Rhetorical Analysis of the
Adoption Advertisement
PSA for Adoption
Four different awkward family interactions.
In these interactions the audience can see that they do not have to be perfect
to be a parent.
- In the first scenario, we see that one of the parents gave her adopted
daughter a unique flashy sweatshirt that did not appeal to her
daughter's
fashion sense.
- In the second scenario, the father was talking to his adopted daughter
about dating, which led to an awkward situation.
PSA for Adoption Cont'
- In the third scenario, we see that a teenage daughter is talking on the
phone with a friend when the adoptive mother picks up the phone
thinking
she is talking to the person she was calling. Afterwards she pries into
the
conversation asking who her daughter is talking to.
-In the fourth scenario, the adopting parent is vacuuming the living room
when the kids are running around looking for their pet hamster. While the
kids are asking the mother if she has seen the hamster, the sound of
something big gets sucked into the vacuum and then the motor getting
blown.
Analyzing the Content
Authors
1) Administration on Children, Youth, and Families
2) U.S. Department of Health and Human Resources
Creator's Motivation
-The authors want people to understand that even though people are not
perfect, many people are capable of adoption and should!
Audience
-They are directly aiming this ad to capable couples. We know this
because the scenarios of these ads depict multiple families with adopted
children and the parents doing awkward things, but fulfilling the job of a
responsible parent.
-Children, young adults, and irresponsible people are probably not the
intended audience.
Analyzing the Content Cont'
Circumstances that lead to this ad
- Many irresponsible people having unplanned pregnancy
- Unfortunate cases of rape
- People without the proper resources to raise children
- People who are unfit to raise children ( abusive, neglectful)
All of these are some of the reasons leading to excessive amounts of children
in need of a new home.
Statistics for Unplanned
Pregnancies
Tactics of the Ad
Main Claim
- You do not have to be perfect people to adopt a child.
People's expectations of an adoption commercial
- Usually when people think of an adoption advertisement what comes to
mind are
1) Excessive Emotion (usually depressing pictures)
2) Statistics instead of scenarios
-This type of ads are unique because they show funny and awkward
scenarios of what may happen if you adopt a child.
Tactics of the Ad Cont'
Rhetorical Appeals of the Overall Video
Pathos
-They make it funny and cherishable so people are enticed to want
their own experience of these events.
Ethos
- It is made by an official governmental organization.
Logos
- The people who are watching these ads become more encouraged
and confident to adopt children because you do not have to
be
perfect.
Scene 1: Birthday
Pathos
- The facial expressions of 1) the parents cherishing the moment and
2) the children's nonchalance
- Birthday Setting in a family home
Ethos
- Credibility of the organizations
Logos
- Even though the parents gave a bizarre gift, they still cared enough
to
celebrate the child's birthday.
Scene 2: Dating Advice
Pathos
- The dad's humorous analogies between dating and the stock market.
- Understanding the feeling of being lectured by our parents and the
reaction of the daughter.
Ethos
- The father's own experience defined through his analogies
- Credibility of the organizations
Logos
- Even though they're not perfect, people can still provide an adoptive
child with their own words of wisdom.
Scene 3: Hovering Mother
Pathos
- The clueless mother is entertaining, and how she interrupts her
daughter's conversation.
Ethos
- Credibility of organizations
Logos
- Even though the parent seems like she is hovering, she still cares about
who her daughter is affiliating herself with.
Scene 4: Spring Cleaning
Pathos
- The baffled look everyone has before the hamster is engulfed by the
vacuum and the alarmed look when the vacuum malfunctions is hilarious.
Ethos
- Credibility of the organization
Logos
- Even though the mother accidently killed the hamster, she will probably
replace it because she cares.
Tactics of the Ad Cont'
Style/Tone
Style
- Friendly, Informative, and Satirical
It holds these characteristics because in the ad, the people
are
mocking what may happen when you get two completely
diverse
people as the adoptive parents and children.
The audience would feel invited to adopt a child because the storyline
makes people feel more confident and likely to adopt.
Conclusion
The author use rhetoric
- Persuades people by showing scenes of real families instead of the
"ideal" families. People are able to envision themselves within the
setting.
As well as point out how sarcastic these ads are being because the
authors want to be reassured that the audience grasped the main
argument.
We learned there are many different ways to persuade people using the
credibility of well established organizations, manipulate emotions through
relatable experiences, and a well thought out plan to direct the audiences
reasoning leading them to be extremely confident in their decisions.
Assigned Slides
Sandra: I'll do the slide that talks about style and tone, spring cleaning and the
overall rhetorical strategies so slides 8, 12 and 13.
Kenia: i'll do 4,5,6 and another one if you guys want me to.
Monse: i can start the presentation with 1, 2, and 3. I can also jump into 7.
Sergei: 9,10,11, and 14 then