Be yourself; Everyone else is already taken.
— Oscar Wilde.
This is the first post on my new blog. I’m just getting this new blog going, so stay tuned for more. Subscribe below to get notified when I post new updates.
Course Reflection
Over the course of this class, I have improved and progressed in my reading skills, analytical skills, and writing performance. Apart from the reading and writing comprehension strengths I have acquired from this class, I have also gained proficiency in myself as a whole. Having said that, English 1105 has amplified my studying habits, assisted in the discovery of my strengths and weaknesses, and also assisted in the development of stronger professionalism skills. From this class, I have learned an incredible amount of rhetorical devices and skills — what they are, what they do, and how they work. Not only have I learned about rhetoric, however, I’ve also learned how to form a structural essay, develop literacy narratives, perform reflective interaction, and more. This class is extremely crucial in college, as it provides success and accomplishment in future classes, considering it is an introductory class that teaches the basic fundamentals of writing and reading. As of right now in this class, I am content with my reading and writing proficiency however, I wish to grow stronger in these subjects with additional time and dedication.
In English 1105 this semester, I have had multiple setbacks and difficulties. By this, I don’t necessarily mean failures, nonetheless, challenges that I’ve had to overcome and push forward for. Specifically in English 1105, I’ve had to overcome the challenges of learning rhetoric. Coming from the past, rhetoric was always a difficult topic to comprehend and acknowledge. Considering the substantial amount of rhetoric used in English 1105, encouraged and motivated me to take an extra amount of time to learn more about rhetorical analysis, rhetorical strategies, and rhetorical devices. The increased time spent on this certain topic, accelerated and enhanced my knowledge of rhetoric. All in all, I think I have improved greatly and excelled in English 1105. With more time on certain assignments, I believe I could have advanced my work and writings to not only raise my grade but to exceed my expectations of what I wanted to complete and fulfill.
The five-course outcomes of English 1105 include the following: rhetorical knowledge, writing processes, genre conventions, multimodal transformation, and reflective practice. To begin with, we studied and analyzed all rhetorical strategies, devices, and situations. By mastering the art of rhetoric, we did assignments such as applying different rhetorical strategies to business letter writings, labeling someone we know in our lives as a “rhetorical superhero” by expressing certain actions they perform and the characteristics they symbolize, and additional assignments. Next, we mastered the process of writing; by becoming proficient in the process of writing, we were assigned 4 different essays to research and write professionally. The writing of 4 essays also contributed to another outcome from English 1105, which is genre conventions. Genre conventions are simply the elements of stories by creating archetypes of characters, location taking place in the story, the creation of plot twists, and key events.
Course Reflection: Cover Letter
Rebecca Kaplan
Meng Yu
ENG1105
5 December 2021
Course Reflection
Over the course of this semester, I learned more than I thought possible about writing, reading, analysis, the process of writing, and my individual process. I’ve always been interested in writing, and other than a few creative differences in classes while in high school that have slightly deterred me from english classes in an educational setting, my torch hasn’t really flickered. My writing process during high school was normally a sort of one-stop-shop – it wasn’t actually a process. I hated drafting my writing, I detested outlines, conjuring bibliographies caused me to procrastinate for days on end. This class has helped to show me the importance of each step of the writing process – each rung is crucial to climbing to the top of the ladder. I was always able to lean on my natural affinity for writing as a crutch, but what I’ve learned this semester is that this doesn’t always produce my best works. This learning curve is kind of metaphorical to being successful in college – it’s not a single step, it’s an entire process. I’ve learned that in order to be successful, to produce my best work, to stay on top of work, I need to continuously follow a path that will lead me to my best self.
This semester, many things outside of First-Year Writing went wrong. They weren’t failures, but they definitely deterred me from continuously pushing forward. English class was one of the few things that actually went well for me. I feel like I was able to learn a lot through the contents of the class, but not in a way that caused me to fail before learning. I think I was at a point where it was easy to think that I didn’t need to improve, so I wasn’t in a place where I was going to fail. I think that I was successful in ENG1105. I was interested in the writing process enough to be able to take feedback and ideas and apply them to my work in order to improve. I really think that success in this class isn’t defined by the strength of your writing – the idea of the class is to improve your writing, your process, and your outlook on both. I think that I really enjoyed strengthening my writing through all of these steps. I think that I fully invested myself into every project that we did in ENG1105, whether it was an essay worth 20% of my grade, or a group project that was worth a small participation grade.
