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Victoria de Castro

ENC 2132

October 10th, 2022

Rhetorical Analysis of Field Artifacts

The COVID-19 virus continues to spread and worry the population, and the vaccine is the

remedy most widely offered to offset the effects of the virus. The government and doctors

continue to support the movement for Covid-19 vaccination. The vaccine is what has been able

to relieve the viral spread and symptoms of those who have been infected. Though a large

percentage of adults and children have received the shot, some still do not stand behind the idea

that vaccination is helpful. Through different uses of rhetoric, the government and private

companies attempt to reach individuals skeptical of the vaccines' benefits. In this essay, two

pieces of rhetoric will be analyzed, one text-based and another non-text-based, in the form of a

commercial. Both texts have different audiences and purposes, and after being examined for their

effectiveness in promoting their cause, this essay will conclude which of the two was more

successful.

Commercial

In a commercial titled "Our Future" released by the U.S. Department of Health and

Human Services, the purpose of the commercial can be seen as persuading the population of

unvaccinated children to get the vaccine. Therefore, when the commercial appeals to children, it

also tries to contact the parents of unvaccinated children who are still considering vaccination.

The commercial begins with lively music, which contains a singer's lyrics about how a

kid will grow and the parent will be waiting back home for the child if they
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ever need to get back to where they are comfortable; home will be waiting for them. The

commercial shows multiple close-ups of children of different ethnicities and ages in various

places, such as a park and a school. Different sentences for each of the different children are

shown on the screen. The video introduces the first phrase, "Good news for America's Future"

(US. Department of HHS). The following phrases share the idea that the children will have jobs

that are essential in our community, such as "our future veterinarians,” “our future firefighters,”

“senators," and "entrepreneurs" it ends with the expression “it is their turn now." The screen

turns black, and it states, “now all children under five years old can get vaccinated," the

commercial closes with details on where parents can find additional instructions and location

sites to vaccinate their children.

The use of content children in warm lighting and music that provides a feeling of

reminiscence proves the idea that the rhetoric pathos is employed, the commercial appeals to

parents' emotions for their children. The sensation created in the audience by saying "it is their

turn now" leaves the parents thinking that by not giving children the vaccine, their children could

potentially lose their opportunity of having a fulfilling life and a future. All parents hope is that

their children live happy lives and have bright futures. The ad makes parents rethink their choice

of not vaccinating their children. By not vaccinating their children, the younglings could be

significantly affected by the virus with no way to reverse its effects. There is a fear created by

making parents see that they could rob their children of opportunities in their future and their

chance at life. The U.S. Department of Health released this ad, so ethos also affects the audience;

the source is credible and recognized nationally. In contrast, if it were an ad created by a private

company with no recognition, the commercial would not be perceived the same way.
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Article

The article "Building Confidence in COVID-19 Vaccines: Addressing Variants and

Childhood vaccinations", published by The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and

Medicine, employs rhetoric to offer advice on how pediatricians and family doctors can get

more children to become vaccinated and how to address the parents about vaccination. The

intended audience in this article is pediatricians and family doctors recommending the vaccine;

its purpose is to guide pediatricians on how to reach the parents of unvaccinated children in their

call for vaccination. The article uses logos and ethos to support its claims and to address the

reader.

The article begins by describing the effects Covid-19 has had on children; this is the use

of logos. "Most hospitalizations and deaths in the United States occur among people who are

not vaccinated." This data sets the premise that vaccinations are needed and explains why the

audience should care about what the author says. The fact that hospitalizations and deaths in

children in the U.S. can more commonly happen to those who remain unvaccinated should be a

problem for those parents who are refusing to get their children vaccinated against COVID-19.

After a brief description of the virus’s infectious ability and its growing variants, such as

OMICRON, the article presents its purpose, which is to give pediatricians guidance on how to

effectively communicate with parents when it comes to offering the vaccine to their children.

The article begins by employing the use of logos by stating information such as, "For June 20–

July 31, 2021, the hospitalization rate among unvaccinated adolescents (aged 12–17) was 10.1

times higher than that among fully vaccinated adolescents", and it continues with the use of

logos by providing data from pediatric vaccinations and the effects the vaccine can have in

halting the virus and protecting the children from further

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complications. The article uses logos to persuade and inform pediatricians on why vaccines

should be recommended; pediatricians are doctors, and the use of logos is not only persuading,

but hard data is the basis of their work. It advises pediatricians to use logos when engaging with

the parents of unvaccinated children by providing accurate data and statistics about the vaccine.

By providing them with the data, the parents who reject the vaccine could consider viewing it in

a way that is helpful for their children. The article also counsels pediatricians to use ethos to

reach the parents. It recommends they use ethos because they are advised professionals, so their

opinion on vaccination should matter for parents, “these health care providers are a highly

trusted group; messages from primary care providers about vaccines’ safety and efficacy may be

important for parents,” reiterating the idea that ethos has importance when addressing parents.

The data used adds further merit to the authors' claim. Ethos is employed throughout this article

by telling pediatricians that parents will hear them because of their field experience and studies.

The ethos here affects the reader (pediatricians and family doctors) because A National

Academy writes the article--the data in this article is a collection of clinical trials and other

doctors' opinions and has been peer-reviewed; therefore, it is a well-credited source of

information.

This article is heavily based on pathos by providing evidence, trial data, and ethos from

reputable sources. The article employs the necessary rhetoric needed to reach its audience.

The Comparison

The two artifacts discussed in this essay consider different purposes, and different forms

of rhetoric are used in each. The differing purposes and forms of rhetoric used help the artifacts
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reach different audiences. Therefore, both artifacts have different effects when they reach their

intended audience.

Both artifacts are set up differently and utilize different ways of presenting themselves to

reach their audience effectively. The article published by The National Academies of Sciences,

Engineering, and Medicine uses the form of an article; it contains data from clinical studies and

data collected from national and governmental institutions and is written this way because of its

audience. The pediatricians and other doctors who could read this article will likely be affected

because it relies on numeral facts and testable information. In contrast, commercial information

is relayed this way because concise and brief information is what more people in the United

States will view rather than reading an article. A more significant part of the population is more

likely to be reached through media than through articles. The commercial can reach them

through television and electronics, which most of the population has both, so they will likely see

this commercial or others relating to Covid-19.

The differing audiences each artifact has is the reason for different uses of rhetoric.

The article uses logos and ethos, containing data that has a basis behind it to reach doctors. It

is valid information that doctors can rely on and relay.

The second artifact, the commercial, uses the rhetoric of pathos because ordinary citizens are

more likely to be moved by their emotions to do something than the information in an article

they may not comprehend thoroughly.

The artifacts are efficient in employing different rhetorics to reach their target audience.

Each artifact uses what will affect its audience and make its audience follow its purpose.
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Though each artifact uses different rhetorics and forms to present information to

appeal to its audience, they are both efficient in passing this information. When analyzing both

artifacts' effects, the commercial was more efficient in relying on its purpose and making

parents consider vaccinating their children. The commercial has the possibility to reach more

people, and its clear, concise message is likely to have a significant effect on the number of

children who are vaccinated.

Works Cited
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‘Communication Strategies for Building Confidence in Covid-19 Vaccines: Addressing Variants

and Childhood Vaccinations’ at Nap.edu.” Communication Strategies for Building

Confidence in COVID-19 Vaccines:|The National Academies Press,

nap.nationalacademies.org/read/26361/chapter/1#13.

“Our Future: 5-11 Covid-19 Vaccines.” WECANDOTHIS.HHS.GOV, 11 July 2022,

wecandothis.hhs.gov/campaign-ad/our-future-5-11-covid-19-vaccines.