Written Task 2

1. How could the text be read and interpreted differently by two different readers?

The text that I chose to focus on was the Fairy soap ad that features two young children of different races. The white kid stands in an etiquette posture wearing a clean blue dress, socks and shoes and standing by him is an black African American child who is wearing nothing but a side torn dress that she tugs on while bowing her head down in embarrassment and evidently unlike the white child her hairline is receded and unkempt. All of these features of the children are of course purposely inputted. 

This ad was published during a historically important time that affects how this ad would be viewed by different readers at that time.

It was during the time where the black race was segregated and slavery and considered to be inferior to the white race. 

This ad was targeted at the white Americans yet also to the black Americans. Although the ad degrades the black race it still manages to send them a powerful message. White American females are particularly targeted as a main audience in this ad. The caption below says: Why doesn't your mama wash you with fairy soap?" Women would view this and think that because they aren't applying fairy soap on their own white children, they're are equivalent to being as unhygienic as an African American. In some what ways it portrays a fear technique on these women trying to convincingly make them believe that they can't let their high class be brought down to a level of an African American. That being said, not only does this target the white women as stated before but also aims to remind the black race where their place in society is. They devalue their race and portray them as nothing more than dirty, unintelligent beings who don't play a single role in society expect for being forced to slave themselves to the white race. 

The white race readers reading such a text at that time would ofcourse not view it as offensive but rather as the truth being shown to the people and through the credibility of, what used to be a multimillion firm at that time, they manage to convince people not to stoop to the level of the African Americans by using fairy soap. Yet in contrary, if this text was to be viewed by an African American at that time, they would think of nothing but how offensive this ad is and how much it disrespects them and the way the look.