Prompt #4 - "Why Good Advertising Works (Even When You Think It Doesn't)"

Prompt 4: “Why Good Advertising Works (Even When You Think It Doesn’t) by Nigel Hollis.

Central Argument:

            Hollis states that a good advertisement engages an audience and implants memories that affect their behavior, influences their actions in a subtle way, and leaves impressions, which allow the audience to see the product in a positive light.

Essay:

            Mid-way my first semester of junior year, I entered my best friend’s room and I witnessed horror. I saw my friend and her roommate, along with five other people, sitting on one bed, playing a game called “Tetris Battle” on Facebook. They had paused their games to have a conversation with me that lasted thirty seconds, and then went back to playing. Offended, I walked out of the room and went to my own where my roommate was playing the game. She did the same thing to me; it was only later I realized that the game only allowed you to pause for thirty seconds. Still, it was a bit rude. When I went to school, I saw EVERYONE playing it. In classes, during break, lunch, and before going to bed. I was appalled. I would always hear people praising “Tetris Battle”; they would tell me the joys of winning the battles, about looking forward to gaining more energy, and about how addicting it was. I thought it was all nonsense when I first heard of it. I was disinterested and I made a vow to myself saying that I will never play that game. But that didn’t happen, and the result, I’m addicting like those seven girls playing “Tetris Battle” on one bed. My friends had left an impression on me; they had made me believe that the game was truly utopia. They had advertised the game to me, and I had fallen for it. With my little experience, I believe that Hollis is correct in saying that good advertisements leave an impression and create memories, which make you want to relive that moment. Good advertisements have humor that create memories and ads with celebrities leave an impression.

            Many Americans look forward to the Super Bowl, not only for the football matches, but also for the hilarious TV commercials that air during the tournament. The Super Bowl is a time for families to bond, get together, and watch games – that seems more like a pastime than Baseball for Americans. The Super Bowl commercials are present to enhance the feeling of togetherness among family members. They marketing companies take advantage of that and create commercials, which are funny to make things more memorable. The companies know that funny ideas, comments, actions, and so on stick to people more than anything else, and therefore, they try and use humor to get people to buy their product. Watching the commercials with family and having a good laugh, makes people remember the advertisement better. When they come across something that triggers that memory, people will want to go and buy to product in order to relive that certain moment.

            We know we’re not perfect and that’s what makes us humans. That is why we have role models, those we can look up to and those we can try to be like. Marketing companies tap our insecurities and make sure that they include celebrities we look up to, celebrities who are famous. This makes their advertisements successful. They use the idea of ethos in their commercials. I recently watched a commercial that promoted Pepsi. The advertisement had Elton John commenting on people’s talents. The message basically stated that Elton John drinks Pepsi, and so should you. Though it’s a logical fallacy, the audience doesn’t really look and analyze it closely, instead, they are mesmerized by the advertisement and want to go out and buy Pepsi because Elton John drinks Pepsi. The advertisement leaves an impression and wants you to feel like you need to go out and buy that product because it is the “in” thing to do.

            There are some commercials out there where we know what they are trying to do. They just straightforwardly convey their message. The audience normally feels taken aback by this and doesn’t want to go out and buy the product, just because they blatantly promoted it. The human mind works in weird ways, and even though more subtle commercials are doing the same thing, we see it in a different light. Commercials like this are trying to make memories for us which reminds us of the good times and makes us want to buy the product; it also leaves impressions by adding role models into their commercials. Commercials were we feel like we can relate more to are those, which are more successful. They are the ones that get the better results and the greater profit.

Prompt #2 - "Rick Santorum, Meet My Son" - By Emily Rapp

Prompt two: “Rick Santorum, Meet My Son” by Emily Rapp

Central Argument:

            Rapp disagrees with Santorum and believes that pre-natal testing is necessary for a mother to know what her child could possibly have; and that it is up to her to decide whether she wants to abort the child due to the condition or not, and should not be looked down upon.

