Showing posts with label Rhetorical Analysis. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rhetorical Analysis. Show all posts
Monday, October 26, 2009
Rhetorical Publishing
I decided to share it with my friends from out of town, and my family members. Most of my friends are girls, so they enjoyed my analysis. My parents were just proud that I was kind enough to share with them, just kidding, they enjoyed my paper. I was pretty content with my paper and I'm glad that everyone else did too, or at least my family members and friends.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Cake....To Eat or Not to Eat?
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Cake, in its deliciously baked form, is a favorite dessert for millions around the world, so why wouldn’t it be a favorite in the digital form either? Author Jen of food blog “Cake Wrecks” has discovered this same love for cake in her blog about cakes gone badly. Just like after taking your first bite of cake it’s hard to make yourself stop, this blog has attracted much of its readers by letting them take a nibble, hooking them, and watching them come back for more! Jen has an uncanny skill for using casual language and rhetorical tools in such an easy manner that many of her readers do not realize the addiction that has formed for this physical and visual desire for cakes. With her style of writing, Jen has allowed this blog to become an activity that is enjoyable for people of all ages, shapes, sizes, and situations. In searching through her blog, it is easy to see that Jen’s diction, presentation, and ultimate love and passion for what she does has created a strong dialogue between herself and her readers that keeps people coming back for more.
Just like when you’re eating cake and you couldn’t imagine it getting better, but then you taste some of that sweet icing, Jen’s wit and commentary serve as the icing to her blog by making her photos and posts that much sweeter. It seems that when pictures and comments couldn’t get any more terrifying or any funny, the author finds a way to sneak attack and get the reading rolling on the floor with laughter.
As the reader continues it is not hard to feel Jen’s lighthearted tone and good humor is what helps to solidify her use of kairos. By being aware of her readers, Jen has focused on making her blog very modern. Using this blog as a casual form of journal, the readers are able to connect with the author on a more personal level, almost as a friend. Speaking bluntly, and showing no mercy to those wrecks presented on her blog, Jen has created a tone of humor that is carried throughout her blog by treating all of the people she critiques equally. With such strong appeal to humor, Jen’s writing has created an opportunity to have readers of all ages.
Much of the success of this blog has come directly from Jen’s use of diction and her ability to interact and build relationships with her readers through her various forms of humor. One of the most evident tools in her humor is the overstatement used in introducing the topics, witty titles, commenting on pictures, or even making fun of herself the sarcastic comments define her as an author. An example of this overstating is when Jen posted a bunch of pictures of cake wrecks that were supposed to represent Texas, hoping to tip the reader as where she was; however, It wasn’t until that final picture that we experience some of Jen’s overstatements:
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“What, nothing? Tch. Look, I don't see how this jumbled mass of shotgun shells and strawberries could make it any clearer. [head tilt] Well, unless maybe you held them up to a mirror. Heh. Yeeeah.” This more subtle form of humor gives Jen even more interaction with the readers because it’s not enough that she is teasing the actual person who wrecked the cake, but she goes on to make fun of the reader. The best part about it is that she has made it so that the interpreted humor isn’t offensive, it actually just makes the readers laugh harder.
Although Jen has a great knack for rhetorical tools, she also relies greatly on the visual appeal of her blog in order to intrigue the readers quickly. Having dark backgrounds with bright writing and big titles help to bring the focus of the readers to the writing and pictures, proving that fonts and images are the key elements of her blog. With easy to read fonts, tabs, organized categories, and just overall fun aspects of the site the reader is given the freedom to do whatever they want to do! Readers can find humorous cakes in almost every topic, each of them having their own witty title and pulling the reader from one section of the blog to the other. It’s amazing to see how quickly anyone could really get caught up in this blog because of all of the various things that the authors have been able to discover. It's almost like discovering there are more flavors than just plain vanilla, and you want to try them all.
Just like people want to move away from "vanilla" and into other flavors, Jen gives her audience the option to divert away from the main page and maneuver through separate sections or categories called “fan faves” and “the classics.” Jen even finds ways to interact with her readers simply through entertaining titles, for example: The Oh-So-Gross Foot Cakes, When Gangsters Go “PC,” Naked Mohawk-Baby Carrot Jockeys, and When Brides Have No Budget (or taste) to just name a few. How could anyone fight their temptation to taste this well used skill of connotation?
