AnALYzing visuAL RHEToRiC: AdvERTisEmEnTs 249rely on free school meals, call your Feeding America member food bank
or visit FeedingAmerica.org/SummerMeals.” Examine the advertisement
(Figure 8.2) and try to answer the questions below.- Record what you think is the ad’s overall message. What does the Ad
Council want you to do or think about? What appeals does the ad
seem to draw on most: appeals based on our cultural relationship to
children (ethos), on the emotional reaction of potential viewers/read-
ers (pathos), or on the ways text and image work together to convey
an argument (logos)? Do you find that the appeals overlap and are dif-
ficult to tease out? Discuss with your classmates. - Formulate what you think is the ad’s argument, and point out specific
details that seem to support it. Compare your ideas with those of your
classmates. Do they differ significantly? Can you agree on what the
argument is? - As a class, test the assumption that the ad makes: When school is in
session, policies are in place to insure federally funded schools feed
children in need. Less certain is the extent to which children in need
receive sufficient nutrition during the summer when school is out.
Let’s begin with the assumption that everything in an advertisement ap-
pears for a specific reason in a particular place to direct your attention
in an exact sequence. The “economy of the genre,” its constraints, dictate
that the message come across quickly in a limited space.
■ (^) notice where the ad appears
Analyzing an ad begins with noting where the ad appears. In this case, the
Ad Council posted the Feeding America ad on billboards in a wide range
FIGURe 8.2 Feeding America Advertisement
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