We focused on rhetorical knowledge throughout the entirety of this course, but I think that a project that really showcased this for me was the rhetorical analysis about the Walmart Commercial that I did. For the analysis, I really practiced using rhetorical wording and conscious language to explain and analyze the components and impacts of the advertisement. The writing process, through invention, drafting, revision, and rewriting, was a big learning curve for me. I think that I showcase my improvement in this area during the rhetorical superheroes project, with my first outline. I explored a lot of different areas of my superhero, and came up with a lot of ideas to rhetorically analyze his words, writing, and songs. I worked a lot on the invention and writing of the outline, but the outline I wrote was confusing, broad, and out of order. I was able to reorganize the outline, and wrote a final draft of a paper that I was proud of and was clear, concise, and rhetorically effective. Knowledge of genre conventions was a big part of writing peer reviews – I think I was able to provide feedback and constructive criticism to my peers through my knowledge of genre conventions and grammatical syntax and mechanics. Multimodal transformation was another big part of my rhetorical superhero project – rhetorically analyzing a singer, songwriter, and producer, was a big exercise in multimodal analysis. Reflective practice was an area that I really utilized during high school, and being able to use it again over the course of this semester definitely helped me in my writing process, and my reflective practice improved in and of itself. All around, I do believe that I met the writing outcomes of this course and improved my writing as a result.
Hokie Pitch and Reflection
Rhetorical Analysis: Animal Testing
One of the world’s most controversial topics is the testing of products on animals. The testing performed on animals can include medications, cosmetics, and other commodities. The most common animals brought into the laboratory for testing include guinea pigs, rabbits, and hamsters; other animals such as dogs, cats, cows, and others are tested as well. The artifact I have chosen uses rhetorical strategies such as ethos, logos, and pathos, to persuade the audience as to why animal testing should not be performed.
To begin the rhetorical analysis on the picture chosen, it simply shows logos at first glance. The use of logos is merely the logic or reasoning behind something. In the picture chosen, there is much logic behind it, considering experiments, observations, and evaluations have been performed on this certain study for thousands of years. In the picture, there is a statement on the bottom which states, “For long eyelashes – this is how 300,000 lab animals suffer each year.” This statement expresses logic, as these are factual evidence of animal testing performed. The logos being performed in the artifact chosen have persuaded people to look into putting their personal input in animal testing, limiting their usage to products that were used on animals, in hopes of lowering the business success of the companies performing this issue.
Continuing onto the artifact chosen, it also depicts the rhetorical strategy known as pathos. Pathos is simply the term used to describe the appeal to emotion. The picture used as my artifact shows an infected, bloody, and swollen eye on a human. The ad/picture that I chose goes to show that animals have emotions, just like humans. Companies cannot release things without the products being tested, however, animal testing should not be what is tested on. Cruelty-free companies test their products on things such as cell cultures, human tissue, computer models, and more. The pathos being presented in this picture shows that many animals go through a variety of pain and torture, which they don’t deserve, by showing the pain and infection in the woman’s eye. Pathos is the largest working rhetorical device demonstrated in the picture, considering the text on the picture is a very sorrowful message, and the woman looks hurt and sad in the picture. The way the artifact I chosen represents a human experiencing the pain, torture, and abuse the animals go through, leading humans to realize they feel the pain just as any human would. This method puts the audience in a place of remorse, empathy, and shame. Because of these emotions that this picture may bring to the audience and viewers, it will persuade the audience to remember to look for and to support businesses that exemplify the cruelty-free policy of their product. This will ultimately bring up the sales and business of all cruelty-free companies, and lower the business and sales of all companies who test animals with their products.
Another notable rhetorical device arrayed in the picture is kairos. Kairos is the rhetorical term meaning persuasion at the right time and the right place. The photo depicts kairos considering animal testing as an extremely popular topic in today’s world. In the past several years, there have been protests, arguments, and objections held over the topic of testing on animals. Kairos is an important rhetorical device to use when persuading an audience, considering if a topic that isn’t necessarily popular or a controversy in the world at the time is used, it won’t be as looked upon or even taken seriously. As mentioned before, animal testing is a popular controversy, therefore, this image is reaching many people, both people against animal testing, and people for animal testing. For the fact of this topic is popular in the world today, the image will spread throughout social media, ranging from Facebook to Instagram, and even other websites such as Google and more. The expansion and range the picture will reach will encourage people to, once again, support companies who support and demonstrate the cruelty-free factor on their products.
In conclusion, the picture is a huge influence on the impact and sales of animal testing companies. By using rhetorical analysis, it is known that strategies such as logos, pathos, and kairos are used in my artifact to persuade the audience into objection to animal testing. The point of the photograph chosen is to make the audience make a change in the world by speaking their voice of the disapproval of animal testing, and the stop of business sales if products are not listed as cruelty-free. Demonstrating all of the different methods of these rhetorical devices shows evidence to the audience that the author of the picture is well educated and knowledgeable about the situation and circumstances of what they are attempting to persuade. With all of these strategies portrayed, the audience is likely to view companies differently, as to if they are a cruelty-free company, or not. With these accusations, the sales of businesses that use their products to test on animals will decrease exceedingly, just coming from a simple photo with a short text.
Work Cited
Artifact – https://images.app.goo.gl/4u88H2B52F2Cxb9C9
Animal Testing Facts and Statistics. PETA. (2021, November 18). November 21, 2021, https://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-experimentation/animals-used-experimentation-factsheets/animal-experiments-overview/.