One of my favorite visual elements of this blog is the contrast of pictures. In our minds we have an image of how things should look when certain words are being said; however, through the skills of many talented "wreckers" some of these words bring in completely new meanings. In the sections about bridal cakes, Jen shows the readers how the interpretation and connotation behind words is important by showing the contrasting visuals of what brides had originally asked for, but were unfortunate enough to receive.
Once more, I don't know where this woman was able to find these unfortunate excuses for cakes, but without a doubt they are the best at contrasting what should be a good cake and what constitutes a complete "cake wreck."
Another one of those categories that may have caught the readers attention is titled “oh poop,” where the use of imagery is quite vivid. When describing what was supposed to be hamburgers cooking on a grill, but were unfortunately not so realistic in their design, Jen was quick on her feet when saying, “Let's kick things off with a zesty selection of grilling poo, shall we?” Now if that doesn’t create a mental image, or stand as a rhetorical question, I don’t know what will!
Similarly, Jen goes on to make some grammatical corrections from other bakeries that include notes on orders that weren’t supposed to be there or don’t have punctuation in proper places to give it proper emphasis(a lot like the one at the top of the page.) One of those cakes presented on this site is written “glad your ‘here’” all in sloppy cursive, and not only was the word “your” misspelled, the quotations completely changed the meaning behind the cake. Jen commented by saying, “Is this person really glad you're "here"? No, of course not. Just look at the signs!” What a nice cross between her overstatements and rhetorical questions to add to the already bad display of cake décor.
Ultimately, without Jen’s sensitivity for quality humor and keen eye for “cake wrecks” we would all be wandering around wondering why anyone could make those simple mistakes or hideous decisions when creating things that are supposed to be both physically and visually appealing. Jen has been able to use all sorts of imagery on her blog both in creative designs, but mostly in her great commentary that brings a fun and light-hearted tone for the readers to enjoy. By applying all sorts of rhetorical tools, Jen has been able to attract readers of all sorts without having to force her blog onto others. Recognized for her great skills we also see that she has received awards for the funniest blog, as well as the best food blog! Obviously this girl knows what she is doing, and what the audience wants or she wouldn’t be as successful as she is and we wouldn’t love it as much as we do. I can only look forward to future postings of “cake wrecks,” and learn those things I need to do to avoid any unfortunate “cake wrecks” of my own.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
A Closer Look
The struggle over health care reform is a well-known issue in the current times. In providing a plan for such a reform, President Obama and his staff have been met with significant resistance from Republican, and even some Democratic representatives. Because it lacks acceptance in Congress, the Democratic Party is attempting to rally troops in order to influence congressmen through their constituents. “The Obama Plan” website was created to advocate this movement and inform the American public of the essentiality of health care reform. Organizing for America, the website’s sponsor, has its origins in the Obama for America organization, a project of the Democratic Party, and is pushing forward Obama's ever-present mantra of "change." Disregarding the specific content provided, the website attempts to gain the trust and confid
ence of the reader through various rhetorical techniques in the effectiveness of the proposed plan for reform as well as persuade the audience to action—whether it be contacting their representative or spreading their open support of the president’s arguments.
The Democratic National Party is attempting to reach all of America, rich and poor, those with and without health insurance, to make it clear that everyone will benefit from this change, not just for those who lack sufficient coverage. This is clear through their three-column approach: one listing benefits for those who don't have health insurance, one expressing the benefits for those who already have health care, and a final column “For All Americans. For the majority of the majority of readers, the Party uses a strategy that works to their advantage. They trust that the average reader will briefly skim the issue at hand, accept that which makes logical sense to be fact, and move on. In this sense, the “Obama Plan” rhetoric is infallible. The information is summarized, bulleted, and proportioned—an easy read for the lazy eye. Even the video provided is organized into short, bite-sized clips that give the unquestioning American everything they need to know about Obama’s health care reform. However, for those who remain inquisitive and doubtful, this over-simplification can lead to mistrust. They may ask, “How can there be no negative consequences to such a great change in the country’s health care system?” or “How can we know that all will go as planned?” Even these two basic questions fail to be answered.
