Final Project Proposal

For my final project, I want to rhetorically analyze the pathetic appeals in one of Sarah McLachlan’s SPCA commercials. These commercials pathetically appeal to viewers through audio, video, and written/spoken language. I specifically want to analyze the SPCA commercial below.

In the equivalent of a double-spaced eight page research paper, I will rhetorically analyze the commercial for its pathetic appeal.

· Describe the context (Where did I find the video? Who is the audience, given the context?)

· Explain the emotion(s) this video provokes and how (Here, I will focus heavily on the imagery and audio within the video. I want to also research what affects audio can have on us, especially music by Sarah Mclachlan with a somewhat somber tone.)

· Explain what sort of behavior this video inspires (What does the video want the audience to do? Does it want the audience to buy something?)

· Explain the interpretation that ties the affect to the desired behavior

· If the video appeals to stereotypical “types”, say so. If there are any ideas or symbols within the video that will likely resonate with a certain segment of a population, say so.

· Include video or audio that may help explain anything within the analysis

I will submit my final project for in-class review and review the final projects of my partners on the assigned class day.