Exercises

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Exercise 2.3

Estimated time: 2 hours
Due by 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, March 13th

The goal of this exercise is to vividly describe your exhibit for your intended reader and to practice lens analysis.

First, review my comments about the potential exhibits you found for Exercise 2.2. If you need to find a different exhibit, you might check these websites: adsoftheworld.com, coloribus.com, adforum.com.

Review the Visual Analysis handout. Then, in one paragraph, vividly describe your exhibit. Start by stating what your exhibit is and when and where it was used (e.g. “This movie poster for King Kong was first released in print in America in 1933.”) Make sure that you focus on elements like: central image, composition, organization, setting, size, colors, shading, and text.

Review the Lens Analysis handout. Then, in one paragraph, argue clearly that some specific aspect or element of your exhibit can be considered a “monster” or “monstrous” according to Cohen.

Post your response as a comment below.

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In-Class Writing: Lens Analysis

In one paragraph, use a relevant quotation from Cohen to argue that the central image of the Land Rover advertisement is “monstrous.” Refer to the example of lens analysis provided at the end of the Lens Analysis handout. Post your responses below, making sure to list all the names of your group members.

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Exercise 2.2

Estimated time: 1 hour
Due by 9:30 a.m. Thursday, March 8th

The goal of this exercise is to identify two possible exhibits for your lens analysis essay.

Research

First review the instructions for Assignment 2. Then conduct some research to find two potential exhibits for your lens analysis essay. Remember that your “exhibit” is the advertisement that you will be analyzing in your essay. It must be a static advertisement (i.e. not a video); for example, a student could choose a highway billboard, a movie poster, an online advertisement, a subway advertisement, a newspaper or magazine advertisement, or even a flyer. However, the advertisement does not have to be in English. Strong advertisements for this assignment are usually primarily visual. You should find:

  • one advertisement that contains an explicit or obvious monster or monstrous image. Two examples are:
  • one advertisement that does not contain a literal monster but rather is conceptually monstrous. In other words, you should be able to argue that something about the exhibit is monstrous as defined by Cohen. Three examples are:

A great website to search for print advertisements is: http://www.adsoftheworld.com

Writing

Provide a copy of and/or link to each of your advertisements as a comment below.

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In-Class Writing: Close Reading “Masters of Desire”

In your groups, read the section “Live the Fantasy” in “Masters of Desire: The Culture of American Advertising” in order to identify:

  • key terms
  • the main idea
  • 3 – 4 other important ideas

Post your group responses below, making sure to list the name of your group members. (20 minutes)

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Exercise 2.1

The aim of this exercise is to identify the main idea of “Masters of Desire: The Culture of American Advertising.”

Estimated time: 30 minutes
Due by 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, March 6th 

Read the first 5 pages of “Masters of Desire.” Quote 1-2 sentences that you believe represent the thesis or main idea of the essay. Post your response as a comment below.

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Essay 1: Final Draft

The goal of this exercise is to produce a revised and polished final draft of your rhetorical analysis essay. To produce your final draft, you will extensively revise and develop your formal draft using lessons and strategies learned in class and suggestions provided in my feedback and from your peers.

Estimated time: 2-3 hours
Due by 11:59 p.m. Sunday, March 4th

Make sure that you:

  1. Review the guidelines for the Rhetorical Analysis Essay and the guidelines for naming and formatting essay drafts detailed in the course syllabus.
  2. Include a Works Cited list on a separate page using MLA style. Refer to the course textbook for help with this.
  3. Include a one-paragraph self-evaluation on a separate page in which you briefly discuss which aspect of your final draft you feel most confident about and which aspect of your final draft you feel least confident about.
  4. Submit your Word document to: https://www.dropbox.com/request/rZxRQzoc8wcIg6mfalxj

 

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In-Class Writing: Revising a Thesis

Review the thesis in your formal draft. Write a revised thesis that has the qualities of an effective thesis as is described in the Effective Thesis handout. Post your revised thesis below.

(10 minutes)

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Exercise 1.5

The aim of this exercise is to better understand the function and structure of an effective thesis.

Estimated time: 10 minutes
Due by 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, February 27th

For class on Tuesday, please read the Effective Theses handout.

(No writing is due.)

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In-Class Writing: Argumentation

Post a revised version of one of the paragraphs from your formal draft below. Make sure you identify the claim (i.e. the topic sentence), the reason, and the evidence. See the example below:

[CLAIM] In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald uses both repetition and symbolism to draw readers’ attention to the theme of time—and in particular, the past, for which his main characters yearn. [EVIDENCE] The novel begins “In my younger and more vulnerable years…” and ends “borne back ceaselessly into the past.” Fitzgerald goes on to use some 450 time-words, including 87 appearances of the actual word ‘time.’ The Buchanan lawn is described as “jumping over sundials”; Gatsby knocks over a clock during his reunion with Daisy; and Klipspringer plays “In the meantime, In between time—.” [REASONS/ANALYSIS] The clock, sundial and frequent use of ‘time’ all reinforce for the reader the importance of the theme of time and the inevitability of time passing. Fitzgerald seems to want to remind the reader that time will always get in the way of Gatsby and his dreams, and his desire to return to the past—there’s no turning back the clock.