The film “13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi,” is more likely prodded at for its action aspects and not its setting. The actions, or rather inaction, in Benghazi, has been criticized and speculated on in the highest levels of government. A well known black spot in recent American history, Benghazi, and Libya as a whole, represents failure at every stage. From the local clerics to the national government of the new nation formed in the ashes of Muammar Gaddafi, the United States Department of State failed to invoke vigor in the desire for democracy, and was wrong for assuming it could accomplish so. Now, in the wake of this disaster, the movie aims to enlighten the American people and use imagery to represent so many ideas that words alone cannot describe.

The film, touching on the emotions of the audience, carries a deep message within, without ever mentioning it once. The ineptitude of our government is pronounced, and the movie got it across by depicting scenes we are familiar with, and reasoning with us through conflict between characters. There is so much opportunity for exploration, the truth is not always pretty.

Although some people tend to look at video games as a mindless activity that has no meaning, with a close look they might think otherwise.  The videogame industry has experienced a colossal growth spurt over the past decade, amassing an enormous  and extremely diverse audience. Providing game developers with not only the ability to create any storyline or world they could imagine, but also with the ability to touch and influences the lives of hundreds of millions of people worldwide. With a seemingly limitless amount of material to analysis, i selected one video game in particular, Grand Theft Auto V (GTAV).

Developed by Rockstar Games, GTA V is one of the biggest open world games on the market, providing players with an action packed experience in which they get pick whatever they want to do. Since its release almost 3 years ago, it has been bashed by critics for being misogynistic, grotesquely violent, and an influencer of real world violence; all of which i find untrue and in a way ironic. The main point of the game was to be a satirical representation of our world today, allowing the player to do whatever he or she pleases. The developers never forced the players to commit violence in the game, it is just as packed with fun non violent activities such as driving, parachuting, investing, swimming, bike riding, hiking, working out, yoga, etc.; even with all these possibilities, most players still tend to kill, explode, and steal throughout their time in this virtual word.

So in my opinion, this game would be a great medium to do rhetorical analysis on.

One of my all time favorite movies (and hopefully books, once I finish reading it), “Into The Wild,” recounts the true story about the journey of a young man named Christopher McCandless who sets off to Alaska just some time after graduating from university guided by his goal of enlightenment and finding himself, outside of the tight and restrictive corners of society that he has lived within for his whole 22 years of life. The “biography/true travel essay” documents the major events that happen along his physical and mental escape from his old life into a new one of little worry or obstacle, including those he met and the desperate things he did to get to his destination. What I’d like to analyze out of this piece are plenty, though I am narrowing my options down. Besides the obvious, who did McCandless leave behind? Why would he go in the manner in which he chose? I believe there is so much weight carried within his story that could be (and probably has been) more deeply analyzed. Being the stubborn-minded, intellectual individual that Christopher seemed to be, I believe every decision he made had a purpose or a reasoning behind it and the journey was not meant for him alone, it was meant for a larger and greater audience. I mean, look how it ended up: a best selling story around the world, translated into various different languages and used in educational reading curriculums.

Emily Weiss

02.25.2016

My first idea is to write my paper on the novel and Broadway show, “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime,” a story about an autistic boy which has really brought autism into the spotlight.

My second option is to write about the CBS show Scorpion, a show based on a real man named Walter O’Brein, who has the fourth highest IQ ever recorded and created a company for geniuses like him to work together on projects that are essentially saving and changing the world.

Topic: I plan to analyze a MOBA called League of Legends. Many of my friends play this game for hours on end. It would be interesting to analyze what makes the game so addictive. The game places a huge-emphasis on team play, but there is often hate speech and negative messages from other players. When the game was first established, team play received barely any attention. As the game evolved, it has changed into a MOBA where teamwork is crucial for victory.

The Shawshank Redemption is a book by Stephen King, which was later turned into one of the most iconic movies of all time. Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins), the main character is wrongfully accused of a crime and is imprisoned for many years. Andy’s means of survival is to develop his plan of escape and to seek out revenge against those who wronged him in the prison system. He is befriended by Red (Morgan Freeman) and even after his escape, the two meet up for their little share of paradise.

I’m interested in writing a rhetorical analysis about the television show Shark Tank. I want to write about this because this television is interesting and mind-blowing. It is too addicting that I wish there was no advertisement in between. It starts off with an entrepreneur or a person who wants to build his/her company, but he/she needs help, so he/she goes on Shark Tank to sell his/her products to the investors. If one of the investor likes it, he/she will make an offer, the seller can negotiate the price. Sometimes, more than one investor will want invest in a product.

