Hello Readers! We are three English 101 students at the University of Maryland and we are ecstatic to share our blog of rhetorical analysis with you. The epidemic of smoking is one that, for about 70 years now, has swept throughout the nation and affected all age groups and backgrounds. The health risks hold no bias and has posed a large threat to this country's well-being. Studying the change in smoking culture through advertisements is especially interesting. The rhetorical value of the pieces help us differentiate what people believed to be “normal” at the time and how that came to be.
We chose texts that clearly juxtapose each other. An early 1960’s advertisement and another from 2015 side by side. When played next to each other there are many astounding differences that catch the eye. One uses the ethos of a doctor's approval to promote smoking, while the other uses heavy pathos to scare the cigarette out of your hand. They have heavy differences but one important similarity is they both want to convince you something drastic about cigarettes and they both think they are perfectly right. Our major argument about these pieces is large shifts in culture can lead to large shifts of rhetoric on television. With the official release of the 1964 US Surgeon General study claiming smoking gives you cancer, cigarette purchase has been on a steep decline. That hasn’t stopped many large corporations from pushing reform that hides research against their product. This is why advertisements are a great place to search for rhetoric because multi-billion dollar organizations are willing to reach any length of persuasion and rhetorical devices (even logical fallacy) to convince the audience of a distinct target.
Smoking advertisements are relevant today considering that America is still working towards enhancing people’s health by eliminating the use of tobacco products. Analyzing these two texts reveals how much smoking culture has evolved. In the 1960’s smoking was an encouraged social act, while now people are more reluctant to smoke due to its harmful side effects. In today’s society, governmental agencies have created campaigns such as “Above the Influence” and “The Real Cost” to prevent young teens from experimenting with smoking. These campaigns display commercials that contain unsettling facts and real life experiences from those who have smoked for years. Anti-smoking ads allows the viewers to see the negative effects of smoking and makes them unwilling to smoke in the future. Cigarette smoking among young American teens is at its lowest level in 22 years. Now only 7% of teens smoke compared to the 23% that smoked in 2000. Now is the time to end teen smoking for good, we can continue to spread awareness and encourage our peers to stop smoking.
Our blog begins by discussing the kairotic moment of both commercials by revealing the significance of what has lead up to their production and broadcast. Next we explain the major rhetorical arguments of each text by establishing what message they are trying to portray. By also applying stasis theory to both commercials the reader can better understanding the main ideas of each text and how they relate. Then we examine the rhetorical appeals found in each text and determine how it strengthens their viewpoint. First, we consider how they appeals to pathos especially in “The Real Cost” commercial, in the way it evokes fear in teens. Next, we describe the ethos in each text comparing how doctors are utilized and the FDA is employed to establish credibility.Then we analyze each text to understand how they utilize logos to give strength to their reasoning. Lastly we analyze the audience of the texts to establish the motives for creating each ad. I think this system works well because it breaks down each advertisement in various parts, making it easier for the reader to comprehend the how the views on smoking have drastically changed over time.
We encourage readers as they view our blog to consider how much media has changed and advanced since the 1960’s. We chosen two very interesting texts that display the parallels between the sixties and today. Readers should appreciate the amount of knowledge we have today regarding smoking and the role of the government to eliminate the use of tobacco products. Comparing multiple rhetorical topics side by side can help the reader come to their own conclusion on the impact of smoking on the United States. We hope after reading the posts you have acquired some knowledge on how advertisements are used as an outlet of rhetorical analysis, as well as asking deeper questions and challenging what you thought you knew. Make sure to add to this discussion with any questions or comments!
Thank You!
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