“Priceless family moments are now more affordable” reads an online Amtrak advertisement. A family of three sits happily aboard a train car, the parents smiling at one another, their son playing his handheld Nintendo. “Kids age 2-15 ride for half off” the advertisement goes on to say, followed by a website where viewers can find more information about the sale. When the advertisement was published in July 2012 to Amtrak email subscribers, countless amounts of people took to social media to express their dissatisfaction toward Amtrak for publishing such an advertisement. What makes it so controversial? The parents happen to both be male; the child on his Nintendo has gay fathers. Aside from that, the advertisement is shockingly humdrum. However, …show more content…
through the use of mundane characteristics and subtle modern elements within the advertisement, Amtrak creates a microcosm of American society – a smaller part of a greater entity – and, as a company, displays their acceptance toward a more diverse interpretation of the word “family”. Amtrak uses a form of rhetoric appeal called pathos as a technique to make their ad more appealing toward their target audience.
The use of pathos can be defined as the use of emotional appeal – it allows the viewers to make a personal connection to the piece. Aside from the two men that are obviously a couple, the mundane vibe in the picture might be one of the first things a viewer notices about the advertisement; the not-so-“normal” family is depicted in a very “normal” way (“normal” referring to a family with heterosexual parents, which is also known as heteronormativity). A simple button-down shirt can be seen on all members of the depicted family, with one father wearing a pull-over sweater. The roomette they seem to be in has large windows, through which a city can be seen passing as the train moves. No stereotypical rainbow colored flags or shocking half-nude male dancers can be seen in this ad. In other words, the purpose of pathos in this instance is to get viewers to think ‘Hey! Those guys are just like me, so why should I treat them in a way that I wouldn’t want to be …show more content…
treated?’ It’s no secret that Amtrak believes the definition of family isn’t one that restricts people to look or act a certain way, but includes the vast array of combinations that might make up a family. In the advertisement, one father has his arm on the other father’s shoulder. The family of three sits together with smiles on their faces – implying their enjoyment onboard the train. “At Amtrak, diversity is not just a corporate buzzword, it’s a priority” reads part of an official company diversity statement. “Simply put, our business diversity philosophy means commitment to ensuring our company embraces a culture of respect and appreciation for differences and similarities of all people" (Amtrak). The statement represents an action taken by Amtrak within recent years that clearly depicts their commitment to serving and respecting any customer – regardless of their sexual orientation. Before the Amtrak Ride with Pride campaign was launched two years ago, one would not be able to find Amtrak’s official diversity inclusion statement on their website. Today, diversity has its own tab on its own dedicated website (AmtrakRideWithPride.com). Subtle cues can be seen throughout the picture that clearly communicate the contemporary setting of the family. Perhaps the most obvious is the train itself, which seems to be modern in design and structure. A closer analysis will reveal the son playing on his handheld videogame, which immediately places the advertisement setting within recent years. Outside the train windows, a skyscraper can be seen surrounded by other buildings and bridges – further denoting the more recent setting of the photograph. The acceptance of a diverse family is a relatively new idea; each year that passes is one step closer to complete inclusion across the country. According to gaymarriage.procon.org, 17 states have legalized same-sex marriage within the past five years alone. Needless to say, a modern family doesn’t need to follow the “American dream” of a father, mother, and two kids living together in a house with a white picket fence. Amtrak did not neglect to communicate this idea of a modern, more diverse family when they placed the two fathers in the ad with their son. Amtrak is just one of many other companies that aren’t just coming out in support of their minority customers, but coming out in support of moving toward the right side of history.
If a person were to read the comment threads on news articles regarding the Amtrak Ride with Pride advertisement, they would run across many unhappy commenters claiming the advertisement to be an abomination of traditional American principles or a threat to the sanctity of marriage. However, they would also run across many more commenters exclaiming their pride and gratification toward the government-subsidized company for launching the ad campaign and expanding the definition of a “normal” family. Regarding this idea, author Jess C. Scott says in her book New Order, “What good are social norms, really? I think all they do is project a limited and harmful image of people. They impede a broader social acceptance of what someone, or a group of people, might actually be like” (Scott 61). Families come in a variety of shapes and sizes, with variations in race, gender identity, and sexual orientation. The sooner society stops associating certain groups of people with certain stereotypes, the sooner an advertisement with two fathers will be less
shocking.
