cultural artifact analysis essay examples

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WRA 101: Writing as Inquiry

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"Cultural Iceberg" Diagram

• The Cultural Iceberg This graphic may help you think about the ways your artifact connects with wider culture.
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Do a Little Background Reading

Sometimes, it's hard to know what to write about without doing some background reading about your artifact. This will help you think about what is interesting about the artifact, and help you focus your topic. You probably won't cite your background reading directly in your paper (unless asked to by your instructor), but it's a good way to help you think about your artifact in new ways.

• Wikipedia Yes - we know you know this one already. Wikipedia can be particularly useful if you are looking at an artifact from popular culture and for topics that aren't covered in traditional encyclopedias.

Once you have a preliminary topic, you can start searching for information. Remember, this process is recursive. That means that your topic or focus will probably change as you see what kind of information is out there. For that reason, make sure you don't write your entire paper before finding sources - the sources you find will inform what you write about and are an important part of your writing process.

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Try these next, cultural or national communities, academic communities.

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Cultural Artifacts Essay Examples

Dr. CheuWRA 101 Fall 2017PAPER 2: SHORT CRITICAL “CULTURAL ARTIFACTS” PAPER.Due Dates: Peer Response: October 11, 2017; 2 pagesFinal: ​October 18, 2107 (Papers due in Hardcopy at the beginning of class, not Dropbox)5 Pages double-spaced, excluding Works Cited. MLA Format.No Late Papers!Background: Our study of critical discourse reveals to us that considering familiar things in new ways enhances our understandings of the artifacts that inform our everyday lives. In this paper you will have the opportunity to analyze an artifact or artifacts from popular culture to shed new light on the meanings of those artifacts. Remember as you select your artifact(s) that your goal is to practice using critical analysis and critical writing to generate new knowledge about those artifacts. In this paper, your job is to select a set of cultural artifacts that share a common theme and use the critical concepts we have discussed (how Millennials view gender, sexuality, ethnicity, politics, sports, education, beauty, power, social constructionism, etc.) to discern what those artifacts mean and how they mean what they mean. ​In terms of gender/ethnicity/sexuality, for instance, much of America's history of these isssues lie in cultural artifacts — in ads, figurines/dolls, toys, cars, sports equipment, in political cartoons. Much of masculine imagery, as an example, has been appropriated as well, perpetuating certain ideas and stereotypes in our culture (think the Viagra/Dysfunction ads — yes, those are targeted towards a male audience — the "Be All You Can Be" Army ads, or the Incredible Hulk, the Indian images found on Cleveland Indians gear, the Washington Redskins, as "savages" and so forth. In terms of tattoos or piercings, one might think about fashion, when everyone started getting Asian calligraphy tattoos, for instance, did this make the artifacts lose their cultural significance?). ​For this assignment, please select either (at least) 3 images/artifacts and analyze their significance. • These artifacts, taken together, ought to illuminate, (make an argument) about how the Millennial Generation views a certain issue. For example, if you guys have a more progressive view of sexuality then previous generations, what are some TV ads or magazine ads, or songs that show a more open view of sexuality? • Students have an easier time with this assignment if they pick artifacts that all covey a certain idea. Again, as an example, “the rugged man”: So, cologne ads, war toys, the “Brawny paper towel guy,” Army ads and posters that covey one idea of “toughness” or “ruggedness.” My suggestion then is to mix the kinds of artifacts you choose to analyze, to make discoveries about, if you want, but to make sure that they all revolve around a central idea or issue or stereotype you want to explore. ​Some artifacts: • ads: you tube — or ads from “Health/Fashion” magazines • historical documents • political cartoons • dolls/toys and (Hot Wheels, Transformers, etc.) • Films: You may ONE mainstream American Hollywood feature film if it relates to your common theme. For example, if you are examining the “Failure to Launch” idea: Failure to Launch, The Waterboy, etc, The following restrictions apply:  ► You may NOT analyze: 1) a film on the Class Daily Syllabus, such as Her. ► Use of Film Terminology from the handout/class is expected as part of your analysis. I'll be looking for you to employ at least 2 film techniques as part of your analysis. Please provide copies of the ads, the photographs, or You Tube links. Please note: You may use quotes and moments from the in-class readings and films to support your findings about the artifacts. This includes Guyland, Her, (No, you may not analyze the film itself!) and Ethnic Notions. You may also do some outside research on your own, about the images you choose — news articles, substantial film reviews, magazines, blogs, anything but Wikipedia. YOU MAY NOT USE WIKIPEDIA OR DICTIONARY.COM AS SOURCES. I DON'T EVEN WANT TO SEE IT ON YOUR WORKS CITED PAGE! The paper must include: •A thesis, a.k.a. main focus point: A thesis for me means stating not just what you intend to “prove,” but how you intend to prove your argument. This doesn't mean every specific example/detail you are going to use in your analysis; rather your thesis should include key words/concepts that provide a kind of “road map” for how to follow your analysis. Every strong argumentative analytical essay contains three essential components: 1. What are you going to “prove” (the argument) 2. How you are going to prove it (the method) 3. What is the point of reading — what is the significance of your argument? (Yes, the men in Guyland are trapped within certain conventions of gender, so what? What are we supposed to learn from this?) • 5 pages in length (12 pt. font w/1” minimum margins), excluding Works Cited page. Drafts for peer Response must be two pages. • Follow MLA format. See your Blue phamplet. Please put Works Cited on a separate page. A Word about your Findings: You ought to be able to say something here beyond “stereotypes are bad” or “these images are unrealistic/sexist” as your conclusion. These things we already know. The point here, in thinking about meaning, is to say what ideas or images are perpetuated via these artifacts; how do these artifacts influence how your generation thinks about a certain issue or an idea. Grading of Drafts  Drafts will not be graded, but will be commented on by your classmates. To insure, however, that people produce drafts of substance, (no “I-dashed-off-five-sentences ten-minutes before-class, gimme credit”), I require you to produce a minimum of 2 pages for credit in your participation grade. A √ is full credit; √- is a lowering of your participation grade by .5. This is a quantity grade; not a quality of writing grade. Again, if you don't turn in any draft, your participation grade is lowered by .5. The “Down and Dirty” Quick synapsis: At Least Three Artifacts: If you include One Outside Film, please use at least 2 film techniques — please list these in your thesis

