Instructions
For this assignment, your task is to write a compelling 1000-word essay in which you analyze a piece of media (an ad, short video, artwork, or physical object) to reveal the implicit messages being communicated to its intended audience as well as the context in which it was produced. You’ll take a close look at this piece of media both analytically and rhetorically, considering the modes of argumentation within it as well as its creator’s motivations for making those arguments.
Ultimately, your essay should answer the following questions for your reader:
What implicit messages are being communicated by this piece of media? Which details (moments of intensity, repetitions, contrasts, and anomalies) from the piece of media reveal these implicit messages?
How are those messages being communicated? What kind of rhetorical moves does the creator of this piece of media make? Does that creator use logos or pathos? How does the creator establish ethos?
Who is the intended audience for this piece of media? When was it produced? How does that context affect the messages being communicated?
Choose an object that sparks your curiosity. Drawing upon your own obsessions and interests will make the writing process way more engaging.
Support all claims you make with evidence from the object you chose. That means you’ll want to point to specific details from your object throughout the paper.
Make sure you don’t just summarize what happens in your object. I’m looking for analysis of implicit meanings, not descriptions.
Don’t make a value judgment of your object. Your goal is to break down its implicit meanings for the reader—not to say whether or not you think it’s a good or bad piece of media.
Send your instructor a link to your piece of media.
