Media Analysis Introduction
In one way or another, all of us are influenced the media that surrounds us. Whether we realize
it or not we are surrounded by it constantly on TV, the internet, even on clothes we wear. In
this essay, you will analyze a TV show or advertisement, and you will get an introduction to
documenting sources.
For this essay, you will write a formal essay in which you analyze the text* you’ve chosen and
explain the advertising techniques, myths, values, ideas, or cultural stereotypes it is selling and
explain the comment that makes on society, consumers, or the various groups it’s targeting or
portraying.
The following outlines some of the introductory ideas you should keep in mind.
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Style: A formal essay should be written in your voice and from your perspective, but will
use a higher level of diction and language. However, it should not be forced.
Formal essays are written in the objective tone and do not use personal pronouns.
o Instead you should use the specific noun or group you’re referring to.
 I.e.: audiences, readers, advertisers, consumers, teens, adults, men,
women, children, etc.
Purpose: The purpose of this essay is to look carefully at an advertisement or TV show
and explain the myths, values, ideas or cultural stereotypes it is selling and explain the
comment that makes on society, consumers, or the various groups it’s targeting or
portraying.
Do not try to convince or preach to your readers. Simply explain your analysis and what
it says of society or the specific group it’s pointed at.
Audience: The audience for this essay is a college-educated audience. They are familiar
with the terms of analysis and advertising, so you do not need to explain those general
ideas.
Limitations: You may choose a print, audio, or visual ad, or a TV show. You need to
focus on just one genre. If choosing advertising, you can choose multiple ads by the
same company for the same product, or you may choose multiple ads on a similar
theme. (E.g.: how police are portrayed in advertising.) If choosing a TV show, you
should choose one clip from an episode to use as your example.
You must use quotes from at least two of the readings we do over the course of this
essay, and you must document them correctly. You may not use the student samples as
your sources.
We will do formal documentation for this essay. That means you need in-text citations
where required, and must have a Works Cited page.
o In class I will teach MLA format. We will also look at a sample essay in that
format.
Finally, remember we begin with the prewriting assignments, so take it one step at a time. We
will read articles, essays, and samples and discuss the details more as we move through the
essay.
*In this case text refers to your ad or TV show.
Media Analysis Prewriting Assignments
E3: Prewriting 1
Describe the ad/show, and make a list of things that stand out about it. (With a TV show, give
the general setup and situation. What are the main characters like, and what do they do, etc.,
and then describe the part you will be analyzing?) This should be a paragraph or two.
List things that stand out that you might analyze. They could be symbolic things like colors or
objects. It could be stereotypes, values, or myths. You might consider how it uses advertising
techniques, etc.
E3: Prewriting 2
Now that you’ve described your text and noted some things that stand out, go back and look at
those things again. What do those things imply? Make a list of those things and for each one
write out the implication, myths, values, ideas or cultural stereotypes that are implicit. (You
should have at least three.)
After that, think about what your text is saying between the lines? What comment does that
make on society, consumers, or the various groups it’s targeting or portraying. Write that down
in one clear statement. That’s a draft of your thesis.
Write out the works cited citation for your ad(s) or TV show. Make sure to read and follow the
instructions in your Writer’s Reference MLA chapter.
E3: Prewriting 3
At this point, you have a rough draft of your thesis (what specific things you noticed say about
the group or society it’s portraying) and the points you can make in the body of your essay.
Now it’s time to think about how you’ll wrap it up and how you’ll begin it.
When you look at the list you made in the last prewriting, what does that say to you about the
overall idea in it? What does it mean that there’s a particular appeal used, myth working to be
adopted, value or idea advocated, or stereotype perpetuated? What is the implication of our
accepting this? Why is it important that we notice this? Write about that in one paragraph.
In a second paragraph, think about how you’ll get readers into the essay. What general topic or
ideas might you start off with? Write a paragraph in which you develop your introduction.
Remember, you need to make sure you give the title of the ad or show and that you properly
format that title. End that paragraph with your thesis.
Find at least two quotes from the readings on the webpage that relate to your ideas here.
Write those down and write down the works cited citation for each one. Make sure to read and
follow the instructions in your Writer’s Reference MLA chapter.
Media Analysis Assignment
Begin work on putting this essay together by reviewing the grade sheet at the end of this
handout. I grade looking for those things, so you need to make sure you keep those things in
mind as you write. Once you’ve done that, look over your prewritings, and use those as a
starting point to organize. Below are some important tips to remember, and a sample outline.
Since this is a formal paper it should follow a fairly strict structure.
Remember that this is your goal:
Write a formal essay in which you analyze an advertisement or TV show and explain the
myths, values, ideas or cultural stereotypes it is selling and explain the comment that
makes on society, consumers, or the various groups it’s targeting or portraying.
General Requirements
The essay should:
 Be correctly formatted: typed in a standard 12 point font, double spaced, correct
heading and running header
 Be at least 3 ½-4 pages long, exclusive of your works cited page
 Utilize and correctly cite at least 2 of the readings for the essay as well as the
advertisement you are analyzing. Remember, you may not use the student
samples for your sources.
