4.2 ad descriptions

4.2
My first ad is from the 1920s advertising Borjois java face powder. The big print reads when nature is niggardly. This ad uses a favorable image of a pretty skinny white woman blowing bubbles at cherubs. It also guarantees to make women more beautiful but the image suggests that women should be skinnier blonde and white. This is the image juxtaposed against the comment that one could change nature’s complexion with a face powder. It masks the real appearance of what nature gave the women.
The next ad by Ivory soap from the 1920s as well shows a woman petting a lamb with a gentleman peering at her in the distance. This ad reads like an article from a woman’s magazine. IT says “a child who grew up and learned the safe way to loveliness” The safe, easy and most trusted way is through Ivory soap. This ad asks the women to choose the more docile and comforting approach to be noticed petting a lamb by some sweet gentleman. With adding words like delicate, charming, thin, sensitive this ad suggests morals and thoughts docile women have. Simple Ivory soap can grant a simple complexion but it’s noticed just like a lady should be.
This next ad is for hearing aids. But the target audience is fathers who want their kids to do better in school. This picture of a dads hands looking at below average but not horrible grades is foreground to a confused kid saying “But Jeepers Dad it’s hard to hear what Teacher says!!” The ad assumes kids who get bad grades need only hearing aids and this offers a quick fix to the bad grades. It tells the father to become the solutions creator for a small amount of fifty dollars your kid could have good grades.
This next one is paid for by the U.S. war Advertising Council during WW2. It has a soldier with a gun urging a citizen with his paycheck in his hands to stop spending money because it raises the cost of living if more money is spent than goods produced. This ad is encouraging people of the US to spend less money on frivolous things because resources are tight because of the war. This is the exact opposite of capitalistic thought. It is interesting that America fought Communism with these kinds of ads being circulated merely ten years before sponsored by the government. There is a paragraph that urges people to spend money on war bonds, taxes, and savings banks. War is a funny thing that makes even the greediest country founded on competition and wealth spending to ask the country to invent more in the government.
This next men’s hair tonic ad from the 1920s starts out as a public service announcement about tight fitting hats (which were the fashion of the time) causing male pattern baldness. Then it suggests ways to make the hair strong by buying the product, making it look like it causes men not to be bald and allowing the men to still wear their stylish tight fitting derbies with ease. Men are asked here to become fashionable and not bald with the simple application of a product, a seemingly easy task from a man’s point of view.

4.2 ad descriptions

4.2
My first ad is from the 1920s advertising Borjois java face powder. The big print reads when nature is niggardly. This ad uses a favorable image of a pretty skinny white woman blowing bubbles at cherubs. It also guarantees to make women more beautiful but the image suggests that women should be skinnier blonde and white. This is the image juxtaposed against the comment that one could change nature’s complexion with a face powder. It masks the real appearance of what nature gave the women.
The next ad by Ivory soap from the 1920s as well shows a woman petting a lamb with a gentleman peering at her in the distance. This ad reads like an article from a woman’s magazine. IT says “a child who grew up and learned the safe way to loveliness” The safe, easy and most trusted way is through Ivory soap. This ad asks the women to choose the more docile and comforting approach to be noticed petting a lamb by some sweet gentleman. With adding words like delicate, charming, thin, sensitive this ad suggests morals and thoughts docile women have. Simple Ivory soap can grant a simple complexion but it’s noticed just like a lady should be.
This next ad is for hearing aids. But the target audience is fathers who want their kids to do better in school. This picture of a dads hands looking at below average but not horrible grades is foreground to a confused kid saying “But Jeepers Dad it’s hard to hear what Teacher says!!” The ad assumes kids who get bad grades need only hearing aids and this offers a quick fix to the bad grades. It tells the father to become the solutions creator for a small amount of fifty dollars your kid could have good grades.
This next one is paid for by the U.S. war Advertising Council during WW2. It has a soldier with a gun urging a citizen with his paycheck in his hands to stop spending money because it raises the cost of living if more money is spent than goods produced. This ad is encouraging people of the US to spend less money on frivolous things because resources are tight because of the war. This is the exact opposite of capitalistic thought. It is interesting that America fought Communism with these kinds of ads being circulated merely ten years before sponsored by the government. There is a paragraph that urges people to spend money on war bonds, taxes, and savings banks. War is a funny thing that makes even the greediest country founded on competition and wealth spending to ask the country to invent more in the government.
This next men’s hair tonic ad from the 1920s starts out as a public service announcement about tight fitting hats (which were the fashion of the time) causing male pattern baldness. Then it suggests ways to make the hair strong by buying the product, making it look like it causes men not to be bald and allowing the men to still wear their stylish tight fitting derbies with ease. Men are asked here to become fashionable and not bald with the simple application of a product, a seemingly easy task from a man’s point of view.

Printing press or computer?

