Choose an advertisement or public service announcement of any length that discusses or works to solve a Human Rights issue that matters to you and write a 2+ page essay that analyzes how the video uses rhetoric (logos, pathos, and ethos) to convince the audience to buy the product, support the cause, or believe in the idea discussed in the video. Your essay should include an additional page that features a Work Cited page where you cite the video you chose to write about.
Note: you should not use “I” or “you” in this essay (other than in the thesis model provided in the lectures that you are asked to use in this course).
Some topic choices (listed in no particular order) are: mental health, racism, poverty, food / water insecurity, refugees, health/health care, womens rights, stereotyping, LGBTQ+ rights, and environmental issues.
Practice:
You might find this essay easier to write if you do the following before selecting a topic and beginning the first drafts of your essay:
- Watch the following video which serves as an excellent example for what your video selection could/should look like for this essay. You may not use this video when writing your essay:
- Look for examples of logos, pathos, and ethos in the commercial. Write down each example as you see it — even if you aren’t sure which is logos, pathos, or ethos; you can identify these pieces from the commercial as logos, pathos, or ethos after you’ve taken note of them.
- Decipher what the commercial is trying to do. Is this commercial trying to get you to donate, advocate, and volunteer? If so, then is it effective in doing so? If so, select examples of logos, pathos, and ethos that are especially convincing for you.
- Practice building a thesis statement that analyzes the commercial according to the lecture provided using the notes above that you’ve taken after watching the video a few times.