Turning your essay in:
When you turn in your essay, it should be organized in a pocket folder. I will not sort
thorough papers to figure out what everything is. Organize from the top down in this
order:
Left-side pocket
 Prewriting Assignments
 Outline form
 Writing Center draft and form (OPTIONAL)
 Workshop form and rough draft from workshop
 Other drafts you have
Right-side pocket
 Cover Letter
 Final Essay
Tips
□ Avoid the personal pronouns I/me/my. Instead go with readers, viewers, consumers,
buyers, advertisers, or something similar.
□ Avoid you like it will give you the plague, Ebola, or anything else equally frightening and
life threatening. REALLY!
□ Focus on the myth or cultural value endorsed, proposed, or underscored by the ad or TV
show. What is it selling other than the product? (connect your thesis to that)
□ Analyze how specific parts of the ad or TV show support your thesis.
□ Describe the ad or TV show early so that your readers know what you’re talking about
when you bring it up. (With a TV show, give the general setup and situation. What are
the main characters like, and what do they do, etc.)
□ Conclude by explaining what the ad or TV show is advocating (myth or value), and what
this implies or reveals about our culture, desires, aspirations, or expectations.
□ If it’s in your paper, it should be on the Works Cited page.
□ If it’s on the works cited page, it should be in your paper.
□ In-text citations go at the end of the sentence or section.
□ Quotation marks mean you are using the exact words—they often require an in-text
citation.
□ With a paraphrase, you don’t need quotation marks since you’re putting it in your own
words, but you still need an in-text citation and/or a clear signal phrase.
□ Have someone read it out loud to you for a real idea of what you’ve really said in your
essay as opposed to what you think you said.
□ Proofread, proofread, proofread, proofread, proofread, proofread, proofread,
proofread, proofread, proofread, proofread, proofread, proofread, proofread,
proofread, proofread, proofread, proofread, proofread, proofread, proofread,
proofread, proofread, proofread, proofread, proofread, proofread, proofread, and
proofread again!
Media Analysis Sample Outline
Here is a suggested form for your essay. Use it to help you put the essay together.
I.
Introduction
A. Set the context: discuss the topic or situation
B. Name the ad and the product/company
C. Provide your thesis: explain what myth, assumption, or value the ad or TV show is
endorsing, proposing, challenging, or underscoring—what is the ad selling other than
the product—and explain the comment that makes on society, consumers, or the
various groups it’s targeting or portraying.
II. Body
A. Describe the ad or TV show so that your readers can see it.
B. *Analyze (Do this with each element or point about the ad/TV show you bring up):
i. Reason: What’s one main reason you have for believing your thesis? Or, what’s
one aspect of the ad/TV show that supports your thesis? Express that in a clear
topic sentence.
ii. Evidence: Give a specific example from the ad or TV show that supports your
thesis.
iii. Analyze it based on the instructions provided in the readings we’ve done.
iv. Interpret that using not only your ideas, but also bringing in either quotes from
the readings we’ve done in class, or from other articles noted on the Essay 3
webpage.
(*Repeat the steps in B until you’re finished discussing the points you’re making.)
III. Conclusion
A. Bring it all together:
i. After looking at the various parts of the ad or TV show, what does it all add up
to? What does it say or imply about our culture, desires, aspirations,
assumptions, or expectations? OR what does it reveal about
corporate/government/agency/group cultural assumptions, desires, aspirations,
or expectations?
IV. Works Cited page
A. Make sure to cite:
i. The ad or TV show you use
ii. Two other sources marked on the Essay 3 webpage.
B. Format correctly
i. Read and follow the instructions in your handbook for how to cite
ii. Alphabetize according to the first word in the citation
iii. Make sure yours looks like the sample in the book (that includes spacing,
hanging indent, font size, etc.)
iv. Make sure it’s part of your paper—once you finish writing your essay, press
Ctrl+Enter to get a hard page that will still have your running header on it
(Did I mention proofread?)
Media Analysis Grading Criteria
Your essay will be evaluated based on the following standards. Please review them and take
them into consideration when finalizing your essay.
Format/Professionalism:
Is the essay correctly formatted?
Does it meet length requirements?
Is it turned in on time?
Is there a works cited page?
Thesis:
Does it discuss the myth or value being sold or advocated in the ad?
Is the thesis clearly crafted and followed up throughout the work?
Content:
Does it name the ad or TV show and the company/sponsor?
Does the essay include a description of the ad or TV show?
Does the essay use the critical and analytical techniques studied? (Myth, advertising
techniques, etc.)
Does the final essay use at least two appropriate sources?
Is research smoothly integrated?
Is research cited with correct parenthetical citations?
Development:
Does the introduction set the context for the discussion that follows?
Does the description provide enough detail to help the reader see the ad or TV show
and understand the writer’s points?
Does the writer support the thesis with logical, clearly discussed points, using specific
details from the ad or TV show as support?
Does the writing explain how the examples used illustrate or build the myth, cultural
value, or technique being discussed?
Style
Does the style—voice, tone, sentence style, and word choice—reflect the type of writing
expected in this essay? (No I/me/my; formal tone and word choice.)
Clarity:
Does the writing reflect grammatical and mechanical correctness expected at this level?
Are all sources correctly cited on the Works Cited page?
Are all sources used cited?