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Seniors: Advertising Essay

Your assignment is to work in small groups to write a comparison/contrast paper analyzing the rhetorical strategies of two print advertisements and to present your analysis to the class. Although your paper will be written and presented as a group, you will type the draft for a grade. Please focus on the following:
  • The audience - based on the "context" of the ad (where and when the ad appears)
  • The purpose - beyond the product, what else (abstractly) is being sold?
  • The use of appeals - ethos (establishes ethics/authority), pathos (abstract emotions of the consumer), and logos (a logical argument based on reason and evidence)
  • The use of rhetorical strategies – i.e. juxtaposition, allusion, analogy
  • The use of sensory imagery, design, and language - diction, informational data
You MUST have a thesis and a clearly developed, well-organized analysis to meet the demands of the assignment. Your introduction should include a discussion of audience and the context of the ads, as well as your thesis.

The essays and presentations are due on Friday, December 14th.

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