The Parthenon: An Artifact Analysis Essay (Critical Writing)

Introduction, parthenon year and place of construction, parthenon reason for construction and the intended audience, historical context of parthenon, parthenon meaning, parthenon means of communication, works cited.

The ancient Greek structure that is now recognized as the Parthenon has, for a long time, been regarded as an excellent example of the perfect, classical architectural design. It is possible that this might be explained by the fact that throughout the classical era of Greek art, proportion and equilibrium were considered to be of the utmost importance (Nova). This can be evidently seen in the architecture of this temple. For instance, the style of the Parthenon’s incorporation into the ideal form most certainly owes to its outlook of a more involved, multi-pronged line of thinking.

As such, the Parthenon is a magnificent temple made of marble that was constructed between 447 and 432 B.C., at the pinnacle of the Medieval Greek Civilization. The building is located above the Athens Acropolis, a set of temples devoted to the goddess Athena (“ History. Com Editors”). Further, it was the biggest and most extravagant shrine in Greek land. Pericles began construction on the Parthenon some 33 years following the Persian conquest of Greece to serve as a replacement for the older temple; hence, the monumental building was consecrated in the year 438 B.C (“ History. Com Editors”). At the Parthenon, sculpting and ornamental work proceeded right up to the year 432 B.C. The construction of the temple is believed to have required 13,400 stones and to have incurred a total expenditure of close to 470 silver talents (Sakoulas). Presently, it is one of the world’s most recognizable structures and an emblem of classical Greek antiquity.

The temple was meant to accommodate the new gigantic sculpture of the goddess by Pheidias and to announce to the world that Athens had beaten the attacking Persian troops under Xerxes and Darius as the head of the alliance of Greek soldiers. The structure would continue in service for more than a millennium, notwithstanding the consequences of time, bombings, robbery, and environmental degradation to its white marble (“ History. Com Editors”). The Parthenon nevertheless dominates the contemporary city of Athens, serving as a stunning reminder of the city’s past splendor and fame.

Furthermore, the motifs of the sculpture mirrored the adversities Athens experienced and continues to encounter. For instance, the Parthenon symbolized the triumph of Greek civilization over ‘barbarian’ alien troops after the Greeks defeated the Persians at Marathon in 490 BCE, Salamis in 480 BCE, and Plataea in 479 BCE (Sakoulas). This tension between order and disorder was exemplified by the carvings on the metopes that wrapped the temple’s perimeter, 32 along the long sides and 14 on each of the short (Sakoulas). These pictured the Olympian gods battling the giants; thus, the East metopes, considered the most important, were the part where the main temple entry was located. Further, Greeks, together with Theseus, battling Amazons were illustrated on the West, and the Fall of Troy was displayed on the North. Similarly, Greeks combating Centaurs, potentially at the marriage ceremony of the king of the Lapiths, Perithous, were represented in the South.

