Grouping task

Text B, D and E all have either the primary or secondary purpose to persuade. Text D is a paragraph on the shampoo bottle. The bottle itself is trying to persuade it's target audience to buy it or to create brand loyalty for someone who has brought the product before. One way in which they do this is by putting, "Visibly more beautiful healthy hair" in bold. This draws the audiences attention and makes it first things they read, the word "visibly" makes the audience wish to buy their product as it suggests that there would be a noticeable effect on your hair if you use it. Text D also uses emotive language such as "beautiful" and "healthy" which would appeal to their target audience of women as they would want to look their best and the emotive language suggests that by using this shampoo then they in turn would have beautiful and healthy hair. Texts B and E also have the purpose to persuade, but it is more of a secondary purpose while their primary purpose is to inform. Text B is a invitation to receive contact lenses. The text itself is targeted towards an audience who already have glasses so it uses direct address to inform it's reader that it is there for your convenience. In order to persuade the audience they use the term, "free and without obligation" this makes it seem that it really is in the audiences best state of mind to get contact lenses as it wouldn't cost you anything and it would be a waste not to. In the bottom left hand corner in smaller font it says, "easyvision and Acuvue lenses only", while this information isn't as persuasive as the last it goes in a smaller font but still visible enough that the audience would read it. The text tries to inform the reader that is is easy to get contact lenses, which ones are available and what you must do to gain them. Text E is similar in how it is trying to persuade the audience to buy a video game but is also there to inform them of the game as it is a advertisement in a video game magazine. The advertisement is in bright colours which immediately draws the attention of their audience who may just be flicking through the magazine, the bright colours and child-like drawings shows that this game is targeted towards a younger audience. Text E uses direct address like text B to persuade their audience by making it seem like it is up to them to, "find Baby Luigi". Nearly all of the statements around the page end in a exclamation point making them seem more important fitting with the theme of 'saving' on the advertisement. While the game is targeted towards children, the know that is would be parents buying the game so at the bottom in capitals they have the word "value" which would persuade a parent to buy it as it would be an 'cheap' way to entertain a child. Text E also uses an informal register to persuade their audience to buy their game with, "little 'un", this not only fits in with it's target audience for children as it uses 'baby speak' but makes the game seem more friendlier which would appeal to parents.

Text A, C and F also use a informal register. Text C is a blurb on the back of the book so generally they would be quite formal as they would be aiming to persuade their audience to read their book and while this text is a weak inclusion as it is generally formal it uses the word, "stuff" and uses exclamation marks for emphasis. The book itself is targeted towards teenagers and young adults as the rating suggests so by using the term "stuff" it makes the book seem 'cool' and thus teens would want to buy it. Text C does show that it is not targeted towards children by using the word, "incorrigible" which most kids won't know the definition of. Text A also uses a form of informal register but it is not targeted towards a younger audience. Text A is a review of a teaser trailer posted on Entertainment Weekly, and so they would want the review to be appealing to everyone so they make the review informative but has some quotes that can be taken as informal which is why this is a weak inclusion. Text A chooses to use, "and/or they really want to see a comedy called Lazer Team" in reference to the Indiegogo campaign that raised $2.48 million, while this is a huge accomplishment Entertainment Weekly chose to sum it up very briefly and in a humorous manner which would make the text sort of informal but still formal. Text A uses humour again with, "hapless idiots" which is humorous as it uses the word "hapless" as an exaggeration and also emphasises "idiots" which gives it an informal tone as it is not something that is normally seen in a review. A strong inclusion to this group is text F. Text F is completely informal as it is a conversation between friends so formality is not needed. The way that this is show is through the use of sarcasm, person 3 says, "that's great" before pausing and saying "for you" this suggests that the way that they "that's great" would've been in a sarcastic manner and the pause between would've been to build up suspense before saying "for you" almost as if it was a punch line. This is further proven by how person 1 laughs after it is said. The informality in the room is shown when its clear that they are comfortable making fun of or being mean to one another and not really meaning it. Person 1 also uses hyperbolic language as a way to be informal by exaggerating the taste of a jelly bean by describing it as tasting like "heaven" and as a "gift from God" this puts emphasis on how happy person 1 is and is also humorous as a a jelly bean cannot taste like heaven.

