Arguments Based on Facts and Reason: Logos (ch. 4)

This chapter is about logos, arguments that appeal to our logic, and how people respect arguments that are based on facts. Although we still fight these claims if they are against our views or if the person making the argument is not credible, it is often hard to argue against "hard evidence" or "common sense". It is also harder to counter back when there are many facts, statistics or witnesses to back up their claim.

Something in this chapter that I found interesting was how some logical claims are based on cultural assumptions and values. An example of this can be found in the advertisement against animal cruelty located below.

(Edit: I have tried to use several different animal abuse ads, and they all won't post. The one I talk about below looks like a typical magazine advertisement for mascara, but the woman has a black eye that's bleeding. Then it has a statistic that states that 300,000 animals suffer each year.)

This advertisement is reliant on the belief that all life should be treated equally. This advertisement would be very effective to those that could relate animal life to human life, since it combines both pathos (emotional persuasion) and logos. The makers of this advertisement even further the logical argument by including a statistic that each year 300,000 animals suffer due to the use products tested on animals, giving the audience a scope of how big the problem is, convincing those that value animal life to research which products are tested on animals and to stop using them.

However, there are many cultures that believe that comparing a human to an animal is as logical as comparing a sock to a tangelo. Therefore, they would not find this advertisement very compelling since it would make no sense to them.

Another example, albeit a poor one, is this this Wingstop advertisement that I have included purely because I found it to be humorous.

The text at the bottom reads: "It is times like these when we all need to come together to celebrate not only the things we have in common, but the things that make us unique. What better way to gather than around a delicious plate of wings. We have nine mouth-watering flavors to satisfy a variety of tastes, and many side dishes. So come to Wingstop today and join the revolution!"

The argument relies on the following needs: a revolution-oriented mindset to be common, a society that celebrates similarities and differences (Though, I do not know why they mentioned that in their ad.), an acceptance of eating meat, and that eating wings would help with a revolution.

Since I cannot think of a culture that meets all of the needs I have listed, I do not find the advertisement logical at all. However, the ad still has its humor-value, which may get some people to try their food at least once or at least keep them in mind.

Also, on an unrelated note, I changed my mind about my writing project. I will probably use an anti-smoking advertisement instead.

Chapter 14 Reflection

Chapter 14, "Visual Arguments", in Everything's An Argument by Lunsform and Ruszkiewicz is essentially about advertisements and other visuals and how they have shaped our decisions. A good portion of this reading deals with the emotional side of advertisements. It even discusses about how even the font or the positioning of words could change the feeling of the advertisement, such as how a presidential seal shows credibility and authority.

This made me think about how something so little can say so much. For example, with the picture to the right, if they had used a full billboard, their message wouldn't come across nearly as much as it did without it.

This also made me think of how you feel emotionally when you come across an advertisement that is creative. You get a chuckle or perhaps a question of "Now, how did they do that?" Also, cleverness actually comes across as actually trying to grab your attention instead of just naming off your brand with some model holding the product. For example, I could not help but get a smile to my face when I saw the Bic ad to the right.

Horror Film Festival Ad

Judging solely on advertisements, I would think more highly of Bic's razor than of Venus' since the only advertisement that comes to mind is the one with a whole bunch of girls showing the product while the song "Venus" by Shocking Blue plays in the background, and I merely remember the commercial due to the sole fact that it played all the time. Therefore, I believe things that are clever stick to our mind, making us more prone to actually buying the product.

Edit: I forgot that we were supposed to discuss the ideas we had for our writing project. I have only a broad idea of what I'm going to do so far. I'm probably going to an advertisement that contains mostly kairos and how it appeals to us, such as the Horror Film Festival ad that makes a reference to Facebook.