Analysis for "On the Want of Money" 10.21.2016

      In class, we read an excerpt from "On the Want of Money," an essay written by William Hazlitt in the nineteenth century. The author's position on money is that it is the root of all evil and misfortune. This can be related to in the real world because in reality, people tend to have arguments and separate due to money. I can also relate the author's position because in my own life, I am unable to get what I want because of the cost of the item. We have all most likely stopped to think about money before making a decision. The author supports his position that money steals away happiness through the use of rhetorical techniques, such as word choice and imagery. An example of word choice is the use of the word "falsehood" (31). By using this word, the author conveys his message that money leads to distrust of others since the word "falsehood" has a negative connotation of being untrue. Therefore, if one were "to be assailed on every side with...falsehood" (30-31), it means that the person with money is surrounded by people who put on a face just to deceive him/her. Another example of word choice is the use of the words "constant distress" (29). By using the word "constant," the author emphasizes the continuous stress caused by money, which shows that money only brings problems to a person. In addition to word choice, the author also uses imagery, which is shown when the author states "stand behind a counter, or to sit at a desk in some public office, or to marry your landlady" (16-18). This quote shows imagery because it creates an image of what would happen if one were to be rich. The image that appears from this description is an awful job that involves boring work. Using this imagery emphasizes that to earn money, one must sacrifice his or her happiness. By using imagery and word choice, the author effectively supports his position that money leads to misfortune.

Smoking Time Bomb Advertisement 10.7.2016

In class, we were shown an advertisement about smoking. In this advertisement, a batch of cigarettes are tied to a clock, which represents a time bomb. A time bomb is something that people view with a negative connotation because once it is lit, it counts down until it explodes, which leads to destruction. In the real world, many people have died from diseases caused by smoking. By using a clock and cigarettes as a representation of a time bomb, the speaker (an anti-smoker) conveys the message that smoking takes away time from a person's life and eventually leads to death. The purpose of this advertisement is to convince the audience (the general public) that smoking is harmful.

Overall, this advertisement is effective because of its use of pathos. By using a dark background, the advertisement conveys a serious tone. In addition, the words at the bottom of the image has a huge impact on the audience's emotions. The use of the "destroy" gives off an extremely negative connotation since "destroy" means to bring harm to. This specific word choice appeals to the audience's sense of fear. By conveying this message effectively, the advertisement convinces the audience to stop smoking and to get others to stop smoking as well.