TOW #13: Dodge Commercial

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyGlqb1s_n0

What is more American than owning an American made car? This is why Dodge made a commercial that relates their cars to one of the most important events in American history, the Revolutionary War. The commercial shows the British lined up to battle, as well as George Washington and many other colonists driving Dodge Challengers to defeat the British. Dodge uses symbolism and humor to advertise their Challenger as America’s car.

There is no war more important to America than defeating the British in the Revolutionary War. This is why in order for Dodge to create the feeling that their car is America’s car they related it to the war. They use George Washington as the driver to create a feeling that if a Dodge is good enough for him, than it is good enough for you. By using symbols like the Revolutionary War, George Washington, and the American flag, Dodge was able to create a patriotic feeling towards the car. By creating a patriotic feeling, Dodge was able to convince the viewers that the Challenger is America’s car.

To grab the viewers attention, Dodge uses humor throughout the entire commercial. When making an advertisement it is important for the viewer to remember the advertisement. This is why Dodge uses humor by relating their car to a very serious event that will cause the viewer to never forget the commercial. By having the Americans defeat the British by driving cars at their horses during a time that was still far away from the invention of the first car is very humorous. It creates a sense of pride for people who purchase the car because it is showing that the car is capable of defeating the British, who at the time of the Revolutionary War were known as the best military in the world.The commercial then concludes by stating, “There are a couple of things America got right, cars and freedom.” This humorous quote shows that America takes as much pride in the cars that they make as much as they take pride in winning their freedom. By use of humor Dodge is able to convince the viewer that the Challenger is America’s car.

Dodge uses symbolism to create a patriotic mood as well as humor to create a sense of pride to convince the viewer to purchase their Dodge Challenger, “America’s car”.

TOW #12: IRB; Into Thin Air, Jon Krakauer

How can an author properly describe his/her emotions in an event that changes his/her life dramatically?  Jon Krakauer, the author of Into Thin Air dealt with this difficulty when writing about his experience during his Mt. Everest expedition. Because of the strong emotions that his experience created, Krakauer writes a letter and provides pictures for the reader in order for the reader to understand his emotional difficulty when writing the book.

Krakauer felt so passionate about the events that he experienced during his expedition that he went against what many other authors advised him, and wrote this book shortly after his experience. Krakauer knows that this may have caused him to not have had the time to completely accept what had happened to him, so he wrote a letter warning the reader. By informing the reader his need to have written the book so shortly after the disaster on Everest, allows the reader to understand his emotional connection that made the rest of the story so difficult to write. Also by providing a letter to the reader before the book, Krakauer is able to warn the reader about what the story entails. Krakauer’s choice to include a letter allows the reader to understand how difficult it was for him to write the story because of the emotional impact the disaster caused him and may cause the reader.

Krakauer also provides pictures and maps before the story begins. He does this for the reader to understand the significance of the book. The impactful images that are labeled with events that occurred at the locations, such as the sight of where his fellow hikers’ bodies were found, allows the reader to see that the truth of the story does not necessarily have a happy ending. Because the reader is able to see that the story will involve death of the author’s companions, they can understand that the expedition did not end well for him, and understand why he may have had difficulty conveying his emotions in the story. 

TOW #11: "Higher Calling", Steve Coll

            The holiday season approached quickly, and many began to see their inability to have a very merry holiday season because of their low income. Steve Coll a writer for The New Yorker, wrote “Higher Calling” to show how a raise in minimum wage will provide workers with economic independence. Coll achieves this by using statistics and brand names that the reader can relate.

            Coll enables the reader to understand the problem of minimum wage by sharing statistics that are common to people that live off of minimum wage. Coll states that nearly twenty seven thousand people living in Seattle live in poverty. This means that many of the people are living off of around $15000 a year, far below the federal poverty line of $23,550 for a family of four.  Living in a tech savvy city like Seattle, these people have difficulty being able to enjoy the holiday season, let alone the rest of the year, with a minimum wage budget that does not get them very far. Coll’s use of statistics enables the reader to understand the severity that the minimum wage is causing.

            In order for the reader to feel the need for a raise in the minimum wage, Coll shares situations that people living off of minimum wage experience. Coll states, “This holiday season, activists have been excoriating WalMart because one of its stores organized a charitable food drive for its own low-paid employees. McDonald’s was taken to task for suggesting, on a company Web site, that strapped employees could raise cash for presents by selling belongings on eBay.” If companies are telling their own employees that are receiving minimum wage to find other ways to make money, it is time for the politicians to see the need for a raise in minimum wage. It is not right for people to have to sell their own goods on top of a full time job to mak ends meet. This is why Coll connects to the audience by sharing situations like these to get the reader and politicians to see why a raise in minimum wage will create economic independence for many.