Use of language in propaganda
Jahvarie E. Perry
Professor Carey Wilkerson
English 1101
24 March 2014
Use of Language in Propaganda Language can be manipulated in various ways it can be used for good or bad. The same statement can be spoken clearly or be announced in an extremely vague way. It is extremely intriguing how the same object can be sold to you through the manipulation of language. The mastering of this skill is executed through the propagandizing of various items. Advertisements have become so nifty in the manipulation of language that most people don’t even realize that they are being sold a product until the very end. Taking an object, that in the common mind, is assumed to have no real value and making it memorable is just an elaborate manipulation of language. In a Mentos gum commercial, that was advertising a product called UP2U gum pack which has two different flavors of gum in one pack. The commercial opens with a young man sitting in his work office with the UP2U gum packet in his hand. The young man is having a hard time deciding flavor of gum he want to choose so he turns to the old childhood game/chant “ennie meenie miny mo/ catch a tiger by the toe/ if he holleress let him go/ ennie meenie miny mo” then in the background the is a snap and a growl. The camera then shows a tiny bear trap clamp onto the tigers paw and the young man looks at the tiger and the tiger says “Do I really have to holler?” This ad is an example of the argument ad lapidum, because the idea of any part of that little childhood song coming to life is absolutely absurd. The commercial is a very successful execution in the manipulation and power of language. The sing song part of the commercial draws the view in and creates and very generalized audience, because just about everyone knows that little chant no matter the age. Once the audience is captured the tiger is shown on the TV screen speaking relatively calmly at this young man suggesting that he take the bear claw off of his toe. The
Professor Carey Wilkerson
English 1101
24 March 2014
Use of Language in Propaganda Language can be manipulated in various ways it can be used for good or bad. The same statement can be spoken clearly or be announced in an extremely vague way. It is extremely intriguing how the same object can be sold to you through the manipulation of language. The mastering of this skill is executed through the propagandizing of various items. Advertisements have become so nifty in the manipulation of language that most people don’t even realize that they are being sold a product until the very end. Taking an object, that in the common mind, is assumed to have no real value and making it memorable is just an elaborate manipulation of language. In a Mentos gum commercial, that was advertising a product called UP2U gum pack which has two different flavors of gum in one pack. The commercial opens with a young man sitting in his work office with the UP2U gum packet in his hand. The young man is having a hard time deciding flavor of gum he want to choose so he turns to the old childhood game/chant “ennie meenie miny mo/ catch a tiger by the toe/ if he holleress let him go/ ennie meenie miny mo” then in the background the is a snap and a growl. The camera then shows a tiny bear trap clamp onto the tigers paw and the young man looks at the tiger and the tiger says “Do I really have to holler?” This ad is an example of the argument ad lapidum, because the idea of any part of that little childhood song coming to life is absolutely absurd. The commercial is a very successful execution in the manipulation and power of language. The sing song part of the commercial draws the view in and creates and very generalized audience, because just about everyone knows that little chant no matter the age. Once the audience is captured the tiger is shown on the TV screen speaking relatively calmly at this young man suggesting that he take the bear claw off of his toe. The