RL 7

This is an  add from a local restaurant in my hometown of Mobile AL. AS you can see, foosackly's is a chicken finger restaurant and is pretty popular in Mobile. When Mobile was being looked for as a potential building site for airplanes, which would have created hundreds of jobs for the area, BOeing a foreign airplane company intervened and decided not to create the factory in Mobile. Many people were very angry with this decision, so when foosackly's was offering BOeing a "finger", was definitely the middle one. This is just another cry against foreign business interfering with U.S. jobs.

This is an ad from a popular item weve probably all seen on tv. This is a pill that upon taking, your (in the words of Ms. Sellers) "hoo-ha" enlargens. This ad is particularly interesting because it shows a magnifying glass with the phrase "don't make it difficult for her." This is meant to demean men who might not be proportionally happy with themselves. "MAybe if i get this product, then women will be pleased, and i will be able to participate in sexual activities more often." is the thought that runs through their head, because let's be honest, sex sells.

The title of this ad, taken from my tab, is  "Nothing to Wear". Clearly this is a closet full of clothes, but what do we normally say when we open up our closet to change? This image shows how we as
Americans seem to be pretty selfish and take many things for granted. It shows that no matter how much we have, we still want more.

RL 6

2. The "hard decisions" Johnson speaks of in his opening statements should, in reality, be quite simple. Do what makes the most sense (aka do what is economically sound). But the media doesn't make them so. The media shows all the erroneous choices, ones that shouldn't make sense, but they're surrounded by attractive people with big white smiles and happy faces. When we, as Americans, were born into an image society, this can only make things more difficult. When these are "difficult choices," it means that we are incredibly lucky, and we should shut up and move on to something that is actually important. The fact that Johnson sees these things (possible sarcasm) as difficult, shows the reader that he is generally part of the American DReam mentality.

RL 5

1. The connection that Thoman makes between images and lifestyle is that when we see the images (someone in new clothes, smiling and happy, with multiple other attractive, well dressed people) it makes us wish that the image was our reality, and that we should chase after that. If we chase after becoming like this image, then "all will be well."

2. Thoman's main idea is that the rise of photography and televison (with the help of the media) keeps re-inventing what we see as the American Dream. Basically what is known as socially acceptable is now based on commercials and ad campaigns.

3. Thoman uses history as a means of developing her main idea by showing how technology has changed, meaning that as images and television became more prominent, this evolution of the "upgraded lifestyle" has formed in many modern day Americans' heads. Thoman also uses words that trigger certain emotions to get her point across, such as rejection, resistance, or denial.

4. Thoman's essay is a call to action because it really spits in the face of modern day media and how it now dictates what is socially acceptable/unacceptable. It basically states that WE should decide what we need, not the media and image based ads.

5. She really needs to explain how the media is doing what they're doing clearer. I would do this by giving specific examples, probably from certain commercials or ads, that shows how the media tries to tell us what we really "need."

Why Cant I Comment?!

It seems that i am completely technologically impaired and i cant comment on yalls blogs...any suggestions?

RL 4 "A Beat Education" Leonard Kress

1)      One of the expressions Kress uses that helps bring the story to life, to me anyways, was when he spoke of the hobo tackling him to the ground. The overall imagery he uses, him being too shocked to resist and the hobo coming uncomfortably close to his face, really brings this essay to life. If you can picture the terrifying adrenaline rush of being tackled by a railroad bum with the fear that this might be the end, then you know exactly what im talking about. Another phrase in which Kress brings this essay to life is when he speaks of how uncomfortable the ride was. Imagine going over railroad tracks in a fast moving metal box. The jitters and vibrations would be close to unbearable. It only added insult to injury when he couldn't eat what he brought along (very serious statement especially when i love food, i was sad for him!).

2)     Kress might have better described the scene had he described the bum in better detail.
- The man, almost a shadow of a man, was dressed in remnants of old clothing and soot.
This statement can contribute to the "sketchy factor" when speaking of when the man tackled him to the ground. Describing the sunset in detail would have helped the essay come alive as well.
- As the sun was sinking into the murky depths of Lake Michigan, streaks of gold, purple, and orange shot through the trees. 
Althought the journey was rough, Kress did point out the beauty of the sunset, and this statement would've helped described it in further detail.

3)     Kress' voice seems to be one of a weathered man looking back at the "green" youth he used to be. Words and phrases that would help prove this point are everywhere in the text.
-"Doubtless, my sense of education at the time...was more than mildly seasoned by the Beats..."
-"If I were to characterize it now....and my own middle class suburban naivete..."
- "Here was a whole gallery of street life like i had never seen."
I believe that Kress' voice is appropriate for writing about hopping a freight train, because it focuses on what new experiences he got from doing it.