Visual Rhetorical Essay Assignment
Essay: What appeals (Ethos, Pathos, Logos) are used in support of the ad?
Your task is to consider the visual text’s rhetorical situation and demonstrate an accurate reading of the claim, the main supports, and the appeals used in that visual argument.
You should give a brief overview of the visual text but focus your essay on showing an understanding of the argument being made and how it is supported. You will need to identify any appeals that are being used as support to the claim. This paper is not simply a summary of a visual argument. It is an analysis of the argument put forth by the ad.
Ideally you will use one ad. However, you may use more than one ad, if for example, one ad is a great example of pathos, and another is a great example of ethos. However, try to use as few ads as possible, since each ad that is used creates complexities in organization and development.
Structure:
The essay should follow an academic structure with an introduction and thesis, body paragraphs, and conclusion. The body paragraphs should bring in significant details from the ad as the textual evidence to support the paragraph. The goal is to show an understanding of how the ad uses rhetorical appeals to support its claim.
Here are some questions that might help you think about the rhetorical situation:
- What is the argument?
- Who is the audience?
- What contextual elements influenced the production of the text?
- What appeal(s) does the author employ to persuade the audience?
- In what ways are these appeals significant?
- Are there other elements that clearly lend support to the claim?
- In what ways are these significant?
- How do the appeals or other elements build to support the claim?
A successful essay must accomplish the following (though not necessarily in this order):
- Introduce the rhetorical situation of the visual argument
- Give an overview of the ad
- Identify the argument
- Analyze the argument and rhetorical appeals to show how the argument/main claim is being supported
Introduction:
- Writer, Audience, Claim, Purpose, Context (not necessarily in this order)
- Thesis statement about rhetorical appeals (don’t have to write about all 3 – write about what is most significant in your ad.
Body Paragraphs: There are 3 parts- Not 3 sentences
- Topic Sentence- Make a claim about the ad – what appeal do you see it creating?
- Evidence- Write a detailed description of a scene from the ad or use a direct quote of something spoken or written.
- Analysis- Explain how the quote is demonstrating your claim (ex. how is the quote ethos), and how does this element of the ad contribute to the overall argument.