Information on Paper 1 – 35% of Final Grade

• Two texts provided. We need to answer two questions, write separate essays for both – 2h15

• Criteria is out of 40 
  • Criteria A – Understanding and Interpretation – 5 marks
    • The analysis of the text should show an understanding of the text’s purpose, the target audience, and its context (when appropriate) in relation to the question being asked. One’s analysis of the text needs to be supported by relevant examples from the text.
  • Criteria B – Analysis & Evaluation – 5 marks
    • The analysis of the text must show how a writer’s choices shape meaning. A good analysis comments on effects of these features on its target audience in relation to the purpose(s) of the text. A focus on the guiding question (a technical or formal aspect of the text) is important here. 
  • Criteria C – Focus & organisation – 5 marks
    • The analysis must contain coherent arguments that are well-developed. The analysis must be organized effectively.
  • Criteria D – Language – 5 marks 
    • The language of the analysis must be clear, varied and accurate. The register of the analysis must be appropriate, meaning it contains formal sentence structure, good choice of words, and effective terminology.
• Appeal, electronic text, manifest, pastiche, screenplay, 

Guiding question: Discuss how the language features, both written and visual, aim to persuade readers of this advertisement to think and behave. 

The text was produced in 1996, this plays an important role in interpreting the techniques used by the author. This is because in 1996 there was a clear gender imbalance, favouring the man. The language presented shows evidence of the patriarchal system of the entertainment industry. The ‘Passive Man’s Guide to Seduction’ is a book, which gives an informal magazine article aimed to make the reader believe that the advice provided is factual suggesting that the reader’s current attitude to ‘picking up’ women is incorrect. Provoking customers/readers to purchase the book. The article appeals mainly to single middle-aged men who can influence the purchasing of the book to their peers, increasing the validity of the article. The article is meant for middle-aged single men, however, due to it’s informal language and punctuation, the article suggests it is also intended for older males. 

What most appeals to men of the article are the way the author writes and his literary choices. If his purpose is to get the attention of as many people as possible, in order to do that, he has to write about something that can actually catch the public’s mind, and what better topic than an extract of a guide book that tells men how to attract women. If you join the topic with a clear, firm and secure way of writing, you’ll attract men as mosquitos with honey. All the things said by the author wander around one of the biggest generalizations made in history, in which case involves women, besides, how could this advertisement be effective without a little of stereotype; when men see “all women”, this makes them think that they have a bigger chance out there of getting one of those cheap objects that the author keep talking about. If we join the generalization, all the stereotypes and the portrayal made about women, we get a picture of a woman as a contest winning prize, as if the pleasure for men is an object. There is a repetition of exclamation marks in heading throughout the text giving the appearance that the author is giving an unbelievable offer to the primary audience. The words “Absolutely nothing” have been capitalised and this given the impression that women can be easy targets therefore a man is not required to put any effort in. Once again, the status of women is defined and they are conformed to stereotypical concerns and work that have been defined by such texts. The image shows the man, relaxed and almost unmotivated, thus the image provides sufficient evidence to the reader that these statements are true. and as this attitude in males specifically in this period of time with its social norms are not as mentioned in the advert, the reader is more inclined to believe it and furthermore persuaded to find out more, doing so by buying the book. Furthermore, another aspect that tempts the reader to take action in buying the book. The messages within the text are insightful and are interesting to any male readers such as “Franklin taps the psyche… and shows… why attracting women has never been easier.”Creating the illusion of the ease that these tips and tricks will provide. 

Establishing Shots

Establishing shot – it is designed to show the audience where the action is taking place, behind the scenes (showing the directors, camera crew) 

Behind the scenes – brand loyalty – Support for a brand and positive appreciation towards the brand and its principles.

Camera Movement –  a camera is moved during the exposure for a creative or artistic effect

Negative Space – focal point becomes the person. 

Visual and lexical : 

• Composition : 
• Orientation : Frame within the frame – micro elements in text
• Typography : Cursive, implying femininity
• Cast : Tried to make it diverse, although obviously is scripted and seems unrealistic. In the end, the woman gives a perfect monologue, scripted and pre written, which lost trust between the brand and the potential customers.
• Visual and lexical interaction: DIgital integration of the hashtag #likeagirl 

Contrasting Shots

Context Author: The brand is all for equal rights and equality, an ad to identify another social issue, something they is not unusual for the company.  The shots identify the reality of the world not sharing the same mindset.
Context Text: The “older generation” and younger generation showing the immediate different reactions of the statement and identify the status quo.

Text (Macro): 

Purpose: Shots used to show the contrast in different ideas within the same gender.

Audience: Males (Super Bowl), females (contrasting shots).

