In Breakfast of Champions, criticism on the whole advertising industry is a frequent theme. It is phenomenal how advertisement has affected a whole array of people in so many ways. Children three years of age being exposed to "Power Ranger laser guns," to seniors of age 85 watching infomercials on the "Clapper," are a huge amount of people being targeted. Not only are these advertisements appealing, they also subconsciously become part of the consumers' language. The word "Kleenex" is used to refer to soft pieces of tissue. This has become so internalized in our vocabulary that we refer them by their brand name rather than simply as "tissues." To Vonnegut, it sounds silly when people see a Volkswagen Beetle automobi

le and refer to it as a "bug." It is ironic that a one-ton mass of metal is named after a tiny, two-ounce organism. Through his character, Kilgore Trout, Vonnegut analyzes how this whole concept of internalization. Trout, when sitting with the trucker, notices the big, bold signs on the sides of trucks. He can't help but think the way a child would in the situation, "the message must be terrifically important, since somebody had gone to the trouble of writing it in letters so big." One truck had the sign "AJAX" on the side. To one first hearing about it, it would look like just a bunch of capital letters making an awkward sound. But after seeing it time after time so prolifically, one is to associate it with its product, and because it seems so important, it is eventually consumed.

Not only are advertisements changing the use and meaning of words, but they also manipulate our actions. The Nazis used their flag for advertising their "superiority" over the rest of the world. This symbol incited fear in millions around the world. When people saw this particular symbol, they learned to act in anger and violence. Advertising has also had more subtle affects. Subliminal messages have become common in advertising, although it is illegal. In the novel, there is a simple "Eat" sign in front of the diner, and the two men simply eat. McDonalds did a research that maintained that the colors yellow and red triggers the appetite. Unfortunately, signs

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 986
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)