How humans communicate how the brain works is detrimental to how we understand the ways in which we speak. If we talked about the mind as a loose metaphor for a printing press insight is hidden and other insights are highlighted. The brain is a printing press metaphor highlights the fixed memory humans seem to have. Just like a printing press it was once thought that memories and their emotional ties to the state of mind humans are in when they remember this memory is permanent. Once the letters are pressed onto the paper there is little that can be done to ‘erase’ the letters. This loosely holds true for the memories and the brains functioning. Fluidity of thought is lost in this metaphor. The brain has an amazing capacity for memory but what was once compared to a printing press has now, with a little more understanding, been compared to a computer. The printing press leaves no room for change in the data that streams to the brain. With a computer one could erase and change data. But this computer metaphor has its drawbacks as well. The model needs to read like this: A massive amount of computers networked together on multiple levels allowing for multiple access points is the brain. What Taylor and many other scientists use to explain the complexity of human thought is a network metaphor. The brain, like the world in which it is enmeshed, then, operates according to network logic. “Changes in the structure and function of the brain result both from the coadaptation of neural networks within the brain and from the coadaptation between the brain and its environment. As a result of its coadaptive capacity, the brain is not hardwired but, like all complex networks, functions between fixity and flux. The constraints facilitating brain functions and mental activity are not completely predetermined but change in relation to other physical, chemical, and biological processes” (Taylor).
An example of the fluid networking nature is the reconstruction of memories. Memories are not hardwired into the brain ready to be recalled in the exact form in which the person perceived the memory. Rather, memories are reconstructed calling on the activation of many neurons across multiple networks to build the memory to process into conscious thought. Here is where the printing press metaphor fails to explain. A reason why, though, that people of that era until recently have used the printing press as a viable explanation to the way humans think is because not enough was known about the brain’s interworkings. A lot was assumed like since we seem to be able to instantly recall events that happened to us years ago must mean that memories are kept in a location ready to be perfectly intact and drawn up like a document fresh off the press.
These metaphors help explain to a layperson how human thought is constructed but only through more probing of the mind can any real information about thought come from. Yes, the printing press does help to explain the vast storage capacity of the brain and the ability to recall intact memories instantly. Yes, the computer model helps to give further details about the brains fluid changing nature. But these models change with both the advent of new technology but more importantly more data on the brain. The memory example is a good explanation as to why these metaphors may break down once more info about the brain surfaces. This explains the change in metaphor usage. Maybe twenty years from now we will be comparing human thought to some new technology because more is discovered about the brain. What is interesting is that our daily language still retains these old metaphors even after they are considered obsolete. Why is the word impression still being used when we have theoretically moved on from this metaphor in explaining human thought?

Metaphors in Brain Functioning

There are an immense number of vivid metaphors for the explanation of how the human brain works in this string of quotes. The first one comes from Rosenthal’s Women and Depression. She said the mind is a washing machine. The serotonin is the water that flushes out and cycles the feelings. Depression is a low water pressure problem in the workings of the machine. If depression is seen of as an easily fixable problem in a washing machine the implication here is that an easy solution is the only way to cure the ailment of depression. This notion would adhere to our modern society’s logic of pills curing people’s psychological problems.
A complete opposite interpretation of depression but still compares the brain to a machine is what David Burns brings in Feeling Good. He equates the problem of depression to a scratchy station reception on a radio. There is nothing wrong with the hardware or the station that only thing that is wrong is that the dial is just slightly out of tune rendering the scratchy reception. Burns says that if we can mentally tune our emotions to the right feelings there would be no depression. I personally do not agree with the amount of control this metaphor assumes people have in their feelings. Some people do have bouts of depression that cannot be lifted merely by thinking happy thoughts. There is a serious difference in a somewhat normal person’s brain chemistry and a person’s with depression.
The two Freud articles assign human characteristics to the brain’s functioning in a stressful environment. The metaphor about the explorer’s urging to talk to the people of the newly discovered culture or to take a pick ax and begin the excavation process on the surrounding culture rich buildings. Freud wants to take a two prong ‘attack’ at the getting to the origins of hysteria. He places a lot of trust in the patient’s ability to recall the situation that caused this hysteria. He also asks the patient to confront the problematic situation probably causing more stressful memories and a feeling of unease may set in. This metaphor may predetermine how certain psychoanalytic therapists approach their practice. This metaphor really is grounded in Freudian psychoanalytic treatment philosophy and is a major proponent to predetermine action. The other Freud article explains the concept of the Id and Ego as two competing forces in everyone’s brains that serve as a protection mechanism against overly troubling memories or images turned into memories or thoughts that may be harmful to the person. These thoughts are repressed and kept hidden from the conscious mind. Hysteria begins with the overwhelming of this ego. The ego is forced to discharge feelings of fear. This metaphor explains a lot about hysteria but there is no scientific proof of these forces competing for emotional power in our brain. This is only a theory but all the tenants of this theory are explainable. This is another major proponent of action based on a metaphor because it too is taught to psychotherapists following the Freud teachings.

whose fault is a possession?

