Blog Post #3

Author- Dos Equis 

Date- October 25th, 2016

Place of Publication- Dos Equis Commercial/Website

Little Picture- This advertisement was first aired in 2006 as a campaign for the "most interesting man in the world". In the ad, there is an older man; most likely in 50's with a grey beard. The picture also includes the logo of Dos Equis with two bright red X's. There is a catchy slogan, "Stay thirsty my friends" captioned in white letters that is said by the most interesting man in commercials. It is also important to note that it is a common stereotype in the United States to link beer with casual social outings, but this picture relates it to a more fancy/dressed event. Overall, it is evident that the man is promoting the alcoholic beverage and the company has it's logo, with a catchy slogan, printed in white letters to inform the audience.

Big Picture- This Dos Equis advertisement is an example of gluttony because it promotes the consumption of alcohol. The slogan is key in this big picture analysis; it encourages the audience to stay thirsty so that they can purchase more of the drink. This is a great example of excessive drinking, specifically beer. Also, the actor is dressed in a very nice suit, thus indicating that the beer is of high quality and most likely for those in a higher class. Another key attribute of the advertisement is the use of Spanish, "Cerveza" and "Dos Equis", indicate that the beer is made a Spanish made brewery. Lastly, Gluttony can be related to the Canterbury Tale's through the Miller, because he is a drunk. 

Audience- The audience is becomes evident through this advertisement, in the way it is laid out. Most importantly, it is only speaking to those who are able to drink, in the United States that is people above 21 years of age. Also, this specific beer brand is Spanish, so those interested in a Spanish made beer are more likely to be persuaded. The man in the picture is most likely above the age of 50, which would appeal to people of an older age. The social and economic background that is targeted by this advertisement would include people of a higher class because of the way the man is dressed.  In terms of social class, it would be more appropriate at an event of high class or fanciness, rather than a casual event or party. The audience must have some cultural knowledge in regards to the taste of the beer or the type. This being a Spanish/Hispanic brewery and the taste also applies to this context as well.

FREEBIE

Blog #1

This a photograph found in the Homelessness collection by Wing Young Huie copyright taken in 1982 (http://www.wingyounghuie.com/allprojects). This picture is of a middle aged black male and a female who appear to be homeless in the early 1980's. Both citizens are most likely in front of a grocery store because of the shopping carts pictured around them. The male is dressed fairly nicely, yet he is holding a bowl which symbolizes him begging for money. In a deeper context, the picture alludes to the inequality that minorities experience in America. This is due to the man wearing a nice suit like he is prepared for a job interview, but he cannot find work. It is not very common to find a homeless person dressed in a nice suit which must symbolize this inequality. 

The term "othering" refers to the societal labeling of a person as either one thing or not. For example, the two people pictured would be stereotyped as homeless in America. From a US citizens perspective, these two people are either homeless, or they are not homeless. There is no grey zone or in between, either they are poor homeless people or they are simply not such. This is due to the labeling of society that people are constantly considered to be in one group or in another. In comparison, The Handmaid's Tail by Margaret Atwood uses "othering" to keep society in its 'natural' order. In this novel, Offred is a handmaid and to her, the people are either other handmaids or they are not. In both the photograph and the novel, bias is present to convey the theme of "othering". The device of stereotyping is used in both of these because it is a common ideology of most people. For instance, a wealthy man walking down the street seeing these two people will automatically stereotype and assume they are homeless, most likely because they are drug addicts. Stereotyping is also seen in the novel, because the government judges women and assumes they are not worthy of having many simple freedoms. In conclusion, both the novel and the photograph convey the theme of "othering" and allow the reader to stereotype the situation.