“Don’t attend your own funeral as a guy named Phil Shifley. Get rid of cable, and upgrade to Direct TV”. This is a quote from the end of a Direct TV advertisement from their 2012 “Get Rid of Cable” campaign (DOUBLE CITE HERE). Nearly all of the advertisements for this campaign were 30-second spots that followed the same format, depicting an everyday man who had cable and how his life spiraled out of control, with each ad urging the viewer to drop their cable service provider and get Direct TV instead. Through the usage of pathos tactics such as a humorous variation of the “slippery slope” scare tactic, careful phrasing, and simplified visual appeal and storytelling, the logical fallacy of the either-or argument, and the undermining of their …show more content…
A variation of the scare tactic, the slippery slope suggests that one act will lead to a series of events that “result in an unforeseen, inevitable, and (usually) undesirable conclusion, without providing any evidence to support the claim” (CITE BOOK). However, Direct TV adds a humorous spin to this tactic, with their one event (having cable/waiting for the cable guy) leading to an outlandish result that no reasonable viewer would seriously consider as possible. Thus, the commercials take on a humorous tone, as the viewer watches the commercial’s protagonist’s life spiral out of control, leading to him faking his own death and attending his own funeral simply because his cable was not working. Direct TV even goes far enough as to come up with the man’s fake name, while jokingly suggesting that this is exactly what would happen to the viewer if they did not switch to their …show more content…
Typically, in comedy, an audience will assume something to be true (or at least somewhat true) when it is made the subject of a joke, otherwise the joke itself won’t be funny. In this case, Direct TV attempts to convince the viewer that the presumption that cable constantly has issues that need to be fixed must be true, otherwise the obvious attempt at humor isn’t considered humorous at all. Another way that Direct TV is able to avoid using facts in their commercial is their word choice. At the end of the commercial, the narrator does not say that the viewer should “switch” to Direct TV. Instead he uses the word “upgrade”, suggesting that cable is inferior without providing and sort of fact or reason. This subtle change in wording does not leave it open to the viewer to interpret whether or not Direct TV offers better services. Rather, it attempts to play on the viewer’s subconscious, eliminating the choice of “switching” by implying that changing from cable to Direct TV is
Jonathan Kozol revealed the early period’s situation of education in American schools in his article Savage Inequalities. It seems like during that period, the inequality existed everywhere and no one had the ability to change it; however, Kozol tried his best to turn around this situation and keep track of all he saw. In the article, he used rhetorical strategies effectively to describe what he saw in that situation, such as pathos, logos and ethos.
A TED Talk video is spreading ideas in a speech that takes about eighteen minutes or less.In a TED Video, the speaker uses Ethos, Pathos, and Logos, to persuade their audience to believe them.Ethos is an ethical appeal (credibility), convincing the audience that the speaker is someone worth them listening to.Pathos is when the speaker uses emotions to persuade their audience.Logos is when the speaker uses reasoning and common sense to get to their audience.
A fresh recruit to a discarded system is Mr. Jaime Escalante. In the film, Stand and Deliver, he had to adapt in his environment in James A. Garfield High School when, without prior notice, he was assigned to teach Mathematics instead of Computer. Quickly, as he set foot in the classroom, he had, most probably, a better discernment in human behavior. The reality of the high school he was employed in, he understood and tried to completely remove the universal gap between a traditional teacher and a disregarded student.
Media such as movies, video games and television, in general, are all created to support some form of social context. This helps with generating popularity because people are able to relate to the form of media. In Greg Smith’s book What Media Classes Really Want to Discuss, he describes 6 different representational strategies that justifies people’s way of thinking. The trope that I will be amplifying is the white savior tactic. In addition, I will connect this strategy to the movie The Blind Side. There are clear examples throughout the film where racism and low-income cultures exist in which the white family is there to help. The Tuohy family from the movie “The Blind Side” serves as the white savior for the progression of Michael
In the book Into the Wild, Jon Krakauer wrote about Christopher McCandless, a nature lover in search for independence, in a mysterious and hopeful experience. Even though Krakauer tells us McCandless was going to die from the beginning, he still gave him a chance for survival. As a reader I wanted McCandless to survive. In Into the Wild, Krakauer gave McCandless a unique perspective. He was a smart and unique person that wanted to be completely free from society. Krakauer included comments from people that said McCandless was crazy, and his death was his own mistake. However, Krakauer is able to make him seem like a brave person. The connections between other hikers and himself helped in the explanation of McCandless’s rational actions. Krakauer is able to make McCandless look like a normal person, but unique from this generation. In order for Krakauer to make Christopher McCandless not look like a crazy person, but a special person, I will analyze the persuading style that Krakauer used in Into the Wild that made us believe McCandless was a regular young adult.
In today’s society, everyone is worried about staying connected. Technology allows people to stay connected with others and access tons of information instantly. Cellular towers provide mobile phone users access to the internet on the go and send text messages and calls at high speeds. Phone companies such as T-Mobile advertise their quick connections by claiming that they have the fastest network. A recent commercial shown in the Super Bowl for T-Mobile has drawn viewers’ attention with its wholesome use of rhetorical strategies. The “Drop the Balls” T-Mobile advertisement shows its effectiveness through its humor, straightforward facts, and heavy explanations of credibility.
