a-plus Writer

_comparing_and_contracts_.docx

Home >English homework help >a-plus Writer

For this essay, you will examine your role as a consumer of American culture. “Consumption” for the purposes of your analysis should be understood in the broadest terms possible. It is not simply what you eat or drink. It is also what you wear and what you drive or any other sort of amenity that you purchase. The definition of “consumer” is broad based as well so you may consider any aspect of your life that involves you as a consumer of the variety of products that you buy—whether it is your clothing, the car you drive, your room at home, to name a few possibilities. Since you don’t have very much room in this essay, you should place a special emphasis on concision. Do not write about every single product that you purchase. Choose only one or two objects or interests (i.e. a particular brand of soft drink, a specific brand of pants, a type of music, etc.) that you regularly purchase and that is most readily available for critical analysis.

You are what you buy. How do you respond to being told your identity is equivalent to the products you buy? Do you resist the notion? Do you recall any instances when you have felt lost without a favorite object? How do you communicate your sense of self to others through objects, whether clothing, books, food, home décor, electronic goods, or something else? Use your answer to this question as an opportunity to freewrite your general response, which could serve as the backbone of your essay.

Whether you agree with the statement or not, use the essay as an opportunity to explore the signs denoted (what an object is) / connoted (what the object represents) by the products that you regularly purchase, or the pop culture-related interest that you have. How are you reflected (potentially) in the symbolism of these objects or trends? What are the underlying meanings and value systems that make up the product(s) that you regularly consume? And what might this product say about you, whether you agree with that stereotype or not?

Be sure to analyze the representation behind this product. This involves an understanding of the product through an analysis of the sign’s associations and differences with other products of the same kind. You may want to include any marketing that is a part of this product (i.e. ad campaigns, commercials, etc.). If you do so, be sure to cite any information that you find that becomes a part of your essay.

Apply MLA standards to this essay by maintaining solid organization through transitions between paragraphs, revising with grammatical cohesiveness in mind, and specific, well thought-out introductory paragraphs and conclusion. This includes using appropriate citations for any outside information you used to decode your purchases or trends. Be sure to also support your claims with vivid, descriptive details and personal experiences where needed. These are the standards by which I will evaluate your work.