paper 1

Paper #1:

Rhetorical Analysis of an Advertisement

(at least 4 double-spaced pages; see rubric below)

Introduction and Background: In Ch. 1 of Inventing Arguments, readers are introduced to argument and rhetoric, two terms that intersect each other and share a common goal: persuading an audience to see the wisdom of a position. Argument is the act of asserting, supporting, and defending that position; Rhetoricthe art of persuasionis used to make the argument persuasive. To help you understand how rhetoric is used in arguments to persuade an audience, were going to turn to advertising. In Ch. 1, rhetorics general application in advertising is briefly discussed:

One of the most obvious uses of rhetoric is in advertising…Americans are profoundly influenced by advertising rhetoricso much so that it has become an art form. Companies spend billions of dollars each year in a rhetorical race for our attention. They shape every sentence and carefully select every image so each ad will have the most dramatic effect on the audience. (Mauk and Metz 10)

The next several weeks of class will assist you to think rhetorically about not only writing, but also communication in our multi-media world today that utilizes rhetoric in a combination of modalities: textual (words appearing on a screen), visual (live, still, or motion images on a screen), and auditory (sound of spoken or sung words, nonverbal music or ambient sound, or noise). The Rhetorical Analysis Essay assignment is grounded in the belief that (1) we need to be aware of possible rhetorical strategies that are used by others to influence us, and that (2) we need to be able to utilize rhetorical strategies ourselves to influence others in academic, civic, social justice, or general, every day, practical situations.

Directions: For this assignment, you are to choose your own advertisementcommercial video or print/digital image. After that, you will write an argument analysis that explains the use of rhetoric in the ad. The purpose of your analysis is to identify and discuss the ways in which the sponsor of your chosen ad utilizes rhetorical strategies that influences, persuades, and/or convinces audiences in context of your ads rhetorical situation. More specifically, your argument analysis involves interpreting the ad in terms of the ads rhetorical situation, sponsor and audience, the claim the sponsor makes to the audience, the support (evidence, examples, and appeals) that is provided, how the ad engages with opposition (counterarguing, conceding, and qualifying), along with the hidden layers (assumptions and underlying values) that are present. Your paper should do the following:

-Have an introduction paragraph that explains the rhetorical situation of the adwho the sponsor is, who the audience is, where and when the ad was published/presented, as well as the sponsors exigence (need or urgency) to present the ad, and the main claim being asserted to the audience.

-Have three or more body paragraphs that explain and analyze how different types of support and appeals persuade the audience, how the ad engages with opposition (or omits doing so for rhetorical purposes), and how assumptions and underlying values are present in the ad.

-Have a conclusion paragraph that evaluates the effectiveness of the ads rhetoric and briefly discusses whether the ad was persuasive and whether that sponsor achieved their purpose.

Due: submit in Brightspace by 11:59 p.m. on Sunday (2/15); please submit your assignment in a Word doc, Google doc, or pdf