Reception: The register here is neutral, but the tone created is quite questionable. The producer of is creating a tone of showing there are two different contrasting ideas between the generations. Furthermore, creating a uncomfortable tone? Asking since when did Like A Girl become an insult. The mood created is very bold and serious, which leads to a uncomfortable mood? The older generation seems to show a more stereotyped emotion, the younger generation is showing a more serious emotion. Taking it more serious. 

Micro: 

Generalisations are 

Long shots to show the full representation and clothing, one being a girl (stereotypical) the other being more sporty (clothes). Then there’s two separate shots to really show the difference rather than putting them together. Same eye angle to show the equality. With the rule of thirds, the line intersections show the important focuses, the leg movement, arm movement and emotion. The subject is in the middle with plenty of negative space to just the most focal element. 

Contrasting shots

• The company chose to involve men, their views , their opinions about the topic, which is a social issue, gender and sexual, as it usual for the company to do such thing; they are famous for their Equality opportunity policy.
• Ad’s purpose:
  • The ad’s target audience is “Men”. It tries to show the effect of this sort of representation on men and men’s thought of the term. 
  • Also having a young boy and an older man it shows the impression that they have over generations. 
  • What the public might have felt shocked: Pathos and Ethos; they might have been stimulated to question themselves: Logos.
  • It is problematic, as they involve just a part of society: white people.It is not just white women that face this issue and not just white men have an opinion. Half human population faces menstruation and the other half might have its own opinion. They hired just white people, to give a representation of the society elite, the one that counts in the a western culture. It is almost an appeal to Authority, where white people are seen as the authority and the example that the rest of the people should follow. 
• Ad’s effects:
  • The shots happens in the same place as women did: same background, same kind of shooting, same kind of framing. They do not create a difference between the two genders, they put them in the position. 
  • Visual effects (illumination) and sound effects (soundtrack)

Close Ups

Context : 

The company chooses the casts in both gender and the compare them in perspectives because the company is mainly famous for their equality  opportunity policy. However, the majority of the people in the video were white even though it may seems like they are addressing the big issue. 

• Different perceptions perceived by different gender
• They chose the girl with the makeup because it is a typical representation of a western girl or what the society generalize a western girl to be.

Visual elements:

• The background was dull so that the audience can focus on them and hear their different perspectives when they use the phrase  “likeagirl” to tease their friends associating girls as weak. 
• The brand ‘always’ was put in a circle in blue color, the eyes of both the girl and boy was also blue; the background was dull blue as well. They focus more on color blue because the color symbolizes confidence, encouraging and intelligence; which strongly supports the hashtag #likeagirl by showing that girls are confident for being who they are and how proud they are to be girl. And it is encouraging the boys to not look down on girls or misusing the hashtag to tease their friends but to respect them equally like how they do to their own sisters. (in the video the boy says that when he tease his friends using “likeagirl”, he is not referring that to his sister but to other girls)

•  The girl has bright face, curled her hair and is with makeup which shows how confident she feels being a girl and that is how it is like a girl. It can also mean that she is insecure about herself by covering her “real face” with makeup. 
• The boy is in the centre with bright color shirt, blue bright eyes and brown hair so that the audience can focus on him and listen to him about how he uses “likeagirl” to tease his friends not caring about how the girls might think but he can’t refer that to his sister.

Shots and angle:

 Eye level angle and close up shot: the angle is eye level with close up shot showing that they are also referring to the audience and allows them to identify the issue along with the characters

you can really see what their faces or expression were when they are addressing the issue.

The middle ground focuses on their eyes which clearly shows putting the target audience on equal level 

Call to Action

Rule of thirds: 

Bandwagon: use of social media – twitter and the always.com website and # makes a viewer feel that it is a campaign that must be followed.

The visual uses a lines to draw attention to the  name of the brand . White as a colour stands out and contrasts against the dark blue background. The shading gradient used in the call to action also has the lighter colour where the brand name is and the darker shades at the corners.

Frame within Frame: The brand name and slogan are in an enclosed frame which draws more attention to their brand, this could possibly be for brand loyalty and so their brand is memorable  

Punchy → share, tweet, stand up: These are really punchy phrases that are easy to understand by the audience. The phrases are also short instructions of how people can take action.

Slogan → “Rewrite the Rules”

My Literary text is a song written and produced by famous Russian Singer Viktor Tsoy. Viktor Robertovich Tsoi was a Soviet singer and songwriter who co-founded Kino, one of the most popular and musically influential bands in the history of Russian music. Born and raised in Leningrad, Tsoi started writing songs as a teenager.

