Paper 3 Rough Draft

Bento Williamson

English 101

Position Paper

11/23/15

The Problem With Dress Codes

Feminism: “The theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes” (Merriam-Webster). For many decades, women have been tirelessly fighting for their rights; across many different areas of life. Although many will argue that women in America have it very good compared to other countries, that is no reason to dismiss the injustices that they still face here every day. One issue that has been at the forefront of young women’s rights (middle school to college) is the unfair and sexist enforcement of dress codes in schools. Dress codes were made constitutional after the Supreme Court case of Tinker vs. Des Moines School District in 1965. Two students, John and Mary Tinker wore black armbands to protest the US involvement in Vietnam. They were quickly suspended by the school, and a court case ensued. Ultimately, the courts ruled that the schools “upheld the constitutionality” of their authority over the students, and they acted to “prevent disturbance of school discipline” (D’Anastasio). This case was the major footing that in the future allowed schools to suppress students’ right to free speech and expression. The sexually biased manner in which many schools across the country make girls’ dress codes shows the misogyny that is deeply ingrained in our society today.  

One of the largest problems with dress codes is that they inadvertently promote rape culture. Rape culture is the “normalization of rape. It teaches that it is the victim’s fault rather than the rapist’s fault” (Nxilbiter). Many people think that if a girl is wearing a crop top or short shorts, she is “asking” for the sexual harassment that could follow. This is not only morally wrong, but logically. No matter what someone is wearing, any harassment they receive is not their fault. They are not “asking for it.” If a man is lying on the beach with his shirt off, is he “asking” for sexual harassment? No. Is a high school wrestler walking around in his spandex “asking” for sexual harassment? No. Why are male and female bodies viewed so differently? Marion Mayer, Junior at Lakeland High School writes a passionate article against dress codes; she pronounces, “My body is not a sinful temptation that needs to be hidden… My body is not any more sexual than a man’s body.” Dress codes further emphasize the feeling for women that they are a sinful temptation, and their bodies are inherently more sexual than a man’s. Additionally, when a girl does wear revealing clothing, society tells the man that he is entitled to her, and has every right to pursue her. This is why a shocking one in five women is sexually assaulted while in college. This is why one in nine teens are forced to have sex, and why one in ten women are purposefully hurt by someone they are dating. Because society condones it (1 Is 2 Many). Furthermore, many girls who report their harassments are told “he just likes you,” or “boys will be boys” (Bates). Yet again, words like these make the horrible actions seem okay, even socially appropriate. Marion Mayer writes: “Being a boy refers to your gender. That’s all.” Society has created this stereotype that Marion describes as “constantly sexually aroused and animalistic.” It removes all morality from all males; if we stopped overlooking sexual harassment, we could in turn overlook this stereotype.

Another major argument that school’s use to justify their strict codes is that they are working to create a “distraction-free learning zone” (Zhou). Without doubt, when a girl is sent home for wearing a tank top, or shorts that go above her knees, it shows how much more we value the male’s education over the female’s. Men’s education is NOT more important than the women’s. This excuse further shows the deeply ingrained misogyny in our society. It tells us that the boys are not at fault for staying on task and controlling their behavior. That is again the girls’ fault. It gives the impression that boys are entitled to look at them, and that it is the girl’s responsibility to ensure no one gets distracted by her body. However, it seems at this point that to avoid distraction, schools must restrict clothing to Puritan style (not an inch of skin showing) or they can educate the boys of our society about respect and what it means to sexually harass someone. These dress codes are just put in place to blanket this larger issue: the lack of effort in teaching boys how to act around their female counterparts. Simply put, “boys being boys” is not a good enough excuse anymore. Boys are not “sexually uncontrollable… they don’t have a genetic, animalistic, violent nature” (Mayer). So let’s educate boys to not be distracted by the females and to “not engage in misogyny and objectification of women’s bodies” (Sindil). Teach them how to behave around girls, when they’re dressed revealingly or not. Teach them how to approach a girl, and properly ask her out. Teach them how to handle these situations so they are not driven to harassment. Teach them the most important message of all: that “no means no.” Additionally, show them that a girl is not always capable of saying no; show them that they need to be active in getting 100% sure consent when they are doing anything from hugging to having sex. If teachers focus their energy on this, then shaming girls about their clothing will not be necessary.