To the members of the support group Naïve People who are Addicted to Mass media and Believe Anything They Hear or Read Anonymous my purpose of being here today is to help you better understand how to analyze the mass media you come across. Mass media is the news, newspapers, magazines, the radio, and the television. The way I’m going to analyze it, is by rhetorical analysis. Rhetoric is how effective the writer is in persuading the reader by using speech and compositional techniques. In order for you to be able to become more apprehensive when reading information, I will be analyzing the ad for Vitaminwater featuring Kobe Bryant. Vitaminwater was introduced in 1996. It is a mineral water that is given out by Energy Brands. Like many sports drinks they use famous athletes to speak for them and promote them. Vitaminwater’s ad with Kobe Bryant is successful because it persuades people to buy their product because it’s, “The Most Valuable Power.”
Pollan’s article provides a solid base to the conversation, defining what to do in order to eat healthy. Holding this concept of eating healthy, Joe Pinsker in “Why So Many Rich Kids Come to Enjoy the Taste of Healthier Foods” enters into the conversation and questions the connection of difference in families’ income and how healthy children eat (129-132). He argues that how much families earn largely affect how healthy children eat — income is one of the most important factors preventing people from eating healthy (129-132). In his article, Pinsker utilizes a study done by Caitlin Daniel to illustrate that level of income does affect children’s diet (130). In Daniel’s research, among 75 Boston-area parents, those rich families value children’s healthy diet more than food wasted when children refused to accept those healthier but
In a quote by John Mill, “Does fining a criminal show want of respect for property, or imprisoning him, for personal freedom? Just as unreasonable is it to think that to take the life of a man who has taken that of another is to show want of regard for human life. We show, on the contrary, most emphatically our regard for it, by the adoption of a rule that he who violates that right in another forfeits it for himself, and that while no other crime that he can commit deprives him of his right to live, this shall.” Everyone’s life is precious, but at what price? Is it okay to let a murderer to do as they please? Reader, please take a moment and reflect on this issue. The issue will always be a conflict of beliefs and moral standards. The topic
The movie trailer “Rio 2”, shows a great deal of pathos, ethos, and logos. These rhetorical appeals are hidden throughout the movie trailer; however, they can be recognized if paying attention to the details and montage of the video. I am attracted to this type of movies due to the positive life messages and the innocent, but funny personifications from the characters; therefore, the following rhetorical analysis will give a brief explanation of the scenes, point out the characteristics of persuasive appeals and how people can be easily persuaded by using this technique, and my own interpretation of the message presented in the trailer.
TiVo's problem rests in its inability to convince consumers to change their television consumption habits. Improper targeting and positioning have led to an ineffective product, price-point and promotion strategy that has stranded TiVo in the chasm between the early market and the early majority.
The ad was aggressive in every way showcasing customers of their rivals literally cutting their bill in half with chainsaws, swords, and weed whackers. The ad begins with actual customers of AT&T and Verizon, cell phone bills in hand, telling an off camera interviewer how much they are paying every month for their cell phone service. The customers are very diverse in gender and ethnicity. The interviewer asks “what if Sprint could cut your rate plan in half, and give you unlimited talk and text and match your data?” Immediately the customers say “Good Bye, Verizon” and “I am done with AT&T”. Next you see an elderly African American women with a sword slicing through her bill as rock and roll music plays. You also see a father slicing through his bill with a chainsaw while his wife and daughters cheer him on in the background. Next the voiceover says “Bring in your bill and old phone and we’ll cut your rate plan in half, visit online or a Sprint store.” The ad is persuasive because all cell phone companies have rate plans and it’s confusing when you start comparing one plan to the next so instead the Sprint ads messaging says no matter what you are paying at those companies you can pay less with Sprint. They also achieved this with showing everyday people appealing conspicuously to Maslow’s need of belonging and
The Letter from Birmingham Jail was written by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in April of 1963. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was one of several civil rights activists who were arrested in Birmingham Alabama, after protesting against racial injustices in Alabama. Dr. King wrote this letter in response to a statement titled A Call for Unity, which was published on Good Friday by eight of his fellow clergymen from Alabama. Dr. King uses his letter to eloquently refute the article. In the letter dr. king uses many vivid logos, ethos, and pathos to get his point across. Dr. King writes things in his letter that if any other person even dared to write the people would consider them crazy.
The YouTube video “U.S. Armed Forces – We Must Fight – President Reagan” by Matthew Worth was made with the intention to motivate the viewers to support the U.S. Armed Forces. The purpose of this Rhetorical Analysis is to determine whether or not the video has been successful in doing just that, motivating and drawing support for the United States Armed Forces. The video was uploaded to YouTube on February 19, 2012 and has nearly 4 million views. Matthew uses the famous speech “A Time for Choosing” by the United States former President, Ronald Wilson Reagan, who has a reputation for his patriotism, to complement the video. This video has been effective in motivating the viewers because of its strong use of the rhetorical concepts logos, ethos, and pathos.
Frontline takes an in-depth look at the multibillion-dollar “persuasion industry” of advertising and how this rhetoric affects everyone. So whether this is in the form of a television commercial or a billboard, pathos, logos, and ethos can be found in all advertisements. Paragraph 7: Conclusion Rhetoric is easily seen when comparing and contrasting these two forms of advertisement, as has been proven. Between the Doritos commercial and the smoking billboard, examples of pathos, logos, and ethos were not hard to find. Both advertisements, though, were different in their ways of expressing rhetoric.