Nevertheless, one of the text’s greatest strength is its ability to connect with kairos, simply because health care reform is an issue still at hand. Also, they allude to the great deficit and economic troubles that face this country at this time. It succeeds in appealing to a currently worrisome, thrifty, and hesitant American population due to the misfortunes this country has so recently experienced. Interestingly enough, this article is organized more like it is trying to sell something to the American “customer” than anything else. The average consumer doesn’t want too much to read, but just enough to know the basics—costs and benefits. From there, they decide whether or not to “buy” what they’re being sold. Simplified, categorized information is given, mostly to appeal to the logos of the average American “buyer.”
The use of the term “Americans,” and, in President Obama’s quote, the use of a collective “we” (“our families, our businesses, our government”) creates pathos to pull at the patriotic heartstrings of the public. Although a good portion of the audience will not notice it, this tool is very effective in making every reader of this text feel included in the “us” or “our” category. Once the connection is made between the reader and the Democratic Party—or even the President of the United Sates—it is more likely that said person will believe that the words in front of them are, indeed, for them specifically, and require their action.
Along with the summarizing text, there is a short film of integrated clips in which, essentially, the same information is expressed, but from Obama himself. This assists the integrity of the entire piece. Where the ethos may be weak to the inquisitive mind, the visual and auditory presence of President Obama can be quite convincing. He is an eloquent spokesman, and the Democratic Party has used this to their advantage.
The site also uses two of President Obama’s quotes—both of which to appeal to pathos. The more powerful of the two states, “I’m asking you to believe. Not just in my ability to bring about change in Washington… I’m asking you to believe in yours.” This is intended to empower the individual, to move them to action because Obama said they could make a difference! This may work for some, but to others it will seem unrealistic. It is a common belief in society today that the individual can hardly make much difference in governmental proceedings.
The Demo
cratic National Party leaves a closing seal on their message. It is used only twice on the page, but very effectively. The “Organizing for America” icon is a red, white, and blue circular emblem that portrays a sense of hope. Rays of light extend out from it, and within the circle is a small portrayal of a morning sun coming up over a hill. Although small, it carries with it an important message, one that is designed to express the ultimate goal of the entity it was created to represent: national unity, with a specific emphasis the issue of health care reform. The powerful seal imbibes the spirit of the American Dream, calling to the pathos in the hearts of all audiences, no matter what race, class, or political affiliation, re-emphasizing that the Democratic Party and Obama stand together in hope for a better tomorrow.
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The Democratic National Party is attempting to reach all of America, rich and poor, those with and without health insurance, to make it clear that everyone will benefit from this change, not just for those who lack sufficient coverage. This is clear through their three-column approach: one listing benefits for those who don't have health insurance, one expressing the benefits for those who already have health care, and a final column “For All Americans. For the majority of the majority of readers, the Party uses a strategy that works to their advantage. They trust that the average reader will briefly skim the issue at hand, accept that which makes logical sense to be fact, and move on. In this sense, the “Obama Plan” rhetoric is infallible. The information is summarized, bulleted, and proportioned—an easy read for the lazy eye. Even the video provided is organized into short, bite-sized clips that give the unquestioning American everything they need to know about Obama’s health care reform. However, for those who remain inquisitive and doubtful, this over-simplification can lead to mistrust. They may ask, “How can there be no negative consequences to such a great change in the country’s health care system?” or “How can we know that all will go as planned?” Even these two basic questions fail to be answered.
Nevertheless, one of the text’s greatest strength is its ability to connect with kairos, simply because health care reform is an issue still at hand. Also, they allude to the great deficit and economic troubles that face this country at this time. It succeeds in appealing to a currently worrisome, thrifty, and hesitant American population due to the misfortunes this country has so recently experienced. Interestingly enough, this article is organized more like it is trying to sell something to the American “customer” than anything else. The average consumer doesn’t want too much to read, but just enough to know the basics—costs and benefits. From there, they decide whether or not to “buy” what they’re being sold. Simplified, categorized information is given, mostly to appeal to the logos of the average American “buyer.”