Finally, many people have asked what the dress code enforcement is like for boys. In reality, many schools hardly discipline boys for wearing inappropriate clothing. Just because they aren’t showing a lot of skin doesn’t mean the clothes are politically correct. One example shows a boy wearing a t-shirt that reads: “Bad Girls suck, Good girls swallow” (My Virtual Life). The author reveals that the boy was not stopped once by any faculty. Coincidentally, on the same day, she was sent to the office for wearing shorts that sat mid-thigh on a hot summer day. There is no logical reason why a sexaully aggressive and offensive shirt would be less offending to students and staff than a girl wearing shorts. Aside from the obvious bias, publicly shaming girls for their clothing choices is extremely detrimental to their emotional state, and their education. The girl below was sent home from school for wearing clothing that was too revealing. Can you see it? Can you justify sending her home, and interrupting her education? Her mother, Stacie Dunn explains that she was sent home because her collar bones were showing, and it was distracting to the male students in her class. Since when were collar bones considered sexual? To avoid showing her collar bones, she might as well have worn a turtleneck sweater. An event like this for any student could yield many different emotional responses. The ridicule from a student’s peers would be embarrassing; Amelie Meltzer, blogger for the Moral Communities Project recalls being “ashamed and confused” on her first day of sixth grade when she was sent to the office for wearing a tank top with straps “less than three finger lengths apart.” On her way to the office, her peers gave the usual “Oooh you’re in trouble” response to her leaving, which is humiliating for anyone (Meltzer). Aside from the embarrassment, being restricted of expressing yourself, and feeling comfortable in your own skin can ruin self confidence. A post written on tumblr.com by an anonymous author explains how she feels insecure about her shoulders and legs; and that the school’s banning of shorts and tank tops makes her so uncomfortable that she rarely wears either artical of clothing anywhere. Amelie Meltzer also recalls the profound effect it had on her sense of self and worth. She says, “when you control a girl’s body… You take away her agency. You tell her that her body is not her own.” This is a crippling predicament that can have a lasting effect on any girl’s self esteem.  

In the world of feminism, there is a call to action concerning dress codes. They are enforced during a girl’s most impressionable years, and the opinions about themselves, and others that they form at that time could be the ones they carry through adulthood. Imagine being shamed for wearing a pair of shorts on a hot day, or for wearing a pair of comfortable leggings. Imagine what that could do to your mental state; how it could change your self-image. Dress codes need to change, or disappear. They are a poorly laid cover for a much bigger issue: the rape culture that is prominent in our society, and that men are not held responsible for their perverse actions. Dress codes are a warning to girls that they shouldn’t love their bodies too much, and they should change who they are to avoid distracting boys, and being harassed by them. Most importantly, teachers need to inform boys about how to be more respectful and sexually aware instead of spending so much energy shaming and ridiculing girls. If this is done, perhaps misogyny will fall, and new generations of strong, self-loving women, and educated, respectful men will rise.

Works Cited

Bates, Laura. "How School Dress Codes Shame Girls and Perpetuate Rape Culture." Time. Time, n.d. Web. 19 Nov. 2015.

Boboltz, Sara. "These Quotes From Students Nail Everything That's Wrong With School Dress Codes." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, n.d. Web. 19 Nov. 2015.

D'Anastasio, Cecilia. "Girls Speak Out Against Sexist School Dress Codes." The Nation. N.p., 27 Aug. 2014. Web. 19 Nov. 2015.

Mayer, Marion. "Why I'm Taking a Stand Against My School's 'Dress Code'" The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, n.d. Web. 23 Nov. 2015.

