In today’s pop culture, it has become necessary for musical artists to rely on music videos to garner interest in their songs and disseminate their messages. Consequently, the phenomenon that is YouTube has had a pronounced effect in bringing music videos to viewers of all ages and has brought about a convenience of viewing never before imagined. Many Americans from Baby Boomers to Generation Z alike turn to YouTube to see their favorite videos, and to discover new artists. This visual analysis of the music video, “God’s Away On Business” 2008, performed by Tom Waits, produced by Anti Records, will examine the rhetoric used to deliver Mr. Waits message. Geared more towards the cerebral Baby Boomer than younger generations, this piece holds …show more content…
a substantial meaning that a thoughtful viewer of any age will appreciate. Mr. Waits tells us about the coming end of society or the world; it could be either or both. The video uses shaky cinematography, a dilapidated setting, emus and monochromatic filters to put us in a mood of despair, and hopelessness. Using the rhetorical strategies of logos, ethos, and pathos, the artist imparts to the viewer this harrowing tale of the coming end. Mr. Waits walks us through an emotional, logical, and reasoned approach as to why this is the case using powerful lyrics, visual examples, and innuendo. The setting is a rundown apartment home with narrow doorways and hallways; the paint is peeling off the walls.
This works for both ethos and pathos. It brings credibility to the author’s story that the world is in disrepair, but it also puts us in a dour mood and shows the hopelessness of the situation. Then Mr. Waits says, “I’d sell your heart to the junkman baby / for a buck, for a buck” this shows he is in a state of desperation willing to do anything for money. This type of emotional appeal continues throughout the video; every room is bleak, naked of any decorations. The hallway, at times decorated with black balloons, brings to mind the inverse of a party. At other times, there is a single lonely light behind the speaker, casting him in shadows. Mr. Waits’ black suit and fedora, which is similar to something a funeral director, mortician or a sinister being might wear, speak to a dark, negative, and melancholy mood. These elements really connect with the empathic audience and set the ambiance for the …show more content…
message. In the video, Mr. Waits brings us ethos not only by telling us the ship is sinking, but also in visuals by showing the dilapidated apartment, and the hallway that appears to get so narrow that he can touch both sides like it is pressing in on him. Early in the video, he shows us the person looking depressed and staring out the window. Then he tells us “If you’re looking for someone to pull you out of that ditch / you’re out of luck, you’re out of luck,” Mr. Waits is making the statement that there is no one to come and help you. This lends credibility to the title “God’s Away On Business.” In the chorus when the artist describes the ones we have kept in charge “killers, thieves, and lawyers” Mr. Waits is providing a reason as to why things are so bad. When Mr. Waits talks about digging up the dead with hand tools, he is saying do not judge me it’s a job I’m doing what I have to do to survive. The camera often tilts to varying degrees as if a ship were settling into the water rocking back and forth, this is coupled with the artist standing at odd angles like he is trying to balance on a tilting platform. These powerful visuals together with the lyrics make the message believable to the discerning viewer. The artist uses a lot of imagery to establish logos of his argument.
Through most of the video, he is standing on stilts, as if he is trying to stay above rising water. In an early scene, he is hiding under an umbrella and standing on stilts, as if he is trying to protect himself from the deluge and keep above the rising water level at the same time. Emus appear often in the video, stupid flightless birds who cannot escape and are likely unaware of what is occurring, the birds are most likely representative of uninformed people who choose ignorance. In one scene, which corresponds to the line “Who are the ones that we kept in charge / killers thieves and lawyers,” Mr. Waits is standing over the emus with his arms outstretched and fingers splayed similar to a puppet master, he is insinuating how the emus are being controlled by the ones they have allowed to be in charge. In this way, Mr. Waits brings his message together in a logical and reasoned way, inviting the critical thinker to share his
vision. In conclusion, Mr. Waits uses the rhetorical strategies pathos, ethos, and logos through lyrics, pained choreography, and effective iconography to convince us of his argument that the world or society is coming to a quick end like the sinking of a ship. Mr. Waits leads us down the logical path that being ignorant and allowing killers, thieves, and lawyers to be in charge is bringing about the end. Mr. Waits uses gloomy images of decaying structures and depressing lyrics to impart emotions of general despair and melancholy. Mr. Waits shows his credibility using creative camera angles and light filters, the deteriorating setting and pointing out the measures a desperate person uses to cope with the forlorn situation such as, having an unwanted job or being willing to sell a person’s heart for a marginal amount.
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.
The tone during the whole plot of in Brave New World changes when advancing throughout the plot, but it often contains a dark and satiric aspect. Since the novel was originally planned to be written as a satire, the tone is ironic and sarcastic. Huxley's sarcastic tone is most noticeable in the conversations between characters. For instance, when the director was educating the students about the past history, he states that "most facts about the past do sound incredible (Huxley 45)." Through the exaggeration of words in the statement of the director, Huxley's sarcastic tone obviously is portrayed. As a result of this, the satirical tone puts the mood to be carefree.
