Chick-fil-bae

Chick-fil-A 'Lost Cow' Advertisement

Cashier: "Welcome to Chick-fil-A, what can I get for you?"

Me: "I would like an eight count meal, please, with Sweet Tea and Chick-fil-A sauce." 

I frequent Chick-fil-A and use the same words to order every time. You could say I'm slightly obsessed. Despite always wanting my nuggets and "special sauce," whenever I see a Chick-fil-A add I am instantly intrigued. Chick-fil-A utilizes the idea of gluttony, greed or excess in eating, to draw audiences in. In their 'Lost Cow' commercial visual story telling is used to convey the message that consumers should eat Chick-fil-A. Upon examination of this commercial it can be noted that the sign on the post reads, "Lost Cow...white with black spots..goes by Mabel." There is a women sitting on a bench eating a burger and then a cow shows up. Both of them are in a park and the Sign is duct taped to a pole. This represents a way of advertising used to show local events, wanted signs, or lost signs. There isn't a use of music but instead sounds of birds chirping until a narrator cuts in to tell about the new grilled chicken sandwich. On the surface this ad provides entertainment and a laugh for audiences. 

What is this commercial really saying below the surface? Looking at this advertisement deeper the visual storytelling is very detailed. Through the use of everyday noises, birds chirping and wind blowing, it can be communicated that Chick-fil-A is part of ordinary life. While it does taste extraordinary, the consumer does not have to be part of a particular class to enjoy it. As the cow begins to motion towards the poster, leading looks is used to draw the audiences' eye to the poster on the pole. The slight ear move by the cow aids in both the audience and the women featured in the ad realizing that the burger she was eating was "Mabel," who was on the lost poster. As I watched the chicken come off the grill, my mouth began to water. Chick-fil-A is able to awaken the inner desire to chow down on a grilled sandwich, or in my case nuggets. They further this point by saying the viewer should visit grilledlove.com. Further insisting that Chick-fil-A is love. Through the food details, Chick-fil-A communicates gluttony and uses this as tool to persuade viewers to get in their cars and head to their nearest restaurant. In addition, the ad could be communicating that chicken is healthier than beef through the use of a cow and a burger. As I mentioned earlier, this ad targets everyone. Many of the people who buy Chick-fil-A are of the middle class white community because of where their locations are. Jokes are made because they number of "white girls," that enjoy Chicken minis and other food from this fast food place. The women is placed in the center of the shot, accentuating the importance of Chick-fil-A and it provides focus on the burger she is enjoying. The colors used are dull which further communicates the distaste that surrounds eating burgers. As the commercial transitions to showing chicken, the colors become more vibrant. This suggests how Chick-fil-A is better than the competitor. Chick-fil-A has become a popular choice among teenagers and is frequented during lunches and, therefore, it is important for advertisers to keep persuading this group of people to keep coming to their restaurant. 

Curly Girl

5.) Analyze the author’s use of irony in describing Mr. Brocklehurst’s family in the second passage. How does the author contrast this description with Mr. Brocklehurst’s lecture to Miss Temple to provide social commentary on perceptions of class during this time? 

I have always had a head full of curls that protrude every which way. Despite being unruly, I get many complements on my curls. When I was young many people would joke with me and ask if we could switch hair, because they liked mine so much. I, however, felt differently. I wished to be like the other girls with straight hair instead of being the one that stuck out. Now, I embrace the curls and the uniqueness that it brings me. As I read Jane Eyre I immediately became intrigued because Mr. Brocklehurst ridiculed Jane for having curly hair, a style that showed she had assimilated into society. This view is opposite of our society today.

Conforming to society is always an interesting topic especially when the one providing ridicule, in this case Mr. Brocklehurst, is directly linked to a differing view. As Mr. Brocklehurst is lecturing to Miss Temple, and the rest of the girls, his family walks in dressed to the nines in fur, velvet, and fake curls. How interesting! I feel as though it is difficult to try and persuade others to act in a different way if the people you are closest to don't follow these rules. Mr. Brocklehurst and his family suggests hypocrisy and how the higher class has a pompous air of authority. In his explanation of how girls should dress he uses words like modestly and plainly which contrasts his family's description of splendidly attired, profusion, and elaborately to describe their dress. How ironic! This situational irony suggests the corruption of the upper class during this time. Many people preached one thing but practiced another. It was assumed that lower classes had to follow ideas of either the church or society, whichever they identified with, while upper classes had more freedom.