The World is a

TEXTUniversity of Massachusetts Lowell

University of San Francisco

Writing, Reading, andThinking about Visual andPopular Culture

Prentice HallBoston Columbus Indianapolis NewYork San Francisco Upper Saddle River Amsterdam

Cape Town Dubai London Madrid Milan Munich Paris Montreal Toronto DelhiMexico City Sao Paulo Sydney Hong Kong Seoul Singapore Taipei Tokyo

Alternative Table of Contents xv

Preface xxiiiAcknowledgments xxv

Introduction Sy Jonathan Silverman and Dean Rader 1

Writing, Reading, Culture, and Texts: An Introduction to the Introduction 2

Semiotics: The Study of Signs (and Texts) 6

Systems of Reading: Making Sense of Cultural Texts 8

The "Semiotic Situation" (or the "Moving Text") 10

Texts, the World, You, and Your Papers 10

Rhetoric: Writing's Soundtrack 11

From Rhetoric to Writing 13

Reading the World as a Text: Writing's Overture. Three Case Studies on Interpretation 141-Reading Public Space: Starbucks 14,e -Reading Fonts: How Type Can Say a Lot about Type 16

3-Can We Laugh? Reading Art and Humor in Geico Commercials 18

Reading This Text as a Text: Tips on Using this Book 21The World ls a Text: Writing 21

The World ls a Text: Reading 22

SECTION ONE The World 15 a Text: Writing 25

A Short Guide to The World Is a Text: Writing 26

PART I. How Do I Write a Text for College? Making the Transition from High SchoolWriting by Patty Strong 26

PART 11. From Semiotics to Lenses: Finding an Approach for Your Essays by DeanRader and Jonathan Silverman 27Lenses, Mieroscopes, and Windows 28Language and Elements of Literary interpretation 29Context, Historical and Otherwise 29Race, Class, Gender, Sexual Orientation, Region, Age-and More 30Academic Disciplines 30Landing on an Approach: An Entree to the Essay Itself 31

PART 111. How Do I Write about Popular and Visual Culture Texts? A Tour Through theWriting Process 31Understanding the Assignment 32Freewriting and Brainstorming 32Outlining 33Constructing a Good Thesis 34

vii

Building an Opening Paragraph: A Case StudyBuilding Good Paragraphs 40Drafting the Whole Essay 42Editing and Revising, Editing and Revising, Editing and RevisingTurning in the Finished Product 43

PART IV. How Do I Argue about Popular Culture Texts? A Guide für Building GoodArguments 44Knowing Your ArgumentsMaking Claims 46Using Claims and Support to Make Arguments: Some Helpful TipsSynthesis: Pulling It All Together 52Know Your Audience 54Use Common Sense 56

PART V. How Do IResearch Popular Culture Texts?Researching Nontraditional Texts: One MethodNuts and Bolts Research 59Guerilla Research 60

PART VI. How Do IKnow What a Good Paper Looks Like? An AnnotatedStudent Essay 60

PART VII. How Do ICite This Car? Guidelines für Citing Popular Culture TextsUsing Parenthetical References 69Building the Works Ci ted Page 69Plagiarism 70Works Cited Examples 70

PART VIII. How Am I a Text? On Writing Personal EssaysOne last word on making the world your own text

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48

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SECTION TWO The World Is a Text: Reading 77

1 78

Elisabeth Piedmont-Marton, Reading and Writing about Fashion 80

How I Wrote This Essay: Elizabeth Piedmont -Marton 82Jonathan Hunt, Reading and Writing about a Bicycle 83Peter Hartlaub, Reading and Writing about Video Garnes 89Cristina VeLuca, Reading and Writing about Social Networking Sites: Making Friends andGetting "Poked" 90

