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Amanda Chandler
Dr. Kopp
Final Analysis Draft 5
26 June 2014
I Dare You to Eat Another Snickers
Knowledge is power. It is said that with education you can change the world. For me, this
education, this power, is perspective. Contrast moves me. There are these two trees that stand out
on a flat farm; one deciduous tree stands next to a snag. Seeking out difference in normality has
become my own controlling value. Instead of understanding things for face value, using different
interpretations of their meaning creates an entirely new idea. The power is in my hands, rather
than the original creator. This power allows for my analysis to take over and to flourish; it was
my driving force for analyzing. Standing on the principle that artifacts are created with a
purpose, by dissecting these artifacts personal meaning is produced. I would like us to reevaluate
the way we interpret meaning and look at how effective authors can be when they utilize the
things unseen.
At first glance, the Snickers Companys commercial-trailer duo featuring Godzilla
seemed harmless. It was comical. The commercial portrays a fun, thrill seeking character who is
seemingly good with the ladies. As a theme of Snickers, this adventurous character changes with
hunger, in this case, into the terrifying monster the audience is most familiar with. I thought
about how the Snickers campaign turns people into their opposites; strong teenagers into old men
and Betty Whites and harsh football players into carefree comedians. These various Snickers
commercials play into the audiences stereotypical personas for each situation. This was a bit
strange for me, Godzilla, who most viewers know as the terrifying monster was now the smooth
Comment [1]: Please go through this well. I
am not sure about the organization of the piece
works of if I need to explain how I came up with
the conclusion.
Comment [2]: placed the comma here it ay
have been right before but rolled off the tongue
strangley
Comment [3]: what do you mean by "things"?
messages?
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talking, adventure junkie. What was his normal, non-hungry calm state, instead of destructive?
For the other Snickers commercials the hungry character was out of character but for Godzilla
the hungry state was stereotypical vicious state.
Having no motivation or inspiration when examining the commercial, I happened upon a
Sex Ed. feminist video by Laci Green from a website, Upworthy.com. Shes an articulate
feminist looking to shatter preconceived expectations about sex, gender, and an overall decent
human being. In the You Can't POP Your Cherry! (HYMEN 101), Laci Green humored the
false thought that the hymen breaks because of penetration, when in fact it simply expands.
Strange right? Why would most of us think that it breaks, that bleeding and pain is supposed to
occur? While it might just be miscommunicated information, I chose to think of it in a feministic
light. In our culture, sex is often seen as staining women; the more powerful male gender must
dominate women and ultimately breaking them (their hymen). Could the miscommunication be
miscommunicated as misogyny? While I dont mean to go on a tangent, the video along with a
recent event aided in my discovery.
My discovery began with a recent murder that occurred on May 23, 2014 when 22 year
old college dropout, Elliot Rodgers, killed six, injured 13, and committed suicide in Isla Vista,
California. Compiling a 141 page manifesto as to his planning and motives for his kill spree.
Both the manifesto and several original postings from YouTube express social isolation, female
rejection, and sexual jealousy. The murders provoked mass media attention igniting a twitter
rampage. The creation of the #NotAllMen and #YesAllWomen. Reading the tweets arguing
misogyny I indulged in them, wanting to hear everyones sides and get a clear idea how both
sides of the argument felt. Many women wanted men to realize how men objectify women, and
many men wanted women to realize that not all men objectify women.
Comment [4]: Was this said before when his
non-hungry state was the thrill seeker who was
seemingly good with the ladies?
Comment [5]: powerful sentence
Comment [6]: what was the verdict you came
to after reading all these tweets in who was
more justified in their argument?
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Clearly it is hard, even impossible, to see a link between a Sex-Ed video on hymens, a
mass murder, and a Snickers commercial but after having watched and read more closely I
discovered a link. The misunderstanding that the hymen breaks caused me to feel insignificant,
unworthy of true, science facts, misguided by a culture that knowingly forces these emotions.
The mass murderer whose motive was to rightfully engage in sexual intercourse with women.
The commercial that displays Godzilla enjoying adventurous activities with his friends. These
three very different ideas somehow made sense together.
How were they connected you ask? Intertextuality, of course! It is explained to be the
moving force that branches connections from different pieces to each other. Having seen Greens
video, reading the twitter comments on the mass murder enabled a different perception of the
Snickers commercials for me. Snickers used Godzilla to represent rape in a manner as clear as
day. James Porters Intertextuality and the Discourse Community explains how our past
readings or experiences affect how we derive meaning and understand new texts and situations.
By having past experiences or artifacts to draw upon in order to comprehend texts, readers like
myself, assemble responses or conclusions that have been comprised of those past texts. The
Snickers rape connection was made due to all texts [being] interdependent (Porter, 34).
