ENG101 -- English Composition I

Prof. Eileen Joy (Fall 2003)

Short Paper #4: O'Neill, "The Language of Advertising"

Due Date: Monday, Oct. 6th

Format: 1-2 typed pages, double-spaced, 1"-margins

In his essay, "The Language of Advertising," Charles O'Neill writes that advertisements "would not succeed if they did not reflect the values and motivations of the real world" (323). I want you to spend some time over the weekend looking at Abercrombie & Fitch's website (www.abercrombie.com). Look, especially, at the photos, postcards, wallpaper, and screensavers under the link titled "Lifestyle," and also watch some of the videos available through the link titled "A&F TV" (when you get to that site, you can watch the "Decathalon" video, which is the first one that pops up, but also click on the link, "archive," on the left-hand side of the screen to see the titles of ALL the available A&F videos, and choose a couple to watch). Having spent some time perusing the A&F website, and looking closely at the images and scenes depicted there, what would you say are the "values" of the company? In other words, what kind of image, lifestyle, and social values are being projected as the "brand essence" of Abercrombie & Fitch? Furthermore, would you agree with O'Neill that Abercrombie & Fitch's advertising reflects "the values and motivations of the real world"? Why, or why not?

Special Note:

Short papers are meant to be INFORMAL FREEWRITING. I am not asking for a formal essay that is structured around a thesis, or that is organized around a specific pattern. Rather, I am asking for a reflection upon the questions posed above that is thoughtful and interesting, and I don't want you to worry about the form of your response--I want you to THINK OUT LOUD, without worrying about whether what you have to say follows a particular pattern, or has a beginning, middle, and an end, etc. What I do want to see is that you are willing to think DEEPLY upon any given question, and that you are courageous enough to go out on a limb or two with your ideas, while also realizing that, if you are being asked to write about a specific text (this includes films, videos, and websites), you should refer to specific places in that text that you think will illuminate or support whatever it is you are wanting to express. Finally, be assured that there is never (and I mean, NEVER) a right or wrong answer to any question I might pose to you in a short paper assignment. The questions posed are always, always open to multiple levels of interpretation.

These papers will be graded on a 10-point scale, and I will be evaluating them on the effort expended. The only way to insure a "0" would be to simply not make the minimum effort required (i.e., write at least 1-2 pages, or else--don't "jimmy" the margins or line spacing, don't start the first page halfway down the page, don't repeat the same statement over and over again with slight variations in word choices, etc.).