Soon after launch on January 28th, 1986, the space shuttle Challenger broke apart and shattered the nation. The tragedy was on the hearts and minds of the nation and President Ronald Reagan. President Reagan addressed the county, commemorating the men and woman whose lives were lost and offering hope to Americans and future exploration. Reagan begins his speech by getting on the same level as the audience by showing empathy and attempting to remind us that this was the job of the crew. He proceeds with using his credibility to promise future space travel. Ultimately, his attempt to appeal to the audience’s emotions made his argument much stronger. Reagan effectively addresses the public about the tragedy while comforting, acknowledging, honoring and motivating his audience all in an effort to move the mood from grief to hope for future exploration.
In 102 Minutes, Chapter 7, authors Dwyer and Flynn use ethos, logos, and pathos to appeal to the readers’ consciences, minds and hearts regarding what happened to the people inside the Twin Towers on 9/11. Of particular interest are the following uses of the three appeals.
In recent years, it is not even necessary to turn on the news to hear about the bad reputation farming has been getting in recent years. What with the media focusing on things like drugs in animals and Pink Slime, or Lean Finely Textured Beef, it is a wonder that people are eating “non-organic” foods. However, many pro-farming organizations having been trying to fight back against these slanders. Still, the battle is not without heavy competition, and a good portion of it comes from Chipotle, a fast food Mexican restaurant that claims to only use completely organic ingredients in their food. Chipotle is constantly introducing advertisements claiming to have the natural ingredients while slandering the name of farmers everywhere. Perhaps the most well-known is “The Scarecrow,” a three minute ad that features some of the most haunting images Chipotle has ever featured. While “The Scarecrow” uses tear-inducing images and the almost eerie music to entice the audience to the company’s “free-range farming” ideals, it lacks substantial logos yet, it still
Our lives are influenced by visual rhetoric on a daily basis. Rhetorical components go unnoticed unless one is intently searching for them. Companies carefully work visual rhetoric into advertisements and use it to their advantage to lure in potential consumers. The German car company, Bayerische Motoren Werke, or more commonly known as “BMW”, uses a clip from NBC’s Today Show in 1994. In the clip, the characters are discussing the newfangled idea of the internet. BMW uses nostalgia of the 1990’s as bait to attract an older audience who remember the ‘90’s and when the internet was a new invention. BMW uses the rhetorical elements of character, dialogue, and focus to sell their product.
“People who had incurred the displeasure of the party simply disappeared and were never heard of again.
This advertisement features Pathos, because the little boy in the advertisement will probably make people feel guilty, because they spend a lot of money on unnecessary things and waste it, but this child says “Don’t I deserve a happy life?”, and this will probably make people from our society want to spend money to support this cause. This advertisement also features patriotism, because it suggests that purchasing this product will show the love, and support you have towards your country. This company makes people from America want to support this cause. It says in the advertisement,” Help stop child poverty in America”. This advertisement also features Transfer andWeasel Words because it uses positive words, and positive images to suggest that the product being sold is also positive.
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.
Anticipation is prevalent throughout The Road, which is set by the narrative pace, creating a tense and suspenseful feeling and tone.
Pathos, is used in commercials to create a convincing argument about this product by showing emotion and has connecting with other. As you can see, a man does not feel lonely, the relationships between the father, son and friends have good time.
In 1729, Jonathan Swift published a pamphlet called “A Modest Proposal”. It is a satirical piece that described a radical and humorous proposal to a very serious problem. The problem Swift was attacking was the poverty and state of destitution that Ireland was in at the time. Swift wanted to bring attention to the seriousness of the problem and does so by satirically proposing to eat the babies of poor families in order to rid Ireland of poverty. Clearly, this proposal is not to be taken seriously, but merely to prompt others to work to better the state of the nation. Swift hoped to reach not only the people of Ireland who he was calling to action, but the British, who were oppressing the poor. He writes with contempt for those who are oppressing the Irish and also dissatisfaction with the people in Ireland themselves to be oppressed.
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
...pathos is used as the most persuasive form to support the text of the advertisement.
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.
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.
Director Steven Spielberg and auther Markus Zusak, in their intriguing production, movie Saving Private Ryan and book The Book Thief, both taking place during World War II. However , in Saving Private Ryan Spielberg focus on a lot of complications that occur during war , but guilt was one difficulty that stood out to me. Zusak, on the other hand , showas that having courage during war can be a advantage and also an disadvantage depending on the situation. Both director and author grabed the audience attention with emotional and logical appeal.