Examples that are communicating a message on the same cultural issue (such as anti-smoking, drinking/texting and driving, domestic violence, politics, environmentalism, etc).
Examples that discuss the same cultural value (such as home ownership, career or financial success, the military, family values, patriotism, etc.), either reinforcing or challenging it.
Examples that are promoting a similar product (such as luxury or sport cars, trucks, make-up and other beauty products, food, clothing and accessories, etc.)
Examples that share the same creator and demonstrate a larger campaign for the brand, organization, or individual (such as Nike, Banksy, McDonald’s, or the CDC)
Examples that are similar in one of the above ways, but come from different time periods, allowing you to trace the evolution of these messages and how they’re communicated (such as looking at how cigarettes, families, men or women’s roles, or a brand itself like Nike are represented differently over time).
You can use any of the examples we’ve discussed so far in class or select ones of your choosing.
More topic ideas and tips for choosing them can be found here: Topic Suggestions for Essay #2 and Tips
Main Guidelines:
Using these examples, you will analyze not only what these media are communicating, but:
Who is the audience that this example intends to reach,
Who is the creator and what kind of reputation/connotations do they have?
Why is this media example created? What’s its purpose?
How does the creator use rhetorical appeals in order to express his/her message, and
How the creator reinforces the message through other rhetorical elements such as design and composition?
After analyzing each example, conclude your essay by discussing how these media compare to one another:
How are these examples, in terms of both message, composition, and other rhetorical aspects similar or different?
How effective are these media at achieving their purposes and communicating their messages?
How do these examples relate back to American culture? What kind of cultural values, issues, or behaviors are being reinforced or addressed in these examples?
