Attention Getter:

-Would you rather join or die? (Probably not)

-War anyone? (perhaps try to smile after this)

(Proceed to explain artifact) -> If the answer is yes to the following question, you’re in luck.  If the answer is no, then you’re still in luck, because there’s a war to fight, or rather, there was a war to fight (I’d imagine that the colonists ran into something similar.)

But why? -> Well, according to Benjamin Franklin’s “Join or Die” Cartoon during the French and Indian War, colonists were urged to fight in the army (this is the purpose).

Elaboration on the Purpose and the Rhetorical Situation:

-Franklin’s purpose is to motivate colonists to fight against the French (but his underlying purpose is to unify the 13 colonies, intentionally (?)).

-Exigence: the literal war (uh oh).

-Audience: Franklin (the speaker) is addressing the colonial people to unite all the colonies as a strong front.

-Constraints: people don’t want to die, maybe this is why Franklin threatens them.  To be honest, this seems like a lose-lose situation anyways, so they might as well die fighting for their country.

Claims and Lenses:

-Through the Trust, Rhetorical Situation, and Visual Rhetoric lens, Benjamin Franklin urges colonists to combine their individual power to defeat the French.

Broader Context:

-Franklin appeals to pathos by evoking feelings of nationalism as a united country (or perhaps even feelings of fear since people don’t want to risk their lives).

-Also appeals to ethos as a respected and scholarly figure that is trusted by the public and the media.

-Catalyzed the American Revolution, which is ironic, since it juxtaposes the cartoon’s idea of fighting for the British (instead of against).

-Can be compared to other cartoons mocking the taxes and tarring and feathering (perhaps elaborate more on the effects).

Closer:

-This is relevant because it’s an important part of history that shaped the United States.

(Thank you for your time.)