My MDIA 101 Assignment 1 - Close Analysis

Jack Adams

MIDA Assignment 1 – Close Analysis

The picture that will be the focus of this close analysis is the Vodaphone cell phone that is pictured above, it was taken next to the Porirua motorway on ramp and it was located on the side of advising potential Vodaphone customers that with this cell phone company you will get more ‘bars’ of signal. The fence poles are also an iconic reception of the bars on a cell phone, which get taller as the reception gets better.

The area surrounding this advertisement is an office block of which the ground floor is also a gymnasium. The photo was taken from the rear side of the office block where the recycling bins are located as well as the office car parking block, by having this advertisement placed on the side of this building by the motorway on ramp, (Not depicted due to the trees) Vodaphone is trying to get the maximum amount of coverage to the cell phones users in the area. However, having an advertisement near rubbish or recycling bins may have an adverse effect on who views it, as the area where the bins of an office block are not frequented by most people and could possibly lead people who have seen the advert in this context to conclude that there is possibly a link between Vodaphone and ‘Rubbish’.

If you know the background of cell phone companies in New Zealand you know that Telecoms XT network has had many problems with the third generation (3G as depicted on the advertisement) reception and signal since its release. This advert for Vodaphone is playing on that knowledge to try to get your custom it is also playing on this knowledge is trying to remind you that Vodaphone has not had the problems that have plagued the XT network.

The fence poles that are shown in the images are shown on what we can assume is a field possibly on a farm somewhere in New Zealand, due to the context of the advert, getting more bars (reception) it may be assumed it is farmland. This might be playing on the desires of some farmers to get better reception when they are not in the cities. The fence poles themselves are depicted in a row, but the way they are photographed is iconic of the bars of signal on a cell phone. What this iconic image is playing on is your knowledge of a cell phone and how the more bars you have represents the better signal as you notice with the image it represents five bars, on a cell phone having five bars of signal is known as having full signal this show that with Vodaphone you will receive also full reception, even when you are not in the inner cities and located in places like the farm that is depicted. The clear skies that are also depicted could be interpreted as an ideal view of the world with many New Zealanders loving the sunshine, by depicting this advert with a sunny day Vodaphone is appealing to that ideal.

The text itself says “Boost your 3G bars at home”, “Search Vodaphone boost your bars” and “power to you” with the Vodaphone logo pictured above. What the text is trying to accomplish is selling you the Vodaphone ideal. What it is also telling us is that with Vodaphone you will get more Bar’s (Signal). ‘Power to you’ in this context is giving us the impression that with this company and not with a rival one you will be more in control. By knowing that Telecom has had problems, Vodaphone is hoping that your knowledge of this will help you to buy into their company.

To better understand this advertisement you need to have a basic knowledge of Vodaphone  for instance knowing they are a cell phone company; 3G is an acronym that it stands for Third Generation a ‘cell phone network’ and that ‘bars’ represents, in this context, the amount of signal a cell phone is receiving. Without this knowledge the advert would not appeal to you. What these understandings tried to do is work together to convince you, in the brief moments you see the advertisement is that Vodaphone is the best, or tries to be the best, cell phone company and provider in New Zealand.

The preferred reader, or the person who this advertisement is appealing to would be a farmer, because of the wide open space we can conclude is a farm, anyone who has had problems with reception on a 3G network in the past (The XT customers mentioned before) or anyone who is interested in joining a new 3g network.

The Vodaphone image that is depicted above is one that is trying to sell you into their company, you being a cell phone user, possibly a farmer, due to the context of the image. It is clear from the image that it is also playing on your knowledge of cell phones, depicting the poles in the manner of a cell phone signal bar. Vodaphone is also trying to play on the knowledge most New Zealanders have about the failure of the XT network on many occasions. In summary Vodaphone has used a clever mix of text and images to play on the knowledge of New Zealanders to sell their brand.  

English Lit 117 Assignment #1

 ASSIGNMENT SHEET.

Topic:


To what extent does each of the following excerpts qualify as a narrative according to H. Porter Abbott’s definition? Your answer should consider both “narrative units” and “narrative wholes”, and the relationship between the two. Use Abbott’s discussion in chapters 1, 2 and 3 to support your assessment.

Example A

Communal cultivation could allow for capital investments in improvements without sacrificing the interests of commoners. There was land enough to maintain ten times the present population, abolish begging and crime, and make England the ‘first of nations.’

