Visual Rhetoric First Draft

Rachel Dority

26 January 2009

English 103

Jin Liu

Visual Rhetoric Assignment

            Many pet adoption commercials show eloquence with their main concept being to persuade the audience to adopt animals. Pedigree, a dog food brand, has Adoption Drive commercials such as one called “Oliver gets Adopted,” found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADR7GiCdOpo&feature=related. In this commercial, a dog named Oliver explains his adoption story.  At the beginning of the commercial, Oliver is in a cage at an adoption center while sad music playing in the background. Then, Oliver tells about the day he got adopted while he walks out of the adoption center with his new owner on a leash. Lastly, the audience watches as Oliver runs around with another dog and plays with his owner after adoption. Pedigree’s Adoption Drive commercial uses many techniques of rhetoric such as the rhetorical appeals of pathos and ethos, seven of the rhetorical strategies, and all of the 5 rhetorical canons, to persuade the audience about how adopting a dog can give the animal exuberance and happiness.

            By using the rhetorical appeals pathos and ethos, the audience is attracted to the commercial. Regarding the use of pathos, the commercial appeals to the audience’s emotions. At the opening, the commercial puts us into a sad state when Oliver is in a cage looking miserable. Pathos is also called the “pathetic appeal” because it is an easy way to convince the audience of the concept they are trying to convey. The sad condition changes when Oliver is taken home with a new adoption family. Also, it makes the viewer feel like they can change the miserable life of the dog by adopting one. The commercial also appeals the audience by the use of ethos. Ethos is also called the ethical appeal. It is “the deliberate use of the speaker’s character as a mode of persuasion” (Alfando & Obrien 35). The speaker in the commercial is Oliver, a dog. He tells his adoption story in first person. This displays his feelings towards his adoption in a very strong way. Using ethos also makes the commercial appear very creditable.

            The commercial used seven of the nine rhetorical strategies. The use of narration in the advertisement tells a story. Oliver is the narrator telling his story of adoption. The viewer watches the melancholy of the story progresses into a joyful mood. The use of narration in the commercial exemplifies a successful use of persuasion. Secondly, the commercial uses the strategy of comparing and contrasting. It contrasted two distinct emotions of Oliver. The sad life of Oliver at the adoption center was contrasted to the happy and vivacious life in a special home. The advertisement compared the process of adopting a dog like Oliver to giving the dog a better life. By comparing and contrasting it makes the viewer feel that they can adopt a dog and change their life into a life of cheerfulness. The third rhetorical strategy that is used is example. The advertisement uses Oliver as a clear example to show how adoption can impact a pet’s life. Showing example gives the viewer a greater belief that they could help a pet just like Oliver. It also makes the viewers pity the animals sitting in shelters or adoption centers and creates a feeling that they could do something about it.

            The fourth rhetorical strategy used is cause and effect. This demonstrates the benefits of adopting dogs or animals in general. The cause is the adoption of the miserable dog. The effect is the change of the ambience from the sad mood to a delightful one. Cause and effect is a beneficial way of persuasion and rhetoric. Fifth, the commercial uses analogy. For those people who do not want to or cannot adopt a dog, Pedigree makes donations to help dogs get adopted. The use of analogy makes more people want to buy Pedigree dog food so that dogs such as Oliver can be adopted and they can live their life enthusiastically. The sixth rhetorical strategy that is used is description. The commercially describes the life of Oliver before adoption and the life after adoption very thoroughly. Oliver’s life after adoption is described as carefree and vivacious. The use of description correctly portrays how adoption changes the life of animals. Lastly, the advertisement uses classification. It classifies the adoption of Oliver into the larger scheme of adoption of all animals. The adoption of the animals fits into the larger scheme of changing animal’s lives and making them happy and significant. Using classification helps the viewer see how adoption of pets or animals in general fits into a larger scheme of life.

            Five rhetorical canons are used into making the commercial effective in rhetoric. Their invention of ideas is consistent throughout all the Pedigree commercials. The Pedigree adoption drive commercials are always about how an animal is in a shelter and needs a home. Some include the exuberant life of the dog after adoption. The invention of ideas includes the rhetorical appeals and strategies used to make the commercial effective. The second rhetorical canon is arrangement. The commercial is arranged from the depressing beginning to the cheerful ending. It is also arranged chronologically. It also was arranged by conveying a problem and then correcting it with a solution. The commercial was also effective in its use of the rhetorical canon of style. The commercial used a persona of the dog Oliver. Oliver told his adoption story in first person creating a well-designated persona. The persona of the commercial was effective in making it persuasive. In the argument it also gives evidence of Oliver getting adopted. The next rhetorical canon is memory. The writer of the commercial brings out the adoption and how Pedigree will donate to save many animals from sitting in shelters. By using memory it makes the position of persuasion stronger. The commercial is delivered in a very convincing way. It is also delivered very well from the use of making the audience pity the little dog in a shelter.

            By the use of the rhetorical appeals, the commercial is very persuasive. Through pathos, the viewer feels bad for the dog and it makes the audience want to adopt a dog or buy Pedigree who gives money to help adoption. It makes the viewer feel they can change the life of the dog and many other animals. By using Ethos, the speaker, Oliver, made the commercial seem very creditable. With the use of seven of the nine rhetorical strategies the commercial is very persuasive. Narration is used when Oliver tells the story. With the use of comparing and contrasting, the sad life in an adoption shelter is contrasted with the happy life of the dog after adoption. The use of Oliver as an example creates a very reliable commercial. Adoption was the cause and then the cheerful aftermath of the adoption was the effect. The use of analogy makes people who want to adopt a pet but cannot able to contribute by buying Pedigree dog food. Description is used to correctly portray the life of Oliver before and after adoption. Adopting a pet is shown on a larger scale by adopting animals and making them a happy life through classification. Lastly, through the 5 rhetorical canons, invention, arrangement, style, memory, and delivery, the commercial was extremely persuasive. After the commercial the viewer feels as if they should adopt a dog or at least buy Pedigree dog food so that they are in some way contributing to helping the animals in adoption centers. All of the techniques of rhetoric were correctly used in the commercial making it very eloquent and also portraying credibility.