How I Wrote This Essay: Cristina DeLuca 92Lee Transue, Reading and Writing about Family Guy: The Semiotics of Stream ofConsciousness 94How I Wrote This Essay: Lee Transue 98Brandon Brown, Reading and Writing about a Laboratory 100How I Wrote This Essay: Brandon Brown 102

viii Contents

Jonathan Silverman, Reading and Writing about the Road 103Catherine Zimmer, Reading and Writing about YouTube: The You in YouTube 112Dean Rader and Jonathan Silverman, Reading and Writing about Advertising:Two Case Studies 117Phil West, Reading the Puffy Taco 120Reading Between the Lines 124Classroom Activities 124Essay Ideas 125

2Worksheet 132Katherine Gantz, "Not That There's Anything Wrong with That": Reading the Queer inSeinfeld 134How I Wrote This Essay: Katherine Gantz 154Garance Franke-Ruta, Beyond Fear: Heroes vs. 24 156Student Essay: Dave Rinehart, Sex Sells: A Marxist Criticism of Sex and the City 160Student Essay: Hillary West, Media Journal: The Rosie O'Donnell Show 164

The Reality TV Suite 167Laurie Ouelette and Susan Murray, Reality TV: Remaking Television Culture 168Student Essay: Maribeth Theroux, The NEXT Plague: MTV's Sexual Objectification ofGirls and Why It Must Be Stopped 174Thea Lim, The Bachelor/Bachelorette's White Elephant 180Reading Between the Lines 183Classroom Activities 183Essay Ideas 183Visualizing Writing: Jessica Hagy, Made Not Born 185

3Worksheet 191Liz Swanson, Architecture, Experience and Meaning 193Dean Rader, Reading the Rural 204Daphne Spain, Spatial Segregation and Gender Stratification in the Workplace 217Bob Bednar, Making Space on the Side of the Road: Towards a Cultural Study of RoadsideCar Crash Memorials 222How IWrote This Essay: Bob Bednar 235

The College Campus Suite 239Dean Rader, Reading and Writing about Your Campus 240Frances Halsband, Campuses in Place 247Student Essay: Matthew King, Reading the Nautical Star 254

126

186

Contents ix

x

Photo Essay: CampusesReading Between the LinesClassroom Activities 268Essay Ideas 268Visualizing Writing: Blog of Unnecessary Quotes, "Please"

257268

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Worksheet 278Beverly Daniel Tatum, Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?Amy Tan, Mother Tongue 282Jim Mahfood, True Tales of Amerikkkan History Part II: The True ThanksgivingZebedee Nungak, Qallunaat 101: Inuits Study White Folks in This New Academic FieldTeja Arboleda, Race Is a Four- Letter Word 290Betty Shamieh, Censoring Myself 294Student Essay: Amy Truong, Gender Expectations and Familial Roles Within AsianAmerican Culture 297Mini Suite: The Native American Mascot IssueA Suite of Mascot Poems by Leanne Howe

279

286288

303305

A Suite of CartoonsWhich One Is the Mascot?But I'm Honoring You, Dude!PowWow 309

The Obama Suite 310James Taylor, Target: Obama 310Katia Bachko, Professor Obama: The Press Goes for Style Over Substance on the PressConferences 312

308308

308

Dean Rader, Obama, CA 314Jonathan Silverman, Obama and Fantasy Football, or What Obama Has in Common withFiveThirtyEight.com 314Reading Between the Lines 316Classroom Activities 316Essay Ideas 316Visualizing Writing: Lynn Johnston, from For Better or Worse 317

5 318

Worksheet 324Roger Ebert, Great Movies and Being a Great Moviegoer 325Jason Silverman, Deciphering I, Robot: Random Thoughts from an EvolvingFilm Reviewer 328

Contents

How I Wrote This Essay: Jason Silverman 333

Film as Cultural Commentary: Two Reviews from The Weekly Rader 334GregBarnhisel, The Dark Knight 334Scott Andrews, Smells Like Teen Superheroes 337Student Essay: Whitney Black, Star Wars and America 340