The Force Awakens Old Feelings in Viewers
By Luke Scalese
A staple to American culture for many years and one of the most beloved movie franchises ever is well known. When Disney announced that they were bringing Star Wars back again to continue the saga, there was a vast divide among consumers as to whether or not it was the right choice. Loads of marketing went into convincing the hardcore fanbase that Star Wars without George Lucas could still be as good as Star Wars with George Lucas. One of the biggest things that Disney did to win over many skeptics and whip up excitement with the masses was the release of the official movie poster. This poster induced nostalgia for those around when the original saga was released and built anticipation with the newer generation.
Looking at the poster, there is the immediate sight of red set against blue, a well-known theme in the saga. The red versus blue represents the Jedi’s duel with the Sith, marked by the color of their lightsabers. There are also explosions behind X-wing fighters in the lower left-hand corner. In the lower right-hand corner, there is a ship known all too well to true fans, the Millennium Falcon. Set below all of the ships are hordes of stormtroopers marching in formation. In the top right, what appears to be a new Death Star type base is partially shown behind a red lightsaber. Right below the Death Star style base is a new character that is introduced. It is a man holding a blue lightsaber. In the top right corner, a new villain is introduced. He is dressed in all black with a mask on similar to the one that Darth Vader wore in the original trilogy. In the center immediately above the movie title is a new small droid similar to R2-D2. Right next to him are old faces the fans recognize in a heartbeat. Han Solo and Princess Leia make an appearance front and center on the new poster. Finally, right above them is another new character holding a Bo staff. This character is a younger female.
A great example of juxtaposition in this poster is the red and the blue clashing with sparks flying in the center. (Star Wars) This is an excellent effect of the two sides coming together in a fight to the average viewer. To someone who has seen any of the movies before, this is the clash of good versus evil. One of the most popular themes in many films, even more so in Star Wars, is the struggle of good to overcome evil. One great way that it is explained in Star Wars is, “Star Wars built its tale on a classic good vs. evil theme. The bad guys are cold-hearted villains, the good guys are ragtag but good-natured heroes, and the only quality they have in common is that they enjoy shooting lasers at each other.” (Shmoop) What is seemingly a tale as old as time is taken into the future with lasers and space travel.
Nostalgia is used heavily to catch the attention of an older generation of viewers. The sight of X-Wing fighters in action and the millennium falcon transport many back to memories of seeing the films for the first time. As it pertains to the Millenium Falcon, viewers are drawn in to see what happens next, with probably the most important non-character in the film. The millennium falcon also reminds viewers of Han Solo’s heroic rescue of Luke in Episode Six, Return of the Jedi. The Millennium Falcon’s importance to the franchise is summed up in the quote, “The Millennium Falcon is Han Solo’s beat-up ship, which he insists is very reliable and powerful, despite looking like a big piece of junk. The ship itself becomes symbolic of Solo’s contribution to the Resistance.” (Lucas) Seeing the ship, accompanied by Han Solo, quickly reminds even the most peripheral fans of what it means to watch Star Wars.
The presence of stormtroopers strikes fear into the hearts of the most ardent fans. They are a symbol of the evil that is perpetrated by the Sith. Seeing them tells fans that the galaxy’s worst nightmare has come true. The Sith, who were believed to have been wiped out in the explosion of the second Death Star, have risen to power again. This also puts many questions into the minds of many watchers. The biggest question is who is the new Sith lord, and who trained him? Many people decided to see the new movie simply because they wanted to learn how the Sith managed to rise again. Canonically, there are only two Sith at a time, the Master and the Apprentice. In Return of the Jedi, Darth Vader, the Apprentice, turned on and killed the Master, Palpatine, so at that time, there were no Sith left for them to rise. Seeing the stormtroopers tells fans that they were able to rise from the ashes.
Another fear is realized on this poster with the appearance of what looks like a new Death Star. This new StarKiller Base is exactly what the galaxy feared in the Death Star, but worse. “With StarKiller Base, the First Order could destroy their enemies from halfway across the galaxy.”(Zambrano) With a weapon like that, no one is safe. Many fans sat on the edge of their seats, waiting to see its demise. StarKiller Base creates something for fans to hate. Hate is an extreme emotion, and this poster is playing off the fact that it is such a strong emotion to get the public obsessed with a movie that has not even come out yet.
The introduction of multiple new characters creates even more interest in the movie. The social classes of these new characters are a great example of using pathos to your advantage. Introducing main characters that are respectively a woman and a black man makes a large part of the audience interested in seeing leading roles played by people who are not necessarily seen in prominent roles of large productions nearly as often. Star Wars has been applauded for making the main characters of the new trilogy people from underrepresented social classes. It even came out that the black main character was part of the LGBTQ+ community. This is playing on the shifting attitude towards that community. The LGBTQ+ community is very quickly becoming normalized, and a great way for it to make even significant strides is to have a role in a major film, which Star Wars is. Many people with strong sentiments towards this community became very excited to see it played out in Star Wars.