Without the videos or inspiration, this conclusion would have never been fabricated. It is through
intertextuality in which we create our own meanings. To intertextuality I owe most of the credit
for the conclusion I made, which is that Snickers promotes rape.
While dissecting the commercial, I looked towards juxtaposition to justify the
development of my argument. For instance, the largest character in the commercial is in fact
Godzilla- you can see he towers over his male companions. His size aids in suggesting that he is
portrayed as an alpha male. Being the biggest, and therefore strongest, he seems the most
Comment [7]: The sequence laid out before in
the last couple of paragraphs was put together
nicely from the commercial to Laci Green to
Elliot but I feel like this transition is a little out of
place in the beginning steps of tying it all
together
Comment [8]: Again, very powerful sentence
where even though I knew it was coming
instilled a second of shock. I think these two
sentences might fit better after explaining
Porter, however, after the "those past texts"
sentence.
Comment [9]: I like this style, which I hope to
incorporate into my own, where you walk the
audience step by step through your evaluation.
Comment [10]: you may have earlier on, but
define juxtaposition
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desirable to both male and female companions. Additionally, Godzilla is pictured amongst his
friends engaging in activities that are not only fun and adventurous, but dangerous as well. While
four wheeling in the desert and jet skiing in a lagoon are not particularly harmful, they are much
more risky behaviors than what we see any women in the commercial partaking in. The few
female characters that we view are walking on a beach and dancing in the living room. (If you
watched the commercial you should have noticed that I did not mention the women that appears
on the dock at the end of the commercial- there is a specific reason for that I will show later on.)
The clips of men involved with these risky and aggressive behaviors give off the stereotypical
idea of men being the dominant sex. Mamet references juxtaposition of images to form meaning
in Countercultural Architecture and Dramatic Structure for readers to determine importance
and to think deeper about the story. In these scenes the dramatic appearance of men compared to
that of women create a meaning that the men are more importance, therefore with more
appearance. In the scene following Godzillas first flirtation with a woman he is shown off-
roading in the desert. The four male friends are all wearing head to toe protective uniforms and
helmets. Godzilla, on the other hand, is only in his natural, unclothed form. Porter might assume
that the viewers watching are aware of protective gear in sports to be safe as shown on multiple
telecasts of events, tournaments, and even the Olympics. Safety is a necessity and having this
understanding proves that not wearing such gear is risky. Godzilla is portrayed as the biggest
character in order to illustrate that men are the biggest, strongest sex. The lack of women in the
commercial aid in this suggestion. When these clips and images are put next to each other their
contrast is more evident and revealing.
Scroll up a few paragraphs. Did you noticed when I used the word discovery? Were you
close reading? Take a second, why do you think I put the word discovery in quotation marks if I
Comment [11]: I think this would fit better
after the fact of the next couple sentences
explaining the different scenes, and then
digging the meaning out of them.
Comment [12]: These last couple sentences
got me a little confused because it jumps from
talking about the different images to the men vs.
women back to Godzilla and safety in a short
spurt.
Comment [13]: take a second to define close
reading.
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did make a discovery? You might have never looked at the Godzilla commercial as rape culture
without my observations, right? In my own exploration of the Snickers commercials, I explored
the details, coming to my own conclusion that- Snickers accepts rape. Jane Gallop explains
close reading as exploring the details in a text in her article "The Ethics of Reading: Close
Encounters". I challenged what the author wanted me, wanted us, to see and interpret. This
challenge engages our projections or our prejudices to encounter surprises that may change our
original projections of the text. Gallop suggests that projections occur when we force our ideas
on a text when in fact those concepts are not written in them. Jane Gallop would intend for me to
discover more than what is actually in the text or the purpose. This requires me to explore the
details rather so that I can encounter surprises that change my original projections of the text and
its context. By doing so, I examine the text for what is actually there without my projections and
prejudices. My original projections did not view anything unusual occurring except that is was
aiming to get my attention to buy the nutty chocolate bar. However, when forced to reexamine
the artifact with Gallop in mind, I needed to find something that might not really be there. It is
sort of like a magic trick, pulling a rabbit out of a hat even when there is no rabbit. Having read
"The Ethics of Reading: Close Encounters" I needed to find the invisible in order to close read.
Having never used this theory it felt unnatural and false. I was creating my own meaning by
interpreting the artifact in abstraction. Snickers could possibly be projecting rape, unless I saw it,
and I did.
As I mentioned before, juxtaposition clearly identified my conclusion; each clip within
the commercial built upon one another creating a story that was deeper than a hungry Godzilla.