The Avatar Suite 343Stephanie Zacharek, Avatar: Dances with Aliens 344Slavoj iizek, Return of the Natives 347Mikhail Lyubansky, The Racial Politics of Avatar 351Ari Y Keiman, Avatar and the Gluttony of Technology 354Reading Between the Lines 356Classroom Activities 356Essay Ideas 356

INTERCHAPTER:KeiIOUIO 358

Photo Essay: Signs 361

The American Signs on Route 66 SuiteWorksheet 382

371

384

Worksheet 390Deborah Tannen, Marked Women, Unmarked Men 391Annette Fuentes, Out of Style Thinking: Female Politicians and Fashion 395Ariel Levy, Dispatches from Girls Gone Wild: Girls Get Wild far T-Shirts andTrucker Hats 397Student Essay: Pjeter Dushku, jVaya, Vaya, Machismol: Almod6var and SpanishMasculinity 403Photo Essay: ]udith Taylor, "Dolls and Mannequins" 412

The Third Wave Feminism Suite 417Patricia Pender, 'Kicking Ass Is Comfort Food': Buffy as Third Wave Feminist Icon 418Student Essay: Catherine Kirifides, Classically Different: Sofia Coppola's Marie AntoinetteTakes a New Look at What It Means to Be a Girl 427How I Wrote This Essay: Catherine Kirifides 434Student Essay: Lara Hayhurst, Putting the "Me" Back in Medical Drama: Grey'sAnatomy's Adventures in McFeminism 435How I Wrote This Essay: Lara Hayhurst 440Student Essay: Gwendolyn Limbaeh, "La Femme Veronica": Intelligence as Power inVeronica Mars 442How IWrote This Essay: Gwendolyn Limbach 449

Contents xi

Reading Between the Lines 451Classroom Activities 451Essay Ideas 451Visualizing Writing: The Oatnmeal, "How to Use an Apostrophe" 452

7 454

Worksheet 464

The "Is It Art?" Suite 466Erie Hongisto, Reading A Mural: Diego Rivera's Man at the Crossroads 467Diana Maek, It Isn't Pretty ... But Is It Art? 469Steve Grody, Graffiti: The Anatomy of a Piece 472Student Essay: Theresa George, The Multifaceted Nature of Street Art 474Student Essay: Anna Rose Tull, No Sense of Absolute Corruption: Damien Hirst and theArt Question 479Photo Essay: Public "Art"? 481

The Reading a Photograph Suite 491Cheryl Aaron, Reading a Photograph 492Frank Rieh, Whatever Happened to the America of 9/12? 493David Plotz, Frank Rich Is Wrong about That 9/11 Photograph: Those New YorkersWeren't Relaxing! 496Gert Van Langendonek, Award- Winning Photo Puts Subjects On Defensive 497Errol Morris, Liar, Liar Pants on Fire 501Student Essay: Anne Darby, #27: Reading Cindy Sherman and Gender 508Reading Between the Lines 512Classroom Activities 512Essay Ideas 512Visualizing Writing: Apostrophe Abuse, "Shop All Service's" 513

8 514

Worksheet 520Alessandro Portelli, "Coal Miner's Daughter"How I Wrote My Essay: Alessandro PortelliChuek Klosterman, The Rock Lexicon 530Daniel Nester, We Are the Champions, Another One Bites the DustHow IWrote my Poems: Daniel Nester 534Student Essay: Sarah Hawkins, Right on Target: Revisiting Elvis Costello's My AimIs True 535

521529

533

xii Contents

The Authenticity Suite 539

David Sanjek, All the Memories Money Can Buy: Marketing Authenticity andManufacturing Authorship 540Carrie Brownstein, More Rock, Less Talk: Live Music Turns Off the Voices inOur Heads 544Stephet? Metcalf, Faux Americana: Why 1 Still Love Bruce Springsteen 548Reading Between the Lines 552Classroom Activities 552Essay Ideas 552Visualizing Writing: The Blog of Unnecessary Quotes, "No Pets" 553

