Name: Sydney Greiner, Analyzing “Got Milk?

” ads

Rhetorical Analysis Practice

The Basics:

1. What’s the mode?

The mode is the combo of visuals and words on the posters.

2. What’s the medium?

The medium was paper fliers, but they are now digital.

3. What’s the genre?

The genre is posters advertising a way to have a healthy lifestyle.

4. Write a brief summary of the artifact you’re analyzing.

The posters feature famous figures with a “milk mustache” to encourage their audience to drink
more milk. Some of the posters have a small slogan related to the celebrity and how drinking
milk helps them.

5. What are your first impressions of this artifact? It’s okay (and even a good thing) if
you have different answers!
I the think artifact may have been effective when it came out, but now is cheesy and outdated. It
may be more effective if the celebrities and language used on the posters were more current.

The Rhetorical Context:

6. Can you identify the exigence or purpose?

The exigence, or purpose, of the artifact is to encourage people to drink more milk to improve
their physical health and development.

7. What about the audience? Both intended and non-intended?

These ads seem to be targeted at a younger audience, I saw many of them in elementary school,
but an unintended audience could be parents and teachers.

8. Can you identify any constraints?

The physical posters could only be in so many places, so if you weren’t there you didn’t see
them, and they could only reach so many people. Now, some restraints include having outdated
celebrities that may not be as well-known to the target audience.

The Argument Itself:

9. What’s the overall message this artifact is trying to convey? AKA, what argument is
this artifact making?
The argument is that young kids who drink milk could be just like their celebrity idols or
superheroes. They will grow up to be healthy and strong and just as successful.

10. What appeals is this artifact using? Basically, how is trying to “win” the argument
it’s bringing up? Remember: ethos, logos, pathos.
These ads use ethos by having celebrities and famous figures on their posters. These
endorsements give them credibility. Also, using facts on the posters provides logos and a factual
foundation on which the argument can be built.

11. Do you think the rhetoric here addresses the problem it claims to address?
I do think the rhetoric addresses the problem. By using idols and facts, children will be more
likely to drink more milk as they grow up.

12. Is this rhetoric targeted at an audience who has the power to make it change?
Yes, the children that see these posters may be likely to ask their parents for milk so they can be
like their heroes. However, it is ultimately up to their parents whether they are provided with
milk to drink.

13. Do you think the appeals are appropriate for the audience?
The appeals are appropriate, the focus is the celebrities which will appeal to young people. The
sentences are also short and to the point, which are easy for young people to read and
understand.

14. Is there enough information for you to make an informed decision?

There is enough information to make an informed decision because the ads use facts to back up
why drinking milk is beneficial.

15. Does the rhetoric attempt to manipulate in any way?

Yes, it is attempting to manipulate children into wanting to drink more milk.

16. What other sub-claims do you have to accept to accept the main argument here?
You have to accept that milk has health benefits in order to accept the fact that you should drink
more milk.

17. What possible negative effects may come from this rhetoric?
Possible negative effects include creating food waste as milk expires quickly and children may
be misled into thinking that just drinking milk will make them very healthy and tall.