The use of the term “Americans,” and, in President Obama’s quote, the use of a collective “we” (“our families, our businesses, our government”) creates pathos to pull at the patriotic heartstrings of the public. Although a good portion of the audience will not notice it, this tool is very effective in making every reader of this text feel included in the “us” or “our” category. Once the connection is made between the reader and the Democratic Party—or even the President of the United Sates—it is more likely that said person will believe that the words in front of them are, indeed, for them specifically, and require their action.
Along with the summarizing text, there is a short film of integrated clips in which, essentially, the same information is expressed, but from Obama himself. This assists the integrity of the entire piece. Where the ethos may be weak to the inquisitive mind, the visual and auditory presence of President Obama can be quite convincing. He is an eloquent spokesman, and the Democratic Party has used this to their advantage.
The site also uses two of President Obama’s quotes—both of which to appeal to pathos. The more powerful of the two states, “I’m asking you to believe. Not just in my ability to bring about change in Washington… I’m asking you to believe in yours.” This is intended to empower the individual, to move them to action because Obama said they could make a difference! This may work for some, but to others it will seem unrealistic. It is a common belief in society today that the individual can hardly make much difference in governmental proceedings.
The Demo
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Rewriting Beauty
What do we think of when we think of the word beautiful? What images are brought to mind? Merriam-Webster tells us that the definition of beauty is “the quality or aggregate of qualities in a person or thing that gives pleasure to the senses or pleasurably exalts the mind or spirit.” What does our society today deem “pleasurably exalting to the mind or spirit” during this particular time period? In today’s society, the definition of beauty has morphed into something much more shallow than it used to be.
Dove is attempting to redefine what beauty has changed into with their Campaign For Real Beauty. The medium of this text is web-based and it is fairly informal. Dove is trying to make a difference in the lives of women while advertising their products at the same time. Their website utilizes images, articles, and other resources. The site portrays what are generally considered as “average” women, or even less than that, as beautiful. The text attempts to convince all women that they are beautiful. This is accomplished by means such as portraying women who would not usually be considered as someone of great attractiveness as beautiful, and by sharing stories from other women.
The target audience of Dove’s campaign is the women of the world. The home page of the website lets the user choose their country of origin. The website makes itself even more friendly by allowing more than one language option for countries in need of it. There are thirty-four options. Some of these include:
This is an important tool used by Dove. I looked at each version of the site that were in English. All of them contain the same basic information, but each version has a different home layout. The material is presented in a way custom to each region. Gearing so specifically towards women of a certain region is helpful to Dove by better targeting a wide range of women.
Dove has been making its mark in the world of beauty products since 1957. Being in the industry that long, Dove has seen what has happened to the definition of beauty. Their campaign has come at a time when the “ideal” way for a woman to look is like the airbrushed covergirl of magazines, the insanely thin runway models, or the gorgeous movie star. Because of their history Dove has a background that builds credibility to make a stand on today’s definition of beauty and to help with the self-esteem issues facing women today.
The campaign is very pathos-oriented. The way the campaign employs image plays the emotions of its audience more than anything else. The images of women that look like the average, day-to-day women rather than super thin models relates to the audience. To see a woman who might not have a perfect body or gorgeous face be proud of who they are is inspiring. The campaign is challenging what beauty really looks like. The images provoke much emotion in a short amount of time because seeing a woman who might not be gorgeous or have an amazing body showing off her confidence shows that anyone can be comfortable with who they are.
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For the audience member that wants to spend a little more time exploring the site there are many other features that the website offers. There are blogs and articles, discussions, tips, and videos. These are just some of the features of the site.
Dove is intervening at a crucial time. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, one in every five women suffers from an eating disorder or some form of disorderly eating. Self-esteem and body image are huge problems facing women in the world today. When on the website there is a link to the Dove Self-Esteem Fund. By entering the UPC of a Dove product you can choose from certain charities to donate one dollar to. Not only does this aid in the problems of women today, but it helps Dove to sell their products. It sends the message that by purchasing Dove you can make a difference.
