English 103 – Professor Granillo

Essay #1 – Advertisement Rhetorical Analysis

Resource requirements
 Audience Awareness Worksheets (Completed for Postings #1
and #2)
 “Introduction to Critical Thinking and Analysis of Persuasive
Techniques”
 Assigned Readings from Asking the Right Questions

Format: Write a four-page (4) essay in MLA format on the prompt

below. All drafts (unless stated otherwise) must be:
 Typed
 Double spaced (2.0)
 Written in 12pt Times New Roman font
 Have one-inch margins
 Drafts must be printed in black ink only.
 You will also need to include a works cited page and in-text citations.

**A guide to MLA 8 Formatting: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/ **

Assignment:

 Compose a four-page rhetorical analysis of a current advertisement utilizing the

Greek Triangle (ethos, pathos, and logos).

 In addition to providing a rhetorical analysis, your essay must also identify one
fallacy.

 Evaluate the overall effectiveness of the advert. Does the company reach its
intended goal based on the assumptions of its consumers?
English 103 – Professor Granillo
Example Analysis

Thesis Development
Your thesis should incorporate:
 Counterargument
o What claim is the advertisement making?
 Claim
o Do you agree, disagree, or are of two minds concerning the advert’s
claim?
 Theoretical Concepts
o Utilize rhetorical modes and fallacies to support your claim.
 So What?
o A “so what?” underscores your original claim and gives your thesis
complexity. In other words, it gives the reader a reason to care about your
argument.
o To underscore your claim, consider what impact the advert has on its
target audience; the significance of the advert within its genre; the value in
contemporary America.

Advertisement name: “The Greatest Gift”

Company: Glade
Counterargument: Candles bring warmth and togetherness during the holidays
Claim: Glade fails to acknowledge how to combat grief
Rhetorical concepts/fallacies: pathos, ethos, logos, hasty generalization
So what?: Despairing to those who may need psychological help because a candle will
not solve problems

Thesis:

Glade’s “The Greatest Gift” claims that candles bring warmth and togetherness during
the holiday season, but the company fails to acknowledge how to properly combat grief;
Glade’s overuse of pathos and ethos leaves little room for logos, and creates a hasty
generalization of the candle’s usage and impact; thus, “The Greatest Gift” serves as a
despairing reminder that grieving individuals may need psychological help more than the
glow of a candle.

You do not have to use the exact same words but use the above model as a guide to
writing your own thesis:

 Thesis should be 2-3 sentences long

 Break down your thesis into parts to ensure you have all of the necessary elements
 Combine the parts, and use active verbs, conjunctions and transitions words
and phrases to better streamline your thesis.
English 103 – Professor Granillo

Example Outline
Use the thesis above to organize your essay.

I. INTRODUCTION
Must be written in this order and should be no longer than ½ a page.
a. Hook (Scenario, quote, etc.)
b. Transition sentence (connects the hook to the summary)
c. Summary (introduces a discussion of commercial and rhetoric)
d. Thesis

II. LITERATURE REVIEW

Consider every capital letter a paragraph.
A. Background of Advert
a. Audience
b. Claim
c. Strongest mode of rhetoric – emotional rock hit (pathos)
B. Counterargument (since it appears in the thesis first; generally,
counterarguments should always come before your claim)

III. SUBTOPIC #1 – PATHOS

Subtopics should be conceptualized as ideas which can be expanded into two or more
paragraphs. Assign each paragraph different lyrics or a scene (if a TV show) to expand on
your ideals. Consider every capital letter a paragraph.

A. Usage of pathos by way of “This is My Wish” song juxtaposed with old man
narrative
a. Topic sentence
b. Transition
c. Evidence: Lyrics
d. Theoretical concepts
e. Analysis
f. Warrant (your claim/so what?)

B. Usage of color adds to the overt usage of pathos, underscoring grief and
happiness.
a. Topic sentence
b. Transition
c. Evidence: dull gray
d. Theoretical concepts
e. Analysis
f. Warrant (your claim/so what?)
English 103 – Professor Granillo
While this is not a complete outline, I hope you can see how I’m using my thesis to
outline my paper, and how I can expand on ideas without limiting myself to 5 paragraphs.

Papers, at this level of English, should never have page-long paragraphs.

English 103 – Professor Granillo