing? Why or why not?

·     How do the design, colors, images, and/or text suggest and reinforce the “argument” of the ad?

Essay Expectations:

·     An introduction paragraph that states a clear thesis or argument.

·     Two body paragraphs that logically develop and explain your thesis with concrete, specific examples/illustrations and explanations of the evidence you provide. 

·     A brief conclusion paragraph that wraps up your essay.

·     Give your finished essay a descriptive and relevant title.

·     Also, please attach your print ad to the back of your essay for reference (or provide a web link) if you choose an ad not on our PowerPoint.

Important: No outside research is required or should be used for this paper. Please do not include the opinions or ideas of anyone but yourself. This assignment should represent your own arguments and analysis of a text and should not be a report or summary of others’ thoughts or ideas, including mine. 

Paper Format: Please adhere to the conventions of MLA formatting:

·     12 pt. Times New Roman font, 1 inch margins, Double-spaced with heading in top, left corner with Name, Class, Instructor’s Name, Date. (No Works Cited page is necessary for this paper.)

Due Date: Beginning of class, Tuesday, October 16^th.