Rhetorical Analysis In The Film 'Thank You For Smoking'

According to Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), 36.5 million Americans currently smoke, that is about fifteen percent of the population which is equal to the combined population of America’s twenty-five largest cities. Although anti-smoking advertisements are shown throughout the United States, people do not take them seriously half the time. The advertisement in this analysis showcases a grayish background, with the colors focusing mainly on a cigarette box that has the cigarettes put into crayon labels and the box also opens like a crayon box. There is also a child’s writing with crayons saying, “Just like mommy.” From this, the image showcases the dangers of smoking and the causes it has on loved ones. This advertisement uses strong ethos, pathos, and logos to get ASH’s point across very clear.

Thank You for Smoking released in 2006 is based on the book titled the same by Christopher Buckley in 1994. Thank You for Smoking is a satirical film that focuses on the hidden agendas and dark truths of Big Tobacco. The film follows Nick Naylor, head lobbyist for Big Tobacco and his demise through his endorsement for cigarettes. Throughout the movie Nick Naylor showcases his persuasiveness in almost every scene. In a scene with his son Joey, Naylor is asked “Why is the American government the best government in the world?” After pointing out the bias within the question Naylor went on to tell his son that the question could be answered in many ways. Naylor proclaimed, “That's the beauty of argument, if you argue correctly, you're never

Taking the bad in with the good, although you may be the perfect classification in order to be targeted in todays society. How you’re classified is based on things such as a persons race, intellect, social class, and appearance. A 2009 film, The Blind Side, written and directed by John Lee Hancock stars, Sandra Bullock and Tim McGraw, is based on a true story. This movie tells a story that truly depicts simple acts of kindness that has the capability to change a persons life.

Normally, authors would argue with an objective tone. But it is different in the case of Groucho Marx. Comedian and film star, Groucho Marx, in his letter, argues to the Warner Brothers to let the Marx Brothers use the title “Casablanca”. Marx uses different diction to help convey a tone and figurative language such as allusion to convince the Warner Bros. to drop the charges and lawsuits. Marx appeals to emotion to convince and for the readers to relate and laugh as Marx elaborates his argument.

Approximately twenty percent of adults in the United States smoke cigarettes, it is this habit which is the number one cause of death that is easily preventable. Anti-smoking advertisements are seen throughout our society, usually showing the harmful effects of tobacco through graphic pictures or other shocking images. The advertisement I chose is a black and white image, showing a young man smoking a cigarette, with the smoke from it forming a gun pointed at his head. Off to the side appear the words, “Kill a cigarette, save a life. Yours.” The advertisement makes use of the three rhetorical appeals of logos, ethos, and pathos through its image and implied meanings. Through this, the image is able to convey a strong sense of danger and bring awareness to the deadliness of smoking.

This anti-smoking video begins by showing adult smokers on the street who become very confused when small children come up to them asking for a lighter. Through the use of ethos, pathos and logos, the story display’s a very powerful message to it’s audience. By using these three rhetorical situations, the writer illustrates an important story to persuade the audience not to smoke cigarettes.

Sometimes whats ideal in a situation is not what the truth of the situation and can cause your ideals to be lost. In William Golding’s novel, “Lord of the Flies”, he demonstrates a shift in some of the characters from the thought of idealism to the reality and truth of the world. Ralph is a good example of this shift, he starts out thinking the island will be a fun place and they’ll have fun waiting to be rescued, but soon he realizes that there is going to be more hardship and struggles to keep up the moral and hope of rescue. In the book Ralph wanted to keep everyone safe and get them off the island, but Jack wants to be a leader and messes up his plans, making it so that Ralph is alone in his plan to get rescued.

