Camel Advertising

     This advertisement is for Camel cigarettes and was created to make smoking cigarettes more attractive.  The shape and position of the woman's body in this advertisement keeps our eyes moving around the picture.  The curves of this woman contour with the objects she is sitting on.  The "Camel" logo appears at the top of this advertisement and tapers downward.  This added curve leads our eyes back into the picture and the text "Pleasure to Burn".  The colors in this picture allude to a certain coolness as the background, logo, and one of the objects the woman sits on share a same calming color.  The yellow compliments these colors and creates the atmosphere for this woman to smoke her cigarette.
     The first step in Bennet's four step process to analyzing ideology within an artifact is "what should the audience think or do?"  This ad makes viewers think about an attractive woman smoking a dressed up cigarette.  Also that she is having a good time because of her smile and relaxed posture.  It appears she is holding a cigarette casually in one hand and a remote in the other.  Overall, the viewer thinks that this woman is attractive and having fun and perhaps the cigarette is the reason for this.
     The second step is, what does the text ask the audience to do?  The text in this advertisement has a duel meaning.  Under the Camel ad, the text reads "pleasure to burn".  One interpretation of this is; burning cigarettes causes pleasure.  The second meaning is that of a sexual meaning.  Attractive women are often considered pleasureable so this ad capitalizes on that.  Basically the text in this advertisement encourages women to smoke and become something desired.  Also to a man, this advertisement makes the cigarette more attractive because of the attractive woman smoking it.
     How does the audience know what these texts mean?  The audience knows this because everyone knows that cigarettes burn.  In our society the word "pleasure" is often associated with euphoria which is often related to sex.  The ad almost advertises an indulgence in pleasure because there is so much of it, you can let it burn.
     The last analytical step is; who is empowered or disempowered?  Well, depending on who you are and your perspective there could be several view points.  One way to look at it is, women are disempowered because the woman is being objectified as an object of pleasure.  However, another viewpoint is that the woman is empowered.  She seems to be having a good time, she is in control of her surroundings, and the she is the focal point of this picture.
     After dubunking this advertisement with the four step process one thing is for sure, smoking is desirable.  To who is empowered could be debated but basically the purpose is to sell cigarettes.  The demographic this ad targets is extremely broad because this woman is attractive to many generations and both sexes to either want to obtain the woman or be that woman.

Pineapple Express

     The beginning of Pineapple  Express takes place in the 1940’s, in a secret underground government testing facility. Here, government agents are using another agent to test the effects the marijuana. After seeing the funny but strange behavior exhibited from the ‘guinea pig’, government officials outlaw the use of the drug. This scene advances the dynamics of the plot because it goes from past to future and explains why it’s illegal. The next scene Dale Denton, an avid pot smoker and process server, is driving to various people to serve them sepinas, all the while smoking pot and calling into radio talk shows. Here, he is giving and receiving commentary about the pros of legalizing marijuana. This scene shows the shift from older governmental attitudes toward the use of marijuana and the new-age supported acceptance of the drug. the transition from driving around and smoking and him working to advance the plot, showing Dale by himself and how he interacts with others. This gives the audience a sense of how he is in social situations and meeting new people. After work, Dale goes to his drug dealer, Saul Silver’s house which leads us to the next scene. At Saul’s house, Dale learns about Saul’s compassion for his grandmother, and how he sells drugs so he can not only support himself, but afford to keep his grandmother in a nice nursing home. Dale can tell saul is a little strange by the fact He watches two televisions with two different programs, at the same time. Someone then knocks on the door, Saul exchanges a few words and sell them some low-grade marijuana. Then a friends of Saul’s costumer asked for prescription drugs, which bothers Saul. “I’m not a drug dealer” he responds harshly. Here, the audience can see Saul only sells pot because he has to make money, not because he enjoys it or thinks it’s morally right. This part shows Saul’s personality which is essential to the rest of the plot, transitioning into a friendship between Saul and Dale. The two men leave and Saul rants about the them. Meanwhile, Dale is looking for a way to leave without being rude. Saul shows Dale this amazing marijuana called, “Pineapple Express,” which intrigues the two. They smoke a joint of this pot and the scene is over. This scene is important to the plot because it shows the titles significance. It also contrasts drastically with the first scene, showing an outward acceptance of the drug. Also, the last scene ties together with the second, showing how Dale interacts in different social situations.