Your Advertisement

My ad is for Harley Davidson motorcycles. The ad is very artistic and creative with the way it uses all the parts of a motorcycle to create the face of a human. I got it from a Rolling Stones magazine. This magazine most likely has many males over the age of 30 that are amongst its readers. The target audience are most likely males above the age of 30 that have a rock n' roll personality. The ad's design seems to resemble this personality with its artistic and eccentric representation. The ad uses its white space very well in the way that you don't even notice it. It correlates well with the layout of the magazine ad. The ad immediately catches the readers attention, especially if they catch that the parts make up a face. They they begin to look at it longer once they notice this in order to figure out what the ad is telling them. They then draw their eye to the corner of the page where it has a picture of a bike in full completion saying "build your own". It is a very clever and creative way to send the message they are trying to get across.

Elements of an Effective Layout

I believe the analytical tool seems to be elements: balance, proportion, movement, utility, clarity and emphasis are key components of a strong layout.

My ad that I chose is a Harley Davidson ad that shows a bunch of parts needed to assemble a motorcycle in the pattern of a face. The advertisement is telling the consumer to build their own motorcycle that most resembles them. It is giving the owner a chance to put there own creative touch, as well as personality aspects on the motorcycle.

When first looking at the ad, the reader may just see all the various parts laying on a page. As they look closer, it is easy for them to see it makes a human face. The neck of the assembled face leads down to a bike that is completed. The balance then makes sense to the onlooker.

Along with balance, the main aspects from "Elements of an Effective Layout" is the emphasis. The are emphasizing that no bike is the same. Unlike cars, which are mostly custom, Harley Davidson wants the consumer to be able to customize their bike. They want the person to feel like they are the only individual that has the exact bike they have.

All the elements seem to make sense to me. They can all be used very strongly within an ad or they can be limited depending on which message they are trying to send. Simplicity is probably the most important so you don't confuse the consumer. I don't think this ruins advertising. Advertising is an attempt to sell a product, no matter what that may be. It is up to the consumer to understand this and make an intelligent decision amongst themselves.

Democracy of Goods

After reading the article "The Appeal of the Democracy of Goods" I think the analytical tool being used is the advertisement from the Ladies Home Journal that is being read. The thesis however, I believe is in the second paragraph when it explains the most persuasive advertising strategies of the 1920's. It says, "According to this idea, the wonders of modern mass production and distribution enabled everyone to enjoy society's most desirable pleasures, conveniences, with each advertiser who used the formula." They compare the average person to the riches while explaining although the richer may have the luxury's no one can enjoy this type of coffee anymore than the next. The article then organizes itself into balance, movement, unity, proportion, clarity and simplicity, and emphasis. These five elements state how an advertisement needs to be set up in order to be effective to the consumer.

Advertising

At this time in year, there have been a lot of holiday ads that are always appealing to me. Most of the time, the companies are using Santa Claus as a character while trying to sell all their products. The one that caught my eye is a Chevy commercial who has a car salesman looking exactly like Santa Claus while dressed up in a suit. He has the massive white beard and the big belly. At the beginning he walks into an employees room and the rest of the employees are looking at him because he had ate all the cookies that were left on the table the night before. It is a funny scene because all the employees know the guy isn't Santa Claus but he wants to be him since its Christmas time. At the end of the commercial, the Santa character is helping a customer with a truck. The customer says "yeh, I could really use a silverado since I like to hunt". Santa responds "Oh yeah? What do you like to hunt?" The Customer then replies immediately, "Dear!" he then looks at who he was talking to, realizing he looks just like Santa and corrects himself by saying, "Fish!"

This was a funny commercial and caught my attention mostly because of the Santa Claus character within the commercial. The sense of humor made me like it as well. Companies know Santa sells, so a lot of them are featuring him in their commercials during this time of year. 