This was the programme which Winstanley conceived in the cruel winter of 1648-9. It seemed to him so novel and so important that he attributed it to a divine command. The vision he had in a trance told him to declare abroad his message […] Winstanley’s conclusion, that communal cultivation of the commons was the crucial question, the starting-point from which common people from all over England could build up an equal community, was absolutely right […] Collective cultivation of the waste by the poor could have had the advantages of large-scale cultivation, planned development, use of fertilizers, etc. […] The Diggers sowed their land with carrots, parsnips and beans - crops of the sort which were to transform English agriculture in the seventeenth century by making it possible to keep cattle alive throughout the winter in order to fertilize the land.

Example B

For two people you will need two pieces of salmon weighing about 175g each. Bring enough water to cover the fish to the boil, salt it generously. Turn it down to a simmer. Shudder would be more accurate. Slide in the fish, and cook for 3 minutes. Press the salmon with your finger; it should be firm rather than squashy and should be opaque. If not, cook it for another minute and test again. Remove the fillets with a fish slice and drain, briefly, on a tea towel or kitchen paper. Place on a warm plate and serve with tiny new potatoes and whatever takes your fancy.

Example C

LORD ILLINGWORTH: You have grown hard, Rachel.

MRS ARBUTHNOT: I was too weak once. It is well for me that I have changed.

LORD ILLINGWORTH: I was very young at the time. We men know life too early.

MRS ARBUTHNOT: And we women know life too late. That is the difference between women and men.

[A pause]

LORD ILLINGWORTH: Rachel, I want my son. My money may be of no use to him now. I may be of no use to him, but I want my son. Bring us together, Rachel. You can do it if you choose (Sees letter on table)

MRS ARBUTHNOT: There is no room in my boy’s life for you. He is not interested in you.

LORD ILLINGWORTH: Then why does he write to me?

MRS ARBUTHNOT: What do you mean?

LORD ILLINGWORTH: What letter is this?

Takes up letter

MRS ARBUTHNOT: That - is nothing. Give it to me.

LORD ILLINGWORTH: It is addressed to me.

MRS ARBUTHNOT: You are not to open it. I forbid you to open it.

LORD ILLINGWORTH: And in Gerald’s handwriting.

MY ASIGNMENT

Abbott describes a narrative in his 2008 book The Cambridge Introduction to Narrative as being “the representation of an event or a series of events” (Abbott 13). He also gives us a definition of micro and whole narratives. For a sentence to be a micro narrative, also known as narrative units, an event has to be described; in Abbott’s book the example “I fell down” (Abbott 1) is used. For a text to be a narrative whole, also known as macro narratives, the text in its entirety has to represent an event. For the examples given this text will try to determine if each contains micro narratives or is a narrative whole.

“Example A”, is not a narrative whole by Abbott’s definition because “the presence of a narrative in a text does not qualify the text as a whole as narrative” (Abbott 34) and because only some sentences like “The diggers sowed their land with carrots, parsnips and beans…” and “The vision he had in a trance told him to declare abroad his message” represent an event while the majority of the text is presenting an idea. Had the second example sentence, from “Example A”, only been –The vision he had in a trance- would not have been a narrative because like abbots example “My dog has fleas” (Abbott 13) nothing happens. However, with the addition of “told him to declare abroad his message” the sentence becomes a narrative because it tells us of an event.

“Example B” is a recipe, which in its current form is simply just a list of events. However, if the way the text is written so that it is an account of the person making the meal, for instance, Changing “Turn it down to a simmer” to I then turned it down so the fish could simmer, it would become a micro narrative. While the text is in its original form there is no micro narratives present therefore it is not a narrative whole.

“Example C” is an excerpt from a script, where two characters are having a discussion. Although the script is describing the scene and what is happening and by using dramatic conventions to describe what is happening, for example both “(Sees letter on the Table)” and “[A Pause]” use brackets, and italics to represent the action of the person doing. However, because the script is more telling us a story of two people’s conversation and because we have no context of why this conversation is taking place the text is not a narrative whole.

From the given texts, there is no narrative wholes but both “Examples A and C” contain narrative units/micro narratives. Whereas, “Example B” does not have any micro narratives and is not a narrative whole as a complete text, however, if it was changed to recount a person’s experience of making the meal it would be comes a narrative.

Reference List

Abbott, H. Porter. “The Cambridge Introduction to Narrative.” Abbot, H. Porter. The Camridge Intoduction to Narrative. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2008.