The multimodal text that I chose to analyze for the three rhetorical appeals is a wounded warriors commercial from 2015. The commercial starts with the soldiers’ horrific experiences in war and the effects it had on them. Then country singer Trace Atkins talks about the warriors and what most of them suffer from. The soldiers talk about their struggles with PTSD and their physical appearances, and how many people look down upon them for the way they look or act. They explain how much Wounded Warrior project helped them which then leads into Trace Atkins persuading viewers to pledge $19 a month to help people like those soldiers get help and rebuild their lives.
The Wounded Warrior Project commercial portrays Ethos by using a well-known celebrity, Trace Atkins, to appeal to the audience and catch their attention with his distinctive voice. By using Trace Atkins to send their message, the wounded warrior project convinces people to want to watch the commercial, hear what he has to say, and subsequently donate to their cause. The commercial also displays Pathos by showing the emotional pictures and videos of the warriors seeing their families for the first time since the war, and by showing pictures of the traumatic experiences that the soldiers went through. Also, listening to the the families talk about a family member who continually struggled after the war and how Wounded Warriors saved their family appeals to the emotions of the audience. Finally, the advertisement also exhibits Logos by offering different facts and statistics about the women and men who suffer from PTSD and brain trauma. The commercial persuades the audience to pledge money by emphasizing the amount of soldiers’ lives they saved. Through the use of Pathos, Ethos, and Logos, the commercial is a lot more effective and personal and most likely increases the amount of people who donate.
You can watch the commercial right here.
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