Another new character introduced in this poster is Kylo Ren. The sight of him seemingly towering over the rest of the characters also uses pathos, along with ethos, to build a connection with audiences. It uses ethos as it is reminiscent of a very popular poster for Episode Five, The Empire Strikes Back. In that poster, Darth Vader is seen holding his lightsaber amid many “good guys,” however, he sits higher on the poster and is larger than the rest of the characters.(Castel) This gives the impression that he is stronger than any of those singular characters. Creating a similar look on the new poster builds trust with fans because it calls back the past and the episode that many consider the best in the saga. However, seeing a new character with a mask similar to Darth Vader’s creates strong emotions with many fans. There is a deep divide in many fans’ hearts on how they feel about Darth Vader. While he is evil and spreads misery and misfortune across the galaxy, in the end, he was the reason the rebels were able to defeat Palpatine and destroy the second Death Star. These unresolved feelings about Darth Vader are dredged up again when fans see this new villain.
Finally, the sight of a new droid gives people who first saw Star Wars when they were younger a little piece of nostalgia. Many people in the younger definitions have vivid memories of watching Star Wars and loving the little droid R2-D2 roll around the galaxy, accidentally creating mischief. Seeing a new little droid brings back memories of the first viewing of Star Wars and the many good memories that come with it. This is a great way to create nostalgia with an audience that is not old enough to remember when the original saga came out.
The Star Wars The Force Awakens poster shows that it is possible to pack many feelings into a single image. This poster calls people home from lots of nostalgia of first-time watching to simpler times just hanging out with friends. It subtly juxtaposes good and evil through timeless icons and creates a feeling of trust in the new screenwriters. Its goal of creating excitement and anticipation for the newest trilogy was not only met but exceeded.
Works Cited
“The Force Awakens Movie Poster.” Disney Movies, https://movies.disney.com/star-wars-the-force-awakens. Accessed 22 Nov. 2021.
Shmoop Editorial Team. “Star Wars: A New Hope Good vs. Evil.” Shmoop, Shmoop University, 11 Nov. 2008, https://www.shmoop.com/study-guides/movie/star-wars-a-new-hope/themes/good-vs-evil#:~:text=Evil,-Previous%20Next&text=Star%20Wars%20built%20its%20tale,shooting%20lasers%20at%20each%20other.
Lucas, George. “Star Wars Symbols, Allegory and Motifs.” GradeSaver, 13 Nov. 2021, https://www.gradesaver.com/star-wars/study-guide/symbols-allegory-motifs.
Zambrano, J.R. “Star Wars: The Weapon That Killed the New Republic- the Starkiller Base Breakdown.” Bell of Lost Souls, 31 July 2021, https://www.belloflostsouls.net/2021/08/star-wars-the-weapon-that-killed-the-new-republic-the-starkiller-base-breakdown.html.
Castel, Roger. “The Empire Strikes Back Official Theatrical Release Poster.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 27 Nov. 2021, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Empire_Strikes_Back.
Rhetorical Analysis
Rebecca Kaplan
Professor Yu
English 1105
5 October 2021
Walmart: Live Better?
Superstore Walmart is a multibillion dollar company with millions of employees and thousands of stores nationally and internationally – it has become a household name in the United States in the last few decades. A big part of this success can be attributed to campaigns such as the commercial that we’re looking at today. Through the use of rhetorical and visual strategies such as ethos, pathos, logos, and kairos, major corporation Walmart is able to connect to a wide audience and make itself seem like a mom-and-pop shop in your community.
The backdrop to this commercial, the setting, is what makes the story even more significant and the ad hit even harder. The rhetorical strategy of kairos – basically the time, setting, and place of the visual – allows Walmart, and therefore their commercial, to truly resonate with the viewer. The commercial uses general shots of different neighborhoods – and not just the individual Walmart in each town. These shots are simply of residents of all ages, and it’s assumed, backgrounds, going about their average and everyday lives. The beginning of the commercial pans over different towns – we can tell that they’re different because of the variation of lawns, backyards, trees, house sizes, and road maintenance. The corporation takes everything into account, no detail is accidental. The bird’s eye view, though it’s not showing people or close up shots, it relates the viewer to the commercial. The neighborhood that the ad is panning through could be your neighborhood, with your family, your friends, your community. Though this element is relevant throughout the entirety of the commercial – the setting switches between the general neighborhood, individual Walmart stores, family homes, community service initiatives, and just around town – kairos is helpful to set the scene of the commercial and allow for a greater connection through continued visual steps as well as ethos, logos, and pathos.
A major element of this commercial is the voiceover – it lays claim to a greater rhetorical situation. The purpose of the ad is portrayed through videos and photographs, but without the voiceover it wouldn’t have the rhetorical impact that it does. Overlaid on top of videos of small-town front lawns, quiet main streets, rustic backroads, the woman speaking ties the scene together. Her voice carries a soft tone, almost as if her smile is radiating through your computer or television screen. She’s rhyming, as well – this creates a catchy and memorable tone for the advertisement, but it also invokes something else. It’s the same feeling you may have felt when you were reading a Dr. Suess book to your toddler, or teaching your child how to tie their shoes with a rhyming anecdote, or hearing them sing a song with their friends. The rhyming overlay of speech evokes a homey feel within the ad, a connection to the words that the narrator is saying despite the deep general nature of the script. It’s purposeful, to allow the audience to relate to the commercial just that much more. Every ounce of connection that is sparked from any element of the commercial strengthens Walmart’s hold on small-town America. She speaks of hope, passion, and community – in the background, a Walmart employee checks a customer out, a crossing guard assisting a young child across the street, a group of police officers smiling and laughing. The prose of the script, along with the concrete shows of community and camaraderie solidifies the idea that this is what Walmart brings to the table.