Another tool Dove uses is that they give the role of communicating to the audience. The users are being convinced of the cause by other users. The audience becomes the writer in this sense. There is a very understanding tone to the text. The audience member is drawn in by the fact that they are not alone in this fight. They are not the only person facing these problems. The site is very user-friendly. It is not difficult to navigate through the site. The easiness is inviting to the audience.
While going through the site’s many features, I discovered a couple of items that I really liked. The first was when I was exploring the site and I stumbled upon the “quizzes” section. I took a quiz regarding image manipulation. It is so crazy to know that so much of what we see in images has been manipulated. It helps for women to put things into perspective. Why do we compare ourselves to people that do not actually exist the way we are seeing them? It’s ridiculous. Too often, we find ourselves comparing ourselves to these photo-shopped beauties. We do not pause and think about how the photographer caught the model at just the right angle and then manipulated the picture later to enhance her beauty.
The second item that I particularly enjoyed while exploring the site was an article called Taking Your Life Back. The topic of the article is one’s “inner critic.” The inner critic is what we allow to tear us down over and over again. The article tells us “Your inner critic was created by your past experiences, and you are not your past, so there is no inner critic. It was a false and fictionalized identity created by you as protection from your fear of truly discovering your true essence of self.” There are many more articles on the site just as inspiring as this one. These articles offer fantastic advice on how we can turn our perspectives of beauty and ourselves completely around.
Dove is making a difference in how women are viewing themselves. Dove is bringing a deeper meaning to the term beauty. Dove’s website accomplishes this through customization to the audience, powerful images, thought-provoking articles and videos, and much more. By relating to their audience so well, Dove is able to accomplish their goal with this text.
Dove is attempting to redefine what beauty has changed into with their Campaign For Real Beauty. The medium of this text is web-based and it is fairly informal. Dove is trying to make a difference in the lives of women while advertising their products at the same time. Their website utilizes images, articles, and other resources. The site portrays what are generally considered as “average” women, or even less than that, as beautiful. The text attempts to convince all women that they are beautiful. This is accomplished by means such as portraying women who would not usually be considered as someone of great attractiveness as beautiful, and by sharing stories from other women.
The target audience of Dove’s campaign is the women of the world. The home page of the website lets the user choose their country of origin. The website makes itself even more friendly by allowing more than one language option for countries in need of it. There are thirty-four options. Some of these include:
- United States
- Brazil
- Denmark
- Greece
- Korea
- Norway
- Turkey
- Vietnam
This is an important tool used by Dove. I looked at each version of the site that were in English. All of them contain the same basic information, but each version has a different home layout. The material is presented in a way custom to each region. Gearing so specifically towards women of a certain region is helpful to Dove by better targeting a wide range of women.
Dove has been making its mark in the world of beauty products since 1957. Being in the industry that long, Dove has seen what has happened to the definition of beauty. Their campaign has come at a time when the “ideal” way for a woman to look is like the airbrushed covergirl of magazines, the insanely thin runway models, or the gorgeous movie star. Because of their history Dove has a background that builds credibility to make a stand on today’s definition of beauty and to help with the self-esteem issues facing women today.
The campaign is very pathos-oriented. The way the campaign employs image plays the emotions of its audience more than anything else. The images of women that look like the average, day-to-day women rather than super thin models relates to the audience. To see a woman who might not have a perfect body or gorgeous face be proud of who they are is inspiring. The campaign is challenging what beauty really looks like. The images provoke much emotion in a short amount of time because seeing a woman who might not be gorgeous or have an amazing body showing off her confidence shows that anyone can be comfortable with who they are.
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For the audience member that wants to spend a little more time exploring the site there are many other features that the website offers. There are blogs and articles, discussions, tips, and videos. These are just some of the features of the site.
