Download recognizing propaganda assignment

PROPAGANDA ASSIGNMENT
There’s more to advertising’s message than meets the casual eye. An effective ad, like other
forms of communication, works best when it strikes a chord in the needs and desires of the
receiving consumer – a connection that can be both intuitive and highly calculated.
This assignment counts as a DOUBLE QUIZ grade!
SECTION I: RECOGNIZING PROPAGANDA – AD ANALYSIS
Using your notes on propaganda, choose TWO advertisements to analyze using the following questions.
Answers should be written in complete sentences.
1. What is the item being advertised, and what role does it play in American culture and society?
2. What does the background tell us? Where is the advertisement taking place, and what
significance does this background have?
3. What is the general mood of the advertisement, and how is this created?
4. If there are figures (men, women, children, animals) what are they like? What can be said about
their facial expressions, poses, hairstyle, age, sex, hair color, ethnicity, education, occupation,
relationships (of one to the other)?
5. What signs and symbols do you find? What role do they play in the ad’s impact?
6. What action is taking place in the advertisement and what significance does it have? (This might
be described as the ad’s “plot”).
7. What theme or themes do you find in the advertisement? What is it about? (The plot of an
advertisement may involve a man and a woman drinking, but the theme might be jealousy,
faithlessness, ambition, passion, etc.)
8. What sociological, political, economic, or cultural attitudes are indirectly reflected in the
advertisement? (An advertisement may be about a pair of blue jeans, but it might, indirectly,
reflect such matters as sexism, alienation, stereotyped thinking, conformism, generational
conflict, loneliness, elitism, and so on.)
9. What overall propaganda and marketing strategies are being used in this ad? How/why are they
effective? (use your notes to find this… there may be more then 1 used)
SECTION II: CREATING PROPAGANDA
Using what you know about propaganda and advertising strategies, you are to create an ad for an
event/idea from Animal Farm.
Your advertisement should meet the following criteria:
 Completed on the white paper provided
 Promote a policy, lie, or manipulation of Napoleon or Squealer
 Contain a picture, a slogan, and use a propaganda technique (you can use more then one)
 On the back of your advertisement, identify and explain which propaganda technique you used
 Must be visually appealing overall (must be in color), neat, and grammatically correct.
 Must be school appropriate.