http://www.ocregister.com/articles/neuheisel-game-bruins-2166335-fans-bruin
1. This article was printed in the Sports page of the Orange County Register. The audience is clearly sports fans, especially UCLA football fans.
2. What are the consequences of a football team's high exectations of success on the number of games they win?
3. The UCLA football team's high expectations of success have caused and will cause them to win less games because high expectations cause disappointment that messes with players heads.
4. Ethos: The author, Marcia C. Smith, publishes lots of articles in this newspaper, so many readers who pick up this article already know her and value her opinion. Several quotes by coach Rick Neuheisel are used to show that the opinion has come largely from the mouth of the coach himself.
Pathos: I see pathos in the way the author brings up the disappointment of players and fans alike, as if to say "you don't want to feel like this again, right?"
Logos: Showing quotes of what the coach is saying now "I appreciate the fans for staying" compared to what he used to say about contending for a national championship appeals to the logic that there is a clear difference in the outlook of the team from when the season started to now. There is also a connection made between the disappointment the fans feel and that which the players feel. The author points more than once how dejected the fans were after the losses. A reader of the column can't relate with how a player feels, but they certainly understand the feelings the fans have, considering many of the readers are fans. The author seems to use this feeling to say "if fans are feeling dejected, players are feeling the same way."
5. Sufficient: Several quotes from the coach and players are used, which are a perfect source for describing what has happened to the team. However, I don't feel like there was enough used, especially when the author describes the coach's expectations about the up-coming year. No quotes are used that show him talking about all they will accomplish. Also, there are no quotes from players or anyone on the team to back up the claim that disappointment and discouragement had anything to do with the losses. They might have simply been the worse team, and only the author's opinion contends that, which may or may not be enough for readers.
Typical: The author uses the feelings of the UCLA fan-base as a whole as a reference, so it is a typical opinion.
Accurate: The description of the coach firing up the team may or may not be exaggerated, as there are no direct quotes. The quotes by players and the coach are good sources.
Relevant: The sources, especially the scores of the last three games and reaction of the team to each of those games, are very relevant.
6. The author's purpose seems to be to not only point out what the problem has been for the UCLA team thus far, but to encourage readers who coach teams to not give their teams unjustified expectations. I think it would have the effect of giving a coach something to think about, however I feel that the claims the author makes are too stretched and not backed up enough to really cause a change of mindset.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Response to tv ad
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x58nii_maybe-its-my-fault-michael-jordan-c_sport
Before I get into the rhetoric used in this advertisement I think it would be important to discuss the ad's purpose, including target audience. This is a Gatorade commercial featuring Michael Jordan. However, Gatorade itself is never brought up intil the logo is shown at the end of the ad. A non-sports-fan viewer may not understand what this ad has to do with Gatorade, but I, being a sports enthusiast, will hereby point this out: Gatorade ads are run usually during sports presentations, and are used to associate all that is good about sports with their product. I think the direction Gatorade is trying to go is to make their product and sport inseperable in the eyes of viewers, and to encourage and motivate them to participate in sports, which will not only make them drink Gatorade because it helps with performance, but because they're VERY thirsty!
Ethos: The obvious point here is that it's Michael Jordan talking. Who knows more about success in sports than he does? Anyone who knows what he's done will at least listen to him, and most will believe what he says. Also, the commercial shows some of his accomplishments, which reinforces his reputation. Another thing I noticed is that in the commercial he's talking to a group of young basketball players, seemingly as a coach. This gives the viewer the feeling that they themselves are being coached, and have a great deal to gain from what this man is saying.
Pathos: This one depends a lot on the viewer knowing Michal Jordan. The slide show of his career is used to bring out a feeling of awe at everything he accomplished. You also see and hear about the struggles he went through, which makes him seem human. This has a motivating effect because the viewer sees that he's a normal person with weaknesses, but he still did amazing things. The music has a similar motivational effect. Also, Jordan's last sentence that "maybe you're just making excuses" creates a feeling of guilt where the viewer thinks "maybe I DO just need to stop making excuses and go out and try."
Logos: The logic used here is that if Michael Jordan sometimes failed, and had to motivate himself to stick with it and keep going, you might also have the same success he had if you motivate yourself to word hard. At the end it's implied that he didn't ruin the game, because sports fans know they still love basketball, thus the only reason left that he gives for most people's lack of success is that they make excuses instead of getting back up when they fall down.
