Cultural Rhetoric

In this Heinz condiments commercial, aired during the Super Bowl this past year, a group of dachshunds are shown in hot dog costumes running towards humans in Heinz ketchup and mustard costumes who end up catching the dogs as they leap into the humans’ arms and lick their faces. This commercial is a specific appeal to pathos as the dogs are dressed up and are meant to be cute. The phrase at the end of the commercial is “it’s hard to resist great taste” and this is stated while the dogs are licking the humans implying that the dogs like Heinz and that humans should buy it as well because the cute dogs in costumes did.

Donovan Livingston graduated from Harvard University in 2016. He was asked to speak at the graduation so he did. Donovan wrote a poem called “Lift Off”. In it he spoke of his life. His ancestors and slavery. He spoke of a new hope. A hope that kids can have to reach for the stars and to be up with them. He spoke of how each and every person has the ability to succeed and to exceed any expectations set for them. In his closing line, Livingston said “They say that the sky's the limit, but it is only the beginning. Lift off.” His speech was one of power and he used many rhetorical devices. Livingston was a Harvard graduate and to establish himself more as a speaker he talked about how he had given a similar type of speech at his high school graduation. He used pathos when talking about his life. About what he was like in school and how his teacher used his energy to make him a great speaker. The logos used was that he was one of the top members in his class and so he knew what he ...

This past Sunday my pastor did a sermon called “A Resilient Follower.” The sermon was based off of 1 Thessalonians 3:1-13. It talked about a time of great anticipation and of 3 wishes and two prayers that Paul had for the members of the church of Thessalonica. My pastor introduced these separately so that the congregation could track easily. He laid out each point and verses that went with it. During the presentation he looked throughout the crowd and used his hands effectively. He mentioned members of the congregation and the occupations that they had when referring to a wall being weak or strong. My pastor used the podium on stage for power rather than hiding behind it. He seemed casual in his delivery but also had an important message. He used his volume well and was very keen on keeping the audience involved. His organization helped the audience along. He used a relatable style and his delivery was good as well.