mini assignment
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mini.memes_.docxMini Assignment “Meme Map” ENGL 90
Task
Explore and map the origin and variations of an Internet meme.
1. Choose a meme of the “Advice Animals” variety (see Lesson section for more detail; alternately, visit r/adviceanimals and choose one there).
2. Research the name and origin of the meme (e.g., Scumbag Steve, Confession Bear, Socially Awesome/Awkward Penguin, etc.). Be sure to cite your source!
3. Find three examples of the meme.
4. Write ~300 words explaining how the selected examples operate and play on the conventions of that specific meme.
5. Bonus: Create and insert a meme at the end of your explanation.
Due
Lesson
Memes are vehicles for transmitting culture through language and imagery. They evolve and spread, becoming a metonym, a sort of shorthand, for complex associations. The term originates from the work of evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins, who likened memes to genes. If genes propagate information biologically, memes do so culturally. Internet memes deviate from Dawkins’ conception, but there are striking similarities; we won’t get overly concerned with the distinctions here. Rather, we are interested in understanding the rhetorical weight Internet memes carry. That is, this assignment is interested in how such memes convey information, produce affect, compel emotions, situate and contextualize information, and serve as cultural capital.
The memes we’re concerned with are of the “Advice Animal” variety. While there exists a wealth of meme genres, each with their own conventions, simple text on a static image makes our task easier. Here’s an example of an Advice Animal meme, called “Lazy College Senior”:
Meme
[Write name of selected meme here]
Origin
[Avoid simply copy-pasting from your research. Integrate your findings into your own thoughts and cite your source!]
Map
[Write your 300 words and include your 3 examples here]
