And the greatest of these is love...I mean pride...

Advertisements are always interesting to look at and analyze. It's easy to find the seven deadly sins in them, because that's usually what they're playing off of. For this post, I'll be looking at a diet coke advertisement that has been mostly aired in Europe (at least I'm pretty sure it's only been aired in Europe, but I can't find that information in writing). It's one of the most recent versions of the "Hunk" ads, and I think the video speaks for itself:

This ad was released by Diet Coke in January, 2013. The ad isn't too complex. There really isn't any hidden or deeper messages. It's a bunch of girls having a picnic near a gardener. They offer him a diet coke and one thing leads to another and he's shirtless. Which could make the subconscious mind think "Hey, maybe if I drink diet coke, I'll see an incredibly attractive gardener (who in real life is actually a male model) and then one thing will lead to another and he's shirtless". Now this is a pretty big leap, but it's definition the subtext that the people were going for with this ad. 

This ads total audience is going to be broad. Coke is an international company, and, although I don't know if this ad was used in TV (probably too long for TV) or on the internet, I do know that it was shared off of YouTube (over 5,200 times) and has almost 2 million views. 

But this ad does have a more specific target audience. Their ideal viewer is a mid 20s to mid 30s woman (or person who is attracted to guys). This ad wasn't made to be much more specific. The women featured in the ad were mostly Caucasian, but there is one (really Coke, just one?) minority. I don't know, I feel like most women would be able to appreciate shirtless male models? 

There isn't really any specific cultural knowledge needed, but I get the feeling that's because the culture needed to understand this video is the culture I've been raised in. It's important to be able to understand what the West considers beautiful. Also, to understand the normal behaviors of gardeners in (what I'm assuming was) a public park. This creates the context for what happened in the video.

Also, an important part of this video is the way lighting is used. Not only does it create really dramatic shots (0:12-0:16), but it also highlights what the advertisers were putting emphasis on (0:25-0:27, 0:38-0:40, 0:45-0:48, and 0:52-0:56) which really is how incredibly gorgeous the gardener is.

There really is no question that the advertisers were using lust to sell their products. The series this ad is from is named "Hunk" and the guys are hired based on how attractive they are. The first "Hunk" ad was released in 1994.

Then there were two more in the 90's-00's:

There are some pretty obvious similarities, mainly being the attractive shirtless guys, but the song is also a constant. It really helps to illustrate the already not-so-subtle meaning with lyrics like:

I want you to be true. I just wanna make love to you.

These earlier ads were some of the first ads that showed working women objectifying men in lower position in society (all the women are in offices working white collar jobs while the men are in blue collar labor intensive jobs). This is something that is still relatively rare today. I can only think of one other ad series that objectifies men. Lust is something we see in ads quite often and it's usually pretty blatant.

Sidenote: I originally wanted to do this ad for this assignment, but decided it to go with the Diet Coke ad because the Diet Coke ad is a) an ad series meaning there would be more to analyze and b) an actual ad. Either way, I feel like everyone needs to experience this SNL skit at least once in their lives.

Can't bury these tales: Canterbury Tales & Jane Eyre

Writes often highlight the values of a culture or a society by using characters who are alienated from that culture or society because of the gender, race, class, or creed. Explain how the author uses various literary devices (such as irony, characterization, and figurative language) to provide social commentary, OR how the character's alienation reveals the surrounding society's assumptions and moral values.   
     I would like to start this blog post with a quick note on the passage: Congratulations Charlotte Bronte, you have made me detest Mr.Brocklehurst in 2684 words. Although, with a name like Brocklehurst, he probably did have an evil disposition. 
      
     Anyhow, the fact that anyone would alienate children like that is pretty horrible. I mean, Mr.Bratwurst is telling some small children that their natural hair makes them a bad person! I'm not even exaggerating like:

"Naturally! Yes, but we are not to conform to nature; I wish these girls to be the children of Grace: and why that abundance? I have again and again intimated that I desire the hair to be arranged closely modestly, plainly. Miss Temple, that girl's hair must be cut off entirely

     It feels like a headline we'd see from the Onion ("Beware:Scientist discover link between curls and sins"). Telling kids that is enough to land them in therapy. I really want to say that this makes society and their morals seem pretty horrible, especially because these are the values of a guy who is running what seems to be an orphanage but I've found that now a days we're still telling kids that they have to change themselves to protect a religion that may or may not be theirs.

     In addition to telling kids that their appearance makes them less holy, Mr. Hes-the-worst, he tells Jane to stand on a stool for a fair amount of time (reminiscent of the punishment Hosking told us about that they used in WWI for deserting soldiers) because he's decided that shes already following the devil and that all other children and teachers should shun her. Because those are two things God and Jesus were for: people judging other people and not forgiving and trying to help people.

    This leads me to the conclusion that people have been using their religion incredibly hypocritically for a long time. The use of a religious text, especially one that is so clear on everyone respecting each other, to excuse their crappy behavior is unacceptable.