9Worksheet 561Robert Love, Before Jon Stewart: The Growth of Fake News. Believe 11. 563Chris Anderson, The Long Tail 569Clint C. Wilson and Felix Gutierrez, Advertising and People of Color 578Student Essay: Brittany Gray, Hanes Her Way 584William Lutz, Weasel Words 587Mark Glaser, Techno-Optimism: 10 Reasons There's a Bright Future for Journalism

The Google Suite 601Virginia Heffernan, The Google Alphabet: Googlealphabet 601Nicholas Carr, Is Google Making Us Stupid? 602Siva Vaidhyanathan, No, Google Is Not Making Us Stupid 609Reading Between the Lines 612Classroom Activities 612Essay Ideas 612Visualizing Writing: Jessica Hagy, "What is That" 613

10Credits

Index

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Contents xiii

Below are the readings in The World 15 a Text grouped according to subject matter, genre,or style of writing. They offer cross-chapter ways of reading individual works.

Beverly Daniel Tatum, Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in theCafeteria? 279

Clint C. Wilson and Felix Gutierrez, Advertising and People of Color 578James Taylor, Target: Obama 310Karen Bachko, Professara Obama: The press goes for style over substance on the press

conferences 312Dean Rader, Obama, CA 314Jonathan Silverman, Obama and Fantasy Football 314

nBetty Shamieh, Censoring Myself 294Mark Glaser, Techno-Optimism: 10 Reasons There's a Bright Future for

Journalism 598

ssuesAmy Tan, Mother Tongue 282Student Essay: Amy Truong, Gender Expectations and Familial Roles Within Asian

American Culture 297Clint C. Wilson and Felix Gutierrez, Advertising and People of Color 578Thea Lim, The Bachelor/Bachelorette's White Elephant 180

Lee Transue, Reading and Writing about Family Guy: The Semiotics of Stream ofConsciousness 94

Garance Franke-Ruta, Beyond Fear: Heroes vs. 24 156Maribeth Theroux, The NEXT Plague: MTV's Sexual Objectification of Girls and Why It

Must Be Stopped 174Student Essay: Theresa George, The Multifaceted Nature of Street Art 475Student Essay: Whitney Black, Star Wars and America 340Annette Fuentes, Out of Style Thinking: Female Politicians and Fashion 395William Lutz, Weasel Words 587Thea Lim, The Bachelor/Bachelorette's White Elephant 181Scott Andrews, Smells like Teen Superheroes 337Chris Anderson, The Lang Tail 569Nicholas Carr, Is Google Making Us Stupid? 602Siva Vaidhyanathan, No, Google Is Not Making Us Stupid 609

xv

Dean Rader, Reading and Writing about Your Campus 240Student Essay: Dave Rinehart, Sex SeIls: A Marxist Criticism of Sex and the City 160Steve Grody, Graffiti: The Anatomy of a Piece 472Student Essay: Amy Truong, Gender Expectations and Familial Roles Within Asian

American Culture 297Alessandro Portelli, "Coal Miner's Daughter" 521Dean Rader, Reading the Rural 204Pjeter Dushku, i"Vaya, Vaya, Machismo"! 403

Dean Rader, Reading and Writing about Your Campus 240Elisabeth Piedmont-Marton, Reading and Writing about Fashion 80Cristina DeLuca, Reading and Writing about Social Networking Sites: Making Friends

and Getting "Poked" 90Frances Halsband, Campuses in Place 247Student Essay: Matthew King, Reading the Nautical Star 254

Dean Rader, Reading and Writing about Your Campus 240Cristina DeLuca, Reading and Writing about Social Networking Sites: Making Friends

and Getting "Poked" 90Garance Franke-Ruta, Beyond Fear: Heroes VS. 24 156Jason Silverman, Deciphering I, Rabot: Random Thoughts from an Evolving Film

Reviewer 328Deborah Tannen, Marked Women, Unmarked Men 391

Student Essay: Dave Rinehart, Sex SeIls: A Marxist Criticism of Sex andthe City 160

