Whitmann Levi's Commerical

There is a sign, “America”, broken and in the water, flickering, showing that America’s ideals of equality as a nation are being broken, as is the American dream.  Fireworks like the fourth of July to remember Independence Day, to remember what this country was founded on.  African American girl walking in a dingy neighborhood (“center of equal daughters”) is this really equal? Next shot is a man probably a higher up on government in a really nice car and people are attempting to attack it. (“equal sons”) (All alike endear’d) All are loved equally? Young girl is seen as “grown” because of the things she has experienced living in a not so great neighborhood and the office or government man as “ungrown”, he has narrow minded ideals and probably never comes out from behind his desk to experience the real world.  How are these two people equal? Mind you they are both not wearing Levi jeans. “Strong, ample, fair, enduring, capable (young boy looking broken), rich (at this point it is a young African American boy who looks like he too is not in the best neighborhood, yet he is rich with knowledge that he has learned from where he lives)  all of the pictures depicted here have people in Levi jeans, which allows them to take on each of these profound words. “Perennial with the earth, with Freedom, Law, and Love” (interracial couple kissing) yet again all these people are wearing Levi Jeans.  America sign shown again with fireworks and a clip of people running with a sign that says “Go Forth”.  This add is advertising for a better, more equal life.  If one were to put on the “magical” Levi jeans their life would transform to one that was full of equality and the life that many set out to America to claim, not one of brutality or hostility.  These jeans will make you rich, maybe not in the sense of monetary value, but with knowledge of how a nation is supposed to be, how you should be treated and respected.  Levi’s presents the type of like one expects when one thinks of America, not the reality.  It shows that if the girl in the dress and the man in the suit were to wear Levi jeans they would be taken out of the lives they were living and be transformed to people who were free of all the burdens they were bearing.  They would be able to actually be equal with others and life a free life.

There has been much criticism about this advertisement because people say that it is a disgrace to use Whitmann to try and push product sales.  I find this a very close minded way of looking at it.  I find that Whitmann was seen as the American poet and Levi’s is trying to be the American brand of jeans (the red tag Levi’s that are made in America not the yellow tag ones that are from China),  In the preface to Leaves of Grass he said “The proof of a poet is that his country absorbs him as affectionately as he has absorbed it.”  I find that this add does Whitmann justice and works towards ideals of equality that he knew this country was based on.  Not only did it follow some of Whitmann’s ideals, but it also brought his poetry to the masses.  Younger generations seem not to have much contact with poetry and by putting it in the media, with Whitmann’s real voice on a wax recording, is an amazing way to get poetry into the ears of young Americans.

Whitmann Levi's "Go Forth" Commerical