Meltzer, Amelie. "School Dress Codes and the Sexual Objectification of Girls | The MCP Blog." The Moral Communities Project. N.p., 20 Apr. 2015. Web. 23 Nov. 2015.

Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 23 Nov. 2015.

"My Virtual Life." Tumblr. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Nov. 2015.

"Nxilbiter." Hi'mølly. N.p., 6 Sept. 2015. Web. 23 Nov. 2015.

"1 Is 2 Many." The White House. The White House, n.d. Web. 23 Nov. 2015.

"Ridiculous and Unfair Dress Codes." Quixotic. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Nov. 2015.

Sindil, Riddhi. "Does Slut-shaming Start with School Dress Codes?" Does Slut-shaming Start with School Dress Codes? N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Nov. 2015.

Zhou, Li. "The Sexism of School Dress Codes." The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, 20 Oct. 2015. Web. 23 Nov. 2015.

Third paper quotes

Quotation from an online source with no page number:

In an interview with the Huffington Post about the issue of dress codes in schools, a female student from Haven Middle School states, "Too distracting for boys' is giving us the impression we should be guilty for what guys do."

Paraphrase from an online magazine with no page numbers:

In an interview with Huffington Post, Anna Angrick says that the girl's are at fault for the guys harassing them.

Paired quotations: 

In the article "Girls Speak Out Against Sexist School Dress Codes," an eighth grade student, Frankie, prepares a notecard to read in a meeting that reads, "This school's policy is one of the reasons why the US has the 6th highest rate of rape in the world." In their interview with The Nation magazine, Lindsey, another student, says that "the way that the administration pushed the issue in mass e-mails to their parents and over the loundspeaker during morning announcements made them very uncomfortable."

Works Cited

Bates, Laura. "How School Dress Codes Shame Girls and Perpetuate Rape Culture." Time. Time, n.d. Web. 19 Nov. 2015.

Boboltz, Sara. "These Quotes From Students Nail Everything That's Wrong With School Dress Codes." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, n.d. Web. 19 Nov. 2015.

D'Anastasio, Cecilia. "Girls Speak Out Against Sexist School Dress Codes." The Nation. N.p., 27 Aug. 2014. Web. 19 Nov. 2015.

Spriggs Vs. The world

Similarities between texts:

• All took a stance/position on something
• Articles used facts and statistics to illustrate their point

• Facts cannot be argued with

• All acknowledge the opposition
• All texts provide crucial background information

• Most refute the counter arguments (show why they are wrong)
• All illustrate the main points in a very clear and direct manner
• Writings appeal to readers through Ethos, Pathos, Logos
• Most have quotes from a reputable source/person
• All use an authoritative tone

Differences between texts:

• Some have first person language, others do not
• Some have pictures/illustrations, others do not

• Pictures have captions

• Some have quotes directly from people, others quote sources or other persons writing

Spriggs reading

1. It is quite obvious that she cares about this subject. She makes it sound so important by pointing out the many benefits to buying locally, and the issues that our massive food industry has today. A big soft spot for many readers is global warming and environmental issues. She points out that our current way of growing and shipping food is horrible for the environment, and that buying locally would take away a lot of the shipping cost, and oil cost. She establishes using facts and statistics: for example she states that by 2030, as a result of global warming, there will be no more ice glaciers in Glacier National Park. Facts like these are staggering, and bring about a sense of cause in the reader. It sure made me want to buy local more.
2. She considers many counter arguments to this topic. She shows how many people argued that local growing is worse for the environment, but she shut that down with facts and statistics proving otherwise. She also used a personal account of a farmer who worked on their land. He talked about how the growth of monoculture farms, and how they are ruining the business of small sized farms polyculture farms.
3. On the end of the first page, she writes about the global warming issue, and how the U.S. is one of the leading contributors to this problem. She doesn’t propose much opposition to this, because in the science community, global warming is undeniably a large problem. She gives us statistics about the U.S.’s fuel emissions, as well as our large amount of waste. She made it clear that global warming matters because it could likely be the fate of our world. Her evidence was strong and clear, using scholarly predictions and statistics. She didn’t pay much attention to the opposition, because rightfully there shouldn't be one.
4. The photos contribute to the argument by creating context to her words. The descriptions below them are helpful in the reader’s understanding of the topic. She compares photos of a monoculture and polyculture farm, and how they are noticeably very different. She also gives an example of what it looks like to shop at a local farmer’s market.

