- 4-5 pages (only papers with a MINIMUM of 4 full pages can possibly receive a passing grade; anything shorter automatically fails… so go for 4 1/2 pages)
- Must analyze and evaluate (judge the effectiveness) one commercial of at least 30 seconds in length. That commercial must be properly cited in your paper. Note: your judgement of the effectiveness of the commercial is your thesis, which you then prove through your detailed and exact analysis of the commercial.
- Must include two other sources, directly quoted (which means you “cite” them) inside the essay itself (with MLA format).
- Must include Works Cited page (with MLA format); this will include full information on the sources of the quotes you cited in the essay. NOTE: the Works Cited page is it’s own page, and does not count as part of the minimum page length… so if you write 4 1/2 pages, and add the Works Cited page, then your whole document is actually 5 1/2 pages. You are required to use and CITE at least three sources in the paper, and then use proper full citation on the Works Cited page for each source cited. In other words, you’ll need to not only look at the ad, but have at least two other sources you cite in your paper. So, you’ll need a little research.
- Thesis must focus on the writer’s rhetorical appeals and each appeal’s effectiveness or not, not your own “overall opinion” of the commercial; you do make an evaluative judgement, though: are the rhetorical appeals used effectively on not? Then the body of the paper proves the thesis because you’ll analyze and explain the why effective or why not?
- Make sure your thesis specifically references the words ethos, pathos, and logos. So, a thesis might say something like this: “The X-Motor commercial called Find Your Wheels is weak on logos, but the ad does effectively use ethos and pathos, so overall it could convince a 40-year-old woman with a family to buy X-Motor.”
- Do not use “I” or “you” or focus on your personal response. Talk about the ad and “the audience” and “the viewer” instead.
Assignment Description
Choose one commercial, at least 30 seconds in length, and assess and evaluate the ad as to whether it persuades its audience of its central claim. Your essay should identify at the outset the audience at which the piece is aimed (is it 16 year old boys who play video games, is it 65 year old wealthy business people… who is the target audience for the ad? And what is the ad trying to convince that audience to do, in other words what is the ad’s central claim, exactly? Is the ad effective in convincing that audience, and why or why not, in detail?), its argumentative purpose, and its central argument. Once you have identified these concerns, evaluate the rhetorical effectiveness of the given text. A rhetorical analysis examines 1) the ad creator’s use of the three rhetorical appeals (ethos, pathos, and logos); 2) the arrangement and style of the piece; 3) the context of the piece (this involves looking at when and where it aired). In this piece, you may also compare the strategies the ad creator (or speaker) used with other strategies that would have been more effective or less effective.
Tips
- Your essay MUST be a minimum of 4 FULL pages of writing, so write 4 1/2, PLUS another page for your Works Cited. Every available line should be used. No cover pages. No extra gaps or spaces between paragraphs.
- The essay MUST have 1-inch margins with 12-point Times New Roman font.
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You need 3 sources: the commercial itself and two other sources of your choosing. Direct quotes should be handled with the quotation sandwich. Review the previous assignment about the quotation sandwich. You will need proper MLA in-text citations for all paraphrases and direct quotations from the article. Then, for whatever in-text citations you have, you will ALSO need to have a full MLA-formatted citation on the Works Cited page as well. Note: only those works that you actually cite in the essay will appear with the full source citation on the Works Cited list… The Works Cited page is not works you simply “looked at”… but is is only for works you actually cite inside the essay.
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Include a thesis that evaluates the effectiveness of the commercial based on the ad’s use of rhetorical appeals (ethos, pathos, logos), style, and context. In other words, you will judge the effectiveness, or non-effectiveness, of each of the appeals, and then argue your case as to why your judgement, or in other words your educated opinion, is reasonable and correct. A thesis must express a judgement, not just that the ad “uses” the appeals, but how well does it use the appeals to get the target audience (which you must define also) to do what the ad wants.
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In this essay, you will take a stand on whether the ad you have chosen persuades its audience of its central argument. This essay then is NOT primarily about the issue addressed or discussed in the ad. It is instead about the effectiveness of the rhetorical strategies the ad writer uses.
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You will need a Works Cited page, which includes the articles you chose and used inside the essay, and proper MLA formatting. (This page does NOT count towards your page minimum.). Remember: on the Works Cited page are only works that you actually cite properly, with formal citation method, in the essay.
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When structuring your essay, include an introduction that sets up your argument about the ad, effectively organized paragraphs with strong topic sentences and transitions, and a conclusion that both restates your thesis and a quick little review of your main points of argument, and that leaves the reader with a bit further “food for thought.” Keep your conclusion short and to the point, like your introduction. Do not add a bunch of fluff or philosophical considerations: just review your points and finish it.