Monday, August 31, 2009
Topic For Rhetorical Analysis Paper
For my Rhetorical Analysis paper I chose a very controversial public awareness commercial that is shown in Britain but not in the US. Its purpose is to prevent teens from texting while driving, and it is composed of very graphic images that are meant to really influence people on an emotional level. The scene begins with a girl in the car with her friends, she is texting while driving on a highway. Soon after she gets in a terrible multiple car pile up that occurs in slow motion. The video was created by the British police department to really get the message across to teens, but many people, including me, feel that it is simply too graphic to show. I found the video effective yes, but only for a certain age group. If a young child (14 and below) saw this commercial they would not grasp the meaning and only perceive the violence. For many young children it could even prove to be emotionally scarring. If the violence was toned down, for example; removing the images of the dead infant, the small child telling his dead parents to wake up, and the brain matter all over the windshield, the commercial would gain influence and it could even be shown globally. I found it somewhat unjust that only teen FEMALE drivers were shown as being responsible for the wreck. If they added a male it would demonstrate more equality and make it seem more realistic for teens.
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I agree and disagree with you on your points. I think that the commercial is not too violent. I think that the example needs to show the teenagers what can happen if you text and drive. After all, a true real life wreck is not going to be pretty. It’s going to be ugly, gruesome, bloody, and gory. It’s not going to be a happy place. It’s going to be a sad place. I text while I drive, too, and I always think that it will never happen to me. Seeing a wreck like this will help me realize the true ramifications of texting while driving. I do, however, agree with you on the point about the females in the commercial. There needs to be some males in the commercial. I’m a male, and I text when I drive a lot. Texting and driving is not an act solely limited to the female race. It occurs with both sexes and equally between the two. My best friend texts while driving more than any person I know, and he’s a boy. That’s pretty much all I have to say, though.
ReplyDeleteI saw that video too. I think that it is a very sad video because it is based on a true story, some of the video is actually from the accident and I thought it was very very effective. Since I saw that I have not text while driving. It is graphic but I'm glad i saw it, it's the truth about what happens, and hopefully will prevent more people from texting. I know it is graphic, but maybe that's what it takes to convince people.
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