Dove is intervening at a crucial time. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, one in every five women suffers from an eating disorder or some form of disorderly eating. Self-esteem and body image are huge problems facing women in the world today. When on the website there is a link to the Dove Self-Esteem Fund. By entering the UPC of a Dove product you can choose from certain charities to donate one dollar to. Not only does this aid in the problems of women today, but it helps Dove to sell their products. It sends the message that by purchasing Dove you can make a difference.
Another tool Dove uses is that they give the role of communicating to the audience. The users are being convinced of the cause by other users. The audience becomes the writer in this sense. There is a very understanding tone to the text. The audience member is drawn in by the fact that they are not alone in this fight. They are not the only person facing these problems. The site is very user-friendly. It is not difficult to navigate through the site. The easiness is inviting to the audience.
While going through the site’s many features, I discovered a couple of items that I really liked. The first was when I was exploring the site and I stumbled upon the “quizzes” section. I took a quiz regarding image manipulation. It is so crazy to know that so much of what we see in images has been manipulated. It helps for women to put things into perspective. Why do we compare ourselves to people that do not actually exist the way we are seeing them? It’s ridiculous. Too often, we find ourselves comparing ourselves to these photo-shopped beauties. We do not pause and think about how the photographer caught the model at just the right angle and then manipulated the picture later to enhance her beauty.
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Dove is making a difference in how women are viewing themselves. Dove is bringing a deeper meaning to the term beauty. Dove’s website accomplishes this through customization to the audience, powerful images, thought-provoking articles and videos, and much more. By relating to their audience so well, Dove is able to accomplish their goal with this text.
Truth through Manipulation: A Rhetorical Analysis of martinlutherking.org
Truth through Manipulation: A Rhetorical Analysis of martinlutherking.org
To study reality, we study truth. This is the basic concept of history. To learn and analyze what happened in the past, which was reality, we study truth, the facts and data that we have today. However, only when the entire truth has been looked at, only then can the history studied be presented as reality.
In the website http://martinlutherking.org, it states that this website gives the audience “A True Historical Examination” of Martin Luther King Jr. This technique is an example of the connotations that comes with precise choice of wording. The word ‘True’ from the website heading states that the website is true and therefore a good reference for whatever the audience needs. But, that quote implies that all other resources, books, historical literature and other websites as well must be false or not contain all the facts. To explain further, if martinlutherking.org’s claim is indeed true, then it claims that all other sources have the statement of “A False Historical Examination.”
Therefore, as shown in the example above, through the use of literary and visual techniques, the writer manipulates the audience by presenting itself as a legitimate academic resource; which in turn meets the writer’s goal to try and reformulate the audiences’ past preconceptions of Martin Luther King Jr.
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The King Holiday: Bring the Dream to Life
The visual techniques used in this website are basic yet informative of what the author is trying to do. The first thing one notices is the picture of Marin King Jr. in the center of the page. His picture, the icon of the Civil Right Movement, is positioned so that when the targeted audience first comes to the webpage, they see his face. This will automatically give a positive feeling on the website since it will focus on Martin King. Another visual technique is the use of formality by the repetition of content. Shown through the use of the links which have titles and subtitles like, “The King Holiday: Bring the Dream to Life.” This heading again causes the audience to think positively of this website as an informative, therefore, factual website, before looking at any content. The formality of the website is also shown by the lack of designs on the page. It is filled with words rather than pictures or a glamorous background. This again, gives it a formal look and establishes its credibility.
martinlutherking.org
As one looks at the content of the website, there are many links that the audience can choose. They can choose to click on things like, “Civil Rights Library” or “Historical Writings.” This technique of choosing gives the user a nonlinear feel, or the ability for the audience to pick and choose what they want to learn. Which in turn has the gives a positive emotional effect on the reader in which they are not forced to learn any of the content, rather they are choosing to learn what they want. This again gives the author of the page authority and credibility in what they will have to say when the user clicks on the link.
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Also, at a first look it seems as though there is a lack of an author or heading of the group that created this site. Which also focuses the audience’s view on the content rather than who made the website. But by looking to the bottom of the page, the audience can see where the author places the sponsor of the website, Stormfront.
