How to Pretend You're Not Poor Ch. Dance, Dance, Dance

On page 120 of ATD there's a drawing of Arnold and it explains how he's been covering up for being poor. In the first section of the cartoon it shows Arnold saying he's not hungry when his stomach is growling so others don't know that he doesn't have lunch money. Arnold would call in sick when there was a school dance or field trip. He would say he's allergic to sugar since he's Native American to avoid saying he's broke at a bake sale. When everyone around him had iPods he would say he's old school and likes records. Lastly he can always just say there's an Indian Ceremony at home, so he could use that for an excuse. This cartoon really connects with the one on page 128, he lies than tells the truth. It's like a before and after scenario.

Visual Analysis of Vans and Vodka

The first ad that I picked was the Vans ad.

1.) One image depicts the pair of shoes in a dark room with a light shining on them. It has the shoe model written below the shoes and the Vans logo above the shoes. The image on the right is of Dustin Dollin, a famous pro skater. He is siting down with a skull in the background that consists of spots similar to the shoes he's wearing along the border of the image. Dustin Dollin has always been a partier, some would call him wild and reckless. The shoes are his model so they represent Dustin Dollin, he's sponsored by them because he's recognizable to skateboarders for his talent.
2.) It's Dustin Dollin, the shoes are his model. The professional skateboarder is always wearing Vans in all of his videos and contests. Without connecting Dustin Dollin they would lose their target audience, skateboarders.
3.) The skull is suppose to symbolize hot Dustin Dollin is a bad ass. He's an amazing skater, a crazy partier, and a great representative of Vans. Their target audience is skateboarders, who tend to be more attracted to darker images such as this skull rather than bright colorful flours in the background. Skateboarders get hurt, "skate or die" expression is well known among skaters. They want to skate as well as they can and put the dangerous fear of injury aside, the skull represents the danger and if they replaced it of course the tone would change. The target audience could change as well depending on what they replace the skull with.
4.) Young skateboarders in middle school and high school who like to listen to loud rock and roll are Vans target audience in this Vans ad.

The second ad I picked was the Russian Vodka ad.

1.) They probably think that the colors and variety of flavors are appealing.
2.) I would say that the target audience is young adults looking to go out and do something new. It seems like the ad implies that you will find what you like whether that's a drink or a person so I don't think it necessarily is targeting women or men, but young adults in general.
3.) The young women are at a high end bar and appear to be looking at someone, towards the audience or whoever is reading the ad. It seems like these women go out a lot and go to new places. It's implying that you will find what you like by experimenting with flavored Russian Vodka.
4.) I think the text is directed to the reader, not necessarily women or men. I'm not completely sure, but maybe that's how it was intended to be.

"Are You Poor ?"

     The drawing on page 128 shows Arnold's possible responses to when he is asked if he is poor. The first response is a quick no, which is a lie. While the second response is a yes, which is the truth. The third one is a depiction of Arnold playing dumb, saying he has many pores. The fourth drawing shows Arnold trying to theoretical and not really answering the question. Arnold's last response is the famous "look over there," and runaway out of the scene scenario. Arnold learns that when you tell the truth people can help you out. The last sentence of the chapter says "If you let people into your life a little bit, they can be pretty damn amazing.'' Since Arnold told the truth he not only got a ride home, but he got respect Penelope and Roger.

Six Words of Who I Am

     I found that the sooner I work on what I want to accomplish the sooner I can set my eyes on whatever comes next. Too often people push aside goals and by doing that you're delaying your dream. When you know what you want to do and how to do it you shouldn't procrastinate. Pushing things off only piles up what you need to do in future, why make things harder when you can make them easier? I'm not saying to rush what you do, but to do it when you have the time to rather than saying I have time to do it later. The procrastination attitude is another dream killer, you must believe in yourself and that you can do it before you actually do it. In ATD "you can do it" is the four most powerful words Arnold has heard from his parents, even though he knew he could, their support made him feel even more confident in his own abilities.

     I know what I want to do with my future, to be a filmmaker, so I want to get my degree as soon as I can. Then I can start my career at a younger age and gain experience sooner rather than later, which means a lot especially in the cut throat business in Hollywood. 

Junior gets to School

The cartoon on page 88 really stood out to me. It reminded me of drawing storyboards, instead of one image it was divided into five. It shows how Junior had to hitchhike to school, his parents didn't have enough money to take him to school everyday. They wouldn't always be able to pick him up so he would sometimes have to walk all the way home. 22 miles, wow. He never knows exactly how he's getting to school and back, but figures away out. Sometimes the car would break down, sometimes no one would pick him up when he hitchhiked. With the current going against him he still finds a way to swim up stream.