Kelli Scarpa

English 111
October 1, 2014
Writers Reflection
In my essay, a rhetorical analysis of the advertisement for Mockingjay, Part 1,
I tried to illustrate the complexity and the seemingly flawed success of its argument. I
chose this commercial for its dramatic nature, seeing a lot of potential for the use of
rhetoric. Upon further investigation, I found that the appeal is mostly pathological,
with the occasional use of ethos as well. I picked apart, in depth, the effect of the
music, the fonts of writing and various logos that appear, and the visual qualities of
the scenes strung together. In each of these elements, the main focus was on an
emotional and thematic appeal, reinforcing the strength of the pathological appeals.
In the beginning of my writing process, I had some good thoughts down on paper,
but I struggled with making the paragraphs flow together. To remedy this, I added in
a couple of tidbits and transitions to create unity throughout the essay and pull it
together. I originally thought that maybe I should cut out some of the details and add
other elements that can be analyzed. However, looking back through my writing, I
found that I only needed to elaborate on some points. I furthered these thoughts to
make them into complete ideas and really flesh them out. I then decided to add more
examples from the text to support my analysis. I finished my editing process with a
read-through to check for basic grammar and mechanic mistakes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_Tsj_wTJkQ

MockingJay Preview Rhetorical Analysis

The thrill and excitement of adventure movies never ceases to entertain large
audiences with heart-stopping and adrenaline-pumping action. Over the last couple
of years, the Hunger Games craze has exploded with the ever-growing popularity of
the novels and releases of their corresponding movies. The first of these action and
adventure movies was released in 2012, bringing in a total revenue of $408,010,692.
Since then, the second, third, and fourth movies have been in the works with great
anticipation from the public. The second movie was released in November of 2013.
Shortly after, in the following year, the trailer for the next movie in the series,
MockingJay, Part 1, was released. I chose to analyze this trailer for its dramatic and
artistic quality as well as its compelling argument. This trailer uses ethos, pathos,
and kairos in order to alert and intrigue the public about the premiere of MockingJay,
Part 1.
The commercial features a montage of scenes from the upcoming movie,
creating the vague outline of a story but keeping the outcome of the plot hidden. The
dystopian theme of the movie itself permeates the commercial. The flash-in, flashout method of stitching the scenes together creates a certain anxiety in the viewer,
matching the overall feel of the film. This, together with the music, creates a really
unique appeal to the viewers and conveys a highly stylized message that is
unmistakably the Hunger Games.
The commercial starts with a disclaimer, establishing some sort of credibility
for the viewer and assuring them that the following film sequence is safe for their
eyes. This appeal through ethos is backed up by the Motion Picture Association of
America, a reputable organization that sensors commercials for the good of the

general public. Their approval at the beginning gives the showing of the
advertisement reliability. Then the viewer is assured that the commercial is
worthwhile by the appearance of the producers logo, drawn out in heavy block
letters against a black background. This gives the impression that the company is
stable, trustworthy, and adds drama to the opening scene of the commercial. The
viewer immediately is convinced that this is a legitimate argument and is intrigued by
the consistent eerie feel of the opening few seconds.
The timing of the advertisement is also important, reinforcing the credibility of
the commercial itself through kairos. It was released a month before the first showing
of the movie, which gives viewers ample time to get excited and spread the word
about the upcoming movie. However, a month is short enough that the viewers of
the commercial wont forget about the movie by the time it comes out in theaters. In
perfecting the timing of the advertisement, the viewer is likely to be more
enthusiastic about the upcoming film. This creates an open and accepted legitimacy
for the argument.
Then, shortly after the credibility of the film is introduced, the music starts,
creating an instantaneous appeal through pathos. This appeal is consistent
throughout the advertisement, with the swells of the music and the addition of
different layers of instruments. The music starts with some simple, dramatic string
arrangements. It gradually builds, adding instruments in a grand crescendo towards
the end of the commercial. The music swells, coming to its height and then
completely dropping out, leaving only the ring of a bass drum and the title of the
upcoming movie. The commercial finishes with the call of the mocking jay, leaving a
lasting, eerie and anxious impression on the viewer. The build and subito piano of
the music creates a pathological appeal by creating a growing disquiet in the psyche

of the viewer. This drama is supplemented by the snippets of dialogue interspersed

in the movie clips. For example, when Snow says to Katniss, Its the things we love
most that destroy us, the mood is intantly changed from mildly creepy to anxious
and concerning. These phrases create an emotional appeal and an over-all dark
tone for the movie, which mingles with the dystopian themes of the plot, creating a
cohesive and very emotional appeal.
The dystopian theme is also exemplified by the scenery and selection of
certain movie clips. At the start of the commercial, the mood is set by a night scene,
with a dark colored hovercraft flying away from the screen. This then fades to a facial
view of Katniss, the main character, in a dark room. The motif of darkness can be
found throughout the commercial, especially when Katniss is present. In fact, the
only time that the scenery appears bright is when her former counterpart, Peeta
appears. This creates a real tension and division between Katniss and Peeta and the
viewer immediately can tell where the conflict lies. This intrigues the viewer because
we do not know how or when the conflict occurs, and it leaves us wanting more of
the plot.
This commercial successfully creates interest in the viewer by use of pathos,
ethos and kairos. The viewer becomes emotionally attached to the characters, even
if they appear for less than 3 minutes. The timing of the advertisement is also
important, allowing the viewer time to anticipate the release of the film without
allowing them time to forget about it. Despite the success of the rhetoric used in the
argument, it lacks an essence of logos. There is no logical appeal whatsoever about
the release of the film. For me, there is no need for a logical appeal, but if the
commercial had used a logical appeal, the potential audience size could be even
greater.

Works Cited
The Hunger Games: MockingJay Trailor: The Mockingjay Lives,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_Tsj_wTJkQ
IMDB. MockingJay.Web.16Sept.2014.