Diana Mack, It Isn't Pretty ... But Is It Art? 469Zebedee Nungak, QaIlunaat : Inuits Study White Folks in This New Academic

Field 288William Lutz, Weasel Words 587Roger Ebert, Great Movies and Being a Great MoviegoerDean Rader, Reading the Rural 204Pjeter Dushku, "Vaya, Vaya, Machismo"Chuck Klosterman, The Rock LexiconChris Anderson, The Long Tail 569

325

403530

Jonathan Silverman, Reading and Writing about the Road 103Elisabeth Piedmont-Marton, Reading and Writing about Fashion 80Jonathan Hunt, Reading and Writing about a Bicycle 83Peter Hartlaub, Reading and Writing about Video Games 89

xvi Alternative Table of Contents

Cristina DeLuca, Reading and Writing about Social Networking Sites: Making Friendsand Getting "Poked" 90

Lee Transue, Reading and Writing about Family Guy: The Semiotics of Stream ofConsciousness 94

Catherine Zimmer, Reading and Writing about YouTube: The You in YouTubePhil West, Reading the Puffy Taco 120Katherine Gantz, "Not That There's Anything Wrang with That": Reading the Queer in

Sein/eid 134Zebedee Nungak, Qallunaat: Inuits Study White Folks in This New Academic

Field 288Thea Lim, The BachelorlBachelorette's White ElephantLeanne Howe, A Suite of Mascot Poems 305A Suite of Cartoons 308"Which One Is the Mascot?""But I'm Honoring You, Dude!""Pow Wow" 309Erie Hongisto, Reading a Mural: Diego Rivera's Man at the Crossroads 467Student Essay: Sarah Hawkins, Right on Target: Revisiting Elvis Costello's

My Aim 15 True 535Student Essay: Matt Compton, "Smells Like Teen Spirit" 61David Sanjek, All the Memories Money Can Buy: Marketing Authenticity and

Manufacturing Authorship 540Carrie Brownstein, More Rock, Less Talk: Live Music Turns Off the Voices in

Our Heads 544Stephen Metcalf, Faux Americana: Why 1 Still Love Bruce SpringsteenScott Andrews, Smells like Teen Superheraes 337Greg Barnhisel, The Dark Knight 334Pjeter Dushku, "Vaya, Vaya, Machismo" 403Judith Taylor, Dolls and Mannequins 412Cheryl Aaron, Reading a Photograph 492Chuck Klosterman, The Rock Lexicon 530Daniel Nester, We Are the Champions, Another One Bites the DustChris Anderson, The Long Tail 569Virginia Heffernan, The Google Alphabet: GooglealphabetNicholas Carr, Is Google Making Us Stupid 602

112

180

308308

548

533

601

Jonathan Hunt, Reading and Writing about a BicydePhil West, Reading and Writing about the Puffy TacoJonathan Silverman, Obama and Fantasy FootballA Suite of Cartoons 308"Which One Is the Mascot?""But I'm Honoring You, Dude!""Pow Wow" 309

83120

314

308308

Alternative Table of Contents xvii

Katherine Gantz, "Not That There's Anything Wrong with That": Reading the Queer inSeinfeld 134

Cristina DeLuca, Reading and Writing about Social Networking Sites: Making Friendsand Getting "Poked" 90

Katherine Gantz, "Not That There's Anything Wrong with That": Reading the Queer inSeinfeld 134

Maribeth Theroux, The NEXT Plague: MTV's Sexual Objectification of Girls and Why ItMust Be Stopped 174

Student Essay: Hillary West, Media Journal: The Rosie O'Donnell Show 164Student Essay: Anne Darby, #27: Reading Cindy Sherman and Gender 508Betty Shamieh, Censoring Myself 294Deborah Tannen, Marked Women, Unmarked Men 391Annette Fuentes, Out of Style Thinking: Female Politicians and Fashion 395Patricia Pender, 'Kicking Ass Is Comfort Food': Buffy as Third Wave Feminist

leon 418Student Essay: Catherine Kirifides, Classically Different: Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette

