Rhetorical AnalysisBy: Danielle Weiss

• Australia's Government owned postal service

• Collects, processes and distributes letters throughout Australian and to other countries overseas.

AUSTRALIA POST

“ If you really want to touch someone, send them a letter. ”

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU WROTE A LETTER?

GRANT DAVIE IDENTIFIESFOUR CONSTITUENTS IN RHETORICAL SITUATIONS: EXIGENCE, RHETORS, AUDIENCES, AND CONSTRAINTS.

EXIGENCE Grant-Davie defines exigence as:

“ problem or need that can be addressed by communication” and

“what the discourse is about, why it is needed, and what it should accomplish”

(Rhetorical Situations and Their Constituents)

Exengencies found in ad:• Increasing reliance on technology for to communicate (texting,

calling, email, social media, ect.)

• Neglect of writing letters to communicate.

• Post offices are becoming obsolete, workers losing jobs.

• Youth unaware of how to correctly write and send a letter.

RHETOR“Those People, Real or Imagined, Responsible for the

Discourse and Its Authorial Voice” (Rhetorical Situations and Their Constituents)

• Ad originally found in a defense force magazine.

• Other ads like it were run in different magazines leading up to Valentine’s Day.

• One version came out around time of Mother’s Day.

• Created by M&C Saatchi Sydney, one of Australia's largest and most successful Marketing Agencies.

• Imagined rhetor: Australian Post

AUDIENCE Defined by Laura Carroll “those who are the (intended or unintended) recipients of the rhetorical message. The audience should be able to respond to the exigence” (Backpacks vs. Briefcases)

Primary Audience:• Citizens of Australia

• Males and females ages 15-35

(who may not often think to write a letter)

• Specifically long distance relationship where such form of communication would be necessary.

• Military girlfriends/ boyfriends

Secondary Audience:• Older citizens of Australia who may have neglected letter writing as a form

of communication.

CONSTRAINTS“All Factors In The Situation, Aside From The Rhetor And The Audience, That May Lead The Audience To Be Either More Or Less Sympathetic To The Discourse, And That May Therefore Influence The Rhetor's Response To The Situation” (Grant-davie)

Negative Constraints:• Many young people may not know how to

properly write and send out a letter.

• Mail is often slow and post offices may be closed on certain days, slowing down the communication process.

• May not have access to a mailbox.

Postive Constraints:• Sending a letter is often cheaper than

• a text/ phone call.

• Receiving a letter is always a great feeling.

PURPOSE"rhetorical discourse comes into existence as a response to situation, in the same sense that an answer comes into existence in response to a question, or a solution in response to a problem”

• To encourage the use of the Australian Post as a service to out letters to loved ones.

• Express how much emotion can be locked inside a hand written letter.

• Show the difference of receiving a letter vs. an email, text message, ect.

RELATED ADS

EFFECTIVE ARGUMENTATION

Aristotle articulated three “artistic appeals” that a could draw on to make a case: logos, pathos, and ethos” (Carroll, Backpacks vs. Briefcases)

LOGOSArgument From Reason, Usually Appeals To An Audience’s Intellectual Side. (Carroll, Backpacks Vs. Briefcases)

Results from a study done by: Catherine E. Mosher And Sharon Danoff–burg “Health Effects Of Expressive Letter Writing”

(University at Albany, State University of New York)

• Undergrad college students told to write an expressive letter.

• Studies found enhanced physical and psychological well–being, reduced illness symptoms, relief of stress and anxiety.

PATHOSArgument That Appeals To One’s Emotions

• Pathos is the main tool used in this ad.

• So many emotions can be expressed in a hand written letter, and so many emotions can be felt from reading one.

• “If you really want to touch someone, send them a letter”

(the best way to make someone feel loved or to express your feelings is in a hand written letter.)

ETHOSThe Credibility Of The Writer

• The rhetor displays ethos by the phrase at the bottom matching up to the emotion depicted on the lady’s emotion on her face when she is being “touched by the letter”

• Her expression on her face shows a genuine sense of comfort and happiness.

• Displays that writing a letter can “literally” touch someone.

A CLOSER LOOK AT THE AD :THE TEXT.

• Writing a letter, can bring emotion to someone that can’t be achieved through other forms of communication.

• The most effective way to depict your emotion.

• Written in a simple common font.

• Not italicized, bolded or underlined.

• Can be compared to writing a letter- same way nothing fancy such as technology is needed to communicate effectively.

• Fancy font, or emphasis is not necessary to depict message.

A CLOSER LOOK AT THE AD :THE FONT

• White font pops against the red background.

• The red background stands out against the mostly white background of the ad.

• Also goes along with the theme of the simplicity of the message compared to the simplicity of a letter.

A CLOSER LOOK AT THE AD :

FONT COLOR/ BACKGROUND.

A CLOSER LOOK AT THE AD :

THE IMAGE.

• The image used in this ad evokes emotional appeal in the audience.

• A young girl is feeling literally “touched” by the letter she received from her significant other.

• The letter is literally reaching out an touching him as her boyfriend is actually there with her.

• Handwritten letters have this ability as opposed to a text or email.