Essay:

            Emily Rapp’s son, Ronan, is dying of a pre-natal degenerative disorder. It hurts her to witness him paralyzed, blind, and unable to speak because all she wants to do is get to know her son better. She hesitates to wake up in the morning, as she is afraid of the things she’ll witness when she enters his room. But she knows she has to be strong; for her son, for herself, and for those other women going through the same thing. Though she had done all her prenatal tests, the doctors were still unable to detect Ronan’s degenerative disease. It shocks her to find out that there are people, like Rick Santorum, who are against prenatal testing. These people believe that prenatal testing could result in an increase in abortion numbers as women don’t want their children to suffer with a disease, like Ronan’s, that will eventually kill them. Rapp disagrees with this and believes that the quality of life should be questioned. Though she also believes that all lives are valuable, she points a finger on the “quality of life.” She believes that those who can be spared from suffering should be spared, even if it is by the means of abortion. Rapp’s argument is more valid than Santorum’s, as no one should need to suffer when they don’t have to, as there will be no emotional attachment to the child if he or she is aborted            In our history classes we’ve learnt about John Locke and his idea of “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness,” and one can say that, we, humans, have the right to all these things. They have the right to decide whether their life is worth living, and whether their life is filled with “quality.” If they are unable to make the decision, then it is up to their loved ones to make it for them. If everyone has a right to free, and happy life according to Locke, then it is only logical to allow one to not suffer at all than suffer even a little. Everyone has a right to a full and happy life, and if something is stopping a person from having that kind of life, then it is up to the individual to decide what he or she want to do. In the case of Rapp, she stated that she would have rather given up her son than made him suffer an incurable disease that would eventually kill him. Rick Santorum is no one to say she is wrong. Though he believes that prenatal testing only causes an increase in abortion numbers, it is clearly up to her to decide whether she wants her child to suffer or not live at all. She explains that she would have decided not to let him live at all. Though it would have been difficult for her to do so, it would be in his best interests. Locke believed that people had the right to be free and live a life filled with trying to find happiness. Rapp believes that her son is no longer free and will not be able to find happiness; but she also believes that if she had aborted her child, her unborn child would have been better off without finding happiness and living freely, as he would be free from all of the obstacles.

            Though the loss of her child would have been more different type of mourning for Rapp, she believes that it would have been better for her to abort Ronan if she had the chance. Many believe that it’s the wrong thing to do, and every life is valuable, we have to think about the way the child would have lived if the child were brought into the world. The Harlow experiment done by the two husband-wife scientists, show us the emotional attachment a child has to it’s mother and the touch of it’s mother. If a touch has that much of a significant impact on the child, imagine what spending time with the mother would do to the child. Instead, think about how it would affect the mother. The mother is an adult and is more sensitive towards an intimate relationship such as this, as she has a better understanding of such things. So, if prenatal testing were done, and mothers would have decided to abort her child as she didn’t want him or her to suffer, then no intimate relationship would be formed and would be less painful to let the child go as the mother, or anyone for that matter, has not been able to get to know that child.

            Though abortion is usually looked down upon, no one ever stops to think about the reason for aborting the child. If it were a careless mistake, then it would be unethical to abort the child, as the parents should have been making the wiser decision. But if it depended on the quality of life of the child, then it would be the decision of the parents as the unborn child would not have the ability to make decisions on their own. For this reason, Rick Santorum is wrong and Emily Rapp is right. If she had taken the decision to abort her child if she had known about the degenerative disease, I believe that everyone would have supported her all the way.

One Republic

I'm split between these two songs. I don't know which one is better.

They are both good though!

1. Secrets


2. All We Are

College Essay # 233

233. Ten simple rules for dating me.

There used to be this guy she knew. He wrote her songs, he gave her letters, and he followed her from place to place. Her friends would tease her and laugh at her misery. She wasn’t interested, she never was. She never had crushed of such sort and she never cared for things like boys. She was always independent and she worried about her studies and about her career more than anything in the world. When she parents asked her if she wanted to get married after grade 10, she refused and said it wasn’t the life she was looking for. She wanted to stand on her own feet and earn her own money; she wasn’t going to settle for marrying a guy from a well-reputed family; that just wasn’t her thing. One day, her lover approached her and gave her a card. She had refused many times but he just wouldn’t listen. She didn’t know whether he was stupid or whether he was madly in love with her, but she refused to accept the gift anyways. She didn’t want to lead him on. She had never accepted any of the gifts and she wasn’t going to start with that today. She told him no, but he just left the card on the ground next to her. She was furious. Didn’t he get the picture? Her anger took over her and she approached the lover with his friends. She took the card and asked him what that was, he smiled, and she glared. She held the card tight in her hands and tore it into pieces and threw it in his face and walked off. Everyone’s eyes followed her the whole way back to her group of friends.

When my mother told me this story about her college experience with boys, I laughed really loud. It was funny. I knew my mother not to be the type to go around with boys, but I never knew she had the guts to shoot him down like that. She explained that she had warned him a hundred times but he wasn’t listening. I asked her why she had always been like that. She told me that she never thought anyone was that worthy. Though it may sound cocky she just never thought that she’d have a companion, which she would appreciate. That got me thinking. Who would be someone that I was compatible with? What were his traits? 

