Rhetorical Analysis of Truth PSA - Research Paper | ENG 207, Papers of English Language

Download Rhetorical Analysis of Truth PSA - Research Paper | ENG 207 and more Papers English Language in PDF only on Docsity! Mindy Fick Eng. 207 Brittany Cottrill 31 March 2009 Rhetorical Analysis of Truth PSA Everyone knows that smoking is bad for you, that’s old news. Many people, whether they are smokers or not, tend to tune out PSA’s about smoking. This was until the Truth Campaign started. Their commercials use many approaches to reach a very large audience. The Truth Campaign is able to take a sensitive subject and inject humor to get its point across; this essay will dissect the emotions targeted by the campaign and the responses by its audience. In the very first line of the PSA the teen announces; “In 1971 when one tobacco executive was reminded that smoking can lead to underweight babies, he said ‘Some women would prefer smaller babies.’(Sunny)” This automatically uses pathos, the appeal of emotions, to target the audience. It is basically saying that this executive doesn’t care if babies are born prematurely as long as the mother is still spending money on cigarettes. It also implies that the tobacco company is doing these mothers a favor; they don’t have to carry around as much if the babies are smaller than they should be. While the first portion of the commercial appeals to most, and is understood by many, the main target is mothers. A mother hearing someone make a statement about benefiting from an unhealthy baby is more likely to cause a reaction. By opening the commercial like this, the truth campaign has grabbed the attention of those who can empathize with having a premature baby, and also those who can sympathize with it. Right away Truth has created a loyalty to their side of the argument. Next the commercial brings in the cartoons; the stork and the babies are real truths represented by a more fictional side. They dance and sing as though they find the subject a happy and upbeat topic. While this still holds the appeal to the mother audience, they are now able to bring in more. Children are going to pay attention because there are cartoons singing on the television. Also teens, young adults, and even adults are going to be drawn in to the irony of the commercial. The topic of the PSA has to deal with a very delicate issue; babies being born premature and underweight. The irony of the ad also creates a persuasive appeal. These sick babies aren’t lying around ‘dying’ they are up and dancing around singing about their sickness. The song states “Healthy babies are just no fun, eat too much and they weigh a ton, it’s really such a shame they have to grow. Give three cheers for big tobacco, growing healthy kids is wacko, little bitty babies are the way to go! (Sunny)” This song is catchy and now sticks in the minds of the audience members. Not only has the Truth campaign created an appealing commercial, they have also created a catchy song that people will continue to remember. While the message is important, many of the audience members won’t realize that they are singing about underweight babies. In my opinion is a very persuasive power. The audience subconsciously thinks about the effects of smoking, but does so in a different manner. One that the truth campaign uses very well is humor. A subject like smoking and the deaths or effects it has on not only babies, but people in general, is not a funny topic. However, the Truth campaign turns the serious consequences