Red White and Beer: a Rhetorical Analysis of America's Retail Patriotism

Stereotypes have shaped the way people think about the World and everyone around them. They are undeniably over-exaggerated, but are based on a sliver of truth. For example, stereotypical Americans are seen as rude, stupid, greedy, and very patriotic. In the case of Americans, Donald J. Trump is the embodiment of the American stereotype. During his presidential campaign, Trump made many vulgar remarks, and his goal was to “make America great again.” These American stereotypes are also apparent in Ernest Hemingway’s short stories, most notably in “Cat in the Rain,” “The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber,” and the interchapters of In Our Time. Hemingway’s short stories portray Americans as being insensitive to the World around them. Americans are insensitive through their insatiable greed, emotional unawareness, and cultural disregard.

One of the things the United States is known for best is its rampant patriotism. Whether its 1930 or the present day, one thing remains the same Americans love their country. During special periods of time however, events happen that make Americas already fiery patriotism burn brighter. Many years ago during the period of time known as the “Red Scare” the United States mistrust of all things communist and anarchist led to very nationalistic feelings among the populace. After the 2001 9/11 terrorist attacks the country the country was left shaken. The fear of terrorist made the American rally behind their military and country even more than before.

During 1945, the final year of World War II, the domestic economy of the United States experienced a series of recessions. As of consequence, many Americans were unemployed and impoverished. In order to escape the challenges of society, many turned to alcohol. Therefore, due to the prevalence of alcohol consumption, alcoholism infected the lives of many people. Scott Russell Sanders describes his ability to overcome adversity as a result of having an alcoholic father by the use of ethos, pathos, and logos in his essay “Under the Influence”.

Specifically, Rubins’ use of clear, precise language helps her readers understand her analysis. For example, in every instance that Rubin uses historical context, she skillfully crafts her explanations and descriptions of the information presented in a way which is easily comprehended by an audience who may or may not have any background information on the subject. Furthermore, the structure and organization of Rubin’s essay, such as the way she meticulously walks her readers through each element of Coca-Cola’s ad, also lends itself to it’s ease of comprehension. Consequently, both of these elements work together in Rubin’s writing to bring together an analysis which is easily understood by the average

In the reading Advertisements R Us, Melissa Rubin expands upon her analysis of Coca-Colas’ 1950 magazine advertisement, and brings many points to light about how the company uses cleverly crafted advertising tactics to appeal to a specific group of Americans. By clearly communicating her evidence to back up the analysis of the advertisement, Ruben composes a thoughtful and persuasive paper. For example, Rubin explains how simple details, such as the use of their slogan on the vending machine pictured which reads “Drink Coca-Cola - Work Refreshed”, and the placement of “Sprite Boy” in the ad, all work together to send a message that makes consumers want to buy their product. Consequently, because of the evidence presented in her writing, Rubin has crafted a paper that I find logical and persuasive.

American Patriotism can be defined in different ways. When people think of the word patriotism, most often say "to love one 's country". That is true in some aspect, but being patriotic means much more than that. In the words of Mark Twain, he states, “Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it.” True patriotism is to support what 's best for this country and contribute in ways to help that can be beneficial for everyone. However, to a socialist, patriotism can be viewed within three main perspectives: the functionalist, conflict, and symbolic interactionist perspective.

In today’s society, alcohol has become one of the main necessities for people to create relaxation, confidence, and the ability to be social. In the short story “A Bartender Tells What Man Did to Booze, and Booze to Man”, an anonymous bartender gives an up close and personal account of his observations about the effects alcohol has on men. He emphasizes the change in their character after a few drinks. Koren Zailckas from Smashed shares a memoir of her life describing her relationship with alcohol abuse and the problems that it caused for her. Although certain types of alcohol are used to support good health, it is the excessive consumption and misuse that leaves people dependent resulting in significant social, physical, and mental

In an unknown newspaper, John Warner Barber published a cartoon depicting “The drunkard’s progress, or the direct road to poverty, wretchedness & ruin”, in which he illustrates the timeline of a drunkard’s short life (Doc. 2). Barber illustrates an alcoholic’s ultimate downfall, from the point in which his addiction to alcohol begins, to getting injured and condemning traditional institutions such as religion, to abusing the family and children at home, and to death. Moreover, Barber conveys the realities that every person of the nineteenth century has faced – a family member who has become lost himself in the relief that alcohol gives. When this document was published, millions of men and boys had succumbed to this dangerous indulgence. Since the eighteenth century, when alcohol was initially mass-produced, more and more people have drowned their sorrows – from work or from family problems - and committed countless crimes that resulted in drinking this beverage, including abusing their families and losing much of their money to gambling.

