Humanities Homework Help

The Power of Language

There is only one chapter required to read for us this week. In chapter 7, we learn the way words can help us clarify issues and, conversely, how words are sometimes used to make issues more obscure and difficult to understand. 

Topic 1: How Words Affect Our Lives

Choose either question A or B to answer. Only one will be graded. 

Question A:

In thinking about the importance of language, interview someone you know who has had a child (for instance, parent, grandparent, sibling, neighbor, yourself) and ask why they chose to name the child that name versus another name. What connotations did they associate with the names? What does this suggest about the importance of words?

Question B:

Think of labels that you use to identify yourself, such as personal traits (friendly, quiet, helpful, honest), social role (parent, friend, employee), physical descriptions (small, tall, strong, athletic, physically challenged). How do these labels influence your perspective and actions?

Topic 2: How Language Influences Political Campaign or Ad Campaign

Choose either Question A or B to answer. Only one will be graded.

Question A: 

Study a present or past political campaign; and explain how language is used to present positive images of the candidates. 

For example, when Secretary of State and past presidential candidate Hillary Clinton was first running for senator from the state of New York, her advisers struggled with how the campaign literature should present her, since voters knew her primarily as first lady to President Bill Clinton. Should the buttons and bumper stickers feature “Hillary Clinton,” “Hillary Rodham Clinton,” “Mrs. Clinton,” or “Hillary Rodham”? Each name might hold different connotations for voters concerning the candidate’s identity. Finally, the campaign managers decided to go with a more general and vague approach; her name became, simply, “Hillary.”

Question B:

An article in the business magazine Investment Vision advised readers to consider investing in products with ad campaigns that created powerful positive images. The article reminded readers that corporations spend $129 billion yearly on ads and that the most effective are those with a clear concept. The best campaigns, it believes, focus on one or a few words associated with the product, such as thrive for Kaiser hospitals, dependable for Maytag, or the classic We try harder for Avis rental cars (which led the company from a $3.2 million loss to a $1.2 million gain in the 1960s).

Assuming that companies desire positive connotations for their products, study the ad campaigns of several companies.

a. Discuss each company image and how it is achieved through the ads, focusing especially on the words that were chosen to represent the product or service.

b. Decide which campaigns are successful at creating strong, positive connotations. Support your conclusions with reasons.

NOTE:
1. Please make sure you answer BOTH topics in your initial posts.
2. Please respond to at least 2 other people. At least one reply to each different topic.

Topic 1; Question A:

This week I decided to interview my grandma. She had two children, my uncle Chris, and my mom Denise. When I began the interview, she had to laugh when I asked her if there was a reason she chose either my uncle or mom’s name; she went on to tell me she very specifically gave my mother her name. My grandma told me that growing up there was a song called “Denise Denise” and it was one of her favorite songs which she listened to on repeat. She went on to explain how she liked both the meaning and beat of the song. While she did tell me there were not any direct connotations to the name, the song was reminiscent of her youth and brought her happiness anytime she thought of it. She stated even from the first time she heard the song she knew she wanted to name a future daughter ‘Denise’. She told me it represented the time in her life and her feelings during that period, during that time there were lots of songs with people’s names and that was the one that always stood out to her. After this interview it suggests to me how much power words, even just a name, can hold. The name ‘Denise’ was a song of my grandmother’s youth and by naming her daughter after the song it brought about the sense of happiness she had during that time. It shows the influence having connotations with such words; some people may hear a word and think back to a negative period whereas others may be brought a sense of peace. As such, a word like a name may have little meaning to some but for others, in the case of my grandmother, a word can bring you back to a time of happiness. In this example the associations were positive, but in the same sense the opposite can hold just as much power in creating negative connotations with words. Words are an important tool to navigate our lives, to help communicate, and are strongly based on our perceptions of the world. Words are ever growing with us; they change and develop as our understandings and perceptions do.

first one to reply to.

The company and slogan that I will be analyzing is Subway’s “Eat Fresh”, a business and phrase that people recognize almost immediately. I am choosing this company because of the familiarity and because I have had actual experiences with the franchise multiple times which will help in drawing accurate conclusions. After watching a couple Subway commercials and thinking back to visits at different locations, I feel as though the image Subway tries to portray is that of quick, easy, fresh food that is healthier for you than other fast food chains. In multiple Subway commercials they have celebrity endorsements, especially athletes, including Steph Curry, Draymond Green, Tom Brady, and Megan Rapinoe. All superstar athletes in their sport, I imagine Subway chooses these types of celebs because it drives home the “good for you” aspect of their brand. I will say though that having these famous athletes as food spokespeople reminds me of chapter five when we discussed experts in the wrong field, or in this case athletes being paid as food promoters simply because they are well known, which I think consumers should be aware of. When a potential consumer hears Subway with the words “Eat Fresh” following, some of the connotations that could go through that person’s mind is that other fast food is not fresh, consequently making Subway superior. The slogan is also likely to appeal to the demographic of people who want to feel healthier, such as athletes in highschool or college, people with health risks, or people just trying to lead a healthier lifestyle. Subway’s “Eat Fresh” slogan along with super fit athletes in their commercials does a good job of having the positive connotations that when you eat at Subway you are fueling your body and really providing it with fresh ingredients comparable to the diet of say, Tom Brady.