The visual ‘effects’ of this advertisement all play an individual and important role in the greater rhetorical strategy that is at play. The commercial uses camera angles, ‘special effects’, and the color/lighting of the video and pictures to generate a very specific feeling within the viewer. The camera angle and position of a specific shot plays an important role in all advertisements that use film as their medium – using just a few different positions to shoot from, the cameraman is able to create a very distinct situation, and therefore a distinct feeling, from their work. In this ad, the camera angles start broad – the bird’s eye view shots that we spoke about earlier. These make sense at the beginning of the ad, as they are providing a sort of overview for the viewer before the ad delves any further into the topic. The broad shot of the community then becomes a smaller shot – a strip of town, with visible stores and individual cars, a railroad track running through. As the viewer, you can almost picture yourself walking down the sidewalk of no-name-town in this small town, window shopping as you wait for the train to pass. The camera is inside of an average yellow school bus, one that you rode to-and-from school for years. There’s a young girl, resting her head on the windowsill of her seat, watching the trees pass – just as you might have, when you waited for what felt like hours for your stop to come. The children biking down the empty street fill their time just as you did when you were their age, and the firefighters are ready to protect you in a moment’s notice, but for now, they’re talking just as friends do. The camera isn’t always stable – especially when it’s capturing intimate moments between families, as well as employees and customers, and community members and their neighbors. The shots are all illuminated with a warm, orange/yellow light. Even the still pictures, which are all but washed out to black and white (with some even lacking all color), still have warm undertones. Though this is not a rhetorical strategy, it is a visual effect that resonates within the viewer in order to relay that warm tone from the ad into a warm feeling. The cuts between video and still picture give the commercial a scrapbook feel – the entirety of the advertisement is simply a collage of moments in a small town, somewhere in America.
The ethos of this advertisement lies within the people that the commercial highlights. Unlike commercials for brands such as Nike, or Pantene, or Beats, this commercial doesn’t use star power in order to gain the viewer’s trust. Walmart is an everything store – you can buy groceries, outfit your dorm room, get new swimsuits for the summertime, shop for back to school supplies, purchase a gun, prepare for a life changing event – because of the amount of products and services that they offer, chances are the audience has already used a Walmart store. If they haven’t, a family member has, or a neighbor, or a teacher, or a first responder, and the list goes on. That is exactly what the commercial is highlighting – the ethos of the video stands with the normal, average, everyday person that is being shown. Walmart doesn’t need to bring celebrities in, because celebrities aren’t the ones utilizing their superstores. The people who actually use them are those of us who need the convenience of a one stop shop. They’re the people who live in a rural area or a forgotten part of the country, and Walmart is the closest resource for them. Those are the people that need to feel seen, and the commercial does just that. The reliability of the store is shown through community involvement and initiatives highlighted in the video – Walmart vests picking up trash in a town park, friendly neighbors patching up businesses, a young kid bringing a tray of food to a community kitchen. Those are the real faces that are shopping at Walmart, and by showing this, the corporation utilizes ethos.
Ethos, pathos, kairos, along with visual and other rhetorical devices all allow for an effective, connective, and memorable advertisement. This specific Walmart commercial utilizes all of those tools to create a visually and rhetorically effective tool to get people through the doors of their superstores. The advertisement evokes an emotional feeling within the audience, and it does seem hard to question the company when they are providing more attainable options to underserved communities in America. One main problem with this advertisement is the fact that Walmart, a multibillion dollar company, is playing itself up to be a small-town business, that is here to work for you, the American people. The commercial therefore must be viewed with a grain of salt – it is understood that Walmart isn’t what it is pretending to be in the context of this commercial, while still appreciating the fact that they do serve our neighbors and our communities.
Works Cited
“Live Better” YouTube, uploaded by TheRealSpringer 2014, 8 April 2020,
Andrew Miller
Dr. Yu
ENGL 1105
16 November 2021
Legendary Nike Ad
Although not viewed by everyone, due to the construct of Nikes ad campaigns recently, one of the most influential ads Nike has ever put out came out in the last year. “You Can’t Be Stopped”1 a collaborative advertisement between young and upcoming athletic phenoms such as Naomi Osaka, Kevin Durant, and Marcus Rashford explore their athletic careers and what makes them truly unstoppable. The ad goes on to elaborate on the ideas and compare their astonishing athletic careers to that of younger and more unrecognizable athletes. The advertisement is an overall motivational piece for more than just athletes. It is for everyone that is looking for an extra nudge in life.