Pack of cigarettes – Viktor Tsoy

I seat and look at other sky through window’s frame

And I can’t see a single familiar star

I was walking all the roads, here, there and again

I turned back and found no footprints so far.

.

If i have got a pack of cigarettes

That means things are not so bad for today

And a ticket for a plane with a silver wing

Which leaves nothing but a shadow when going away.

.

And nobody ever wanted to be guilty without wine

And nobody ever wanted to take chestnuts from bonfire

And without music dying before public ain’t fine

Perish without music – ain’t no such desire.

.

If i have got a pack of cigarettes

That means things are not so bad for today

And a ticket for a plane with a silver wing

Which leaves nothing but a shadow when going away.

.

If i have got a pack of cigarettes

That means things are not so bad for today

And a ticket for a plane with a silver wing

Which leaves nothing but a shadow when going away.

Consider:

•The style of the text
The style of the text is in song form, this provides a melodic asset to the dark theme of not enjoying life and having the world always seem foreign to you. Viktor Tsoy was always considered as a foreigner due to his asian appearance in a society of the racist views of the Russian federation. This can be seen in the line “I seat and look at other sky through window’s frame and I can’t see a single familiar star”.  In the original language, the song follows an ABBA rhythm form which allows the song to flow and provide comforting sounds in contrast to the deep meaning of the song. 

•Its intended audience
The audience that Viktor Tsoy intended this song for was mostly for people struggling with the same problem to provide comfort not only for them, but also for himself. Viktor Tsoy struggled with communication and interacting with other people. This projected the constant feeling of loneliness adding to his unusual appearance in the Russian pop culture. 

•Its purpose
The purpose of the text was to rebel against the views on Viktor Tsoy as a person, while pointing out the struggles of addiction. This can be seen throughout the entire literary text, for example in the second verse, “If i have got a pack of cigarettes, That means things are not so bad for today”. This shows that as long as he has a pack of cigarettes, his life can go on. This can almost be seen as irony, although the dark theme of addiction and not fitting in overweighs the unbelievable love for cigarettes, as can be seen with the author calling cigarettes his “only friend”. 

•Its context (of production and reception)
My Literary text is a song written and produced by famous Russian Singer Viktor Tsoy. Viktor Robertovich Tsoi was a Soviet singer and songwriter who co-founded Kino, one of the most popular and musically influential bands in the history of Russian music. Born and raised in Leningrad, Tsoi started writing songs as a teenager. Viktor Tsoy was born and raised in Leningrad, which is now known as Saint Petersburg, Troy struggled his whole life with feeling left out and never truly being accepted into a culture just for his appearance, although he grew up in the same place and had the same childhood as the people around him. Tsoi was a true icon for the last generation who spent their adolescence and youth in the Soviet era. Born in 1962 in Leningrad, Tsoi was the son of a Soviet Korean engineer and a physical education teacher. From his early years, his life did not follow the pattern of an established Soviet musician: he was expelled from art school, studied wood carving, worked for a couple of years in a boiler room nicknamed Kamchatka. 

•Stylistic features 
Metaphors: 

•   “And a ticket for a plane with a silver wing, which leaves nothing but a shadow when going away.”
• “I seat and look at other sky through window’s frame”
• “And nobody ever wanted to be guilty without wine”
• “And nobody ever wanted to take chestnuts from bonfire”

Comic Book – Just peachy

For anyone affected by mental illness, Just Peachy shows that you are not alone. Simply put, this is an encouraging collection of comics about being just okay sometimes.

Through dark humor and cute illustrations, the subject matter becomes a bit

more bearable, allowing for honest discussion about things like treatment and

getting through anxiety attacks, and providing some comfort in times of

struggle.

Consider:

•The style of the text
The style of the text is a comic book that is made up of many different life situations and struggles of depressions and being lost in your own world of thoughts. Through dark humor and cute illustrations, the subject matter becomes a bit more bearable, allowing for honest discussion about things like treatment and getting through anxiety attacks, and providing some comfort in times of struggle.

•Its intended audience
The intended audience is the teens and overall people that are struggling with depression and / or anxiety. This comic book is supposed to provide a safe space that anyone can revert to if feeling low. Being able to connect with somethings allows you to understand that you are not the only one with this struggle and it is okay to be feeling a particular way.; The author of the book “Just Peachy”, struggles with anxiety her entire life and managed to express her feelings through this comic book. After starting to talk about issues like depression and anxiety with others, the author learned that with spreading knowledge on the topic, people become more accepting and feel secure in their society in comparison to always feeling alone. 