Responses to Videos

One of us wrote about about the drunk driving, and two of us watched the texting while driving video. Both of our summaries were quite similar in that they both featured a personal account of a tragic accident that resulted of these two types of mistakes. They both had dramatic slow piano music, teary eyed interviewees, and dramatic texts. Both stories follow several stories, both talking about the victims, and the effects that this accident had on the families. For example, in the drinking and driving video, the parents of the deceased had a hard time after, but they worked to create an organization to help intoxicated kids. They both use pathos (emotion) as the most effective piece in each video. The sad music, and stories from victims is really sad, and is a strong persuasive tool for the viewer. It also uses ethos (ethics) to show logically what could happen to you if you drink and drive, or if you text and drive. The videos still have a big shock value showing real videos and pictures from the accidents, while avoiding any gory scenes. Even without the gore, the messages are very persuasive.

Drinking and Driving story

This short video tells the tragic story of the death of two teenage sisters. It tells how the two sisters had been present at a party where alcohol was involved, and they spent much of the night partying. The soul survivor of the crash, and friend of theirs recalls the driver not being noticeably drunk, not tripping or stumbling around. Much of the video features a conversation with the parents of the deceased, talking about the impact it had on their lives, as well as how they bounced back from it. The parent's started an organization where intoxicated kids could call a number and get a ride home no questions asked. The parents of the two girls are trying to make a change in the lives of others out of their tragic story. The video pulls you in using the sad, slow, dramatic piano music. That along with the heartfelt, teary interviews shows the producer of the video's use of pathos to draw in the audience. He uses technology to his advantage, combining spoken word, text, music, and videos from the scene first hand to make us empathize with the kids and their parents. It also uses ethos to convince people not to drink and drive. These are words spoken by people who have experienced the possible tragedies that result because of drunk driving. There is no better source to listen to about drunk driving than a family member, or person whom experienced it first hand.

How things mean

Peace Sign Buttons

1. What do they suggest?

The buttons suggest peace, and somewhat of an anti-war attitude.

2. How do do they suggest it?

Both buttons include the “peace” sign, one specifically says “peace” and the other says “make love, not war.”

3. Which elements of each image work on the viewer in various ways?

The image on the left, suggests a more playful, laid back attitude toward this notion of “peace,” versus the image on the right, is a more refined and professionally done organized logo/button. Both may appeal to differing audiences while still illustrating the same point.  

Rolex & Hello Kitty watches

1. What do they suggest?

Both suggest that the watch is somehow a fashionable and that the the consumer will be making a statement by wearing the product.

2. How do they suggest it?

They show off their features and their key feature (one being the Hello Kitty, the other being that it has diamonds and that it is a Rolex)

3. Which elements of each image work on the viewer in various ways?

Obviously the two audience's are significantly different, however toward their audience, both have the same point; to sell their watch.

Outline:

       Thesis: Each of the pairs of images illustrate the same point toward two different target audiences.