Possibly the most impactful quote said by Nike, “Behind everything we do is a why.” is presented in the first 10 seconds of the advertisement. The quote lays down a road map of how the entire piece is going to be put together. After this amazing quote is presented, Naomi Osaka, the youngest tennis player to ever win as much as she has is seen practicing for tennis. It is her struggling to do various workouts but then pans to an absolute slam of a tennis match. This match in fact is what made her career, the US Open. Next on the screen appears a young Marcus Rashford, an English soccer player. He also happens to be just as talented as Naomi Osaka, one of the youngest most successful soccer players to come out of Great Britain. He is seen working out as hard as he can on a self-propelled treadmill then scoring the final goal that sent England to the Euro Cup just a couple of years back. Lastly, we are presented with a prepubescent Kevin Durant in some school clothes. His portion of the ad is comprised of his various national championships won while playing in both the NCAA and NBA. It closes out with his potential career-ending injury and his heroic process to get healthier and return just a couple of months later.
While all of these images and videos are being presented, “again, again and again” is presented. The quote is representative of how successful these athletes actually are. It shows how they faced various obstacles and roadblocks in their lives but continued to persevere through everything. This perseverance eventually led to various world slams, world cups, and championships. The advertisement goes on to show many world championship athletes. This includes fencing stars, swim champions, and Paralympic athletes. All these athletes have simple things in common. Things such as drive, passion, grit, perseverance, and most importantly the goal to better themselves but most importantly others in the process.
In a way, Nike made two advertisements, one for people that want to succeed in sports and the other for people who want to succeed in life. This simple advice to keep pushing and to “go, go, go” is something that can be used in any situation. It is motivation to anyone that needs to achieve something.
Shortly after the ad was released, Nike came out with a statement that this ad, “You Can’t Be Stopped” would change the values of the company forever. It would shift the focus from only professional athletes to both amateur athletes and people just trying to get into a sport. The values of the company also shifted to that of supporting people that aren’t athletes at all. People that just need motivation to keep going.
In conclusion the Nike ad, “You Can’t Be Stopped”1, is an amazing ad that provides motivation for just about anyone. For the people that need help in sports, work, school, etc. Nike is providing it.
Works Cited
1- Nike. (n.d.). You can’t be stopped | nike – youtube. Retrieved November 20, 2021, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIr6QtAvzZM.
Nike Equality Commercial
In the past year and a half there have been many injustices against people of color such as the killing of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and many hate crimes against Asian Americans. In this commercial Nike not only promotes its brand but addresses a real issue in our world today which is racism. Nike does this by using many rhetorical strategies to appeal to the audience such as its cinematics along with ethos, pathos and logos.
Nike begins this commercial with a gloomy black and white aerial shot of a city with sad piano playing in the background. The producer does this to set a darker mood into the audience, the background music is also very important as it puts the audience into a sad and sentimental mood. As the narrator gives a heartfelt speech about how in sports people are judged not by their color, but by their actions. During the start of this narration many famous faces are shown in their respective sports fields such as Lebron James, Serena Williams, and Megan Rapinoe. The narrator then states that these values and bonds should have no boundaries, and should go beyond just sports. It then shows NBA all star Kevin Durant with a bottle of spray paint expanding the boundaries of a basketball court, transitioning to many others doing the exact same thing. Although subtle, this symbolism is very powerful as it represents the belief that that equality should have no boundaries and shows the boundaries of a basketball court being broken and spread all across the world. As this is happening the music transitions to a slightly more upbeat tune with famous singer Alicia Keys singing “change will come” to give the audience the hope and reassurance that change will come and that these issues can be solved. The commercial ends with the narrator stating that people should have the same opportunities regardless of color and with the powerful statement “if we can be equals here, we can be equals everywhere”, again stating that equality should go beyond just sports.
To begin with, the commercial uses Ethos in a few different ways, the first way being showing a large number of famous athletes and celebrities throughout this commercial. With athletes and celebrities such as Lebron James, Serena williams, Kevin Durant, Michael. B. Jordan and Alicia Keys the audience is more inclined to respect cause of the commercial and also will see Nike as a more credible brand. Next, the narrator states many good points throughout this ad such as the idea that equality has no boundaries, the importance of equality in sports, and the idea that people should be judged by their actions not color. All of these statements are ethics or moral principles that every person should follow, by using these ethics in its commercial Nike establishes itself as not only a more credible brand but also shows the audience that it actually cares about real issues in the world.
Second, this commercial uses pathos extremely effectively to bring out a number of emotions from the audience. The first way pathos is used is throughout this commercial every single person has a very disheartened serious look on their face, this makes the audience empathize with these people and even makes the audience feel sad themselves. Furthermore, the narration in this commercial also uses pathos as the narrator uses a very soft but passionate tone while he speaks, this helps the audience relate to the cause of this commercial while also invoking feelings of guilt and sadness in the audience.
Thirdly, this commercial uses logos very simply but effectively to persuade the audience. Throughout the entire ad the narrator uses simple logic and reasoning to why all people should be treated equally in and out of sports. He uses statements such as that in sports people are judged by their actions rather than their appearance or beliefs, and that if people are treated equally in sports that they should be treated equally everywhere. By using these arguments the author is making the audience more inclined to support the cause of the commercial and understand the importance of equality in our world.
