By Dmitri Logan
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Although pathos is the major rhetorical device used in this commercial, logos is used as well in many instances. Logos is the Greek rhetorical appeal to logic, used to convince or persuade the targeted audience by employing reason. Logos is used in citing facts besides statistical, literal and historical analogies. Logos is used to provide the reader/watcher with factual information that then directly influences and changes their opinion on the subject. It is also a major component in an argument because it directly involves thinking rather than feeling. A major appeal to logic within the video “What does a pack of smokes cost? Your smooth skin.” this is in reference to the factual evidence that smoking can deteriorate health and skin cells. Smoking is mainly known for its abilities to speed up the aging process, and this is almost always visually shown. This is used at the end of the video because it gives a clear warning to all people who smoke that the risks remain high at all time. It also appeals to the thoughts of appearance. If you smoke, you will have wrinkles at young age, and thus be ugly. This video’s message also acts as a double edged sword in terms of its audience. It shames the people who already smoke because of the extremes they go through for cigarettes, and scares those who may even think about smoking. The USDFA (United States Department of Food and Drug Administration) uses facts along with a cringing visual to invoke the terrors and misfortunes smoking can cause a person. With this method they completely send a clear message to the watcher by infusing both logos and pathos to support its claims. Rather than the typical commercial that bombards watchers with just facts, it asks the question no one seems to think of when buying cigarettes, “What are cigarettes costing you?” This is effective because it may cause a smoker who is watching to ask themselves that, and seek for help. It leaves the floor open for an honest answer to oneself whether the watcher is a smoker or not. |