As far as an ineffective commercial, its hard for me to think of one. The most recent would have been the chase sapphire credit cards regarding customer service. They show a customer service person talking like an automated recording. They go on to say, "We know how you hate customer service automation, and so do we". I just felt the commercial is overdue, and that they need to come up with a better way of representing their customer service. 

Cited Works

Clayton, John, Ashley Fox, James Walker, Paul Kuharsky, and Mike     

Sando. "NFL Power Rankings Week 7 - National Football League

- ESPN." ESPN: The Worldwide Leader In Sports. ESPN, 19 Oct.

2011. Web. 20 Oct. 2011.<http://espn.go.com/nfl/powerrankings>.

Staff, Pro Football Reference. "Green Bay Packers Team Encyclopedia

– Pro-Football-Reference.com." Pro-Football-Reference.com - Pro

Football Statistics and History. Pro Football Reference, 2010. Web. 19 Oct. 2011. <http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/gnb/>.

"SuperBowl Winners List, Teams and Scores!" Super Bowl History ::

 Fascinating History of the NFL SuperBowl History! Super Bowl

History Website, 2011. Web. 22 Oct. 2011. <http://www.super-

bowl-history.us/superbowl-winners-list.html>.

Staff, NFL.com. "NFL.com History." NFL.com - Official Site of the

National Football League. NFL Enterprises LLC, 2011. Web. 19

Oct. 2011. <http://www.nfl.com/history>.

Approach to Style

I liked that the "An Approach to Style" mentioned rewriting sentences in order to understand how style can change through every word. This seems to be something that has always helped me. I can almost never write a sentence the way I want the first time I actually put it down. Writing with nouns and verbs seems like it gives the paper better imagery and voice. Nouns and verbs are probably the best way to paint a picture of what you are trying to say. Overwriting applies to me because I can drag certain ideas on while trying to explain them. They make a good point that a computer can be dangerous because your fingers can take over and have you end up writing a bunch of nonsense. This also falls under #11 with trying to explain too much.
Writing in a way that comes naturally is obvious to me. I don't think I can write in any other way than the way that naturally comes to me. Critiquing how it comes out may be a better way of explaining this approach. They are all good things to keep in mind when writing and revising because they can all be used and thought of in one way or another.

Letter from Birmingham Jail

   Unproudly, I had never read any of Dr. Kings writings before. While I was reading this actual piece of his work I quickly realized he was a very intelligent man. I felt like he spoke very humbly throughout the entire letter. He sounds like a man with way more years of wisdom then he actually possessed. His tone was in a way that my grandmother would speak to me if she was trying to get a point across to me. I believe he is talking to his fellow black culture, and explaining his reason upon why he still chose to march in protest knowing he would be thrown in jail. As a reader, he never directly tells us the type of criticism he has received, but he mentions in the beginning that he is responding to criticism that he has got for his protest. Even though he may be irritated with the criticism that he has received, he uses a tone that is well mannered and mature. It is impressive how he seems to be handling his time in jail. He seems to know exactly what he is doing as he explains his reasoning for the protest. He talks about why unjust laws need to be broken rather than obeyed. His tone while attempting to explain why is very intelligent. A logical fallacy that I noticed was hasty generalizations. He gives an example of christianity taking 2000 years to come in to effect so expecting the problem of race on blacks to be overcome in 340 years is treated impossible. I think the only part that may have been ineffective about his letter may have been the intelligence of it. Many may have not completely understood exactly what he was trying to say. However, if slowly read and interpreted, I believe his letter was excellent in its intentions. I can use this within my persuasive to help me realize to slowly explain arguments and give examples in order to support them.

Logical Fallacies-Pick 3

SLIPPERY SLOPE: The idea that letting one instance slide may lead to many others in the future. For instance, in the NBA once kids started going straight from high school to the draft, it created a domino effect years later with more and more kids going to the NBA straight out of high school, rather than choosing to go to college. This created a slippery slope because there was no criteria for entering the draft out of high school, and kids began taking advantage of it. It later ruined all eligibility of playing in college with a paid tuition. Yes, there were a few kids that were ready for the jump to the NBA, but more than the majority were not. The NBA created the one year in college rule after several years of seeing players ruin there basketball careers by entering the draft out of high school.

