Humanity has become used to irony in many different forms, however, one of the most common nowadays is the irony used by large corporations in their advertisements. Most of us know corporations such as McDonalds, Wendys, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, and Adidas to not be the most sustainable or environmentally friendly brands, and although this might only be a concern to some, the fact that many of these large corporations use sustainability in their advertisements so the company will appeal more to consumers. We all see these types of advertisements every single day, but most of us fail to look further than just the green backgrounds or plant drawings we see. Greenwashing, a term commonly used to describe when a company makes false claims to be helping the environment, is more common than most people realize. As society begins to open it’s eyes to the greenwashing some of their most beloved companies produce in advertisements and publicity, a door opens to finally understand the connection between consumerism and sustainability in the media.
My only critic would be to mention your initial idea of consumerism and sustainability a little faster into the introduction. I would also single out the two artifact’s brands you are using after listing all the various brands. I really enjoy the concept behind your essay and think it will be amazing.
Your thesis is beautifully crafted, it covers all the “requirements” needed to make a strong point. It was my favorite part!
I thought that your first point about the uses of irony prevalent in society was an excellent way to set up your topic, and establish the disparity between the way companies present themselves and the way that they truly are. My one critic is that I would remove the statement regarding the fact that some people may not care as much about the issue you present, because without that line your argument and points become stronger, rather than giving a path for people to not care about or acknowledge the extent of the issue. Your description and utilization of the term “greenwashing”, was a particularly effective part of your introduction, and definitely something that should be more critically analyzed further in your essay.
I think this is a really strong introduction and both of these artifacts could be analyzed well. I like the consistent idea of greenwashing I would love to have read more about what rhetoric you will be using to analyze these texts. I also think adding a thesis would be a good next step. Overall slay!