Outline
I. Introduction
- How many times a day do you think you use paper products? Once? Twice? Ten times?
- EPA: the average American uses over 700 pounds of paper per year.
- The paper we use comes from our forests, and deforestation has significant impacts on air quality, land stability, habitats, and human health.
- This speech will analyze a World Wildlife Fund advertisement (which focuses on deforestation’s impacts on human health)
- How it uses commonplaces, color theory, and copywriting to shift the audience’s perception of deforestation from an external issue to a personal one
II. Main Point 1: Commonplaces and Symbolism
- The lungs as a symbol of human health and illness.
- Connection to air quality and anti-smoking PSA visuals — new application to environmental health here
- Trees as human lungs, suggesting deforestation corrupts lung health.
- Subpoint B: Pathos through fear for personal health.
- Most deforestation PSAs focus on how humans impact the environment, not human health.
- Builds pathos via fear for oneself, not just the environment
- WWF’s strategy relies on humanity’s inherent selfishness & the idea that we only take action when the problem impacts us
- Most deforestation PSAs focus on how humans impact the environment, not human health.
III. Main Point 2: Color Theory
- Use of green in the advertisement.
- Detail: Green symbolizes health, growth, freshness, harmony, and prosperity.
- Detail: Different shades of green indicate overall ecosystem health.
- Use of brown and gray.
- Brown conveys death, decay, loss, and isolation.
- Worth noting: brown can be used positively in ads, indicating wisdom/timelessness/stability
- This ad relies on prior knowledge of deforestation and sees the brown land through that lens
- Varying shades of grey in the sky depict feelings of depression and doom, emphasizing impending impact on humanity (“the calm before the storm”)
- Brown conveys death, decay, loss, and isolation.
- Green in destroyed area/saturation
- Worth noting: still green in the “dead” part of the lungs/forest
- Call back to green=growth/prosperity → still a lingering chance of survival
- Colors are also all saturated → both the healthy ecosystem and destruction are striking… but the health is beautiful, and the deforestation is alarming
IV. Main Point 3: Copywriting and Ethos
- Simple yet empowering copywriting.
- “Before it’s too late” emphasizes urgency and time-sensitivity
- Apply to temporal lens of analysis: this is a real problem, and deforestation’s impact on us is looming just over our heads
- Ethos of WWF as a credible nonprofit.
- While the rest of the advertisement does the majority of the work (as explained), the WWF’s reputation enhances the ad’s credibility.
- Encourages audience to change habits or donate.
V. Conclusion
- Recap the use of commonplaces, color theory, and copywriting in the advertisement.
- The WWF advertisement effectively shifts the perception of deforestation to a personal issue, inspiring fear and potential action.
- Leave the audience with a question: Is it ethical to create an advertisement that aims to create action by inspiring fear?
1. Identify and comment on the writer’s introduction or “way in” for this piece of rhetoric. Name one thing that might be added, deleted, changed, or moved.
Used a question. I do not think it should be moved or changed. It is a hooking intro and makes the audience think.
2. Identify the writer’s main claim/thesis about the rhetoric, ideology lenses of analysis, or and subtext of the piece.
The paper we use comes from our forests, and deforestation has significant impacts on air quality, land stability, habitats, and human health.
3. Warning flags: check any of the following predominant themes this paper contains that might suggest a weak introduction or thesis:
I would add to your thesis how the artifact uses rhetoric to: (then the thesis you wrote)
4. Find a strong analytical topic sentence and a weaker one. Explain why you have identified them as such.
Bullets used did not really have topic sentences. I would combine the points you make under the main point of the part to make a strong topic sentence.
5. Comment on the organization of the piece. What other possible arrangement strategies might make more of the material and develop arguments more fully?
I like your organization as it is logical and your conclusion is strong.
6. You wanted to read more about…. your intro. It is strong and I would like to see that in your intro (thesis)
1. Identify and comment on the writer’s introduction or “way in” for this piece of rhetoric. Name one thing that might be added, deleted, changed, or moved.
I really enjoyed your introduction, maybe add something fun to get the reader engaged.
2. Identify the writer’s main claim/thesis about the rhetoric, ideology lenses of analysis, or and subtext of the piece.
I did not find a main claim or thesis when reading other than this, How it uses commonplaces, color theory, and copywriting to shift the audience’s perception of deforestation from an external issue to a personal one”
3. Warning flags: check any of the following predominant themes this paper contains that might suggest a weak introduction or thesis:
Rhetoric is everywhere___
Discussion of the topic, not the artifact __
Life really isn’t like what the artifact proclaims__
Rhetoric has many components__
Ads are deceptive__ T
The artifact did a great job_x_
The artifact catches your eye or does a good job_
4. Find a strong analytical topic sentence and a weaker one. Explain why you have identified them as such.
This was written as bullet points so there are not exact sentences, more so summaries.
5. Comment on the organization of the piece. What other possible arrangement strategies might make more of the material and develop arguments more fully?
The speech is organized well and includes numerous breaks which will help with pacing of the speech.
6. You wanted to read more about….
I want to read more about what the color theory means in context of this civic artifact.
1. The way in is good for a speech over video it will allow the audience to think, if you paused for a second or two before moving on that would be great.
2. “How it uses commonplaces, color theory, and copywriting to shift the audience’s perception of deforestation from an external issue to a personal one”
3. Warning flags: check any of the following predominant themes this paper contains that might suggest a weak introduction or thesis:
Discussion of the topic, not the artifact: Be aware of this.
4. There were no topic sentences.
5. Comment on the organization of the piece. What other possible arrangement strategies might make more of the material and develop arguments more fully?
The organization is fine, while it might work switched around I think its best where its at.
6. You might try to speak about the actual ad what it looks like, even with the image in front of us we tend to miss small details that could be important.
1. I would add maybe a more direct and clear thesis. I know you have bits and pieces of it but maybe just add it fully.
2. Thesis “How it uses commonplaces, color theory, and copywriting to shift the audience’s perception of deforestation from an external issue to a personal one”
3. I know its just an outline and your points are very broad and you will talk more on them. But maybe try to minimize how much you talk about the topic and focus more on the artifact.
4.I couldn’t really find a topic sentence in your outline as they were mostly bullet points. Just make sure in your speech you have a clear defining topic sentence for each point.
5. I think your organization is very strong, your bullet points flow together and are clear and concise. I wouldn’t add anything to your organization as i think its pretty strong.
6. I think your copywriting point is very interesting and would like to hear a bit more about that.