Topic:
It is often suggested that advertisers use rhetoric and our fears/desires to manipulate us into buying their products.
Your purpose here is to answer the question: How do advertisers use their tactics (rhetoric, signs and cultural myths) to convince consumers to buy the product or idea?
Write a complete 4-page essay (minimum of 1300 words) in which you select ONE successfully advertised consumer product or idea, and uncover the subtext of the advertisement (all of the messages around the signs and the use of rhetoric.) Remember that this is a critical essay; you need to analyze the forces behind the sale of your product objectively rather than writing in a personal or subjective voice. Please consider how your product is marketed to the masses, including the target audience (gender, race, age) and how consumer manipulation comes into play.
Respond to these prompts in your essay:
What are the ways in which Ethos, Pathos and Logos are used in the advertisement? You must show examples of at least 2 rhetorical approaches used by the advertiser. Be very specific with your examples and your analysis. You may refer back to your document on Rhetoric for more information on Ethos, Pathos and Logos.
Which signs in the advertisement show the target demographic (gender, race, age) and how can you tell? What messages do these signs send to the intended audience of the ad? Signs can be characters, words, objects, images, forms of behavior, music, setting/sets, special effects, lighting—any detail from the ad that takes on meaning based on the context (i.e.—the system) the signs are in. You must show examples of at least 2 signs used by the advertiser. Be very specific with your examples and your analysis. Allow yourself to be creative with your analysis!
What cultural myths come across in the ad, and how do advertisers use these to convince consumers to buy the product? Cultural myths are any mainstream social ideas, values, or ideals. You can figure out the cultural myth(s) by looking at all the signs in the ad—what idea is being used to sell you this product? Keep in mind that cultural myths in ads often prey on our fears and desires. Ask yourself what specific fears or desires (or both) the ad is speaking to in order to get you to buy the product or idea. You must show examples of at least 2 cultural myths used by the advertiser. Be very specific with your examples and your analysis. Some of your answers will be obvious. For others, you may have to think more outside the box.
What are the ways in which Carroll and/or Cohn reflect these concepts through their writing. You may pick one author or both. The evidence can be in support of your arguments or in opposition. You must have at least four cited direct quotes or four cited paraphrases (or a combination of the two) from either Carroll and/or Cohn. You may use both if you wish.
Add a Works Cited page. Please refer to OWL Purdue Sample MLA Paper for further details.
More Detailed Requirements:
Your assignment must be 12 pt. font, Times New Roman, properly paragraphed and double spaced. Please follow all MLA rules. Check the GCC Writing Handbook for more information.
Please note that your 4 pages must be full – you cannot stop halfway through the 4th page.
You are required to use either the Carroll text and/or the Cohn text in your essay.
You must have at least four cited direct quotes or four cited paraphrases (or a combination of the two) from either/or Carroll and Cohn. You may use both if you wish.
You must also use evidence from your advertisement. How much you use will be up to you, but you must show very specific evidence for each claim.
You are required to have a Works Cited page. On there, you will have Carroll and/or Cohn, and your advertisement. You must also include anything else you have independently chosen to use. Double check your MLA citations both on the Works Cited page and in your essay. See the Purdue Owl websites for MLA explanations and examples.
Your audience: assume that the reader is intelligent, but that they may know nothing about the topic you’re addressing. Share information accordingly.
Your tone should be professional, unbiased, and polished. Any shared sources should be credible.
You must include a thesis. Your thesis must be an argument, based on research. Make sure you have a clear, direct thesis statement that is guiding the rest of the paragraphs. Your thesis statement should be an arguable claim you make that answers the following question: How do advertisers use their tactics (rhetoric, signs and cultural myths) to convince consumers to buy the product or idea?
Make sure your body paragraphs are properly developed (1. topic sentence, 2. quotes/evidence, 3. analysis, 4. relate back to your thesis).
While there is no paragraph count requirement, you must paragraph the paper effectively and correctly, and follow a “5 paragraph model,” although you will likely have more than 5 paragraphs. Start with an introduction, share your argumentative body paragraphs, and end with a conclusion.
Your essay must demonstrate good writing skills, including control of sentence structure, minimal subject-verb and noun-pronoun agreement errors, consistent point of view, proper punctuation, and correct spelling.
