Rhetoric Class assignment about Visual Analysis about Ad. (College level, 1400-1600 word)

RHET 1302

Essay #2: Visual Analysis

Submit: Upload online through the TurnItIn assignment button.

You will also upload your draft this way.

Length: 3-4 Full pages

Sources: Two: one will be your visual source, the other will be the

company/ brand/ organization website.

Purpose: Communication exists in mediums outside of the written word. Just like a written

text, a visual text communicates meaning on a deeper level beyond merely the literal. For

example, photographs, print advertisements, posters, paintings, and movies all convey messages.

In this class, we will spend several days focused on “reading” and analyzing visual texts.

Requirements: This assignment asks you to select a visual source like a television commercial,

a printed advertisement, or a music video and analyze its rhetorical features. You must compare

the visual source to the company/ brand/ organization mission statement and purpose as given on

their website. How does the visual source effectively or ineffectively represent what the brand

claims to stand for? What are the specific visual examples that support this? You will

accomplish this by discussing the visual source’s use of rhetorical appeals, devices, strategies,

and the optional argument style.

Audience: Your audience for this assignment is your instructor and your classmates. Although

your readers are familiar with the text, you should thoroughly represent its main ideas and key

points, and provide accurate textual evidence throughout.

Things to consider:

 How does the source use specific rhetorical strategies such as pathos, logos, and ethos?

 You can also consider the argument style and various formal elements like metaphor, personification, irony, symbolism, etc. that you think are relevant.

 Who seems to be the targeted audience?

 If you have chosen an advertisement, then what product or service is being advertised?

 Make sure you choose wisely with your source. You need to choose something that has enough content to sustain a 3-4 page analysis.