•Its purpose
Just Peachy is a comic series that explores what the day-to-day is like with depression and/or anxiety. The all-too-real cartoon protagonist gives readers a character to empathize with, and helps explain some of the not often talked about consequences and symptoms of having depression. The comics also explore the themes of heartbreak, finding love, dealing with stress, and capturing the magical moments in life that keep us going.

•Its context (of production and reception)
The author f the comic book lived with anxiety her entire life. This comic book allowed her to remember all of the relatable stories and provide a safe space for people suffering similar issues to relate to the situations that people with anxiety go through on a daily basis. 

•Stylistic features 

How are we affected by texts?

How do texts reflect, represent or form a part of cultures?

How does language represent social distinctions and identities? 

Is the act of representation problematic?

How can texts offer multiple perspectives of a single issue, topic or theme?

How do representations reveal and conceal underlying values or attitudes?

What can I improve on?

• Reorganise my thesis + structured topic sentances
• Point, evident and make sure to analyse each point thouroughly.

Holly Chisholm – Context

Just Peachy is a comic series that explores what the day-to-day is like with depression and/or anxiety. The all-too-real cartoon protagonist gives readers a character to empathize with, and helps explain some of the not often talked about consequences and symptoms of having depression. The comics also explore the themes of heartbreak, finding love, dealing with stress, and capturing the magical moments in life that keep us going.

Text- Just Peachy comics

Point: To be a peice of realtable text for the audience. This will provide a safe space for people to understand that others go through similar problems.

Evidence

Analysis

Process of Reflecting:

• Metacognition – awareness and understanding of one’s own thought processes.
• Innovation – executing new ideas to create value.
• Mentorship – the guidance provided by a mentor, especially an experienced person.
• Collaboration – the action of working with someone to produce something.
• New School – Documenting in a new way.
• Journey – Reflect on the process and delve into reasonings / proof of statements.
• Revision – going through previous work to deeper understand its meaning.

Questions :

What has changed? What has stayed the same?

Due to the time frame being only two years, there is not a drastic difference in my identity. Although there is a continuous search for identity seen. I became more confident in myself and realised that I should utilise all the oppertunities that are given to me. The main thing that changed was that I have a deeper understanding of self and what I want from myself. I became more self aware and understanding of my surroundings and the people around me. Becoming self asured comes with time, therefore I believe that in a couple of years the improvement would me more drastic in comparison to now.

To what extent do identities change over time? Why?

Identities change more drastically when a child grows up, rather than an adult growing older. This is because we learn main life skills and qualities at a younger age, which helps us expand our minds and comprehend information in new ways. Identities change excessivly when the mind is less developed and through time we learn to build our own sense of what to believe and what not to. At an older age, people have grown their own minds enough to have their own strong identity and therefore it is harder to change, yet not impossible.

Do we have one fixed identity or multiple?

The human kind has multiple identities due to the fact that we adapt to different situations and people. For example, being more polite to elders, while swearing and using faulty layed back language with friends. The way that people persieve us can be very different to the way that others see you because of how you presented yourself to them. ALthough you can see this question from the other side, being that an identity doesnt change, yet the face that we put up infront of people changes. OUr inner thoughts and feelings always stay constant an true to ourselves.

To what extent does this text represent your full identity?

This text represent my identity ever so slightly because neither a human nor a culture can be explained using words. A human is a complex mechanism that constantly evolves, and most of the time cannot verbally explain themselves. I only put down the cliche expressions that I hear around my name, meaning that it is the smallest fraction of what is to know about me. These are basic frazes that could be said about any person, although they describe how I see myself in comparison to what I think that people see me as.

Can you suggest a text that can more completely capture you identity?

I personally believe that no text can capture an identity or culture because such complex mechanisms cannot be even understood by themselves. Although something that could capture identity would be simply getting to know me and how I am like in different situations. I think that even the bestest of my friends dont know me fully because they only know how I act around them and havennt seen me in extremely critical situations, which usually brings out the true person behind the mask.

How do graphic elements in this text contrast to show multiple perspectives?

The arrows pointing out represents how I see myself, while the ones pointing inwards are the things that I think people see me as. There is a drastic difference between the two and can almost be called absolute opposites. This unfortunately happens due to the perseption of people not matching reality. This can be the result of bad first impressions and simply judging a book by its cover. The graphic elements, being the arrows show how we present ourselves to people, being not the reality of how we feel on the inside.

In what ways can the loss and search for identity be represented in this text?

The search for identity is presented in this text through the contrast between the 2 years of grade nine and grade eleven. Although the difference is not drastic, the improvements can be seen through me becoming more confident with myself and my passions. To contrast this, loss of identity is also present because the negative qualities of mine fade away and are replaced with more useful skills. This is the process of analysing myself by what is going to have either a positive or a negative affect on my wellbieng and my future.