Finally, the cinematography in this commercial is also used in different ways to get different emotions of out of the viewer. First, the entire commercial is shot with a black and white filter, this sets a gloomy mood which can make the audience feel a bit down. Next the music in this commercial is used perfectly as it starts with a mellow piano beat which makes the listener feel sad, and as the commercial goes on it becomes slightly more upbeat and turns into a much more hopeful tune. Lastly, all the scenes of people coming together throughout the ad and especially at the end is very powerful, as it shows that we are all in this fight together and makes the audience feel empowered and hopeful for a brighter future.
In conclusion, I believe that this is a very effective and very well put together advertisement. It uses ethos, pathos and logos very effectively while implementing great music choice and videography. This commercial not only will help Nike attract more customers but also puts a foot down against a very important problem in our world. I think more companies should make commercials that have an impact on the real world while promoting their brand.
The Three Rhetorical Nurses
Logan Brown
Professor Yu
First-Year Writing
19 November 2021
The Three Rhetorical Nurses
Tough times can either bring people together or tear them apart. In the case of recent history, the coronavirus has torn people apart. Whether it was to stay away from your family to protect them or because you have different beliefs than others, a lot of the country was in turmoil. In times of trouble, there are always people to try and help calm everyone and in this case, it was simply a tattoo artist.
Das Frank, a 2002 graduate with a major in theatrical design, is a thriving tattoo artist based out of Los Angeles. His style of art is finding the good in bad situations. Das got very popular during covid when he created a series of World War II style posters trying to encourage people to stay home during the pandemic. His jump to the spotlight was aided when Colorado Governor Jared Polis posted his piece on Facebook.
The coronavirus was and still is an extremely troubling time in not only America but the whole world. Millions of people died tearing apart every type of family. The thing about a virus is that it does not care how old you are, what your race is, or what gender you are, everyone is at risk. It was then enforced for everyone to stay home and wear a mask. This brought up a lot of controversies because not everyone agreed with this. People argued that they should not be forced to wear a mask and stay home if they wanted to risk getting sick. The issue with that was that they could still spread the virus to others. The country quickly became very divided and neither side was willing to listen to the other. This is where the importance of people who try and please both sides comes into play.
Das Frank’s piece shows three nurses wearing teal scrubs, masks, and face shields in front of a red background. The nurses are standing very confidently looking out into the distance. It almost appears as if the nurses are “ready to go to war”. Just above the nurses it says “Stay Inside” in an off-white color and at the bottom, it says “Victory Begins at home” in yellow. At the very top of the poster, it says “For you! For them! For us!” also in yellow. The whole style of the poster is World War II themed propaganda.
The purpose of Das’ art was to convey the message that everyone should stay home. He compared it to war and how if everyone does their part the war will be won. In this case, everyone’s part was to stay in their own homes and avoid putting anyone else in harm. If this could have been accomplished the “war” against covid could be ended.
The poster was directed to everyone in not only America but all around the world. The pandemic was a threat to the globe and Das wanted to reach out to them all. This poster could also be thought to be directed towards those who disagreed with staying home. Especially with it being war-themed it reached a little different audience than those who were already staying inside their houses.
This very simple poster represents a ton of rhetoric in different ways. Pathos and ethos are used to grasp the viewer. The healthcare workers during the worst of the pandemic were labeled as heroes. They were viewed as some of the most important people in the world. Das Frank knew this and put three of them front and center on the poster. They show both ethos and pathos.
Ethos is used by having the nurses tell people to stay home because people are more likely to listen to them rather than the government officials a lot of people have a hard time believing. With the country so divided most Americans had trouble listening to the government officials of opposite political parties. Every public and government official has different thoughts and opinions along with different circumstances in each state. This led to a lot of turmoil and disagreement. Das knew this so using the nurses would convey his message a little differently and without a political view to it.
The nurses also represent pathos because people felt for them. They had the toughest job in the world risking their lives every day. They had to watch families get ripped apart and countless people die. Along with witnessing all this, they had to fear that they would get the virus or even bring it home to their families. People admired their bravery which is why Das used them with pathos.
Another way pathos is used is in the word usage and style. There are not many words on the poster which makes it short and to the point. “For you! For them! For us!” grabs the reader and makes them think about the others that could be affected. The words “Stay inside” are the biggest words on the page and are plain and simple. There are no tricks, it is just telling you to stay inside. Lastly the words “Victory begins at home” are stated at the bottom. It is fair to say that everyone wants to get past this life-damaging event. So by stating victory begins at home tugs at the feeling of getting out of this pandemic. The whole style also makes people feel different ways. It is a poster about covid so anyone who is trying to help keep people safe sees it as a great thing. It also hits people who have an attachment to war and people who do not fully understand the significance of the virus.