Opening up to a beachy scene we see a group of four men and Godzilla, whom gets a flirtatious
wave from a brunette in a bikini top. Naturally, based on the male gender stereotype the group of
Comment [14]: to this point I've read about
the men vs. women debate but haven't really
had anything about how it promotes rape yet
Comment [15]: I like this analogy
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friends congratulate Godzilla on the attention he has received. Following, the group of males are
seen four wheeling in the desert. The unprotected Godzilla is the only character to jump off a
large ramp, catapulting into the air, once again the gang congratulate him. The camera cuts to a
Ping-Pong game as Godzilla slams the ball, winning the point against one of his friends receiving
applause yet again. Please notice the common theme as I did, the celebrations. Why so many
damn celebrations? Is there magic in a girl liking you, in jumping off a ramp, in aggressively
winning a ping pong point? I am not that stereotypical attention craving male, so I do not
entirely understand the importance of competition or engaging in unacceptable behavior that
somehow receives applause. The unacceptable behavior I speak of is a projection coming up
shortly.
There has to be more behind the meaning of the commercial. Godzilla is pictured dancing
with two brunette women at a party. Theres loud music and red solo cups filled with
assumingly, some type of alcoholic beverage. Camera pans right where two friends say 'Hey,
Godzilla is actually pretty cool!' Except when he's hungry.' Immediately the commercial cuts to
Godzilla as he throws cars and fire towards his group of friends. This is the monster we all know
and fear. Yet, no worries, the friends toss Godzilla a Snickers bar and *poof,* fun Godzilla has
been restored as he is now pictured waterskiing on a lagoon. What I find most interesting is that
now, and only now, is a brunette girl amongst Godzillas friends. Before this scene, the women
and men have been basically isolated. When examined closely, the clips of Godzilla dancing
with girls, and the town destroying scene made me think that something had to have happened to
cause such anger in Godzilla. Was it really that he was just hungry? Thats too petty. This entire
time Godzilla has been pictured as a man, not a tantrum throwing child. I believe that here,
Godzilla did not initially get what he really wanted with those girls at the party. Maybe, instead,
Comment [16]: These scenes were brought
up earlier, so it might be better to keep them
connected but it does work to come back to
them
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the girls were not that into him and werent interested in consensual sexual intercourse. Godzilla,
being the monster he is, became furious with them. Godzilla is after all, the alpha male,
deserving sex with women. After his friends throw the candy bar (I am kind of thinking the
candy bar might have been a metaphor for a drug or assistance in forced sex with those girls)
Godzilla is no longer angry or h(horny)ungry. As Snickers marketing team puts it, he is
satisfied. Thus, a brunette is cheering alongside the four friends for Godzilla while he waterskies.
She is forced too. It really does not make sense when you look at it. The brunette might have
tried to get away from Godzilla at the party but in a fit of rage and aggression Godzilla (a male)
forced himself onto her with help from his friends. The rape culture conclusion I am projecting is
just one example for close reading as Gallop suggests. Having sought out something within the
text I created evidence for what I originally thought was invisible. However, I still question my
own projection. It bothers me that the brunette at the end actually celebrates on the dock with
Godzilla friends. If she were gang raped there is a high probability that she would be injured,
dead, or under protective services. The projection created is simply an interpretation of material;
there is no right or wrong projection as long as evidence is created.
But, with the idea that the Snickers commercial is promoting a rape culture, its even
more disturbing that a Marketing Team was formed to put the ad together. If I could see the
connection, the team had to have realized the stereotypes they were pulling in, didnt they?
Unless they used Godzillas intertextuality with the audience and the stereotypical gender roles
as a ploy to hide their true agenda. No, that cant be though. I am reading way too much into the
commercial. The team wasn't thinking about rape. They couldn't have seen the juxtaposition and
intertextuality of the clips as a trigger leading to the rape projection. That would be way too
cynical and unethical. Instead Snickers marketing team is banking on the narrative audience, as
Comment [17]: Maybe tie this back to Elliot
and how he helped to look at Godzilla as similar
Comment [18]: Wow. that makes so much
sense.
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Seitz argues, to see the commercial at face value. The narrative audience is the one that sees the
commercial at face value, hiding behind stereotypical tropes. Because this audience has trust
with the author, Snickers, there is no need to look deeper into the commercial. Submitting to
what the author gives them the narrative audience accepts the Snickers commercials, and the
values it portrays. This submission can mean that they unknowing submit to the idea of
nonconsensual intercourse. Most unethical because this value can be transferred and adapted
from the commercial to the viewers without their knowledge. In A Rhetoric of Reading, James
Seitz argues that inferring, forecasting and expecting are all terms that describe a process by
which readers create a rhetorical interaction with the text. While it works for the commercial for
the narrative audience I still cant help to think that the Snickers team didnt see their blatant
stereotypes (147). Being more of a critical audience I am able to see past their scheme, and I see
the commercial as encouraging rape. Hence, I am resisting the commercial values. The company
could have used the commercial to examine a complex projection that only a methodical lens
would show so that a narrative audience wouldnt see it, while a critical one would. Its
internally controversial, whether Snickers saw it or not. If they did, they have an ethical dilemma
and neglect the ethical impact of their power of their values. On the other side, Snickers could
have anticipated that their audience would be critical. What if instead of hiding or ignoring the
rape projections, they are intentionally triggering their stereotypes?