POLARIZATION: For instance all bullies in school continue to beat up kids and pick on people throughout their lives. Bullies have a reputation of picking on smaller, unsocial kids throughout there elementary days. We have this perception in our heads about bullies so that everytime a kid is picked on by another, we use the word bullying. We often hear a teacher say, "stop bullying" him around or something along those lines.

BANDWAGON APPEALS: We see ESPN do this a lot. Every time a team wins, they jump on the bandwagon for that team until they lose. It often happens in sports in nearly every instance. The Boston Red Sox were nearly a forgotten team (like the cubs) until 2004 when they won their first World Series Championship in almost 100 years. Since then, fans for the Red Sox have nearly quadrupled. They have created a brand that competes with the New York Yankees. This never seemed possible before they won a couple championships in a few years. It created a big competition between the Yankees and Red sox. Whoever hated the Yankees automatically became Red Sox fans so they could cheer against the Yankees. The Red Sox are big rivals with the Yankees, so it was easy to jump on the Red Sox bandwagon.

Picking A Topic

I really liked the idea of picking a sports team and arguing why they may have the best chance at the championship within their respectable league. Therefore, I am going to pick the Green Bay Packers and argue why they have the best chance at winning the Super Bowl this year.

I will have many arguments on this subject. One that immediately comes to mind is that the Packers had nearly ten starters on injured reserve last year when they also won the Super Bowl. These guys are back and hungry because they probably don't feel like they were apart of that championship run. Also, they have already started off this year 5-0 and have a lot of momentum going for them.

My primary argument will probably be because they have quarterback Aaron Rodgers. He is hands down, the best quarterback in the league right now, and I will prove why. I will argue why quarterback is the most  important position in the NFL and why a team needs, not only a good quarterback, but a great one to win the super bowl.

This seems really fun and interesting to me, and I will look at a lot of different sides as well as the teams to win the super bowl in the past in order to compare them to the Packers.

Making A Case

   It was fairly difficult to think of a time that I had to make a case for something. I guess I have never really thought of the idea of persuading someone. I am sure I do it more than what I realize. The most common situation where I have to make a case for something is when I gamble on sports. I never put a lot of money on the games, but I love to put small wagers on them in order to make it more interesting. In this case, I normally have to persuade my dad since we do it together. We have to look at who the teams have played and decide on how the matchup may play out. A lot of the time, we normally have the same likes and dislikes. When that happens, it comes down to persuading yourself into a decision that you think will be right. Trying to think of all the circumstances is something that has to be done before coming to a conclusion on a bet. Research is important when gambling on sports in order to get a feel for the two teams that are playing. I listen to what my dad has to say and consider all his thoughts and then return my thoughts back to him. Persuading him into a pick that I like but he doesn't can sometimes be difficult. When you lose, you always feel like you could have done more research and made a better pick. However sometimes, the game just doesn't play out in your favor and there is not much you can do. Normally, I don't want luck to get involved but as anyone knows, gambling sometimes involves some luck. Gambling on sports is different then sitting at a blackjack table or slot machine where it is completely one hundred percent luck. Trying to persuade yourself or others on a pick can be difficult but that is why you have to prepare facts and information that may apply to the game that is going to take place. Like I said, this was a hard thing to think of, and this was what I came up with.

