When discussing the Dramatistic perspective, the only thing that comes to mind is the film Titanic. In my opinion no film has better displayed the magnitude of production better than Titanic. When learning about Burke's Pentad in class I could think of no better example than this scene starring the dreamy Leonardo Dicaprio and the exquisite Kate Winslet. Sorry ahead of time for the quality and the subtitles, I couldn't find a better clip.
Act: What happened? What is the action? What is going on? What action; what thoughts?
Scene: Where is the act happening? What is the background situation?
Agent: Who is involved in the action? What are their roles?
Agency: How do the agents act? By what means do they act?
Purpose: Why do the agents act? What do they want?
ACT: Within this scene Rose is attempting to commit suicide, Jack sees her and stops her. They discuss the degree of the water and the audience is witnessing the two characters interact for the first time. Jack persuades Rose that not only will she be killing herself, but he, now apart of the ordeal, will be forced to jump in after her. She decides to come back onto the other side of the rail and slips on her garment. Jack pulls her to safety just as the guards arrive from hearing the screams. Jack is seen as a criminal that has assaulted rose and is told to stand back and later put in handcuffs.
SCENE: The act is taking place on the back of the Titanic. The background situation we don't see in this clip is that Jack is poor and lusts to be with Rose. Rose appears to be very wealthy and is surrounded by the most wealthy on the ship. She is running in the beginning of the scene because she can't take being in her position anymore. She feels trapped and suffocated by her societal position and within her relationships.
AGENT: Jack Dawson: A poor drifter that won his seats on the Titanic in a poker game. He's an artist and an experienced young man that takes out of life what most miss. Rose Dewitt Bukater: A rich young aristocratic woman that is being pushed into marriage and a way of life to save her family's name and title. She is bold and uncharacteristic for her time. She questions authority and the social structure of her time.
AGENCY: Jack takes his life into his own hands most o the time. He has very little to offer anyone and for that reason he can easily move along. He has no family and no responsibility. He gets by on what he has and that's usually enough for him. He takes what he needs and he lives day by day waiting to see what life has in store for him. Rose on the other hand is the pillar that is holding her family together. She is thrust into the lime light, primped and prodded to uphold her family's image of beauty and wealth. Rose is slowly cracking under the pressure. She is realizing that this is not the life she asked for and in fact that this is not life at all. She is being played like a pawn in a game and her only way out is taking her own life. When the two collide together we see the beautiful juxtaposition they make on screen; her sophisticated elegance and his shabby confidence. They are both acting on their feelings for one another and the gravity of the situation.
PURPOSE:The agents act to display to the audience a stigma of the time period concerning men and women as well as the relationship between the rich and the poor. They also act to help attach invested emotion and a memorable story for the historical sinking of the ship. They want to capture the audiences attention an relay the idea that every person that didn't survive the sinking of the ship had a life with a similar background. Weather rich or poor each life was important and should be remembered.
Oh the wonderful wonderment of the Snuggie, the blanket with arms. Who doesn't remember seeing this commercial for the first time and thinking, "Yeah right, who would buy that?" Only to be one-upped by the equally ridiculous, unnecessary, and horribly named Forever Lazy.
The Snuggie
These commercials quickly became one of the most laughed at and gawked at items in the history of crappy things advertised at three in the morning around Christmas time for $19.95. Despite this public perspective these things sold like hot cakes off the shelves and here's why.
The Forever Lazy
Welcome to the first edition of Rhetoric & Pop Culture. There are these things called "Cannons of Rhetoric". They help us explain and break down why media and literature is so effective, especially in speeches, or in this case really stupid infomercials. These cannons consist of the different parts of the work itself.
Invention: The search for persuasive ways to present information and formulate arguments. Arrangement: Organization of the parts of a presentation to ensure that all means of persuasion are present and properly disposed. Style: The use of correct language Memory: The use of mnemonics and practice Delivery: Presenting the message with effective gestures and vocal modulation.
Also useful when analyzing this type of research are these three Greek words, Ethos- Credibility Pathos- Emotional Appeal Logos- Logic
Within these two commercials the invention is ever present. The commercial takes us through several scenarios where both the Snuggie and the Forever Lazy could be useful and even economical. By saving money on your heating bills, and staying warm and comfortable while still having mobility both products seem to prove themselves to the viewer. The formulation of these arguments is simple. The logos or logical appeal is that the blanket will come to save you time and money in the future. Pathos, the emotional appeal is presented as keeping you happy and comfortable. Lastly Ethos or the credible part of the argument is that these products are made from the "finest fleece" and every member of the family will love them.
The arrangement of these commercials are identical. First they suck you in buy saving you money. They keep you reeled in by showing all of the frustrations of normal blankets. Then they capture you with the guaranteed wonderment and love of the product followed by an irresistible free flashlight. Wow, so tempting! Every line is set in a certain place to get you to buy.
The style of the two ads is done in a what I like to call, "real housewife" voice. The tone is calm, light, and fun. Mrs. Jones has three snuggies see? Wouldn't you like to have some as well? Look how useful they are for every household.
Memory seems to be the hardest of the cannons to pick up on. Most times memory is defined by the presenter of the product or speech and how he delivers and remembers the speech. I like to view it also as a way the viewer is meant to remember the speech. Here, I imagine every time hereafter a person that has seen this commercial and then needed to reach for something while covered in a traditional blakent will think back on the snuggie or the forever lazy and think, "Damn, that was a good idea." This to me is another form of memory that leads to sales and increased revenue.
Lastly, we have the delivery. The delivery here is the icing on the cake. The way in which these commercials are being presented is such that they are prime targets for parody. However, the graphics and reenactments are what really adds to the commercials. Without those scenes and fluctuating tone we wouldn't feel bad for throwing away money or not being lazy. The visual and tonal aspects of these commercials are what sells them. We feel stupid for not thinking of the backwards robe in the first place, thus enabling us to buy buy buy!
Therefore, while these commercials are both meaningless and hilarious, through the proper use and representation of the rhetorical cannons, these commercials sold millions of these products.
Here's a few parody's to make your day better and to point out what you really should have noticed the first time you watched these.
My name is Mary, I'm doing this particular post for my pop culture class which I'm very interested in. My major is English Literature. I'm an English major because writing has always come naturally to me and I cannot fulfill the science or math requirements to do anything I have previously tried. I've been a business major, psych, social science, journalism, marketing, advertising, and management. This is the only major for me and I'm starting to realize how beneficial it is and how much of my other interests actually make up most of English. I have no idea what I want to do, everything I try I end up not liking. Right now I am really interested in writing and scouting and blogging about music.
Music is my second love. I am talentless within the field. I can't sing or play anything but 'm working on that in my spare time. Secondly, I'm crazy about the ocean which is why I go to this school. I'm in love with photography, film, fashion, french, literature, and art. I'm obsessed with giraffes, old clocks, the 1920's, vinyl records, and my favorite color is yellow.
I hope you enjoy what I have to say on here and I'm an open book ask me anything.
I'm making this blog for a few classes I'm taking this semester, I didn't want to get it jumbled with my other blog, thus mryseasdeux was born. To visit my sister blog click here!
