Write an essay in which you perform a semiotic analysis of a print advertisement or television commercial.
Write to a general audience, beginning your essay with a clear description of the ad and clarifying the product/service it features. You might also define the ad's intended audience. Then go on to analyze the signs of the ad. How do these signs invoke American cultural mythologies? Signs to interpret might include, though are not limited to, the ad's images, characters (consider who is depicted, who is not, and the way in which they are depicted), and text or dialogue.
Successful essays will articulate an interpretive thesis and will be clearly organized. Body paragraphs might be organized according to a particular sign or group of signs that you can associate with a cultural mythology (value)-freedom, diversity, beauty, masculine strength, etc.
The essay is due in class, at the beginning of class, Thursday, September 27. The draft (4 pages) is due Tuesday, September 25. Bring 2 copies of the draft to class that day.
Papers should follow MLA formatting and documentation guidelines. You must cite your advertisement as well as at least one source. Those sources may (and likely will be) essays included in Signs of Life. Submit essays in hard copy as well as to Safe Assignment by the deadline. Turn in your peer workshop and rough draft with the hard copy of your essay.