The first Godzilla film released in Japan in 1954. Several sources besides the series of
Godzilla movies and remakes, including bloggers and Wikipedia, all attribute a connection
between atomic bombs and Godzilla. The original Godzilla appears to be a direct response to the
World War II bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. One website, Wikizilla is an open forum
which anyone can contribute too. One page designated to the plot of the 1954 film they mention
Comment [19]: was he mentioned before?
Comment [20]: Maybe explain the different
types?
Comment [21]: This paragraph seems a little
random, I haven't read on but it transitions right
from triggering stereotypes.
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how sediment from Godzilla's footprint contained a massive amount of Strontium-90. The
substance is the most important radioactive isotope in the environment and was widely
dispersed in the 1950s and 1960s in fall out from atmospheric testing of nuclear weapons
(EPA). It is assumed in the Godzilla movies that further nuclear testing could awaken, not
create, another Godzilla like kaiju, or monster (thedailybeast). These traces cause many to
attribute nuclear radiation to the aggressive and destructive behavior Godzilla displays. For
Porter, traces are signifiers or refers to other texts (Porter 35). With an audience having the
background knowledge or intertextuality of other text the traces become obvious and they can
create meaning of a story based on the traces within it. If the atom bomb did not create the
monster and just awoke it this leads me to another projection regarding the Snickers commercial.
Seeing Godzilla himself as intertextual, the viewers of the commercial should know the
connection between the monster and radioactivity. With this we can infer another projection in
which males have aggressive behaviors within themselves and choose to release these behaviors
when introduced to a stimulus, or uninterested woman, or women used only to satisfy and
prevent anger. According to Wikizilla.com, the Godzilla legend is of a kaiju who gets fed
sacrificed girls to prevent Godzilla from attacking the village when fishing was poor. Let me
repeat that for you. The village feeds Godzilla girls to satisfy and please him so that he does not
attack. It sounds familiar doesnt it? Godzillas friends in the Snickers commercial throw
Godzilla a candy bar and he becomes the fun guy again and the women appears on the dock
applauding Godzilla.
It is unclear whether Snickers used our surface intertextual projection to Godzilla and the
gender stereotypes to overlook what is hiding in the commercial. When the audiences become
ignorant to traces within a text they can only believe that the author wants them to believe. They
Comment [22]: this is awesome, as the town
in the commercial had a lake and was a beach
type of town
Comment [23]: explain why the women being
there applauding is important to rape
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do not pick up on hidden or invisible meanings. When we allow submission to the author we
give up our own interpretations and our own intellect. In Intertextuality and the Discourse
Community, James Porter claims that, Success is measured by the writers ability to know
what can be presupposed and to borrow that communitys traces effectively to create a text that
contributes to the maintenance or, possibly, the definition of the community (43). But for me,
success is when the audience picks up on those traces and the intertextuality and forms their own
meaning regardless of what the author states.

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Works Cited
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Gallop, Jane. "The Ethics of Reading: Close Encounters." Journal of Curriculum Theorizing
(Fall, 2000): 7-17.
"Godzilla (1954 Film)." Wikizilla. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 June 2014.
Goldstein, Rich. "A Comprehensive History of Tohos Original Kaiju (and Atomic Allegory)
Godzilla." The Daily Beast. Newsweek/Daily Beast, 18 May 2014. Web. 25 June 2014.
Green, Laci. "You Can't POP Your Cherry! (HYMEN 101)." YouTube. YouTube, 26 Apr. 2012.
Web. 2 June 2014.
Mamet, David. "Countercultural Architecture and Dramatic Structure." On Directing Film. New
York: Viking, 1991. 57-66.
Porter, James. "Intertextuality and the Discourse Community." JSTOR's Rhetoric Review. 5.1
(1986): 34-47.
Seitz, James E. "A Rhetoric of Reading." Rebirth of Rhetoric: Essays in Language, Culture, and
Education. By Richard Andrews. London: Routledge, 1992. 141-55.
"SNICKERS"Godzilla"" YouTube. SnickersBrand, 27 Feb. 2014. Web. 25 June 2014.
"Strontium." EPA. Environmental Protection Agency, n.d. Web. 25 June 2014.