1. The watches have the same goal - to sell their product that do the same thing. The way they present each one is different.
1. The Rolex is more formal and sophisticated (aimed toward rich adults)
2. Hello Kitty is playful (aimed toward kids)
2. The buttons have the same goal - to advocate for peace and love. The way they present each one is different.
1. The “peace” button is more whimsical (aimed to more hippies)
2. The “make love - not war” button is more organized and simple (aimed at people advocate for peace and love but are not hippies)
3. The level of formality, style and appealing features differ depending on the audience, however within the pairs, the goal of the watch or button is consistent.

reading sources critically

Tim Wise; “Use Of The N-Word”

1. What arguments does the author make?

The author makes all arguments toward the position of not verbally using the N-word. Multiple arguments are brought up from playground examples such as “I can talk about my mother, but you sure as hell better not talk about my mother!” Another example that Tim Wise used was about a particular comedian Jeff Foxworthy and his jokes regarding “rednecks.” He argues that because Jeff may somewhat fall into the category of group that he is making fun of, it is seen as acceptable. On the flip-side, if Jerry Seinfeld was to use these same jokes in a standup routine, it would be inappropriate. His main position is that white people should not use verbally the N-word, however it is at the discretion of black people to use freely.

2. How persuasive do you find the argument?

The argument is very persuasive. Tim Wise supports his stance on the topic with plenty of evidence. Wise is clear on why this issue is important, while giving his view of how it should be handled. He explains more than just the white man's point of view, and explains the point of view of a black man. The medium allows him to express his authority with a strong tone.

3. What is the author's stance?

The stance the author takes is that he believes it isn't his place to determine how and when it is acceptable to use the word due to him being a white person. Although he does take a firm stance that it’s not his place to determine the above points, he does voice very clearly that if you’re not black you shouldn't use the word.

4. Does the publisher bring a certain stance to the work?

His speech was part of Boston College’s FACES organization, which is designed to promote awareness about discrimination and racism. Boston College is interested in race relations and wants their community to be a part of discussions like this.

5. Do you recognize ideas you’ve run across in other sources?

To my limited knowledge on the subject, Tim Wise brought up some new original and very persuasive ideas to the table to help illustrate his point. Some of the more generic things he said about Mark Twain and his use of the N-word in his book Huckleberry Finn I had heard before.

6. Does this source support or challenge your own position - or does it do both?

I am in agreement with Tim Wise and his statements of when it is appropriate to use the word. As a white person, hearing other white people say the N-word sounds very inappropriate and out of place (being that this is not the 1950’s anymore). His examples only furthered my own belief/stance on the subject, and I think this was a very informative and explanatory video.

7. What can you tell about the intended audience and purpose?

The purpose of the piece is to educate and offer some solution on who/ how the “n-word” should be used. The intended audience is students and faculty members who attend Boston College. He also aims to further educate people like who are fans of his writing, take a particular stance on the subject, or raise awareness of his opinion on how the topic should be dealt with. Also, since Tim Wise’s video is on YouTube, it can be intended for the general public and anyone who is interested in being involved in the topic.

Yes we can

The whole point of this video is to promote Obama in such a way that reaches people in a non-political way. The music is a vehicle to not only deliver the message, but it is used to connect to people. Music is a global language, and there is no other medium that can use emotion as effectively. Also, the video uses many well known  people doing the voiceovers, which shows the wide support that obama has. The words "hope" and "yes we can" are the ones that stand out, and are repeated many times, further backing up this sentiment.


Thinking about My Writing:
In my latest email, I was arguing a position of what I wanted to do that evening. I made my motivation clear by stating my emotional state, and my energy level as a result of what I did that day. Additionally, I made several arguments about what I would like to do given those factors. I also took into consideration what people previously said they wanted to do, and offered my willingness to do that, or an equal alternative. The biggest part of offering my stance is acknowledging the oppositie, and I think I did that well.

Reading Summary:

This reading explains the many pieces of arguing that we use in every day life, and that we use in writing a paper. According to this piece, we argue to achieve these things: to understand, to explore, to inform, to convince or persuade, to make decisions, or to reach consensus. The text uses many real life examples like Madonna's controversial performance in 1998, MLK's many profound speeches, and Gaddafi protesters in 2011. Important parts of finding, or making an argument are identifying who is making the argument, and where it is coming from (the media type, and it's credibility). Another important part is identifying your stance, and knowing well why you argue that way. You must also identify what is at stake, and put the most effort into getting the facts, defining the issue, stating why it matters, and telling what action should be taken. A claim is similar to a thesis, in that it makes a statement that must be proven with evidence. Finally, an important part of an effective argument is using ethos, pathos, and logos (emotion, logic, and credibility) to drive your point home.

