Canterbury Tales and Jane Eyre

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Deadly Sins

This ad was designed and released by Carl's Jr. in 2005 in the United States. The ad catches your attention, but I would guess this isn't just due to the large burger on the front in bright colors, but the scantily dressed Paris Hilton. Of the deadly sins, this ad features both gluttony and lust.

Solely taking the ad for what it is, we first see Carl's Jr.'s new burger with lots of toppings as it is at the front of the ad and in bright colors to draw the eye of the observer. Next to it is a model holding the burger in her hand and her facial expression is set to appear as if she is enjoying the burger since her eyes are closed and she seems content. Along with this, the caption "She'll tell you size doesn't matter. She's lying." seems to be referencing the burger in saying that the bigger the better so as to have more food than necessary, and the short statement at the bottom that it's "gonna get messy" to be in context of the many ingredients and sauces on the burger.

However, if we look at all of these factors in light of a bigger picture, we find VERY different meanings for all of them. It is through this examination that the lust in the ad becomes much more obvious. To start with, the caption at the top is a sexual reference to male genitalia, saying that women really do care about the size, which can also act as a play on men's egos as they think "oh yeah she'll love me then" or something of the sort. The use of Paris Hilton as the model for this ad, especially in very little clothing, adds to the sexual connotations as it was published not long after her sex tape was released and then won awards as it became so popular. To top it all off, the phrase at the bottom of the ad in smaller print contributes to the whole sexual ordeal with its connotations of it being a messy process (what, exactly, I'll leave up to interpretation). Gluttony does not hold as big of a presence in the ad as the only real evidence of this the size of the burger and the idea that bigger is better, but that isn't really what they're talking about.

As far as intended audience, it seems pretty clear that Carl's Jr. is going after males of pubescent age and older as they are the ones who will be more likely to pay attention to Paris Hilton in little clothing in a positive way where as women are more likely to be angered over the sexualization of a woman to sell a burger. In this case they are probably going after American males as they are more likely to have known about the whole sex tape ordeal as a population in comparison to males of other countries. This is influenced by the media and how the American media loves to use those stories. The ad is not specifically targeting men of any socio-economic status in particular as the price of the burger is not on the ad.

My Name Is...

I find that my first name has carried more weight and had more influence in different ways throughout my life than my middle or last name have. Anthony is a name that isn't as common as many others and as so is easier to remember and stands out more. Before I was born my parents weren't sure what they were going to name me, but had been leaning towards AJ. Then, when I was born they decided oh never mind he's a full Anthony (pretty much just calling me fat) due to the fact that I was 10 or so pounds and was longer than the average child. With this they sort of made an assumption in terms of what my personality would turn out to be and I feel like I have grown into that "bigger" sense. There have been many times where people who I had never previously met recognized me by my name due to things they had heard about me from other people, such as friends if they told stories about me. This has happened with both other students around my age as well as parents and other adults. In contrast, many people don't even know my middle name and my last name does not carry weight due to the fact that most people can't pronounce, and that there is nothing special or exotic about it.

I don't think that I have had many, if any, situations where I have felt like my name has created a dual identity or made me feel as if I am part of two things at once. I think that this is largely due to the fact that I have never lived around any of my relatives, I only see them once every couple years (if even), and so I have formed family over and over as we have moved and still keep in touch with many of them today. Although I have been part of many different sports teams and friend groups, I never felt like I had to change my personality or act any differently because they were made up of friends that I considered family and with this none of us changed. My 'family' is made up of people we have met in all walks of life. Our next door neighbors in China are now like my aunt and uncle and their two girls are little cousins to me, my neighbors here are the grandparents I never had, some of my closest friends are like brothers and sisters. Because I was privileged enough to meet these people around the world and stay connected to them I feel like I am always part of a larger 'family' group and not become conflicted in my actions or who I am.