Texts A and D also use hyperbolic language to appeal to their audience. Text A uses exaggerated language with, "incredible skill" and "unimaginable power". This fits in with the movie as it is an action movie so the exaggerated language suggests that the movie is up beat and is separated from most other action movies as it has more to it. As it is a movie review it is trying to inform to audience about what the teaser shows while simultaneous try to make the view it, they do this by making it seem different to other action movies with the hyperbolic language but they also put the trailer at the bottom of the review making it convenient to view. Text d also uses hyperbolic language to persuade their audience to buy their product but to also make their product better by comparing it to something that is cannot possibly be as good as. An example of this in text D is, "the invigorating fragrance of the mountain breeze" as a shampoo cannot possible smell like air as it would smell like nothing and would not be a good product but the exaggerated language of "invigorating" makes it seem refreshing and thus someone would want to buy it.

Grouping texts on persuasion

Text B, C, D, and E share the primary or secondary purpose to persuade. Texts D and C choose to use a web-address as a way to persuade the reader to look into further information about what they are saying. Text D is a magazine aimed towards children and so to grab their attention they put the web-address into a separate box in the bottom middle of the page, standing it out from the rest of the text. The web-address in text D also appeals to it's target audience of children with the word "info" instead of 'information' as it is shorter and quicker to read and possibly easier to read for their younger audiences. Text C does something similar of putting the web-address in a eye-catching spot by having it in bold at the bottom of the page underneath information about the author of the book it's from. There are actually 3 web-addresses, one for each of his main books and one about himself. This would appeal to loyal readers who buy all his books and would want to know as much about them as possible, and also new readers just getting interested in the franchise and might want to find more of his work.These are both strong and weak inclusions as the texts are trying to inform their audience, but also either persuade their audience into signing up for a swim team (text D) or to read more of the authors books (Text C). A strong inclusion is text B which is a extract of a health and safety segment of a game booklet, the whole purpose of a health and safety segment is to inform the audience but also to persuade them not to do anything dangerous by informing them of the consequences. the beginning of the booklet starts out with the word "please", this polite register makes the audience want to follow this action as it seems more of a request. The use of polite words engages with the audience much the way that direct address does. Text B does use direct address as a method of persuasion, as does text E. Text E is from a porridge package which makes it a strong inclusion to this group as it's purpose is to persuade their audience to buy their product. They do this by using 2nd person direct address much like text B does by using "your" implying that the audience have already bought the product as it is something they 'need'. Another way that text E persuades their audience to buy their product is hyperbolic language, the use of "deliciously creamy" makes their product sound appealing and thus someone would want to purchase it to experience the delicious and creamy porridge. 

so i herd u liek mudkipz: Affordances and Constraints

 

'so i herd u liek mudkipz' has been a popular internet meme since early 2005. The user has taken the meme and, while using an image of a mudkip, has changed the text font and style to that of old time English. This particular meme was around before most social networking sites and so it would've been mostly found of internet forums like this one here. This particular meme would appeal to fans of the popular game and anime series 'Pokemon' and thus means that it already has a pre-created fanbase surrounding the meme which would help the spread of it around the internet and into many internet forums and YouTube spoof videos which hit around a million views each. By changing the noun mudkips to 'kips of the mud' it adds a humours edge to the meme and in turn also cements that it is a ye-olde-english parody of the popular phrase. An affordance is that this image is easy to spread around and the meme itself is easily adaptable and can be put into any form of internet communication (eg Facebook, Twitter, comment section, YouTube). But, a constraint it that many people might not get this meme if they are not a fan of 'Pokemon'.

Research into the Princess phone

The Princess phone went into production in 1959 by the supply arm, Bell System. They wanted to create something which the customer wanted and was both decoration and a great utility. 
Despite complaints about the prototype being unbalance and sliding whenever someone tried to dial, Bell Labs decided to disregard the complaints and manufacture it anyway. Bell Labs lost millions of dollars as a counter weight had to be installed after purchasers complained. 
The original colours of the phone was any generic phone colour (white, pink, light beige, light blue and turquoise) but black which was made available in 1963 (as well as green, yellow and grey). 
The Princess phone got a very bad reputation for many reasons, the main reason though was the fact that it was very easy to knock the headset off the cradle; but, despite its flaws it still has one of the most beloved telephone designs of all time

Transcript Analysis

There is a 6 second long pause in the transcript. This is between 'like' and a description of a hook. Based on the long pause we can assume that the speaker was looking at the hook and was trying to find the best way to describe it. With added context about what is actually happening we can assume that the first speaker is looking at the picture while the second speaker is probably trying to complete the last task given to them. The 6 seconds appear after the word 'like' which is typically use as as filler in today's society and so by having the pause after the filler clearly shows some level of thought supporting the idea that the speaker is trying to think of an appropriate way of describing the hook. 