Before I get into the rhetoric used in this advertisement I think it would be important to discuss the ad's purpose, including target audience. This is a Gatorade commercial featuring Michael Jordan. However, Gatorade itself is never brought up intil the logo is shown at the end of the ad. A non-sports-fan viewer may not understand what this ad has to do with Gatorade, but I, being a sports enthusiast, will hereby point this out: Gatorade ads are run usually during sports presentations, and are used to associate all that is good about sports with their product. I think the direction Gatorade is trying to go is to make their product and sport inseperable in the eyes of viewers, and to encourage and motivate them to participate in sports, which will not only make them drink Gatorade because it helps with performance, but because they're VERY thirsty!
Ethos: The obvious point here is that it's Michael Jordan talking. Who knows more about success in sports than he does? Anyone who knows what he's done will at least listen to him, and most will believe what he says. Also, the commercial shows some of his accomplishments, which reinforces his reputation. Another thing I noticed is that in the commercial he's talking to a group of young basketball players, seemingly as a coach. This gives the viewer the feeling that they themselves are being coached, and have a great deal to gain from what this man is saying.
Pathos: This one depends a lot on the viewer knowing Michal Jordan. The slide show of his career is used to bring out a feeling of awe at everything he accomplished. You also see and hear about the struggles he went through, which makes him seem human. This has a motivating effect because the viewer sees that he's a normal person with weaknesses, but he still did amazing things. The music has a similar motivational effect. Also, Jordan's last sentence that "maybe you're just making excuses" creates a feeling of guilt where the viewer thinks "maybe I DO just need to stop making excuses and go out and try."
Logos: The logic used here is that if Michael Jordan sometimes failed, and had to motivate himself to stick with it and keep going, you might also have the same success he had if you motivate yourself to word hard. At the end it's implied that he didn't ruin the game, because sports fans know they still love basketball, thus the only reason left that he gives for most people's lack of success is that they make excuses instead of getting back up when they fall down.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Response to advertisement
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/190/505438675_df7a1f0a11.jpg?v=0
For this advertisement I'm not entirely sure in what kind of magazine it may have shown up. I am pretty sure, though, that it is directed towards young adults, especially those who are surrounded by parties and still in school.
Ethos: The fact that it says the drink helped her through medical school depicts her as someone who's graduated, and thus someone whom a college student could look up to. She's been there, she made it through, she had some fun along the way, and this product is how she did it. She's even wearing a stethoscope to show that she's a doctor. The other clothes she has on, like the headband, are to show that she parties a lot. She's also student-age, so for another student seeing it it shows that the drink will have a similar effect on him as it does on her. Also, the drink itself is front and center in the picture, giving the effect that it was really just the drink, not her skills, that got her through medical school.
Pathos: One of the first things I notice about the ad is the bright orange color. It's very bright and catches your attention, giving the effect that this product is exciting and fun. The smile on her face carries across the idea that using the product will make you happy. Also the fact that she's saying it "got me through medical school" instead of "it helped me go to parties and still get through medical school" would have you think that you can't go to school without partying. And if you do then you must be REALLY boring! So it makes a person feel the need for excitement in their life.
Logos: With what she says at the bottom she would have you believe that it is really unbelievable that she made it through medical school. This works, because people don't usually associate medical students with frequent party-goers. Her claim, however, is not simply that this drink will get anyone through medical school, but that it will get you through ANYthing. That is obviously a little exaggerated, but it carries across the point that the drink will help you accomplish whatever it is you're going for, and not just medical school.
For this advertisement I'm not entirely sure in what kind of magazine it may have shown up. I am pretty sure, though, that it is directed towards young adults, especially those who are surrounded by parties and still in school.
Ethos: The fact that it says the drink helped her through medical school depicts her as someone who's graduated, and thus someone whom a college student could look up to. She's been there, she made it through, she had some fun along the way, and this product is how she did it. She's even wearing a stethoscope to show that she's a doctor. The other clothes she has on, like the headband, are to show that she parties a lot. She's also student-age, so for another student seeing it it shows that the drink will have a similar effect on him as it does on her. Also, the drink itself is front and center in the picture, giving the effect that it was really just the drink, not her skills, that got her through medical school.
Pathos: One of the first things I notice about the ad is the bright orange color. It's very bright and catches your attention, giving the effect that this product is exciting and fun. The smile on her face carries across the idea that using the product will make you happy. Also the fact that she's saying it "got me through medical school" instead of "it helped me go to parties and still get through medical school" would have you think that you can't go to school without partying. And if you do then you must be REALLY boring! So it makes a person feel the need for excitement in their life.
Logos: With what she says at the bottom she would have you believe that it is really unbelievable that she made it through medical school. This works, because people don't usually associate medical students with frequent party-goers. Her claim, however, is not simply that this drink will get anyone through medical school, but that it will get you through ANYthing. That is obviously a little exaggerated, but it carries across the point that the drink will help you accomplish whatever it is you're going for, and not just medical school.
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