As the American people hear this powerful message, they are more likely to believe the argument, and begin to take action in supporting America’s fight for independence from Great Britain by fighting in the war. The other texts, “América” by Blanco and “Let America be America Again” by Hughes, and the musical number, “America” use various rhetorical devices to powerfully convey similar messages regarding how much more difficult it is to live in America when you are underprivileged than when you are a privileged American citizen. As the authors successfully utilize pathos, descriptive imagery, juxtaposition and other techniques, they more powerfully convey their message to their audiences, causing the audiences to be more likely to feel strongly about the issue and actively advocate for equality . Rhetoric is also utilized in political texts and speeches to convey messages and promote social

Old Sturbridge Village has been showcased in a number of articles, demonstrating that an advertisement for Old Sturbridge Village is correctly placed. A large majority of the audience of this magazine are people who are interested in visiting popular areas in the New England region for the reason of learning about the history and culture of the area. This audience will be easily swayed and attracted to the use of language and rhetorical appeals in the advertisement. The use of language and phrases such as “Make History,” (citation) are cleverly designed to promise something to the target audience. In “The Rhetoric of Advertising” the author details on the techniques used to make these promises seem attainable. While the phrases used are not specifically detailed in (Language Acts reading) many of the same principles apply. In the advertisement the text and image have a primary rhetorical appeal to attract potential consumers, and that primary appeal is pathos. Pathos is utilized in order to generate an emotional response to give the audience a need to wish to experience and learn about a simpler

Colombo, Gary, Robert Cullen, and Bonnie Lisle. Rereading America: Cultural Contexts for Critical Thinking and Writing. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2013. Print.

His appeals to common sense, the thrifty consumer and internet shopper are echoed across the advertisement, and the preverbal “icing on the cake” was a cynically patriotic ploy that mocked monopoly figures such as Cornelius Vanderbilt, all the while sarcastically promoting America’s affliction with creating new jobs:

Ultimately, the ad received backlash because, “many [people] think that “America the Beautiful” is the country' national anthem and English is this country's national language,” noted in Indian Country Today (“Coca-Cola's 'America the Beautiful' Super Bowl Ad Causes Stir” par 2). As a result, these individuals believe “America the Beautiful” should only be sung it the English language. Building on the ideas presented in Indian Country Today, Damien Croghan, editor of the Daily Nebraskan, asserts “Xenophobic Americans feel that the presence of non-English languages representing our country somehow threatens their perceived idea of what it means to be American” (par 11). The people who took to social networking sites to discuss their concerns tend to believe the use of any language other than English is un-American. These outraged

Throughout the course of this essay a rhetorical analysis will be performed over the subject of the popular soft drink, Coca Cola. Here we will take a look at two documents, both advertisement images, both from Coca Cola, separated by over 40 years. This sweet drink took the world by storm starting in the 1890’s and has been a household name since. With hundreds of thousands of soft drinks all over the world, Coca Cola is just another in a bucket, except with a different set of tactics toward drawing in their consumers.

During early 20th century, American writers were influenced by the changing world of industrialization and globalization. The horrors and World War 1 and the invention of new technologies had people questioning the future of humanity. Writers and journalist used this time to voice their views and experiences during these troubling times. Henry Louis Mencken is well-known writer who had a powerful influence on America’s writing style during the 1920s. His writing style was known for it’s wit, and harsh criticism towards American social and cultural weaknesses. His essay “The Libido for the Ugly” sends the message to the reader that America needs to change its way of living because they are too content with their current ugly lifestyle.