tina

1

Miller

ENGL 317-D1 Essay #2:

Evaluation Writing Prompt

Essay Deadlines:

· Prewriting: Sunday, October 11th (11:59 p.m.)

· Rough Draft: Sunday, October 18th (11:59 p.m.)

· Final Draft: Sunday, October 25th (11:59 p.m.)

Assignment Objectives:

Through this assignment, you will learn to:

· Examine visual literacy in a multi-media domain;

· Analyze cultural, historical and visual contexts of a particular text (commercial);

· Identify appeals to logos, pathos, and ethos while analyzing how these work together (and how they may not successfully work together);

· Analyze intended audience vs. real audience and choices made to reach those audiences;

· Differentiate between summary and evaluation;

· Provide examples and analysis of those examples in support of a judgment on the effectiveness of a text;

· Use MLA (Modern Language Association) or APA (American Psychological Association) format to cite information from sources (in-text and Works Cited or References);

· Engage in writing as a process, including invention (such as brainstorming for ideas), developing a thesis statement, drafting, revising, editing, and proofreading;

· Use grammatical, stylistic, and mechanical formats and conventions appropriate for different audiences and writing situations.

Assignment Description:

Often, we think about a text (written or visual) as a whole, rather than in parts. This assignment asks students to break down a visual (in this case, a commercial) explain how the pieces of that visual work together to ultimately form the main idea or achieve a goal. Then you will use that analysis to make a judgment about how effectively that commercial achieves its purpose or reaches its intended audience. Further, an evaluation may look at the “loose ends” that intrigue and invite the reader/viewer to think more critically about the “message” of the text—what is says and how it says it.

For this assignment, you will write an evaluation essay in which you analyze how a commercial featured during the 2026 Super Bowl uses the elements of that ad to appeal to a specific audience. The commercial you choose must come from this website: “Best 2026 Super Bowl commercials: All 54 ranked according to USA Today Ad Meter”: https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ad-meter/2026/02/09/best-super-bowl-2026-commercials-ad-meter-ranking/88584787007/

Students should include the following in the body paragraphs:

· Description of Commercial: A brief description of the visual and the specific pieces that make up the commercial (Images, font size, colors used, placement of objects of the page, etc.).

· Background Information: Conduct some research on the subject of the commercial you have chosen. This could be on the company/organization being featured, a specific product (if relevant), a celebrity spokesperson or actor, etc.)

· Purpose: What are the purposes of the commercial? (Is it selling something? Informing the public? Entertaining audiences? A combination of these?) Explain how you know this.

· Audience(s): Which groups of people is the commercial trying to appeal to? Explain how you know this by using examples from the visual.

· Persuasive Appeals: How does the commercial use the persuasive appeals? Provide examples from the commercial to support your points.

· Ethos in the Commercial (author/brand credibility) and Examples

· Pathos in the Commercial (emotional persuasive appeal) and Examples

· Logos in the Commercial (logical persuasive appeal)

· Judgment of the Text – Ultimately, does the commercial succeed in reaching its intended purpose and audience? Why or why not? Use your analysis to support this judgment.

Also, cite the commercial in your Works Cited/References.

Essay Requirements:

· Word Count: A minimum of 1000 words.

· Include the Word Count on page one below the date.

· Use MLA or APA format (not a combination of the two).

· The essay should use first or third person. Avoid second person (“you”).

· The commercial MUST be chosen from this website: “Best 2026 Super Bowl commercials: All 54 ranked according to USA Today Ad Meter”: https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ad-meter/2026/02/09/best-super-bowl-2026-commercials-ad-meter-ranking/88584787007/

· You must use a minimum of TWO sources. One of these must be the commercial you are analyzing.

· You may not use Encyclopedias or Wikipedia as a source.

· Only original work will be graded. Students should not submit an essay or assignment that was previously submitted for another course or instructor. Do not use Generative AI to create the response. Doing so will result in a score of zero for the assignment.