TOW #24 - Water Changes Everything (Visual)

This advertisement is for a charity that provides water to those in third world countries who don't have any. It's a very minimalist design, with a white background that draws focus to the meal in the center of the ad. Beneath the picture are two lines of text, one say "Water changes everything", and the other with the name of the charity's website. This ad uses clever wordplay by asserting that water changes everything, and showing an example of a classic meal -- spaghetti -- without water. Obviously, water is integral to the production of this very basic meal, and even more integral to the daily lives of all human beings. This ad can help open people's eyes to seeing how even when we don't think about a meal containing water, it still has an effect on its outcome.

The use of sharp angles and lines in this ad help direct the viewer's eyes towards what its author wants them to look at. For instance, the two hands holding utensils first direct the reader to look at the plate of uncooked spaghetti. After the reader has noted the irregularity, the straight spaghetti points downward towards the tagline and the website. This arrangement leaves the viewers' eyes at the ideal ending point -- the website -- so that it sticks in their mind and they're more likely to visit it. It gives the ad maximum effectiveness. The colors also play an important role in the reader's interpretation of the ad. The whiteness of the background and plate invoke a sense of cleanliness and sanitation, which is probably one of the main goals of this water organization - to provide clean water. White is also a religious color, and religion ties into helping others and charity. The red and yellow of the spaghetti are striking and also help to draw the reader's eye there first. Finally, the black text on the white background set it apart and create a serious tone.

TOW #23 - The Battle to Keep French Pure is Doomed (Written)

This article is about the French language adopting more and more loanwords from English, and the author's worry that this may pollute the language. The interesting thing is that this article is written in English, by a French-speaking author. Because of this, her audience becomes unclear. If she is trying to reach francophones, she is using entirely the wrong language. However, there is really nothing that anglophones can do to alleviate the problem she writes about. In this case, I believe that her purpose is less about fixing the issue and more about offering her thoughts on it to those who speak a different language. English has always happily accepted words and structures from other languages, without worrying about "purity", so a new perspective on the idea is very much appreciated. She explains how "pure" French is very elegant and refined, and that modern French, with its Anglicisms and loanwords, sounds choppy and foreign.

Another interesting facet of this conversation is that France has the "Académie française" that supposedly keeps the purity of the language intact, but it can only determine which words are "technically" in the language. It cannot control which words the people decide to use. On the flip side, the French Canadians who use the French language as well on a daily basis don't have such a society, but socially, they reject very strongly the idea of English loanwords. While the French use "le parking", the Quebécois use "le stationnement". Despite being closer to America and having an arguably more American culture, they still manage to better preserve their language and guard against loanwords and foreign influences. However, many French francophones consider Canadian French an abomination of their language. It's obviously difficult to balance an appreciation for one's own language as it is and the desire for it to change and evolve with a changing world landscape.

TOW #21 - Yes, Please (IRB Post)

I'm about halfway through with Amy Poehler's autobiography Yes, Please, and I really enjoy it so far. I think her use of pictures is unique. Most other authors don't use quite as many pictures to get their point across -- maybe one in the whole book, or a few just to illustrate one large event. But Poehler has pictures at the beginning of every chapter, and interspersed within her stories as well. This overabundance of visual texts gives another layer to her writing, forcing the reader to analyze why she might have chosen to include that particular picture of her stand-up sketch comedy or why that picture of her and her parents might have some sort of emotional resonance. It also helps give the reader a better visualization of the events of her life. She understands that some of her readers may not be familiar with her work outside of the SNL, so she includes pictures so they can understand more easily the tone and character of her work.

Another interesting thing I notice that Poehler uses is that she occasionally breaks off from the narrative of her life into a comedic bit. For instance, after discussing her own pregnancy and the emotions she felt surrounding it, she ends the chapter with a fake letter she pretends to have written with her husband to the hospital staff. In it, she details all the ridiculous amenities they would like to be provided with in order to make the birth more comfortable. I believe she uses this humor as a way to poke fun at herself and keep the tone of the book lighthearted. She doesn't want to be accused of taking herself too seriously, which is always a possibility when one writes a book about themselves. Her humor regarding her divorce (in which she talks about a series of "real divorce help books" with silly titles and terrible advice) also prevent the tone from dipping into something too serious and dark. She assures the reader that she has long moved on from that painful event and invites them to laugh with her, taking the focus off of herself (ironically, since this is an autobiography) and putting the focus onto the happy side of the situation.