Writing homework
Student Name
Date
Class
Sample 1 - Kindle Advertising
Amazon has recently launched a series of commercials for their handheld e -reader the
Kindle. Their ad campaign consists of stop -motion commercials depicting variou s literary
genres that you could read via the Kindle. The latest commercial starts with a mother seeing her
daughter off to school. On e the daughter is on the bus, a Kindle drops down out of nowhere into
the mother's hand and she smiles. Immediately th e mother becomes immersed in it. The viewer
first sees bats coming out of the device and then the mother turns into a vampire and flies off into
the sky. In the next scene she is Cleopatra, and the final scene is of her scuba diving. Amazon
kept the comm ercial neat and clean to evoke feelings of simplicity, happiness and freedom in the
consumer. The commercial leaves the viewer wanting to find those feelings for themselves.
Kindle evokes feelings of happiness and freedom by creating whimsical scenes with
addicting jingles in the background and lots of color. One of the scenes involves the mother
turning into a v ampire and then flies off up through gray clouds. The blue sky in contrast with
the mother's red cloak ties in with the happy look on her face then makes the consumer want the
same feelings of freedom and enjoyment. Kindle offers a sense of fantasy as well which allows
you to lose yourself in other countries, times and worlds when and where ever you like. This
idea of freedom and fantasy is appealing to young hipsters who can read a book anywhere from
the bar to the workplace. Young professionals are able to use it when they are traveling whether
it is commuting to work or flying across the country for a meeting. Even stay at home mothers
could use it, reading a couple of pages while waiting to pick up their children from school or at a soccer game. Amazon uses a simple clean and neat format for their commercial without
overloading the consumer with information. They feed into the idea of the need to simply the
consumer's life by offering a device which allows you to carry all of your favorites in one
portable device. If you travel a lot, it helps cut down on what you pack. Instead of finding a
place to shove those five novels they are all right there at your fingertips. Kindle uses the slogan
“books in 60 seconds” meaning that no matter where you are, at home or overseas, you can be
reading a new book in a minute. By including only the slogan and the name “Amazon Kindle”
the consumer is left wanting more information. Amazon is America's largest online retailer
which means most will know where to go to find info rmation on the Kindle.
Amazon throws their name in the last frame when you see “Amazon Kindle, books in 60
seconds” flash on the screen. Kindle's success is due to Amazon's reputation. Without Amazon
before the name Kindle, this product would seem confusing to consumers and quickly fade from
their minds. Because so many consumers have bought other items online via Amazon, it makes
sense for Amazon to branch out and sell items under their own name. By keeping their
commercials simple and without much information shows that Amazon knows that words are
less likely to matter because their name and service speaks for itself. The website already offers
simplicity to busy consumers by allowing purchases in everything from groceries to music and
the Kindle is just an extension of this service. Plus the idea of a lighter bag and less clutter at
home makes sen se to a consumer always on the go.
Amazon states that the Kindle is logical by showing the different genres you could find in
one small place. Why would you want five books if you could have one li ght gadget that is
lighter than one book? For consumers who are often traveling, how many books to pack is a
debate. The Kindle solves that debate allowing the consumer to have books to read if they find a spare moment between business meetings and for those in foreign countries even negates the
need to pack the phrasebooks to help you get around. Amazon shows that big things do come in
small packages.
Through the commercial Amazon shows that you can say a lot by usin g a little. The
commercial uses a simple format and concept to appeal to all consumers. You can read a book
and get lost in it no matter where you are at. Not only that, but when you want to find a new
book it only takes a minute. Freedom and simplicit y is actually achievable. By trusting in the
brand name that has already offered these concepts, Amazon is only further offering consumers
ways to simplify their lives.
Sample 2 - Student Name
Samm Erickson
Date
Class
Eat Good. Look Great.
As one open s the pages of Fitness magazine one may co me across the adv ertisement
selling the Pure Protein Bar. It is a full page ad with a very fit young woma n in a sporty outfit
with a red top running in the clouds with a halo above her head. There is a look of determination
and focus on her face. The background of the e ntire ad is flat using gra ys and blu es except for
the Pure Protein b ar at the bottom , which is in full color. How does this ad encourage the reader
to purchase the product? The use of color to appeal to emotions , layout to appeal to logic and
emotion , an d image to appeal to moral character are key elements in this ad. The overall background color of the ad is a dreary display of storm clouds . The clouds
are grey and blue and the woman running is wearing a gray outfit with a red top. The red top
draws your eye to the center of the ad allowing you to noti ce how fit she is. This is an argu ment
based on pathos. One might look at this woma n and think, “I wish that I was so fit.” Envy is a
very clever way to sell a product. I f Pure Protein bars can make one look this good , than one
certainly might try it. This could be true especially if one had a lready been struggling with
weight and is desperate. At the bottom of the page is the picture of the protein bar in full color.
This draws the eye to what is being sold. It looks delicious! Why wouldn’t you want it?