The use of unconventional pronunciation of ''bout' is another example of the way language has adapted in today's modern society just like the use of 'like' as a filler. The speaker says ''bout' in stead of 'about' which shows how language is normally spoken differently to how it is wrote, and by shortening 'about' it give a casual register. The use of ''bout' could also be because of an accent and with context, we know that this was spoken in Bristol so this is highly probable.

Abstract Passion - A Mini Saga

Crimson sheets soaked in lust, blackened thoughts with questionable memories.
"What happened?"
Painful wrists hoisted body up.
The sun arrives, destroying the dark. Harsh light irritates the eyes.
A stretch to used muscles and a heart singing with youth.
The sheets were pulled back
Thunk!
A head to the floor.

Gods Among Us #1: DOWNEY JR.

  

Gods Among Us #1: DOWNEY JR. [over a large picture of Robert Downey Jr.]

　

Rising up from the land to become a god; watch out Icarus. Robert Downey Jr.: a god among men. By Georgia Gould Bishton.

　

If you ever go onto Mr Downey’s Twitter you will find that his bio is simply, “You know who I am” and honestly, he could not be more accurate. If you don’t know who he is you have been living under a sad and depraved rock for the past 6 years. After 3 drug arrests over 2 years, Downey shows the world that he still has it creating a career made out of iron and inspiring the generations to come.

　

In 2008 this ‘fine wine’ was cast as Marvel’s Iron Man. Now I don’t know about you, but have you ever been cast as a superhero and the original writer liked your performance so much that he changed the characters personality to match your interpretation? No? Didn’t think you did. This man set the bar impossibly high for all actors after him and he didn’t even try. After the colossal success of Iron Man, Downey was cast in 2 sequels as well as Avengers and a sequel to that on top. Spitting out the great movies like Paul W.S. Anderson spits out bad ones; Downey tops the Forbes list of highest paid actors, and rightly so.

　

Robert Downey Jr. is praised by fans across his roles by not just playing his characters, but bringing them to life. In the world of talent Downey has it in spades and even Ben Stiller said, “In the realm where box office is irrelevant and talent is king, the realm that actually means something, he has always ruled”. Not only is he an amazing actor but he’s also incredibly attractive. Coming onto 50 he can single handed make a group of weak kneed fans fall and (like a gentlemen) help them back up. If scientist were trying to genetically manipulate a perfect human being they might have just done it with our very Adonis and let him off into the world to make girls (and boys) cry with want.

(If you do not believe me that he is ungodly attractive then look at the picture above and believe.)

Now, I know what you're thinking, how can this man possibly be this amazing? I know, I feel the same way too. Even with his history Robert Downey Jr. still managed to create a successful career and even bounced away from the title of 'that one guy that played Charlie Chaplin'. Four decades in the business and still growing strong while leaving a path of sass and happiness in his wake.

Currently, Mr Downey Jr is mostly known for his role in the Iron Man series, Avengers and The Incredible Hulk. Playing a genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist isn't easy but RDJ takes it in his stride and enjoys the role a little more than the average actor. While Iron Man is his most successful role, it isn't his only role. The Singing Detective, Kiss Kiss Bang Band, Gothika (where he met his current wife, Susan Downey), Tropic Thunder and Sherlock Holmes just to add a few to his repertoire. He's a man of many talents that brings humour and life to all of the characters he plays as well as a few ad libs here and there.

Talented, funny and good looking. What more could you want? How about a great dad! RDJ has 2 children and another one on the way over 2 marriages. He's been quoted by his wife about being a great diaper changer as well (a job none of us wish to do). His own dad was a huge part of his life being an inspiration as an actor as well as being an 'underground' film-maker and landing Robert Downey Jr.'s first role in the acting biz as a puppy in Pound.