Intro
This is one of my favorite activities to do. I bring a selection of products to class that I think have interesting packaging from a rhetorical standpoint. Some of my favorites to include, for instance, are a Tony’s Chocolonely bar, a Celsius energy drink, some sort of bottled water (I generally use Proud Source), and a cosmetic product of some sort. I separate the students into groups and and have them come and select from the available products. They then have to fill out the provided worksheet in their group and prepare to present their item to the class. Following the “sell me this pen” work interview question, I then ask the students to sell us their products in a 1-minute pitch. They have to highlight some of the rhetorical choices they identify in the product. We then have a brief class discussion about the common elements we found between groups etc.
I like this activity because we can hit all sorts of different advertisement genres in one activity. This activity is also one that we can recall in Unit 4 of the Foundations in Rhetoric class, where students are asked to do a multi-modal project. Because these are all pretty common products that students see in their day-to-day lives, this also gets students thinking about the different ways they are being influenced rhetorically every single day. It’s a fun activity and it also does a great job of getting students to recognize the rhetorical strategies early on in the class.
Group Activity (25-30 minutes)
- Setup (3-5 minutes):
- Explain the activity: In your groups, you will choose one product from the selection. As a team, you will analyze the packaging and fill out the provided worksheet, looking for examples of ethos, pathos, and logos.
- Distribute the products and the "Rhetorical Analysis Group Worksheet."
- Instruct students to get into their pre-assigned groups.
- Group Work (20-25 minutes):
- Students work collaboratively to fill out the worksheet.
- Circulate around the room to answer questions, guide their analysis, and ensure they are focused on providing specific evidence from the packaging. Remind them to think about how things like font, color, images, and text all contribute to the rhetorical appeals.
Share Out & Class Discussion (10-15 minutes)
- Presentations (5-7 minutes): Ask 2-3 groups to share their analysis with the class.
- Instruct them to introduce their product and summarize their findings.
- Encourage them to show the class the specific parts of the packaging that they identified as examples of ethos, pathos, or logos.
- Class Discussion (5-8 minutes):
- "Did any other groups notice the same things on their products? Did anyone find something that contradicted what the other groups found?"
- "Can a single element (like an image) be an example of all three appeals? Why or why not?"
- "Did you notice anything
Worksheet
Rhetorical Analysis Worksheet
Student Name: __________________________________
Product Chosen: __________________________________
Part 1: First Impressions
Briefly describe the product's packaging. What do you see? What's the overall feeling you get?
Part 2: Analyzing the Context
1. Who is the target audience for this product? (Who is the product trying to sell to?)
2. What is the goal of the packaging? (What is the packaging trying to do?)
Part 3: Identifying Ethos, Pathos, and Logos
Look closely at your product's packaging. Find specific examples of how your chosen product uses rhetorical strategies to accomplish its goal for its intended audience. List examples and explain why each example works.
Ethos (Character/Credibility)
How does the packaging show that the product or brand is trustworthy?
Pathos (Suffering/Emotion)
How does the packaging try to make the consumer feel something?
Logos (Word/Logic)
How does the packaging use facts or reasoning to convince the consumer?
Part 4: Conclusion
Which of the three appeals (ethos, pathos, or logos) do you think is the most important for this product? Why?