Well, here are some clues.

1.     He has to be confidant, but not over confidant. He should be able to support and stand up for himself but he shouldn’t flaunt his accomplishments and achievements. No one wants to be with someone who loves himself more than the other person.

2.     He should have nice eyes. I would prefer hazel or light brown. You can tell how passionate someone is about a cause, about a person, or about anything for that matter by the way his eyes are set.

3.     He should be friends with my friends. I’ve chosen my friends because they are the types of people that I like spending time with. If he likes to spend time with me, then he should be able to spend time with me when my friends are around as well.

4.     He should be able to tell me the truth about me. Just because he’s in a relationship with me doesn’t mean that he needs to like everything about me. There are certain things a person doesn’t like in an individual. He should be able to tell me the things he doesn’t like about me.

5.     But he should be able to understand that I won’t change everything about myself just because he doesn’t appreciate those qualities. At the end of the day, I am the one who gets to decide which qualities I like and don’t like about myself.

6.     He should be considerate about my feelings. He should understand that there are going to be time that I wont’ want to talk to him and there are going to be times that I want to be alone. He should be able to respect that and give me my space. I will eventually come and talk to you myself.

7.     He should understand that I’m not a kid and that I can take care of myself. I don’t need him to be doing everything for me. My parents are there for that. He needs to just care about me, but not TAKE care of me. When I’ll need him to take care of me, I’ll ask him myself. My independence is the most important thing than anything else.

8.      He should be able to be open with me. He should be able to share his feelings with him and tell me what’s going on in his life. If there are things that are too personal, I won’t expect him to tell me. You should be able to trust me with things. I am here for you to be able to share things with me as well.

9.     He should understand that before anything I am his friend.

10.   He should love me with all his heart. He should think of think of special things to do for me (though it sounds a bit demanding). But these things don’t have to be extravagant. Leaving a note in my locker will be good enough for me. He should try to show me that he loves me, because I would do the same.

College Essay # 107

107. What is your approach to life? Reveal your life philosophy.

I used to be preoccupied with the what if’s and the then what’s and the future. I was too concerned with what happened if I did this, or what would the outcome be if I did that. I never took time to breathe and to just relax. I just wanted to be sure of everything, I just wanted to be in control. Last year, I started to realize that if I was too occupied with the future I would start losing the present. And that’s exactly what happened. I started losing my friends, my grades dropped, and I got into a lot of trouble. It was a bad year for me. I knew then that I had to start everything over. And start over I did. I tried to do everything in a different way; I tried to think in a different way, I tried to act in a different way, I tried to everything in a new manner. It worked, and now I find myself a better person. Happier, nicer, and just plain content.

So if you ask me now, my philosophy on life is live every moment like it’s your last. I understand that many of you might think it’s a cliché, but I truly believe this. Don’t listen to other people’s complains and queries about you; just do your own thing. Other people will always try to out do you, they will always try to bring you down and tell you that you’re the wrong one. Don’t listen to them. If you’re wrong, you’ll know it yourself, you don’t have to hear it from someone else. If you’re right, you don’t have to justify yourself to others. It’s you that needs explaining to if you do something wrong, not someone else. There are too many moments in life that you’ll regret missing. If given the opportunity to do something different and spectacular, don’t hesitate. That chance will probably never come again in your life. Don’t waste your time thinking that it might. Try to do good to those you can, because helping others will never hurt you. Don’t help others to gain something out of it, karma will definitely come and bit you in your back. Try your hardest in everything you do, because there’s no reason why you can’t.

College Essay # 158

158. Reflect on these words of Dorothy Day: "No one has the right to sit down and feel hopeless. There's too much work to do." What is "the work to be done" for your generation, and what impact does this have on your future as a leader? Write a creative, reflective, or provocative essay. (University of Notre Dame)

Woodrow Wilson once said, “You are not here merely to make a living. You are here in order to enable the world to live more amply, with greater vision, with a finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are here to enrich the world, and to impoverish yourself if you forget the errand.”

I completely agree with this quote. Looking around at the different adults I come into contact with on a daily basis, I feel like the generation older than mine are only merely living to make a living. Many of those whom I know, don’t seem to be the least bit bothered about saving the environment, enriching the lives of those less fortunate, and don’t seem that concerned about sharing the knowledge they acquired with the rest of the world. Many teachers leave the school I attend, because the salary isn’t enough to sustain their family and themselves. Though I agree that low income is a valid reason to leave everything behind and go somewhere more prosperous, where does the idea of sharing visions, sharing knowledge, and helping the world gain a “finer spirit of hope and achievement come in?” Some students in my grade have had new advisors every single year. With people changing all the time, these students have no hope of connecting with teachers and having a trusting relationship, because there is no time to build one.

