Taylor Swift Got Milk Ad

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         In this ad Taylor Swift is holding a guitar in regular performing fashion except for one odd thing out of the ordinary; she has a milk mustache on her face! Like all celebrity's who advertise for Got Milk, Swift had to rock the white mustache in order to endorse this campaign.
         The purpose of this advertisement is to convince visual readers to buy and drink milk. The exigence of this ad is the need to get the word out about drinking milk. The audience is anyone who happens to glance at the ad because it is not that hard to understand however teens and young adults have the power to be able to actually choose to buy and drink the milk.
         This creator of this ad uses many rhetorical devices in order to get the point across. One rhetorical device that jumps out is ethos. Taylor Swift creates credibility and trustworthiness by simply being on the front of the advertisement. By using a celebrity as the face of the campaign, readers are convinced that they can be famous if they drink milk, like Taylor Swift. It also conveys the message that drinking milk can make you thin and rich as well as famous. This advertisement also appeals to logos. In the upper right hand corner it says"...I [Taylor Swift] choose milk. Some studies suggest that teens who drink milk tend to be leaner, and the protein helps build muscle." It suggests that milk is one of the main ways to stay thing while building muscle and convinces the reader that if they do drink milk they will be all of those things.
          I do believe that the ad creator achieved their purpose in convincing the reader that drinking milk is in their best interest; however with the ever popularity of the Got Milk? campaign I do not think it is that hard to convince the audience anymore. The milk ads are recognized at first glance and thus the visualizer is able to connect instantly with the message. With this specific ad, the use of ethos, celebrity endorsement, and logos, caption of study in the upper right hand corner, convinces the reader that drinking milk is the right decision to male

The Incredible Shrinking Ad

     In this article for The Atlantic, Derek Thompson describes the ever changing role of advertisements in modern day society.  With more than half of Americans owning smartphones, ads now need to shrink in size to be able to fit the small screen, and companies are suffering due to the gap in money revenue. Companies like Facebook and Google, who rely on advertisements for up to 90% of its revenue, need to find a way to compensate for this difference. A difference that Derek Thompson explains is not going away
     The purpose of this article to inform readers about the gap in advertisement revenue and the need for a change. The exigence of the article is that smartphone ads are not going to disappear any time soon and realities need to be faced. Lastly, the audience intended for this article are adults who are able to understand the information and facts being put forth by the author.
     In this article, the Derek Thompson uses many rhetorical devices in order to intrigue the reader. One device he specifically uses in the beginning of his article is anachronism. To introduce his topic and begin the article, he tells a story of the first advertisement and how people watching the Brooklyn Dodgers witnessed the first ever ad. Next, he describes the evolution of advertisements through using the radio, television, and now smartphones as tools of delivery. One effect of this anachronism on the reader is it introduces the topic in a "non-boring" way. More specifically the reader wants to continue to read the article. At the same time, it provides the reader with background context and information necessary to be able to fully understand the text. Also, he uses a didactic tone throughout the article in order to get his point across.  By using a didactic tone, the reader is invited to read the article in the hopes that they will be able to gather new information. Also, readers know, only by the tone of the passage, that the he is really there just to help them. Not to harm them.
    I think the reader achieved his purpose of informing readers about the gap in advertisements in todays society. Through his use of anachronism and didactic tone, he intrigues the reader to continue reading and flipping the page.

The Glass Castle

     I chose to read the book titled The Glass Castle  for my third marking period independent reading book. This astonishing story is told from the perspective of Jeanette Walls, the daughter of Rose Mary and Rex Walls. Jeanette and her three siblings lived an unusual childhood where they learned to take care of themselves at a young age. Her mother did not want the responsibility of raising a family, despite the fact that she had four children, and her father was a dishonest and destructive drunk. Her childhood was less than ideal dysfunctional parents and a poverty stricken upbringing.
     The purpose of Jeannette Walls writing this memoir is simply because, as she described it in her book, "it is time to tell my story." The exigence of Jeannette Walls writing this book is her husband, whom she says pulled this story out of her and convinced her to put it on paper. The audience targeted to read The Glass Castle is older teens or adults, as some of the content and language written in the book is not suitable for young kids.
      So far in the book, she has used a multitude of rhetorical devices. One device that I have seen repeatedly used is understatement. For example, she writes her dad saying "Good thing we raised you young 'uns to be tough." Obviously, the parents have raised their children in a corrupt and unsafe environment which is far from raising them to be tough and strong. However, she uses understatement to get her point across. It makes the reader realize the severity of her message and helps them further understand what she is trying to portray. Jeanette Walls also uses similes and metaphors throughout her memoir to further describe what she is portraying. An example of simile is "“The cheetah licked my palm, his tongue warm and rough, like sandpaper dipped in hot water” This descriptive language helps the reader envision what Jeanette Walls was thinking and feeling in the moment these actions were occurring. 
    I do think Jeanette Walls has accomplished her goal of telling her story to her readers in an interesting and "page turning" way. The story in its self makes the read want to continue to read however the rhetorical devices used also enhance the readers ability to understand what she is portraying. Understatement, simile, and metaphor all help engage the reader into her writing but also helps them understand the message and purpose of the text on the page.