Post #2: “My Dad’s Story”

Subject:​ What is this text about?

The commercial “My dad’s story” is obviously about buying or thinking about getting insurance.
However, if you examine the text deeper and further you can notice that it’s about sacrificing
yourself in order for others to be able to succeed. Towards the end of the commercial it says
“Pursue more in life” (“My dad’s story” 00:03:15). By the commercial saying this is that one
shouldn’t only do something in the interest of themselves but look for a greater purpose to help
something or someone out.

Claim:​ What opinion or point of view does this text express?

The point of view this commercial expresses throughout the video is third person. As the little
girl is reading her essay she refers to her father in the third person by saying ‘he’ throughout the
some of the commercial. By the author having the little girl read the essay and refer to her father
it gives the audience the perspective of the little girl and how she views her father
movements/actions.

Audience:​ Who is the author trying to reach?

The audience that author is trying to reach are those parents or family who are struggling and
don’t know whether to sacrifice part of their life or not. The age group to be more specific would
have to ideally be around the ages 25-35. It would be around that age because that is when adults
usually start to have families and get careers and are in need of getting insurance.

Assumptions:​ What assumptions does the author make about the audience?

An assumption that the author makes is that even if you have to sacrifice as hard as the father did
that you can’t be happy and are only lying (“My dad’s story” 00:02:10). It is wrong to assume
such a thing because not everyone has the same limit or bar when it comes to being happy some
need a lot and some maybe needs a less or close to nothing at all.

Goal:​ What action does the author want the audience to take?

The action that the author wants the audience to take is “Pursue more from life” (“My dad’s
story” 00:03:15). The author wants the audience to pursue more from life and they depict that in
the commercial by how the father of the young girl lies in the best interest of his daughter so she
won’t worry about a thing. As he lies to his daughter he’s not doing it with bad intentions, but
with good intentions so she can make it far in life without having to go through struggle,
hardships, and have to work multiple low paying jobs to barely get by as he is sacrificing to do.
The author also wants the audience to now that no matter how much you’re struggling that things
will get better or that you can still be happy with having the minimum necessities.
 factua concerned hopeful aware sad humorous serious
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direct cautious reassuring experienced disappointed witty sincere

blunt alarmed confident authoritative dismayed ironic passionate

Tone:​ Chose 2 of the following adjectives (not from the same column) to describe the tone or
attitude of the author/text. Then, describe how it affects the commercial.

One adjective to describe the tone of this commercial is sad. The tone is sad because in the
beginning of the commercial it has happy music that is playing in the background as the dad
reads her essay but turns to sad music when he gets to the part it says “He lies….” (“My dad’s
story” 00:01:04). This tone of sadness affects the commercial because it really gives the audience
something to think about and for them to also be grateful. A second adjective to describe the tone
or the attitude of the text is sincere. The tone is sincere because the essay the little girl write and
read about her father was straight from her heart and how she saw his life which makes the tone
sincere. In doing so that affects the audience by going through almost an emotional rollercoaster
because it goes from happy to sad then back to happy.

Appeals:​ Most texts use some combination of the following appeals​. Identify each appeal,
then rank them in order of emphasis.

Rank # 2 Logic/Purpose (Logos): What is the reasoning or logic used to accomplish the purpose
of the text?

The reasoning or logic used to accomplish the purpose of the text is her father sacrificing a lot of
himself. They accomplish doing this when the little girls that “he lies…” (“My dad’s story”
00:00:59) and it shows all the struggles he’s been through, taken on, and endured for his
daughter.

Rank # 1 Emotion/Reader (Pathos): What emotion/s does the author try to evoke from the reader:
desire, happiness, interest, surprise, wonder, sorrow, anger, pity, hate, fear, guilt, acceptance,
empathy?

Ranking pathos #1 would be correctly because the author tries evoke happiness, sadness, etc.
from the reader when the little girl starts he essay to the ending. When the little girl says “Daddy
is the sweetest daddy in the world” and then they both look at each other smiling (“My dad’s
story” 00:00:10) the author is trying to make the viewer smile and filled with happiness.
Rank # 3 Ethics/Persona (Ethos): How does the author establish credibility and/or appeal to the
values of his or her audience?

The author doesn’t really establish any credibility or appeal to the value of his or her audience
which is why it is ranked #3.

Fallacies:​ Most texts contain a fallacy. Identify a fallacy and evaluate its effect on the overall
integrity of the text.

In this commercial one fallacy that is present is the appeal to emotion fallacy. The use of the
appeal to emotion fallacy is used in this commercial from the very beginning when there’s kind
of like happy up-beat music then transitions into sad music. The effect that this has on the text is
that it switches the viewers mood in an instant which makes then more vulnerable and
sympathetic to those in the commercial or the product that is being sold.