Stormfront is a white supremacist group. Seemingly like an informative site, as stated before, Stormfront, uses its website address and its relatively specific subtitles to give it more credibility. For Stormfront to have the name ‘martinlutherking’ in their webpage address again adds credibility to their argument. Like most other websites like Chase Bank or Wal-Mart, the audience gives its trust to a website by name alone. The ending of the website is also a ‘.org’, website. Usually, when people see ‘.org’ at the end of a web address, they believe it to be a trusted website to a legitimate organization. By not giving away its political position straightaway and by using its web address, this website again manipulates the audience into believing that martinlutherking.org is a legitimate website and filled with the ‘truth’ it claims it brings to the audience.
The Death of Dream: The Day King Was Shot
After the website image has established its credibility though the use of its focus picture and alignment of information, the author uses an array of different literary techniques to inform or persuade the audience to accept the given information. Since this website is written by a white supremacist group, it is rational to say that the information will be skewed in one direction. And as seen in the content, the author, rather than disputing the assumed knowledge the reader has, gives new evidence and attempts to prove it. If an audience member clicks on the link “The Death of Dream: The Day King Was Shot” they will read about the day before and the night he was shot. Then it gives evidence quoted in Newsweek magazine,
There FBI bugs reportedly picked up 14 hours of party chatter, the clinking of glasses and the sounds of illicit sex--including King's cries of "I'm f--ing for God" and "I'm not a Negro tonight!”
This shocking evidence that author has quoted is revealing and probably new to the audience. But even though it looks to be quoted, the author does not give a credible reference or link to where the audience can find this article. Also, it claims to quote out of "And the Walls Came Tumbling Down," by Rev. Ralph Abernathy, but it again does quote a page number or direct reference. This use of the technique of narrowing the facts again proves that the author is trying to manipulate the audience by focusing on the negatives, attempting to change the audiences’ preconceptions of Martin King. Another quote from the website from the link, ‘Truth about King: Who He Fought and Fought For’
WHEN THE COMMUNISTS TOOK OVER a country, one of the first things that they did was to confiscate all the privately-held weapons, to deny the people the physical ability to resist tyranny. But even more insidious than the theft of the people's weapons was the theft of their history…. Holidays were declared in honor of the beasts who murdered countless nations.
As shown in the quote, the author never references the name Martin King. Rather, through understatements and metaphors the audience is affected by the association of King, communism and people who have Holidays were declared in honor of the beasts who murdered countless nations. From the title and the association of words, the effect on the audience is that they will begin to question what King was really trying to fight for. The author is effective in a sense. He brings question to the audiences’ minds; however, these questions will go towards the legitimacy of the website rather than towards King. For a website to make such claims in such a tone does not work as proof. And, for it to be supported by Stormfront, the audience will be skeptical about any of the ‘evidence’ it cites.
The intended audience is the unsuspecting public. And this unsuspecting public will feel the effect of the website after they have visited and read it. Through the use of visual and literary techniques, the audience will have seen that the website, though looks unbiased, it is skewed and one sided all around. Seeing that a website like martinlutherking.org can exist, as website with a legitimate address and look, audiences need to be skeptical and attentive about websites that share information. From the internet to newspapers to books, all sources have an objective in mind, and if that objective is to manipulate, then that source should be discounted.
A New Way of Advertising
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We live in a world that is run by computers. Everyone in this country comes across a computer at least once a day. So it shouldn’t be a surprise that the internet is fast becoming one of the most popular ways of communicating, advertising, and scamming other people. In order to reach more people and sell more products, businesses have taken to advertising on the internet. This is how website owners make their money, by selling advertising spots on their website. The more popular the website the higher the cost to advertise your product on it. With this in mind, You Tube has become a popular advertising tool because it costs nothing to upload a video on this site. Therefore some
companies have uploaded series of videos all about their product.
One such company is Blend Tec. Blend Tec has a series called “Will it Blend” on You Tube and also on its own website www.willitblend.com. The “will it blend” series tries to convinces its viewer that the Blend Tec blender is the best blender out there by using humor, style, tone, and many more tools of rhetoric.