Parthenon was built to commemorate prosperous historical times for the Greeks. Specifically, in 447 B.C., when the Delian League was at the height of its strength, construction on the structure began (Nova). The structure’s historical significance within its surrounding environment revolves around the Greco-Persian Wars, and the Parthenon was erected in this manner as an act of gratitude for the Hellenic people’s triumph against Persian invaders (Nova). The Parthenon, much like the majority of Greek temples, also functioned as the city’s treasury.

The Parthenon epitomized the much sought-after ultimate depiction of ideal and authority, particularly; its classical design and practicality; the statuettes portray different meanings. For example, the Athena posed at Parthenon was tangible evidence of Greek might and form. Thus, it seems that there is a precise rationale and logic underlying the nature of the Parthenon, from its building to its location and, most importantly, different statues that each have cultural significance. When construction on the Parthenon started, the Athenian Kingdom was at its zenith; it embodied the physical and apparent efflorescence of supremacy, unburdened by the destruction of the Peloponnesian War (Thomas 31). Similarly, it represents the authority and prominence of the Athenian statesman who advocated its construction: Pericles.

In essence, the Athenians attained dominion and victory as a result of the protracted conflicts, so they opted to erect monuments in commemoration of their victories. Power and precision in an ideal form were of the utmost importance to Greek society, especially during the Classical era (Thomas 31). Nevertheless, the fact that it was consecrated to the goddess Athena bolsters this view. In spite of the fact that the original Athena statue no longer exists due to centuries of desecration and destruction, other sculptures of the goddess in Greece provide evidence of its significance. Athena, like the Parthenon, represented the strength and flawless form that all Greeks were supposed to possess.

There is no doubt that the Greeks conceptualized their design in human terms to convey various meanings. For example, on the Acropolis, in the south doorway of the Erechtheum, six maidens, or caryatids, are fashioned into pillars. The Roman designer Vitruvius describes the Doric style as manly and the Ionic form as feminine because it is more complex and narrower (Thomas 32). In the same vein, the Greek imagination, the architectural style, and the human form were analogous. In addition, the Parthenon procession is often seen as a re-enactment of the Panathenaic festival, which was staged annually in midsummer to honor the goddess Athena’s birth. In this procession, the best, richest, and brightest of Athens paraded to offer Athena a braided garment called a Peplos, which appears on the structure’s east perimeter.

Ultimately, the Parthenon was a representation of Athenian luxury and its cultural and political supremacy in Greece. It surpassed all the tamples that were ever built in the Greek Empire. Further, it was a planned reaction to the new site of the Olympic Games, which had been completed before the Parthenon’s construction and was similarly filled with artwork depicting transcendental concepts. Pericles and Athens constructed the Parthenon to establish their cultural, political, and military superiority over the entirety of Greece and the Aegean (Thomas 35). Pericles referred to Athens as “the school of Greece,” and the Parthenon was designed to serve as the primary book for the syllabus (Thomas 38). Hence, Parthenon is an essential home for the Greek’s way of communicating the indigenous culture to the current generation.

The antique Greek temple, the Parthenon, is often regarded as a prime example of the ideal, Classical architectural design. During the Classical era of Greek art, symmetry and equilibrium were crucial, which is shown in the building of this temple. However, there is a more multifaceted explanation for the Parthenon’s incorporation into the ideal form that has since been critical in communicating the Greek way of life. Therefore, to comprehend why this architectural edifice is given such a name, one must comprehend the significance of power and rank in Greek society in connection with art.

History.com Editors. “ Parthenon .” History , 2018, Web.

Nova. “ Secrets of the Parthenon .” The Parthenon’s Many Lives . Pbs.org , 2020, Web.

Sakoulas, Thomas. “ Parthenon .” Ancient-Greece.org , 2019, Web.

Thomas, Katerina. “The Athenian Parthenon: Reception and display.” Revista do Museu de Arqueologia e Etnologia 28 (2017): 31-41.

• Kingship in the Ancient Near East
• The Democracies of Ancient Greece and the Roman Republic
• Sculpture: Elgin Marbles
• The Pazzi Chapel and the Parthenon Comparison
• The Seattle Library vs. Parthenon
• Roman Republic and Empire to 31 BC
• Ancient Egyptians' Origins and Ethnicity
• Strategies in the Peloponnesian War
• Herodotus and Thucydides' Contributions to Greek Historiography
• The Aztec Civilization and Its Attributes
• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

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Home — Essay Samples — Arts & Culture — Modernism — Analysis of Characteristics and Effects of Deconstruction through Two Cultural Artifacts

Analysis of Characteristics and Effects of Deconstruction Through Two Cultural Artifacts

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Published: Apr 8, 2022

Words: 1971 | Pages: 4 | 10 min read

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