LA101H E-Portfolio

Below is the Link to my E-Portfolio for LA101H.
Please click the picture or the link below to access the page.

http://almeida-la101h-eportfolio.weebly.com/

Corona de Sombras - Imagery in Spanish Theater

This week, to finish my Rhetoric and Civic life blog up, I thought I would do something slightly different. In my Spanish 253W class, we are currently reading the play Corona de Sombras by Rodolfo Usigli. The play tells the story of Emperor Maximilian and his wife, Carlota. The couple travelled from their home in Italy to rule Mexico when it was conquered by European forces. However, opposition from the local indigenous forces, namely opposition from Benito Juarez, as well as pressure from the French crown to surrender the Mexican territory to them, placed both Max and Carlota in a tricky situation. The play, told from an elderly Carlota's point of view, discusses their first year in Mexico, as well as the declining political climate that, ultimately, results in Maximilian's execution and Carlota becoming insane.

There are multiple images present in the play, the most dominant being the recurring image of "luz" (light, in Spanish). Carlota continuously asks for light and, this constant desire for light reflects her desire to understand the events that had taken place (of which she has vivid memories) and, the lack of light was used to symbolize Max's untimely fate, as well as her confusion about why Max had to die.

As with many plays, the main characters appeal to the pathos of the audience. Demonstrating a strong marriage that is challenged by war, distance, and the pressure to live up to the expectations of the people, Max and Carlota's characters win the audience's support and, when Max's death is discovered at the end of the play, the audience is left devastated. The only consolation that they have is that, when both Max and Carlota die, they will meet in the forest that represented their love.

a photograph of Max and Carlota

Corona de Sombras is a play that expands on a well-known historical tragedy, playing to the emotions of the audience and using imagery to get the audience to truly understand Max and Carlota's story and the essential part that they played in making Mexico what it is today.

Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death!

This week, we started discussing effective persuasive speeches and so this week, I thought it was most fitting to discuss one of the best known persuasive speeches of all time: Patrick Henry's Speech to the Virginia Convention. In this speech, as you history buffs will know, Henry argues for the American Revolution. He argues for liberty from the oppression of the British, and states that he cannot wait any longer for such freedom.  There are several reasons why Henry's speech is so effective. The two biggest things that Henry does to stimulate his audience are (1) he asks rhetorical questions and (2) he uses imagery to convey his point.

One of the first things that Henry does to create a memorable and effective speech is that he uses rhetorical questions. An example of this is when he says, "Is this the part of wise men, engaged in a great and arduous struggle for liberty?" By asking this question, he gets the audience's attention by causing them to think about the implications of the struggle for liberty, as well as what their role, as wise men, is in relation to this struggle. Furthermore, his use of rhetorical questions is strengthened by the fact that he follows each of these questions with a declarative sentence that answers the question.


 Henry also makes use of  imagery to convey his point. He describes the "gale that sweeps from the north" that will bring the "clash of resounding arms." Using this imagery effectively captures the forthcoming struggle for freedom. Henry also uses a recurring image of slavery to describe the condition that the colonists are in. This subtly evokes an appeal to pathos, as the colonists wish to break free of such chains.  Henry also evokes an appeal to pathos through his description of the outcome of waiting until the colonists are stronger by asking if they will be strong when British guards are stationed in every house. He makes his call to action an urgent one, saying that they should take action before it is too late, and the British are even more aware of the colonists' plan for rebellion.

Patrick Henry's speech, especially his line "Give me liberty or give me death!" motivates his audience and it is this ability to stir the colonists to action (ultimately leading to the establishment of the United States) that makes it so memorable.

If you have time, listen to a reading of the speech below:

New Era Commercial

Continuing with my current streak of analyzing commercials, I decided to analyze the New Era Commercial featuring Alec Baldwin and John Krasinski. What makes this ad different from many of the others that I have previously discussed in the blog is that, while many of the other commercials employ a variety of appeals, including logos, ethos, and pathos. This commercial focuses entirely on its appeal to pathos and, I might add, does a great job of giving the reader a good laugh.

Before beginning, it is good to note the commercial does make an indirect appeal to ethos, especially in reference to the ethos of both Baldwin and Krasinski as well-paid actors and renowned funny-men. However, this ethos isn’t highly emphasized in the ad itself; the majority of the focus revolves around the humor of the character’s behavior.

The commercial begins with Baldwin running to Krasinski's apartment, and decking him in the face. The initial action of this character brings about chuckles and, Baldwin's justification for his actions adds all the more to the hilarity of the commercial. The two characters banter between each other, and it is later revealed that Baldwin’s actions were a result of a major lack of communication, in which he believes that the Yankees lost their game. Krasinski, a die-hard Red Sox fan is demonstrated as being far from pleased with the outcome, and even less pleased with Baldwin’s hot-headed actions.

While the commercial was full of comedy and gags, it is important to note, however, that the actual product that the company was advertising for, baseball caps, was only briefly mentioned. The advertisement leaves the viewer laughing but also very unclear as to what its purpose was.

Overall, while this commercial was entertaining, there is no doubt that its rhetorical appeals could be greatly strengthened. Still, if you like the humor in both 30 Rock and The Office, I would definitely recommend checking out the advertisement below!

