Research topic

Research paper topic

I will be doing my research paper on abortion and how it can not only effect you physically, but mentally, emotionally, and spiritually as well. Having a child is challenging as well, but their are always options. The options today when getting pregnant are adoption(open or closed), abortion or keeping the child and raising it yourself. When thinking about the different options, mothers need to think about how it will affect them in the future such as education, careers, and traveling.

Grabbing Your Attenion!

Grabbing Your Attention

Grabbing the viewers’ attention is the first thing that advertisers want to do. Using bright colors, graphic pictures or interesting jargon are some of the different tactics people use for attention getting. There is always a meaning behind a picture whether it’s good or bad; a picture is worth a thousand words.  In this case I am comparing three different drunk driving advertisements and analyzing their meaning. They are similar in some ways, but they also are very unique as well. Delivering a strong message in the advertisement just by a small picture can change someone’s life.

Figure 1: MADD Grave Graduation Ad

In the MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) advertisement above, the view point is supposed to be as if you were looking from a grave. The MADD organization began with a mother who lost her child in a drunk driving crash. She turned her grief into a positive change; her work and the work of so many other mothers, fathers, sisters and brothers started a program that has saved 300,000 lives and still counting. “The mission of Mothers Against Drunk Driving is to stop drunk driving, support the victims of this violent crime and prevent underage drinking” (MADD 2011). The logic of the picture is that this is one of the many consequences that can happen by drunk driving. As you probably noticed the shape of the sky in the background is a skull which represents death. The sky is dark and cloudy which sets the mood of sadness.

Graduation is a huge milestone in a person’s life, and it is a big achievement. Having one drink of alcohol can change the future for not just you, but for others too. The audience for this ad is for high school and college students since the scene is a graduation ceremony. Kairos is also used in this picture because its timing is directed to everyday students and the place of the view point is so disturbing that it catches your attention on the spot. The phrase “I want to look away, but I can’t” works really well with this picture. The image is so disturbing and you want to look away, but you can’t. The truth hurts sometimes but people need to know the truth.

Figure 2 Absolute on Ice Ad

In figure two, Absolute Vodka gives a chilling advertisement that makes you want to cringe. The picture is of a covered dead corpse on a cold metal table at the morgue with a ticket on the foot to identify the body. The pathos in the image is very serious; death from alcohol is very serious. We don’t even know if the body belongs to a drunk driver or a random pedestrian that was ran over by the drunk driver. The logic in the picture is the same as in figure one.

 Using disturbing realistic pictures to capture the emotion lets people know that drinking is a serious issue. The argument in this picture is that people who drink irresponsibly can hurt others in the process. It takes responsibility to drink alcohol.

Figure 3 Molson Ad

The Molson alcohol advertisement above shows the effects of alcohol just by looking through the glass. In normal view you can just see just a plain car driving down the street, but when you look through the glass the car is upside down. The feeling in this picture is calm with bright colors. The seriousness doesn’t hit the viewer until they understand why the vehicle is upside down.

All three of the alcohol advertisements shown above are trying to input fear into the viewer’s mind as a reminder to drink responsibly. In the past, alcohol advertisements were only to encourage people to buy their products. Now that they realized how much of an impact that the companies are making and they are finally encouraging drinkers to drink responsibly. The ads all show their own rhetorical devices of ethos, pathos, locos and kairos.

Works Cited

Emergence Marketing. 26 May 2006. 20 February 2012 <http://www.emergencemarketing.com/2006/05/24/spoof-advertising-what-do-you-do-when-this-happens-to-your-brand/>.

Gifford, Amy. Inventor Spot. 2006. 20 February 2012 <http://inventorspot.com/articles/alcohol_awareness_6123>.

 Mother's Against Drunk Driving. 2011. 20 February 2012 <http://www.madd.org/>.

VISUAL RHETORIC

               I was on my way to Walmart to buy some groceries and on the way there I see rhetoric mages such as many ads, posters, flyers, signs and banners. They are meant to grab your attention on the spot! Mostly they are just a big distraction in my opinion, but they always make me think about what they are trying to get across.

As soon as I get in my car and start to drive I see a big advertisement banner for a gym membership that said “Only twenty-five dollars a month” in bright red print, assuming people in this economy can afford a gym membership. The gym building has huge windows in front by the sign to show the crowd of members. I think they don’t have tinted windows to show people how clean and nice the place is. Organization and cleanliness also grabs people’s attention.

 The next banner was a little league registration for kids to get up and active. It was in front of schools, libraries, and parks. These are all very popular places for where children like to go. When they go there they are likely to ask their parents about it. And if their parents say no, the children can say that it’s so they can be healthy and active like the advertisement said. How can you say no to your child wanting to be active?

As I move farther down the street there are more and more stores on the road with advertisements. There are even little ones on car bumpers that are noticeable such as brand names of clothing, sports gear, or equipment. As soon as I walk in Walmart there are a dozen more visual rhetoric images in my face. Toys for Tots are donations of toys around the holidays for children in need. By putting the big Toys for Tots box in the entrance of the store it makes people feel guilty for not donating to the kids that are less fortunate. Another one I saw was a man being the bell ringer.  His bucket of money was empty, and had a sign for the Salvation Army on it. How can you not donate to a person who has been standing outside for hours just to help others get food on their plates?

Visual rhetoric images grab your attention whether it’s in a positive or negative way. They are always going to be around us whether we like it or not. It’s how some people make a living for themselves.