Within an excerpt from, “The United States of Wal-Mart,” John Dicker explains that Wal-Mart is a troubling corporation. Dicker begins his article by discussing why the store is so popular within the news in an age of global terrorism, coming to the conclusion that Wal-Mart has a huge scope in the United States and that it has more scandals, lawsuits, and stories than any other supercenter. Continually, he goes on to explain that Wal-Mart outsources jobs and their companies demands makes it hard for employees to have livable wages and good working conditions. Furthermore, Dicker addresses the claim that Wal-Mart provides good jobs, by destroying this perception with statistics showing how employees live in poverty and that their union scene
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.
While speaking to the young adults, Linkin Park’s music video utilizes rhetoric by showing credibility, intense emotional symmetry, and logistical facts to influence escaping the oppressive expectations of society.
In this generation businesses use commercial to persuade different types of audiences to buy their product or to persuade them to help a certain caused. If you analyze commercial you can see how certain things play a major role in the success of a commercial. The ad I decide to analyze as an example is the commercial snickers used during the Super Bowl in 2010;”Betty White”-Snickers. This commercials starts off with guys playing a game of football with an elderly women know as Betty White. As Betty White tries to play football she is tackled to the ground. Her teammates refer to her as Mike when they come up to her to ask why she has been “playing like Betty White all day”. This helps inform the audience that Betty White is not actually playing but instead represent another teammate. As the guys keep arguing Mikes girlfriend calls her over and tells her to eat a snicker. Betty White takes the first bite and then suddenly a man appears in her place ready to finish the game. At the end of the commercial the statement "You're not you when you're hungry" is shown followed by the Snickers bar logo. What this commercial is trying to show is that hunger changes a person, and satisfying this hunger can change you back to your normal self. They use different types
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
“How does it feel to be a problem?” (par. 1). Throughout “Of Our Spiritual Strivings” W.E.B. Du Bois explains the hardships experienced throughout his childhood and through the period of Africans living in America before the civil rights movement. Du Bois begins with his first experience of racism and goes all the way into the process of mentally freeing African Americans. Du Bois describes the struggle of being an African American in a world in which Whites are believed to dominate through the use of Listing, Imagery, and Rhetorical Questioning because these rhetorical devices stress the importance of the topic Du Bois is talking about.
The overall effect created is the sense of awe. First, the scene starts with Harrison walking in and dragging a guard along the way. The use of Steadicam and swish pan combines to show how fast and intimidating Harrison is. Also the Steadicam makes the audience feel like they are in the hall themselves as Harrison walks in and feeling the ripples that his heavy handicaps caused. The Steadicam is used throughout Harrison’s speech and alternating with medium close-up shot which shows Harrison’s handicaps. With the use of medium close-up shot and costuming, we are shown how awful and absurd Harrison’s handicap is. Tuttle also convey a symbolism with the focus on Harrison’s handicap which alludes to Jesus on the cross same as Harrison’s plank on his neck. This is also to foreshadow how Harrison will play a role like Jesus in the film. Jesus was the sacrifice for all human sin and Harrison also sacrifice himself for the greater cause of raising awareness about absurdity of the current society. As Harrison took of his restrains, the use of cuts and medium close-up shots show many faces in awe from Harrison. We see the people in the theatre amaze and George at home suddenly sprung up from his chair. In addition to the effect of awe created, Tuttle also shown a subtle hint towards his important message to the audience. We are told how much pain Harrison has been through and we are to sympathise with him. However that is
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.
Gilliam expertly uses the setting of a prison which is dark and full with yelling prisoners in this scene to create a feeling of unsettlement that the audience can pick up on instantly. Using this technique and making the audience undergone this unsettlement creates intensity and suspense , this means
Along with ethos and small touch of logos, the author Roxane Gay uses a strength appeal of pathos to persuade her audience onto her argument. “White people will never know the dangers of being black in America, systemic, unequal opportunity, racial profiling, and the constant threat of police violence. Men will never know the dangers of being a woman in America, harassment, sexual violence, legislated bodies. Heterosexuals will never know what it means to experience homophobia.” (Gay). In this paragraph, the author is identify the inequality between racial barriers, genders and sexual orientation which an emotionally involved topic to bring up. How people are treated differently how the way they look, where they come from. Woman would
In this assignment, I am going to analyze a financial analysis report of Microsoft Corporation in order to explore the benefit of using the rhetorical strategy and the rhetorical appeal in writing. The full title of this report is “management’s discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations report,” which is also called MD&A (“2016 annual financial report”). The MD&A is a disclosure note written by the Chief Executive Officer of Microsoft Corporation, and the purpose of this report is to help the potential audiences better understand the operation strategies and financial results of the corporation so that these potential readers can have more confidence to make their decisions and do business with Microsoft Corporation.
The “Weapon of Choice” video begins with a normal middle-aged man, Walken, sitting in a hotel lobby. Once the music fades in, the scene comes to life with motion. From then on all rules of expectation are broken. As Michael Abernethy notes, “It is a fantasy many of us have had, to dance abandon in an environment that screams for civilized behavior”(1). This scene, although not impossible in our everyday lives, is very rare. Once Walken takes his hoofing steps right on out to the balcony and into mid-air this is when the camera begins to works its magic. The camera enables the character to bound across the screen and back again, which gives Walken an unexpected power. The simple concept of fantastically and unexpectedly losing control in a civilized environment is shown in a complex and artistic manner.