Muddiest Point

After reading the Persuasive Paper assignment, I don't think I see anything I misunderstand about the paper. It will be a more testy paper for me to organize and argue since I will be trying to persuade my audience into a particular product or organization. I thought for awhile last night about what I thought I wanted to argue and sell. I think I want to try and sell why the Apple iPad is a better and more convenient tablet than the rest of the others that are currently on the market. I think my main argument will be the compatability that it has with iTunes, which ultimately makes it the easiest device to use.
    I believe the hardest part of the assignment will be doing the research, and weighing out the positives and negatives between each device. After finding those, it will be important to organize the arguments into smooth transitions throughout the paper. Once the research is done then I think the smooth parts of the paper will come as I begin to organize all my information in to a persuasive matter.

Notaro-Blog

1. The writer did a good job of getting my attention from the beginning. He starts out with it being his turn in something but doesn't tell you for a couple short paragraphs what exactly his turn means. Therefore, I thought it kept me interested in whats next from the beginning.
2. This time the writer focused on a significant event from his childhood. It was a story about him and his grandpa having a lucky day, and obviously a day he remembered well. We never get a solid background about the narrator or any characters.
3. At the beginning I didn't seem to be able to visualize a strong image for the story. Once the narrator got to the event with him and his grandfather finding out dated food, I could clearly see what was taking place. Although it was at the end, it seemed to be the climax of the story and the descriptions he gave made it a good read.
4. Through the quotes the writer gives we can tell they seem to be a old country family. The dialect doesn't seem to be southern, but somewhere in the country. We can tell that the family doesn't seem to be very wealthy. They trade jobs taking care of their grandpa and pray for bread.
5. The episode of his grandpa and him finding on the hostess groceries in a shopping cart out by the dumpster was exciting. It was hard to tell where the story was going, but surprised you in the end. The writer does a good job of making this part exciting. Everyone who had a grandfather as a child could relate to this event in some way or another.
6. The writer briefly explains some specifics on why they are going to the dumpster but doesn't ever seem down about it. It's almost like it was normal for this kid to be searching dumpsters for food. The story explains what life is for a poor family after the depression, and how they made the best of it.
7. The conclusion of the story was after he got his grandpa back into the car after he got done shoving all the hostess goods in the car. Five minutes before they found the food, they had been praying for God to bring them food and then all of sudden they're on top of the world. It sums up a memory that he will probably have forever of his pop pop.

White-Blog

1. The narrator grabs the readers attention with a mysterious lake that him and his family used to go to as kids. This story didn't grab my attention like Sedaris.
2. The writer explains the experiences and memories he has from a lake that he used to visit every summer. We know nothing about his life. All we know is how he feels about this lake and the emotions he feels when returning to it.
3. The writer doesn't even give a description of his son. He only says that his son is coming with him on a getaway to the lake. Rather, he uses strong descriptions of his memories of the places. He often contrasts how the lake is at present time rather than in the memories he has of the lake. The writer does a good job of setting the scenory for the reader.
4. No quotes are used throughout the narrative. He gives more visuals to the reader rather than explaining through dialogue. Because of the detailed aspects he gives to the reader, I think no quotes seems to be appropriate. He casts a strong visual in the readers mind.
5. The writer does this very well. It's easy for the reader to develop a visual for everything the writer describes. He is very specific and detailed throughout the entire story. He is able to create a setting for the reader to visualize.
6. The writer does a good job of explaining the significance of the people and places at the lake. He compares and contrasts the present day of the lake with the old days. He is able to show the tone or mood of the lake that he is feeling during his return. In this story, we could easily see how this lake shaped his childhood. He has very strong memories of the lake and thinks very highly of his times spent there.
7. He ends with his kid finally getting into the water. He doesn't describe his son very much throughout the story. However, we are able to notice that he sees himself in his own son. He also refers to him turning into his dad at this point in his life. The conclusion is about passing the lake down to his son.

