Rhetorical Analysis -Encounter

I went to the mall to look at a new phone service. The argument was what are the consequences of using their cell phone service on my satisfaction of cell phone usage. They claimed that by using their service, I would increase my satisfaction of cell phone usage, because using their cell phone service is cheaper than my current service provider and I don’t lose any service.  The audience is obviously a poor college student that wants a cell phone service that is cheap but works well.  The goal was to get me switch cell phone service to T-Mobile right then and there.  The salesman tried to use logos to get me to buy their service. He talked to me about how they used At&t towers instead of their own, so they didn’t have to charge as much because they don’t have to pay for maintenance.  He could have established more credibility and a better relationship with me though.  As far as reasons go, I don’t think he provided sufficient reasons to convince anyone to buy their service.  He kept saying that the only thing that really mattered was the phone I wanted, and I thought that was a bad argument.  His arguments were very typical.  I also thought he was very relevant.  He talked about the benfits of Verizon and At&t, and then contrasted them with the benefits of TMobile.  Although, he didn’t do a great job arguing, I think his performance was effective for me, but that’s only because I was planning on switching over anyways.  Otherwise, I probably wouldn’t have been too convinced.

Rhetorical Analysis - Commercial

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QU7BO35n47I

The commercial I'm doing is the Global Warming commercial by the Ad Council (the one with the kids repeating the phrase "tick").  The argument is as follows- what are the consequences of global warming on our future generations?  Global warming will annihilate our future generations, because global warming will turn the earth into a giant fireball.  The audience is middle age parents who have elementary-age children.  These parents don’t believe that global warming is happening, or they don’t want to do anything about it because it won’t affect them personally.  The goal is to get these parents to fight global warming by going to their website.  The argument is made mostly by appealing to our emotions (pathos).  They seem to be using children, who the audience holds dear to them, to guilt them into fighting global warming.  It’s easy to say no to a nerdy scientist trying to get us to stop driving cars, but little kids counting down like a bomb timer have a greater impact on us.  It makes us feel guilty for even driving our cars.  It uses ethos to establish a relationship with the audience.  While a scientist or a well known celebrity would establish credibility, the little children allows the audience to relate to the concern of global warming.  A little bit of logos is used as well, because since children can’t do anything to fight global warming, it is obviously up to us.    It is very effective, because people don’t want to be the cause of their children’s death or hardships.  It makes us feel guilty for not doing anything about it, and it places the lives of the little children on our shoulders, and that is a greater motivation to fight global warming. 

Rhetorical Analysis-Advertisement

This Dyson ad argues that people should buy their vacuum, because they don’t clog or lose suction like other vacuums do.  The target audience is people who are looking for a simple vacuum that doesn’t clog or lose suction.   The goal of the advertisement is to get people to learn more about how their vacuum works by visiting their website.  They also want to get people to buy their vacuum.  They make their argument by appealing to the emotion of frustration.  They do this by talking about how other vacuums clog and lose suction.  Most people know how frustrating it is when a vacuum clogs, or when you roll over a dirty spot on the floor and nothing is sucked up.  It’s a very frustrating feeling.  Also, by using the simple word never, they give people a stronger confidence in their product.  I am a graphic designer, and I think that the simplicity of the ad gives it credibility.  I love how Dyson doesn’t need to use a lot of words to describe how awesome it’s vacuum is.  It leaves the viewer intrigued, wanting to learn more.  It is also logical, because a vacuum isn’t supposed to clog, so why should we buy one that does?  And since we don’t know what vacuums clog, we know at least one that NEVER will.  It is very effective, because it’s not so busy that it loses our attention, but it’s not so empty that we learn nothing from it.  It  is successful in making the audience feel frustrated for the times that their vacuum has clogged, and it makes them want to visit Dyson’s website to learn more about a vacuum that won’t do that. It captures the audience without giving them so much information that they don’t need to learn more.

Zune or iPod?

I remember it all so well. It was the 25th of December, 2004, and i was the last one out of bed. My parents even got up before me. As a matter of fact, everybody forgot that I even existed and ran to see their presents. I didn't care, because I got to sleep longer. Anyways, I walked out, wrapped in my S.F. 49ers blanket my mom made for me, and it saw it immediately. The vibrant colors on the box seemed to sing to me. I opened it, and there before my eyes stood my new best friend: a 4th generation, 20GB Click-Wheel Apple iPod. I took it with me everywhere. I felt like a little child, and it was my favorite stuffed animal.
Anyways, even poetic story talk. That iPod lasted a while, but all good things come to an end. Well, most good things come to an end. And my iPod wasn't an exception. So, i decided to try the new Microsoft Zune, instead of buy another iPod. I have nothing against iPods (except the fact that they're made by Apple and require the use of iTunes), but I just wanted to try something new. And I have no complaints. The Zune has been awesome so far. I can't quite say it's the love of my life... (it can't even compare to her) but it was definitely worth the money spent. Something else worth the money: Freebord. I love it.