Who is to Blame in a Possession?
The difference between thinking of an illness as a disease and thinking about it as a spiritual problem is the presence of guilt and placing the blame. If the illness is thought of as a disease there is no blame on the victim for what has happened to him/her. If the illness is thought to be caused by the devil possessing the victim’s body then the placing of blame or a logical explanation as to why the devil picked the particular victim is sought after. Most of that era would say the people possessed by the devil somehow deserved their plight. They are weak of spirit and can be easily persuaded to have the devil enter into their brains. The society will usually use these victims as a lesson to others to be more vigilant against the devil or someone might become possessed like these poor souls.
With the illness metaphor a hospital is the way to fix or suppress the illness of modern society. Accountability is different than in the possession metaphor. No it was not the victim’s fault but it’s the victim’s job to get better or learn to live with the illness. In the spiritual problem metaphor the blame is on the victim but society does not stress that the victim fix their illness because no one can get rid of the devil by any means short of exorcism. They coax the devil out of Margaret Cooper by idly praying. Ian Hacking, a proponent of social construction, would say that spiritual intervention or possession is false and that the correct way to handle these women would be to consider their ailment an illness.

"C. Montgomery Burns: [over P.A. system] Mindless drones! Return to your ugly families!
Homer Simpson: D'oh! "

This Simpsons quote depicts Burns workers as robots without feelings. This metaphor brings out the qualities humans have for getting obsessed with their job or for getting caught up thinking that the job is their life. They do the same thing day in and day out without reprieve. I think everyone at some point has felt these mind numbing effects of monotony. We start to question if all this work could be done as efficiently as a robot.

"I want to PUMP you up!"
Arnold Schwarzenegger

This quote is taken from Arnold's workout videos. He depicts the human body as a ball or Nike shoe that can be expanded with air or some other kind of substance. The obvious metaphorical meaning is that he wants to get you exited about working out or that he really does want to make your muscles get bigger. But he didn’t say that he said this metaphor and it turned into a catch phrase, a great advertising trick. Its interesting to watch Arnold's tapes because throughout the whole session his words of encouragement are almost all about the body being a machine carefully crafted and controlled by the mechanic, you.

"If it keeps up, man will atrophy all his limbs but the push-button finger.”
~Frank Lloyd Wright

This may not be a direct metaphor to humans as a technology but the finger certainly is considered part of a machine when using the adjective push-button to describe human's drive for making life simpler by advancing technology. Wright warns us here that man might get too lazy and eventually have no need for anything else but a finger to push all the buttons to take care of life for us. But what kind of life would that entail? Not a pleasant one for sure. I see a future of quadriplegic people and millions of robots and machines living life for us. Bleak indeed.

metaphors of anger

Anger equals dynamite metaphor highlights the aspect that anger can explode into violent action. Another aspect is that if anger builds up it produces more violent actions later. Anger, like dynamite is hidden within the properties of itself. No one but the person enraged may know that that person will let all that emotion out at once. William’s poem A Poison Tree points out new metaphor anger equals a poisonous tree.
“I was angry with my friend; I told my wrath, my wrath did end. I was angry with my foe: I told it not, my wrath did grow.”
Anger that is stored up without being let out can be very dangerous. If someone is angry at a friend communication will ‘diffuse’ the anger. But towards a foe, anger will not be talked out and will continue to grow like a tree. The tree metaphor goes further with these words in the next stanza. “And I waterd it in fears, Night & morning with my tears” Continued thought about the situation that caused the person to get angry will let the anger flourish like water helps a tree grow. Then the tree produces a fruit obviously poisonous considering the title of the poem. The interesting aspect of William’s poem is that the foe, probably as angry as the narrator, took the fruit and ate it out of spite towards the narrator. Then the expected happens with the foe falling dead underneath the tree. Anger’s tree poisoned the foe because the more pervasive the angry thoughts enter the narrator’s mind the bigger the tree gets until it bears fruits (violent action) and causes great harm to the person.
If this anger equals poisonous tree metaphor was in use in ordinary language we might say phrases like this: “I’d like to give a fruit to Andy right now, he makes me so mad.” “That’s it, Kelly you should eat one of my fruits.” “My tree is about to bear fruit with you mister.”

writing as a technology

Writing as a Technology

The standard definition of technology is
The application of science, especially to industrial or commercial objectives.
The scientific method and material used to achieve a commercial or industrial objective.
Electronic or digital products and systems considered as a group: a store specializing in office technology.
Anthropology. The body of knowledge available to a society that is of use in fashioning implements, practicing manual arts and skills, and extracting or collecting materials.
Writing is considered technology because in a sense it is a method that does solve many problems more efficiently than without it. Communication wouldn’t be the same without writing. At some point in human history writing was not around. Surely around that campfire, in that dank cave those primitive people who invented writing thought, on some level, that this method would help them communicate better. A lasting impression on a cave wall could communicate stories for the ages. The third definition seems to fit writing in there right along with manual arts and skills. The expanded form of the definition would be technology is anything that applies a new systematic technique, method or approach to solve a problem. Goody talks of the distinction between writing and oral communication in differing cultures, classes and in one’s self. He also says that one can not exist exclusively and that the two modes, oral and writing, feed off each other. Since both are outlets of creative human thought these two should be dynamic and fluent in nature. The way people talk determines how they collect and form sentences on a page. Also, in turn, the more literate a person (i.e. the more words and contexts the person is more familiar with) the easier it is for that person to converse and communicate orally.