The Man YOUR Man Could Smell Like

                I went down to McLanahan’s this past week, and on my way to pick up a new bottle of Shampoo, I passed the deodorant aisle. As I was walking past, I noticed the considerably large collection of Old Spice men’s deodorant and aftershave. And so, when searching for an advertisement to analyze this week, the first one to pop into my mind was the Old Spice “Man your man could smell like” commercial. As I watched the commercial on YouTube, one of the many things that caught my attention, other than Isaiah Mustafa’s well-toned upper body, was the large number of rhetoric appeals – appeals to pathos in particular.

                One of the things that sets the Old Spice commercial apart in particular was its target audience.  While many aftershave and deodorant commercials – Axe commercials in particular – target male audiences, and guarantee that these males would get the woman of their dreams if they use the advertised product. The “Man Your Man Could Smell Like” ad is set apart because it cleverly targets women, the ones who generally purchase both aftershave and deodorant for their husbands and sons.

                Old Spice’s marketing team cleverly named the commercial campaign “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like.” Isaiah Mustafa – the star of the commercial – argues to his women viewers that, if their men use the Old Spice product, their men will both look and smell like Mustafa himself. And, by cleverly including imagery of wealth and luxury, he suggests that the ladies – and their men – will have a life of class if they buy this product. The final scene, of Mustafa riding a white horse on a beach into the sunset, appeals to pathos by implying that if they purchase this product, they will have a romance even stronger than before.

The commercial’s use of imagery, clever choice of an audience, and appeal to pathos make it extremely strong and a pleasure to watch. Check out the video below!

Academy Award Commercials

"And the Oscar goes to..."
The Academy Awards are a time of glitter and magic, as most of Hollywood's biggest stars wear elegant dresses and tailored suits to stroll down the Red Carpet. Viewers from around the world tune in to watch their favorite actors receive the awards that they worked so hard for. The Awards are also a time for major spending sprees. People and firms spend hundreds, thousands, and even millions, of dollars on hair, make-up, dresses, and, as with all major public events, commercials.

According to USA Today, thirty-second Oscar spots were going for $1.75 million. The biggest sponsors of the red-carpet event were Hyundai, JC Penney, Procter & Gamble, and Best Buy. The large number of sponsors generally results in large numbers of commercials to analyze, which definitely made my job for this week easier. The one that immediately caught my eye, as I was flipping through YouTube, was Procter & Gamble's commercial for its Venus line of women's razors that featured Jennifer Lopez.

As with many celebrity endorsed advertisements, this commercial greatly played upon Lopez's ethos as a musician. The commercial had various scenes of the Latina singer, performing at a concert, arriving at a red carpet event, practicing choreography, recording an album, playing on the beach with children, and, of course, shaving with a Venus razor. It shows Lopez in her full glory and, at the same time, also shows her completing everyday tasks, like taking a break and playing with kids. And, in every shot, she is featured wearing shorts, mini-skirts, or short dresses, showing off her cleanly shaven legs.

Procter and Gamble takes the approach that many companies lately have also chosen. By endorsing Jennifer Lopez, they appeal greatly to her ethos. They also make her feel relatable, by showing her completing everyday tasks like shaving and playing with kids.  Furthermore, the advertisement includes inspirational words, such as goddess, confidence, fabulous, radiate, and smooth. The commercial appeals to pathos, asserting that if women use Venus razors, these words will describe them as well.

Procter and Gamble’s use of celebrity endorsement, appeal to pathos, and appeal to ethos are all reasons why this commercial an effective and entertaining commercial. Check out the link below:

Nike: The Brand of Champions

This week, especially because the focus of our class was on textual analysis, I thought it was only fitting to complete another textual analysis of a commercial that I thought did a great job of convincing viewers to purchase their product. If you cannot already tell from the title of the commercial, the commercial was produced by Nike marketers and their main rhetorical appeals revolved around ethos – building the ethos of the Nike brand by associating it with soccer players of high levels of ethos.

The commercial featured a variety of athletes that participate in variety of sports. These include Kobe Bryant, Cristiano Ronaldo, Roger Federer, Maria Sharapova, Manny Pacquiao, and Xiang Liu. The commercial shows the aforementioned athletes preparing and completing rigorous training, lifting weights, boxing, and jumping rope to prepare for their respective competitions. The athletes regularly change clothes, displaying an array of Nike workout gear and uniforms. The athletes are shown exercising both indoors and outdoors, in a way indicating that the products are reliable and can be used in virtually every climate.  They work out sometimes with a coach and sometimes alone.  The commercial then shows a calendar quickly flipping through dates, fast-forwarding until the date of each competition. Bryant, Ronaldo, Federer, Sharapova, and the rest of the all-stars are then shown finishing and winning their respective competitions.

Nike shows the audience that its product chain can fit the needs of virtually every athlete, whether a track star or boxing master. The company demonstrates its ethos by showing that even the top athletes – with repeated victories tucked under their belts – use its products. It gives off the message that anyone, with determination, practice, preparation, coaching, and – of course – Nike products can become a champion and, ultimately win.

Check out the commercial below!