Takes a New Look at What It Means to Be a Girl 427Student Essay: Lara Hayhurst, Putting the "Me" Back in Medical Drama: Grey's Anatomy's

Adventures in McFeminism 435Student Essay: Gwendolyn Limbaeh, "La Femme Veronica": Intelligence as Power in

Veronica Mars 442Daphne Spain, Spatial Segregation and Gender Stratification in the

Workplace 217Alessandro Portelli, "Coal Miner's Daughter" 521Pjeter Dushku, "Vaya, Vaya, Machismo" 403Judith Taylor, Dolls and Mannequins 412

Dean Rader, Reading and Writing about Your Campus 240Jonathan Silverman, Reading and Writing about the RoadPeter Hartlaub, Reading and Writing about Video GamesPhil West, Reading the Puffy Taco 120Thea Lim, The BachelorlBacheiorette's White ElephantJonathan Silverman, Obama and Fantasy FootballKatia Bachko, Professor Obama 312Dean Rader, Obama, CA 314Greg Barnhisel, The Dark Knight 334James Taylor, Target: Obama 310Liz Swanson, "Architexture, Experience and Meaning" 193Maribeth Theroux, The NEXT Plague: MTV's Sexual Objectification of Girls and Why

It Must Be Stopped 174Dean Rader, Reading the Rural 204Steve Grody, Graffiti: The Anatomy of a Piece

10389

180314

472

xviii Alternative Table of Contents

Roger Ebert, Great Movies and Being a Great Moviegoer 325Frank Rieh, Whatever Happened to the America of 9/11? 493David Plotz, Frank Rich Is Wrang about That 9/11 Photograph: Those New Yorkers

Weren't Relaxing 498Gert Van Langendonek, Award-Winning Photo Puts Subjects On Defensive 499Errol Morris, Liar, Liar Pants on Fire 501firn Mahfood, True Tales of Amerikkkan History Part II: The True Thanksgiving 286Erie Hongisto, Reading a Mural: Diego Rivera's Man at the Crossroads 467"Which One Is the Mascot?" 308"But I'm Honoring You, Dude!" 308"Pow Wow" 309The American Signs on Route 66 Suite 371Stephanie Zaeharek, Avatar: Dances with Aliens 344Slavov Ziiek, Return of the Natives 347Mikhail Lyubansky, The Racial Politics of Avatar 351Ari Y Kelrnan, Avatar and the Gluttony of Technology 354Pjeter Dushku, "Vaya, Vaya, Machismo" 403fudith Taylor, Dolls and Mannequins 412Cheryl Aaron, Reading a Photograph 492Nieholas Carr, Is Google Making Us Stupid? 602

Greg Barnhisel, The Dark Knight 334Pjeter Dushku, "Vaya, Vaya, Machismo" 403Erie Hongisto, Reading a Mural: Diego Rivera's Man at the Crossroads 467Cheryl Aaron, Reading a Photo graph 492

Bob Bednar, Making Space on the Side of the Road: Towards a Cultural Study of RoadsideCar Crash Memorials 222

Thea Lirn, The Bachelor/Bachelorette's White Elephant 180Clint C. Wilson and Felix Gutierrez, Advertising and People of Color 578Erie Hongisto, Reading a Mural: Diego Rivera's Man at the Crossroads 467

Arny Tan, Mother Tongue 282

firn Mahfood, True Tales of Amerikkkan History Part II: The True Thanksgiving 286Zebedee Nungak, Qallunaat : Inuits Study White Folks in This New Academic

Field 288Leanne Howe, A Suite of Mascot Poems 305A Suite of Cartoons 308"Wh ich One Is the Mascot?" 308"But I'm Honoring You, Dude!" 308"Pow Wow" 309

Alternative Table of Contents xix