On this website, Tom Dickson stars in the series “will it blend”. The site was founded in 2007 and is a link off of Blend Tec’s main website. This attracts people who are looking to buy a
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Also included on this website, are videos of experiments that are actually meant for you to try at home. This gives the buyer something to try and see for themselves. There is also a link to the main BlendTec website in order to order your own blender.
The target audience for this site is a multi-layered audience. The goal is to get as many people as possible to view this website. The company hopes that those who view the website, will then tell other people about it. Then those people will view the site and tell their friends about it. The advantage of having a multi-layered audience is that although the person who originally viewed the site may not have purchased a blender, one of their friends may purchase one with their recommendation. So the target audience is any one who is willing to view the site and tell others about it. The cost of the blender may turn some away from buying one but people who are in a position to afford this blender can be reached through their friends and word of mouth of others.
Another way that the website reaches its audience is by using the communication sites. On the main page of this website, there is a button to add a video onto face book, twitter, or you tube. This makes it easy for other people to share these videos with their friends. This also helps them to accomplish their goal of having as many people as possible view their product.
The website holds your attention from the very start by using dry humor. Before every episode, Tom Dickson repeats the question “will it blend?” He then proceeds to blend an assortment of household items such as a coke can, an ipod, and some marbles. In one specific episode, Tom blends six Bic lighters. On the warning label, there is a statement telling you to keep the lighters away from children but it says nothing about blenders.
I believe that the company is effective at reaching their audience because this website is connected to the Blend Tec main website, where you will get your serious buyers, and it is also connected to the popular website You Tube, where you will get viewers who could potentially be buyers. You tube has a variety of different people on it at any one time. There will be those who will buy a blender just because of this series, there will also be those who consider buying one but will not because of the price, and then there will be people who don’t even consider buying one but will tell their friends and family about it. So in order to reach the maximum amount of those viewers, the company had to use a variety of different tool and appeals.
One of the main appeals that is used is humor. Tom Dickson uses dry humor by cracking jokes the entire time the blender is running. This appeals to the audience and captures and holds their attention the entire episode. For example, in the episode where Tom blends six Bic lighters, the camera switches between what is actually happening and a computer version of an atomic bomb exploding. This is humorous because the audience knows that the explosion really isn’t that big but you can imagine what is really going on. Humor works well in this situation because the viewer will just watch one episode and then will want to watch all of them just to see if there is anything this blender can not blend.
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Another tool that is used is the font. Although many people do not even think of this as a tool, it is. The “Will it Blend” website uses big bubbly fonts to make the page more pleasing to the eye. If the entire page was filled with time New roman font and just listed out the items the blender could blend, then the company would probably lose a lot of its clientele because the site initially looked boring. Instead the company used bright colors, happy fonts, and short paragraphs to create the feeling of excitement about this blender and to make the site look less daunting to read. This tool works because from the very first glance of the website, the viewer is captivated and wants to learn more about the blender, so they start to click around on the site.
This website also uses the tool of Tone. During each episode Tom Dickson has an excited tone when he is speaking about the blender and what it can do. This keeps people watching the entire episode just to see if maybe this time the blender might not work. Tone is created by Tom’s word choice and by his slow speaking style. This keeps people interested in what he is going to say next. When people watch the entire episode, this helps the company to achieve their goal of selling more blenders because the viewer then will know of the power and quality of the blend Tec blender and will want to buy one.
Another way the tone is set is the music played before every episode. The music is upbeat and happy. It makes you excited to watch the upcoming movie. This sets a light tone to put people at ease.
This site is kairotic for its time because blenders are always useful. People will always want to buy a blender because they can be used for so many of your kitchen needs. Every newly married couple buys a blender. Anyone can run across this website off of youtube which is another big hit with people of all ages. This is a website that will attract all ages because of the amusing series of videos.
All in all, this website was created in order for Blend Tec to reach as many viewers as possible. I believe that goal is accomplished very well. I have already recommended this site to some of my friends. With the future of the world mostly relying on computers, advertising is going to become a whole new media on the world wide web. Pretty soon every business is going to have their own website, if they don’t already, in order to reach the maximum amount of people to view their products. As we will soon see, not having a website will soon become a rare thing as the world moves farther along in the age of technology.
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