Opinions and MLA format exercise

How does it appeal to you - or why does it fail to appeal?

This opinion does not appeal to me in the slightest for many reasons. The fact that he feels like he has to say “NOT” being racist is absurd. The only reason people say “not being racist but” is so they can go ahead and be racist. Additionally, he spelled Asians wrong, and his grammar overall is horrendous.

What kinds of words, images, or sounds does it use as supports for its position?

It uses horrible grammar, ugly white people, and even more racist comments to “drive” his point. They are using their horrible opinions to bash on the statistically most intelligent demographic in the world, and further proving their ignorance. It’s posts like these that make me very pessimistic about the human race. Oh well.

If you were going to revise it for a different audience, what would you do?

I would revise it by burning it to the ground and giving this ignorant idiot a stern talking to. Opinions that denounce, degrade, or discriminate against any group or individual are not opinions, they are abuse. Although the internet is filled with things like this, ideally there is no place appropriate for content like this.

If you were going to create it in another medium, how would it be different?

I would burn it to the ground, then make a youtube video of all the reasons this person is a racist A-hole.

How does it appeal to you - or why does it fail to appeal?

The ad appeals to me because I agree with the message it is promoting. The ad was created during World War II to promote women to join the workforce.

What kinds of words, images, or sounds does it use as supports for its position?

A powerful slogan is at the top of the page, “We Can Do It!” “Rosie” is the main focus of the poster, she is a working women flexing her arm to show her strength. A yellow background makes the poster pop.

If you were going to revise it for a different audience, what would you do?

If the poster was directed towards men, convincing them to persuade their spouses to join the workforce. I would change the color scheme to more patriotic colors of red, white and blue. Possibly have multiple women walking into the jobs as men was away from the jobs to symbolize the need for women to fill the empty jobs. As well as that women could work just as hard as men.

If you were going to create it in another medium, how would it be different?

If we were to turn the poster into a video, it might show multiple women working - showing strength in numbers. A patriotic song might be playing in the background since this was created in time of war.

How does it appeal to you - or why does it fail to appeal?

This poster I find very appealing because of it’s wit, satire, and bitter truth. This gay rights protester is using one of the anti-gay rights major arguments against them.

What kinds of words, images, or sounds does it use as supports for its position?

The quote directly from the bible is brilliantly chosen for the specific issue. I can say with confidence that many homophobes use the bible as an excuse for their intolerance, yet are sinning in many ways  similar to this ^ :)

If you were going to revise it for a different audience, what would you do?

I would not revise this sign at all. It is perfectly written, and the title above the quote is well placed and spot on with the issue.

If you were going to create it in another medium, how would it be different?

I would like to see many other quotes from the bible like these listed or made into a video. The bible argument for anti-gay protestors is absurd, and overused. Arguments like these help to dull that, and make them seem even more absurd. We need more brilliant minds and readers like this man in the fight for gay rights. BAM

How does it appeal to you - or why does it fail to appeal?

This political cartoon, like most, uses humor to illustrate (literally) a point or position on a particular issue. Generally the caricatures are given labels showing what aspect of government or politics they represent. Here the artist shows the difficulties for both the taxpayers and our future by supporting a large government. Two small children are dragging a cargo ship through the desert full of “out of hand” government activities.

What kinds of words, images, or sounds does it use as supports for its position?

The hot sun screaming down on the two small children attempting to drag the government (ship) through where it should not belong (desert).

If you were going to revise it for a different audience, what would you do?

