Commercial rewrites and Dead Book and Divorce

AT&T Commercial

Hansel and Gretel are in the city which is necessary to the understanding of this commercial. They do not look like they belong. Lederhosen in the city? That’s not feasible. A cop would stop them since the way they are dressed and being unsupervised if this was reality. After Gretel drops the bread, it is instantly devoured by the environment. The pigeons daintily eat the bread, which would not happen if Hansel and Gretel were in the forest where they belong with birds that would scoff up any errant morsel. There are no sewer grates for the bread to be lost down in the forest either.

 The fairy tale has been totally removed from context by at&t to prove a point. In the original fairy tale the bread is lost and they arrive at the gingerbread house with the witch who plans on eating Hansel. The AT&T cell phone saves the duo from this doom in the commercial hence changing the entire fairy tale. AT&T shows through this commercial that it can help avoid a cell phone user becoming lost most of all, but also the ability to steer them clear of potential danger. This commercial is about selling a new network by playing on the defenselessness of children.

Pantene Observation

The most striking observation of this commercial is the repaired violin.  In reality a broken violin would hardly make any noise when played. However in this commercial, the viewers are led to believe that it creates the sound of a whole orchestra when played. The deaf girl repairing the violin in order to carry out her desire to play is a scene that shows her dedication. The violin symbolizes the beauty of perseverance.

The deaf girl plays a beautiful piece on an instrument that has been reduced to scrap wood and packing tape.  Although it is up to the beholder whether there is actually music or not, the reaction of the crowd suggests there is. Why would they clap for a deaf girl who plays a piece on an instrument that makes no noise? The broken violin influences the commercial by showing that the impossible can be reality. A deaf girl receiving a standing ovation for playing on a reincarnated instrument is an improbable situation. The deaf girl winning a huge musical competition with a salvaged violin is a fairy tale story that would not hold the same impression if the broken violin was absent. Pantene tries to make this impression in order to sell their hair product.

Heineken Observation

One of the central observations that can be made of this commercial is the difference in views of men vs. women. This commercial is geared towards men in a major way. Not only was this commercial shown mostly on sports networks but the frames of the men screaming are the punch line. The shots of them screaming in enjoyment at having the walk-in closet converted into a walk in Heineken refrigerator creates the part of the commercial that grabs the attention of the audience.

A common dream among men is endless alcohol. Previous to the climax, the shot of the women screaming over the shoes and clothes is a biased view of how women react in your average department store. The commercial makes the connection between women screaming and men screaming by comparing clothes and Heineken. This commercial biases and skips the population of men who obsess over clothes and women who worship booze. This commercial is designed to sell Heineken to a certain audience by comparing men to women. Do women appreciate such a commercial?

Kia Analysis

This whole commercial is about connecting with a certain audience. That audience is definitely the 18 to 26 year old college student. Many current fads are being addressed in this commercial. The first is the whole space age/ videogame war genre. The commercial opens up with a war torn crater, filled with battling robots underneath their ships circling above. Many contemporary movies and games are filled with violence and fiction. The second connection with the college audience is the music. This is a current popular party song and is reinforced by the hamsters’ outfits. However, Kia does not stop there, another element had to be added in order to carry this commercial into an eye-snatching ad.

 The hamsters dance. Actually they dance pretty well. This ridiculous combination is laugh out loud funny. The current web generation loves to laugh. The videos with the most hits on YouTube often tend to be the funniest; in fact there is a whole category devoted to funny videos. Not only is this commercial funny but also it has a happy ending. The hamsters bringing peace across the galaxy reminds the viewer of our troops coming home from over seas. This commercial is catered in every way to the college audience by playing on current topics in order to sell a car.

In the “Dead Book”, Jane Churchon’s detached and distant voice lends remoteness to the essay. Although many parts seem particularly heartless there is one that trumps them all. When the doctors lift the bodies from one shelf to another “it is like seeing a white plastic bag perform ballet” (Churchon, 30) This reference occurs about two thirds of the way through the essay at the end of a paragraph. This is a phrase that initially makes the reader smile at the comparison but subsequently has to rush to the bathroom to hurl. The upset body is suspended in the air by straps and metal hooks, parts of the body “sag in the white bag” (30) What a nightmarish experience to be privy to.

            Do you remember what’s in that white bag? Can you see it in your minds eye, “dancing” it’s way through the air, up to it’s new drawer, where many have resided after making the same dance? What happens to the bodies too big and flabby to raise, those who don’t fit in the straps? Are they more graceful in death? What about those who slip out of the rings and have to be lowered down to be readjusted? Would you ever want that job? Do you want to be the lift operator? How would you sleep at night after being privy to such a ballet? How would you run from that memory? Would you purge it? Think of daffodils and butterflies instead of the cold steel, cold bag, cold drawer and cold body? How could you deal with that visual memory every time you shut your eyes?

Brian Doyle’s “Irreconciliable Dissonance” is peppered by metaphors such as “you wonder what the iceberg was under that surface you know?” (Doyle 34) It is quite effective in its own right. Doyle also references a woman divorces her husband after he makes a joke about peeing on fire hydrants, which seems a little extreme.

            Obviously this act was the last straw, leaving the reader to wonder what truly was the iceberg under the surface. This metaphor is also strategically placed at the end of a paragraph. It is the summit of many bizarre divorce stories  and it almost makes you laugh because of the tongue in cheek tone that has been slowly emerging up to this point, this metaphor is used completely to lighten the mood before the essay becomes serious and damaging.