I agree with Dorothy Day when she says, “there is too much work to be done,” but I feel like there is numerous things that need working on. Our generation has been more aware of the global environmental crisis because we’ve been growing up with the knowledge that we’re destroying our earth. Yet, there seem to be no one taking much action upon this dilemma in our generation. People seem to be learning about it through one ear, and then throwing it out another ear. It’s ridiculous. They show that they seem to care, but they actually don’t. Many of my peers seem concerned about the poor and their living conditions, but they walk away when a beggar comes asking them for money or food. They show they care, but they actually don’t. There are many external things our generation can work on, but the biggest things we really need to work on are things within ourselves.

We need to build integrity, compassion, and determination to make a difference. My generation keeps talking about the things we’ll do and the ideas we’ll contribute to the world and to society, but when it comes time to taking action, nothing is done. We need to work on the idea of doing things rather than just saying them. We all know that there is “work to be done” but even with this concept, no one is willing to take the step forward to actually make a change. But when someone else starts it, they’re willing to join. I feel my generation is a coward, because they are afraid of taking that first step. They are willing to let someone else do it, and then say that they were part of the “planning process.” Is there integrity in that? Are people compassionate about the poor and about saving the environment? Are they really determined to really make a difference? No, not at all.

College Essay # 238

238. If your entire memory were wiped out except for one experience, what would you choose to remember?

In 2002, my family and I took a vacation to the island of Kasamui in Thailand. From what I can remember, it was a beautiful place with a lot of sandy beaches and clear, blue waters. There were many things to go and see. We could go to the crocodile farm, we could go and see the Scorpion Queen, we could go and see old statues of mermaids, we could go and visit rocks shaped as different animals, and we could go Go-Karting. My sister and I were really excited to go and visit all the different places, and we couldn’t wait for the day to start. Usually, my family would go on the travel tours with tour guides, but this year my parents decided to do something different. They decided to rent a car and go driving around the island and exploring things themselves. My father booked a car for four; he asked it not to be too big, but not too small either. My sister and I went to sleep excited. But who knew what was in store for us the next day.

We awoke early only to find that our car was a little red jeep where two people could fit easily in the front seats but the people sitting at the back would probably lose their legs due to numbness. The back was extremely small and my legs weren’t fitting in properly. My dad had let the reception know that my parents have little kids, but we weren’t THAT little. Not even a baby would be able to fit in that back seat. My dad ordered another car, but the receptionist told him that this was the only one they had. There was nothing left. He asked my sister and I what we wanted to do, and being the oldest, I told him that we didn’t have any problem; that we’d manage. But we couldn’t manage. My sister and I had to take turns putting our legs over the other person to let it stretch a bit. My parents kept asking whether we were okay, and I kept saying it was fine. There were too many things to see to be worried about how much space we were getting; I was sure we could manage. And manage we did.

We manage to see the Scorpion Queen’s show, we managed to go and see the crocodiles at the crocodile farm, we ate at a seaside restaurants, my sister and I modeled with mermaid statues (which I still have the pictures of) and we managed to see the animal shaped rocks up close. It was a worthwhile trip. I even fell and bum-slid down the stairs in the crocodile farm after watching a man stick is head in the crocodile. I was also able to feed a baby tiger milk. But even with all this, we managed to get lost on our way back to the resort. I was a kid, I was tired, and I was squished in the back of a red jeep. Life couldn’t have gotten worse, even though we had a great adventure. I was a kid, I whined, I only enjoyed things until I was tired. And I was tired. And we had to get lost. That was just the fate of it all. I started becoming cranky and my dad was getting annoyed because I was whining. But what could I do as well. I was a kid. I didn’t know any better. I didn’t understand how we could get lost. We were on an island. We could only go around in circles so we should have eventually landed up in the hotel in one round, but no. It took us around five or six hours to find our way back. It was nightfall by then.

I was hungry. But when we reached back to the safe haven, the only thing I could think of was getting out of that car. The car stopped, and I jumped out. I landed on the ground, knees first. Though I scraped my knees, I had never been that happy in my life before. I ran to the reception, got the keys, went up to the room, and dived in bed. By the time my parents were up, I was apparently fast asleep.