The ad uses a logical approach to an emotional response. Those who designed the ad
kept it very simple. The woman running in the middle is the main focal point. The bottom of the
ad is telling the reader about the product that is being sold . The text is laid out very well. Th e
tex t around the runner draws the reader in emotionally. “They won’t wake you up at 5 a.m.
They don’t tie your shoelaces for you. They can’t make you push yours elf harder.” This
emotionally ties one’s thoughts to all of the activities involved in day to day activities. Guilt,
laziness, and self image are all emotions that may be provoked by these statements. This
reminds the reader that it is ultimately he who m akes the difference, a logos approach to a pathos
appea l. The bottom corner text expands the reader’s thoughts a bit more. “Pure Protein bars are
just a sinfully delicious source of high -quality protein that supports muscle and strength. Pure
and simple, you do the rest.” One might lo gically ask w ho doesn’t want to eat protein bars,
work out and have an end result that looks so good.
Image is very important when selling something to improve your body image. The
woman is young and fit. The halo placed above her head implies that eati ng this “sinfully
delicious” p rotein bar is not as unhealthy as it may seem. This is an ethos approach. It is believable, the protein bar is not bad for you, so eat it, and “you do the rest.” Also, to improve
moral character a “proud sponsor” note is pla ced at the bottom corner of the ad , stating that Pure
Protein is a proud sponsor of the national MS society. This is also very important in
advertisement because if the reader knows someone affected by MS one might be more inclined
to buy or support this product.
The slogan used on this ad is “Eat good. Look great.” This ad does a very good job of
using layout, im age, and color to influence the consumer’s decision . The use of l ogos, ethos, and
pathos was done well. Much of it seemed to b e a logos approach t o ethos or a logos approach to
pa thos. Although the ad is well done and does not lie it is a bit misleading . The majority of the
American public will not achieve the results of looking like the young, fit woman in the ad.
Sample 3
Student Name
Date
Rhetorical Analysis Paper
“Cosmopolitan friend or foe?”
For this paper I had to look high and low for something to argue about, not usually a
problem for me. While on my quest, I happen to spot an old issue of Cosmopolitan (February
2007) lying around at my sister’s house. I picked it up knowing that it would be chocked full of
arguments, very democratically (I thought), I threw it into the air and picked it up on the page
that it landed on, number 56. “Why that new guy fell of the map?” Seriously, why do women
read this stuff? The article goes on to say,” You thought things were going great, until his calls came to a screeching halt, finally some explanations. Yes, finally because heaven forbid you
should pick up your diamond incrusted cell phone and dial his number and ask him, "What the
hell??" Apparently the top four rea son a guy will drop you like yesterday’s can of red bull.
“You were both super busy.” If you are both super busy, then both parties, male and
female w ere probably not that into each other, Usually when you meet someone you really like
you will make time to be with them even if you are “super” busy. So why is the author here,
trying to guilt us ( women) into feeling bad , because we got something besides a bun t cake going
on. The author is using a one -two punch here of both pathos and ethos. It’s a pathos argument
because it is playing on a deep -seeded emotion that plagues most women today. We feel guilty
for not being able to keep house the way our grandmothers did, while still remaining viable in
the work place and competitive with our male counterparts. It is also an ethos argument because it
is also based on character; the author implies that if we ( wom an) weren’t so busy with our “crazy
work schedules” then that hot gu y wouldn’t have lost interest in us. It is almost saying that
because we want to be valued in the work place and compensated well, we are some how less
feminine and cannot keep a man’s attention.
“ He thought you were TOO fab”. Of the four, this is my personal favorite. The author
writes here, and I need to mention at this point it is a male author; James Houran a PHD in
“compatibility science”. Question, is that the same thing as cheeseburger science, or how to blow
your nose without ripping the tissue science? I digress. Anyway according to the good doctor, “a
guys sense of attraction hinges on feeling wanted by you - socially, emotionally, financially etc.”
So, here again we are getting the ethos argument saying that if you want a boyfriend and you are
a “good” woman you will be sure that the man you are dating knows what a He -Man you think
he is. That without him, you’d be a penniless, depressed, shut -in with five or six cats and you wouldn’t even make it off the couch for a shower. Actually, if that’s what men are really looking
for, I have an aunt…..
The last two arguments really go together. “ You got close super fast OR you waited too
long to open up.” Here the author uses pathos argument playing on emotions. His argument
seems to suggest some sort of innate inadequacy. That its your fault if you got dumped because
you were too stupid to know that there is this matrix -type window that will only open up at a
certain time and it is at that precise moment you must show your true self, or risk being labeled
cold. However, if you open up too soon because you really like him, then your needy. Oy Vey !
If I may just for a minuet wonder about this advice, and perhaps be a little cynical. What I
wonder is the pay off for the author or the magazine for an article like this? Could it be, to sell
more magazines? GASP. Lets just say I was one of the millions of women who took this stuff
seriously, and I had just been dumped. If I were reading this magazine I wouldn’t know which
end was up, because according to this I got dumped for being busy, self sufficient, open hearted,
and slightly pr ivate. How then should I act? Oh wait that’s the next issue.