In the story The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, I find that Hosseini uses an abundance of symbolism to get his point across to the readers. The collection of quotes Hosseini writes had me stop to think about what the meaning behind his words was. It really made me think deeply about the meaning of each quote. He states the quote, and leaves it for the reader to decide his or her own musings to it. His words truly caught my attention. “With me as the glaring exception, my father molded the world around him to his liking. The problem, of course, was that Baba saw the world in black and white. And he got to decide what was black and what was white. You can’t love a person who lives that way without fearing him too. Maybe even hating him a little”

In the highly controversial movie, Concussion, released in movie theatres nationwide on December 15th 2015, starring Will Smith, the story addressed people on the severity of football concussions and the discovery of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE). Players of the NFL were having a great number of concussions. Doctors were mad about this unexplainable phenomenon. Parents were concerned about the safety of their children playing football. After the discovery of CTE, in Mike Webster by Dr. Bennet Omalu in 2002, the controversy of CTE really began its uproar. The NFL's Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (MTBI) Committee refuted this research. They accused Omalu of lack of knowledge and did not want to believe that forceful contact in football

In the short play A Raisin in the sun conflict’s both internal and external occure for in three of the main characters regarding their dreams. When the opportunity came for them to accomplish their dreams through using the insurance money they’ve come across from the loss of a family member, one of the main characters, Walter, wishes to be successful in life; but he needs the insurance money to do so. He wants to use the insurance money to open up a liquor store because he believes this would change his life. A exceptional quote that shows his determination to be successful in life is when he speaks to Ruth “You tired, ain’t you? Tired of everything. Me, the boy. The way we live-this beat up hole-everything”(

In the well-known documentary, Blackfish portrays what really happens behind the closed walls of SeaWorld and the enclosure of killer orcas. The purpose of this film was to give an inside look into the controversial life of whales and trainers. The audience was able to witness unfortunate events during SeaWorld shows and the capturing of the mammals. Many witnesses were interviewed to give factual and opinionated evidence. The usage of rhetorical devices in the documentary such as Ethos, Logos and Pathos contributes to its persuasive stance that although orcas can be kind and friendly mammals, being kept as performing animals can have deadly consequences.

Failure is an obstacle, everyone during their life must face and come to accept. But, what really is failure? I see failure as when you try to achieve at something, but do not succeed in doing so. A person who has faced many letdowns in his life is Denzel Washington; as he talks about failures in his 2011 University of Pennsylvania Commencement Address. During his speech, uses of rhetoric can be heard all throughout his words. Making the message he is trying to say to the graduating students that still have their lives in front of them, just so much more robust. Washington’s use of all three kinds of rhetoric throughout his speech about defeat and how to change your thoughts to overcome them.

The movie, “Thank You for Smoking” is a comedy with a tobacco industry lobbyist, Nick Naylor as the lead. The movie has an eerie comic theme which tackles the serious issue of the addicting substance of tobacco, or to be more specific, nicotine. The idea which the movie was trying to portray was that this lobbyist was a great speaker who is able to manipulate many a feeble-mind. A lobbyist, to begin with, is one who is employed to persuade all-concerned of the employer’s concern(s), in this case, the marketing of tobacco products.

However our concern here is not only about the cigarette as a product but with the ethics of cigarettes as well, that affect the social process of marketing. This is because marketing process makes things worse and is also considered as unethical, and as a result has a significant negative impact on the societal welfare. Multinational tobacco companies apply sophisticated strategies ( such as putting flavor in the cigarettes and placing cigarettes in the shops near the sweets to make them more appealing) and invest huge amounts of money for marketing, in order to establish brand familiarity and future loyalty among young peoplem, to secure profits in the long run. 'The tobacco epidemic is a man-made international health crisis, created and sustained by multinational tobacco corporations.' (Yach, Brinchmann, Bellet page 2).

This problem of creating a trendy stylish image of cigarettes are hurting many people by recruiting new young smokers from all around the world, winning over sales due to the false image and then addiction. Third world countries are hurt the most by this unethical way of advertising because they don’t have money for this extra expense that they now need due to addiction. Critics claim that sophisticated promotions in a unsophisticated societies entice people who cannot afford the necessities of life to spend money on luxury- and a dangerous one at that. Every cigarette manufacturer is in the image business, and tobacco companies say their promotional slant is both reasonable and common. They point out that in the Third World a lot of people cannot understand what is written in the ads anyway, so the ads zero in on the more understandable visual image. Due to actions such as this and the negative effect it has on people economically and physically, this is a good example of how the tobacco industry is unethical.