Extra Assignment: Cinderella

1. Similes are used to describe what the dove dropped when Cinderella wised for something. Although the Dove would fulfill all of her wishes, it would deliver them by “defecating” on her the items she desired. When Cinderella asked to go to the ball, the bird defecated a dress and Sexton quoted it was a “rather large package for a simple bird.” Although the bird gave her what she wanted, the mental image of the dove delivering the goods is very unpleasant. Imagine a tiny bird “passing” a dress through its bowels…it is a very disturbing scatological image.

2. All fairytales end in the manner and even though everything seems “happily ever after,” in my mind, this is not a good mental image. I think a lot of people in life wish for this state of perfect, “cookie cutter” relationships. I believe if people were to achieve this fairytale image, they would not be human and lack the feelings and emotions that make us who we are. Like Sexton states, we would live like “two dolls in a museum case.” It is human nature to express anger, sadness, and other emotions even though they are undesirable as opposed to happiness and joy. This may sound funny, but I would honestly feel I was missing something in my life, if I was happy all the time without any worry, and everything was perfect. If we were to live the rest of our lives with “darling smiles pasted on for eternity,” I would not consider that human.

3. I think women and men today do indeed “slice off parts of their bodies to fit Cinderella’s shoe.” Recently, cosmetic surgery, diets, and fashion have been taking over people’s lives and becoming their obsession. I think media including advertisements, television shows, movies, and the actors/actresses that play these roles have a heavy influence on society. Many people try to emulate what they see and try to look and dress like their favorite star; what they think “Cinderella” would be like. As an example, Cindy Jackson holds the record for the most plastic surgery procedures. For the last 15 years, she has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to transform herself into a real life Barbie Doll, a “modern Cinderella.” She is not alone and this trend seems to be catching on. I think people try to emulate their favorite stars and what they see on television in hopes that if they look or act a certain way, then they will be able to find their “happily ever after,” as what they see in various forms of media.

4. Jhally believes that consumers purchase things to make themselves feel happy even though they do not need a certain product. Jhally feels that people fulfill their desires through purchasing items and people think that by buying goods, they will find the answer or the key to become happy.

5. The commodity-image system is the way advertisers market their company’s product to be as appealing as possible. It makes consumers buy their products and makes them desire it. In most cases, consumers believe that they will be able to emulate what they see and fulfill their dreams and imaginations if they were to buy a certain product. As an example many beer advertisements exploit women and use sex to sell their product. I think that many men subconsciously link drinking beer with “picking up women.” IN short Jally describes the commodity-image system as something that, “constantly propels us toward things as means to satisfaction. In the sense that every ad says it is better to buy than not to buy, we can best regard advertising as a propaganda system for commodities