Right off the bat, the title of the show is already a metaphor. “Shark” is referred to the investors, and “Tank” is referred to the pool of money they have to invest and business connections that they can give to the seller. Shark Tank is a cultural artifact because it represents the “American Dream”. It does not matter if you are poor, black, white, yellow, short, or tall, you have the opportunity to present your idea to these investors. They might not like your idea, but at least you had that chance to share with the world what you did. It is definitely the American Dream to the perspective of someone who has an excellent product because all that person need is the support of these sharks. It also inspire young adults/students to step out of our comfort zone. If you have a good idea, make it happen. Do not just let it happen in your dreams/brain. Do not let yourself regret what you didn’t do. At the same time, there is the negative connotation that comes with it. We all know that there is no free lunch in this world. These sharks who invest in you definitely wants an equivalent amount of return or even more. There can be a possibility that they will want to take over the seller’s company.

Idea 1: I’d like to write about the show on Netflix, Narcos. It has grabbed many peoples attention and has given positive reviews. Before the show aired its first episode on August, one of the world’s powerful and notorious drug leader had escaped, El Chapo. After that event, many were interested in the world of the Cartels. This show came at the right time. Although this show is not about El Chapo, it based on the life of Pablo Escobar. Escobar is considered to be right next to El Chapo, on top of the lists of the worlds powerful leaders.

Idea 2: Another idea is to write about the movie, To Kill a Mockingbird. Many have written about the book but I’d like to write about the movie and compare it to the latest book that Harper Lee wrote, Go Set a Watchmen. There is a reason why this book/movie is a classic.

I want to write my rhetorical analysis paper on a television commercial, though I have not yet set my mind on which particular commercial I would like to choose. I feel like commercials are interesting to analyze because they are a prime example of deliberate rhetoric, meaning that TV commercials (as well as any ad basically) have a particular message that they like to persuade their audience of. Usually this message is in the greater interest of their product. I would like to analyze the ways and techniques that certain companies use/employ to target and hook their audience. I think it has a lot to do with the psychology of its audience, like knowing and understanding what the audience would like to see/wouldn’t like to see, images that spark different messages, word choice, tone, etc. All these different aspects play a HUGE role, and I feel like it would be very interesting to analyze.

Unlike the average teenager today, there are not many shows that grab my attention enough for me to “binge” watch for 16 hours straight. “The Blacklist”, however, is definitely one of them. It completely redefined my idea of what is considered “good” and what is seen as disorderly or “bad”. The main character of the show, Raymond Reddington, is rated number four on the FBI’s Most Wanted List, yet he has won the hearts of all of his viewers. As we learn more about the characters we begin to understand who they are and why they do the things they do. Using empathy as well as appealing to our emotions, “The Blacklist” has persuaded millions that murderers are not necessarily all bad and that our world is not exactly black and white.

Possible Topic #1- Analyze a popular ASPCA commercial with Sarah Mclachlan. ASPCA is the American Society for Animals Against Cruelty and their commercials in particular this one is one that I find to be very moving.

Possible Topic #2- Analyze Beyonce’s new music video Formation, because there has been a lot of controversy surrounding it and it’s said to have a deeper meaning behind it.

I’m thinking of doing my project on a documentary or a speech, although I’m not sure which one yet.  I think I might pick a political speech and analyze the rhetoric of it.  I’ve been toying with the idea of analyzing a Donald Trump speech, which would certainly be interesting.

Topic #1: Analyze a short film from the animal rights/rescue group: Big Cat Rescue. Big Cat Rescue is a non-profit organization located in Florida that directs its fundings towards saving wildcats from abuse in USA.

Topic #2: Analyze a popular 3DMMORPG, Blade and Soul, as many of my friends are currently playing it. I would like to know how Blade and Soul uses rhetoric to attract the players they attract.

I am planning to write my paper on the Netflix series Daredevil which is an adaptation of the Marvel Comic.  Along with taking place in a setting I’m familiar with, the show did a great job at captivating it’s audience with stories that may very well occur.

I am thinking about writing my Rhetorical Analysis Essay on the 1971 Coca Cola Commercial which really helped Coca Cola compete with Pepsi and helped establish them as one of the soft drinks in the world.