Outline for a mass communication written task
Written Task 2 Example: Vote Different
Essay Outline
Prescribed question: “6. How has the text borrowed from other texts, and with what effects?”
Title of the text for analysis: 'Vote Different'
Part of the course to which the text refers: Part 2 - Language and mass communication.
My critical response will:
• present the attack ad as a text with several layers of meaning, exploring the use of irony, imagery and allusion,
• present the attack ad within the context of the Apple Macintonsh ad, introducing the notion of mash-ups,
• explain how even more meaning is added to the text in the context of George Orwell's novel, Nineteen Eighty-four,
• show how all of this had an effect on the audience by looking at the polls from January 2008.
Critical Response
In 2008 an attack ad, titled ‘Vote Different’ appeared on YouTube, persuading voters to vote for Barack Obama instead of Hillary Clinton in the primary elections. Without a doubt this ad influenced the way many voters voted. By making use of allusion and by borrowing from other texts, it successfully made voters vote differently. As a result Hillary Clinton lost in the primary elections to Barack Obama.
The attack ad ‘vote different’ depicts a large group of prisoners, sitting in neat rows, watching a large screen. On the screen one sees Hillary Clinton talking about how she would like to listen to her audience and engage in a dialogue with them. Her words are very ironic, since the audience is not able to participate in the discussion. This is the first indication that we are meant to be critical of her words. Secondly, the camera switches to another woman, an athlete who has broken past the prison guards to enter the theatre where the prisoners sit. She is running with a sledgehammer. While all of the images are dark and grey, she seems to bear the only sign of color with her red shorts. On her shirt is the campaign logo of Barack Obama. She hurls the hammer towards the screen, resulting in a burst of
Essay Outline
Prescribed question: “6. How has the text borrowed from other texts, and with what effects?”
Title of the text for analysis: 'Vote Different'
Part of the course to which the text refers: Part 2 - Language and mass communication.
My critical response will:
• present the attack ad as a text with several layers of meaning, exploring the use of irony, imagery and allusion,
• present the attack ad within the context of the Apple Macintonsh ad, introducing the notion of mash-ups,
• explain how even more meaning is added to the text in the context of George Orwell's novel, Nineteen Eighty-four,
• show how all of this had an effect on the audience by looking at the polls from January 2008.
Critical Response
In 2008 an attack ad, titled ‘Vote Different’ appeared on YouTube, persuading voters to vote for Barack Obama instead of Hillary Clinton in the primary elections. Without a doubt this ad influenced the way many voters voted. By making use of allusion and by borrowing from other texts, it successfully made voters vote differently. As a result Hillary Clinton lost in the primary elections to Barack Obama.
The attack ad ‘vote different’ depicts a large group of prisoners, sitting in neat rows, watching a large screen. On the screen one sees Hillary Clinton talking about how she would like to listen to her audience and engage in a dialogue with them. Her words are very ironic, since the audience is not able to participate in the discussion. This is the first indication that we are meant to be critical of her words. Secondly, the camera switches to another woman, an athlete who has broken past the prison guards to enter the theatre where the prisoners sit. She is running with a sledgehammer. While all of the images are dark and grey, she seems to bear the only sign of color with her red shorts. On her shirt is the campaign logo of Barack Obama. She hurls the hammer towards the screen, resulting in a burst of