I suppose for big government supporters you could potentially flip the positions of the ship and the kids. Aka the “big government” dragging the future and the taxpayers through the desert.

If you were going to create it in another medium, how would it be different?

If this image was to be say, a video, it would probably be much more informative, but a lot more work for an artist. It could include the loading of the ship and the heat waves of the desert to really give the full dramatic effect toward the issue.

Works Cited

"50 Funniest Protest Signs Ever - Funny Blog." 50 Funniest Protest Signs Ever - Funny Blog. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Nov. 2015.

"I'm Not Racist, But..." I'm Not Racist, But... N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Nov. 2015.

Miller, J. Howard. “We Can Do It!” Poster. Wikipedia. 1942. Print.

Varvel, Gary. "Political Cartoons." Teach-Learn-Explore. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Nov. 2015.

Taking a position exercise

All times I've taken a position:

1. What to have for dinner
2. Where to go for lunch
3. What show to watch on TV
4. What to wear that day
5. Current events (national issues)
6. Talking to my friend about an opinion on a new show I'm watching
7. Reasons why my political class is pointless
8. Taking a position on my favorite (the best) game console

There are many times daily we find ourselves taking a position or a certain issue. These are not always involving others. Many decisions we make are based off of our own personal preference, and how we are feeling in that particular moment in time. For example, choosing what clothes you want to wear that day is usually an individual issue that you "take a stance" on, or make a decision on. The other side is taking a stance on things that involve others, like deciding what to make for dinner, where you have to take into account the other person's ideas, but you also have to argue your decision to influence the other person. Most often, conversations that we have on a daily basis involve some sort of argument, or topic to take a side on. Whether it be discussing current events, or talking about a new show you watched, and how you feel about it. 

Taking stock of my writing

1.        How did you go about analyzing the text? What methods did you use—and which ones were most helpful?

Given there was not a lot of texts on the ads that I chose (because they are picture ads), the real methods I used were in interpreting the images, and using the texts as a baseline for that. The texts complimented the pictures in such a way that the analysis was simple. Analyzing these texts was quite easy, because most ads only have a few words to a few sentences on them. This way, they have to be pretty clear cut so anyone can understand them. 

2.       How did you go about drafting your essay?

I created a rough outline of my paper. I started by taking the 7 questions we used for the other ads and applied that to each ad. From there, I created a thesis statement, and began writing. 

3.       How well did you organize your written analysis? What, if anything, could you do to make it easier to read?

I feel as though I organized it pretty well. Each paragraph has a description and my analysis of an individual ad, and it compares to the other ads in the essay. The topics are strong, and help to back up my thesis. Perhaps to make it easier I could have three description paragraphs and then one comparing paragraph.

4.       Did you provide sufficient evidence to support your analysis?

I believe I do provide sufficient evidence. Each ad is unique in design, media and content, and they all work to prove the same point. 

5.       What did you do especially well?

I believe the strategies of the producers of these ads that I identified is my strongest point. They use big signs, small shirts, or online media, as well as humor, simplicity, and well known people to give their ads substance.

6.       What could still be improved?

My sentence flow and my transitions paragraph to paragraph could be stronger.

7.       Did you use any visuals, and if so, what did they add? Could you have shown the same thing with words?

The visuals were the whole point of the paper. Without them, the paper would be very confusing. Using just words wouldn't have been effective in proving my point at all. 

8.       How did other readers' responses influence your writing?

Other reader's responses were mostly grammatical fixes. They did not help much in changing my structure or style of my paper.

9.       What would you do differently next time?

Next time I would choose a different topic of ads to write about.

10.   Are you pleased with your analysis? What did it teach you about the text you analyzed? Did it make you want to study more works by the same writer or artist?

I am pleased with my analysis, I enjoy discovering the whit and strategies that go into making ads like these.

11.   What are the transferrable  skills you can take from this into other writing situations?

Analysis is a very important skill to use in writing, and I will use it many more times in the future.