The trials and tribulations of the Coronavirus will forever be remembered. The division of our country from it along with the virus itself will have long-lasting effects. The thing that will not be remembered are the people who wanted to help behind the scenes. People like Das Frank who created the series of posters telling people to stay home. His posters had a huge outreach around the country with people of power spreading his messages. With Das and his rhetoric, he was able to reach a huge audience and help save lives.
Citations
Frank, Das. “Coronavirus Nurse Poster.” The Gazette, Erin Prater, 12 Apr. 2020, https://gazette.com/military/wartime-rhetoric-seeks-to-inspire-sacrifice-patriotism-for-coronavirus-fight/article_5527e20c-7a6f-11ea-9e3d-d7de71201005.html. Accessed 2 Nov. 2021.
The Art of Das Frank. “Who Is Das Frank?” The Art of Das Frank, https://www.dasfrank.com/who-is-das-frank.
Coca-Cola Love
Ethos, pathos, and logos are important factors that have been used in a lot of commercials because their purpose is to convince the audience about the product and buy them. Coca-Cola is one of the companies whose well thought of using rhetorical appeals to the audience. One of their popular commercials such as Brotherly-Love, this advertisement has demonstrated all of its rhetorical component and its goal.
Direct by Santo, Buenos Aires
In January 2016, Coca-Cola released the commercial name “Brotherly-Love”. This commercial is about the story of two brothers’ relationship. Its goal is to aim for the audience who are attracted with family, love and happiness to buy the product who to buy and share with their family or the love one. In the commercial, it has shown two types of product in two different size offers to the audience. These products aim for different type of audience and group of people such family or party.
Products
Analysis
Throughout the the video, they use a warm or yellow lighting to make the commercial looks friendly, happiness, and energetic vibes. It setting the mood and feeling to the audience. It also a good way to spot the product they want to sell because the drink is a dark color which contrast against light or warm color which make the audience the spot out the product easily.
The commercial begins with the first scene of the young brother in the living room playing a game and with a bottle of coke on the table, then later on getting annoyed by his older brother while playing the game. The second scene, also the same setting as the first but with a different angle. The younger brother try to grabs his headphone on the bookshelf, but it a little too high to reach, then his brother come up and put it on higher place. The third scene, when the raining day where they walk from home then his brother walk fast with the umbrella to make him get wet. The fourth scene, the brother step on his feet at the dining table to make him annoy again. At this point we make that the brother is a bad sibling. This is to make sure the audience to feel bad for the younger brother to build up rhetorical.
Pathos has been used extensively throughout the commercial, if not exclusively, the most in this commercial. In each scene, the older brother always annoys the younger brother. The young brother always looks weak and tiny compared to his older brother who can’t do anything against his brother. This makes the audience feel sorry for the younger brother because of feeling sympathy toward the young brother. On the other hand, when the younger brother gets bullied it shows that the young brother is weak, but when the older brother steps in to help the brother, this is an example of pathos because the audience can feel dominant from the older brother against the bullies.
In order to show the weak or dominant role during the bullies scene, camera angles play an important role. When the young brother gets bullied by the other kids in the commercial; the camera angles down on the young brother to make sure the audience looks down on the younger brother. When it shows the bullies, the angles up for the bullies to make sure the audience view him as a strong person. The roles are reversed, for the older brother and the bullies. Looking down on someone means weak because that person is below you, while looking up on someone means that person is either better or stronger. A simple trick, but it makes the audience feel and know who is weak and strong.
The song is use to show pathos and kairos, the lyrics show as when the young brother getting bully.
“What if I’m far from home?
Oh brother, I will hear you call
What if I lose it all?
Oh sister, I will help you out
Oh, if the sky comes falling down
For you
There’s nothing in this world I wouldn’t do”
this mean sibling will help out younger sibling no matter where they are or how hard is the problem. This a example of pathos that is showing love of sibling , that it will do what ever it take to help each other out. In other hand, kairos was use as to let the audience see what will happened next. Thy lyrics was matching the video to let the audience keep thinking what will happened next such as
“Hey brother
Do you still believe in one another?
Hey sister
Do you still believe in love? I wonder”
This is to showing when the older brother keep annoying his young brother. These lyrics highlight the importance of the commercial’s message and kept the audience guessing as to what would happen next.
Ethos play important role is this commercial because it tend to show the audience what product they can why they should buy it. Ethos was show during and after the bullying scene, it was show that how much loyalty and love from older brother. The older brother wouldn’t let his weak brother getting bully on. Also the older brother gave back the coke to his brother even though he want to drink it.
Logos was showing during when the older brother giving back the coke to the young brother. The older brother did want to drink so badly but he gave to his brother. During the drinking scene the young brother look happy when drink the coke. This mean the product is taste really good.
Inconclusion, rhetorical devices all use throughout the video delivery the message of the product that Coca-Cola offer. The product the offer is taste good from the logos, bring people happiness show as pathos and loyalty show as ethos when the audience having or buy the product.
Citation
“Avicii – Hey Brother.” Genius, https://genius.com/Avicii-hey-brother-lyrics.
Coca-Cola | BRÆÐRAÁST – YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hC7JRv-hAEI.
Medium, Media, and Technology I 