Sedaris Blog

1. The writer grabbed my attention with his first sentence.
2. The writer explains he has moved to Paris in order to better understand and speak the native French language. He doesn't go in to details of his life bio. He is writing about his experience of transitioning from New York to a foreign country.
3. The writer is able to give the reader a good feel about his surroundings. As a reader, it was like being in the class next to him as he described the teacher and students that were in the classroom. Also, through a flashback, the reader can tell that his mom may have been a little crazy through the quotes from her that he gives.
4. It's easy for the reader to get a feel for how his professor is like. Through both his descriptions and quotes, we can understand the professor thinks very highly of herself. As mentioned above, we even get a brief quote that shows us what his mom may have been like.
5. The two main visuals we are able to see as readers is the classroom, and the first day of school. He describes the first day accurately to any persons first day of class. I was able to strongly relate to him with his first day of class. The reader feels like they are sitting in class with the writer as he describes the atmosphered and mood within it. We can feel how intimidating his professor is.
5. The writer is explaining his transition from New York to Paris. He doesn't refer back to New York and what it was like very often. He stays focused on the experience in Paris. We can't tell how this experience shaped who he has become, but we can see how he took on this experience of learning a new culture. In the end, the reader can see that he now understands the language but hasn't yet learned completely how to speak it.
6. Their doesn't seem to be a conclusion. It ends with him saying he now understands the language, but finishes by not speaking it right. He almost leaves the reader with a "to be continued" ending.

Blog #5-Mechanics

I have many mechanics that could use some work when it comes to my writing. After reading Elementrary Principles of Composition, the mechanic I believe I need the most work on would be keeping related words together. My strongest trait is omitting needless words. In order to better my ability of keeping related words together would be reading my work over and over again. Perhaps reading what I have written aloud would be a good idea for the next assignment. I think when I read it to myself I don't read it as clearly as I would if I were speaking it.

Blog Post #4

Going from high school to college was a big change in my life because I had never had to study and read so much before. Teachers in high school really take it easy on you compared to the professors in college. At first, I felt a lot of pressure on how to organize all my studies as a whole. The hardest part I had to deal with at first was balancing work and school. When I tried to do that at the beginning of my college career I found myself getting stressed very easily. In high school you never had that much on your schedule so you could basically get homework done when you wanted to. That isn't so much the case in college. However, over time, learning how to balance all those things taught me how to be a more structured person overall. It took a lot of time to get used though. I still get stressed when I have a lot of assignments on my plate but I think I have learned how to manage them a lot better.

Blog Post #3

For me, Philosophy was one of the worst classes I have ever taken. I could never get a grasp on the type of mindset that you had to have in order to understand it. After I realized I would never completely understand it, I rejected it. I always found myself getting really frustrated with the material, which led to me not liking it at all. Even though the professors were probably good people, the class itself made me not like them at all as well. Like Thurber in Botany class, I refused to try after a certain point because the stress became to overwhelming. I will never forget that class and will forever think it is pointless to try and think the way that class wanted me too.

Blog Post #2

Although I have never kept a notebook, I believe it would help most with remembering experiences of the past. As Dideon mentions throughout the story, we forget everything so easily. However, I think that if I did keep a notebook, I would look back at the stuff I wrote and still not remember why I wrote most of the things down. I think social media has replaced the idea of keeping a notebook in todays world. Facebook and Twitter are like journals that everyone can see. I am not a big Facebook user, but I do have Twitter. I use Twitter to follow people, I rarely ever tweet anything of my own. I think most people today write stuff on their Facebook or Twitter in order to gain attention to themselves. I don't think that was the case with Dideon. She did it for herself as she mentions in her writing.

A Little About Me

Hi, my name is David Freeman and I currently live outside of Topeka in Lawrence, Kansas. For the past summer I have been mowing lawns for New Earth Lawn and Landscape. I have been attending Washburn University for a couple years now. Before then, I attended both Barton County Community College and Kansas University for a year each.

I am finally in my final year of college. There has been some ups and downs but that's promised in mostly anything you do. I hope to move out of Lawrence when I finish in May. I really enjoy traveling to new places so anywhere would be good with me. Wherever that is, I hope I can get the chance to work in sports marketing/advertising.