Rhetoric in Everyday Life

We hardly go an hour or even a minute without seeing some form of visual rhetoric around us. Because I have a yahoo e-mail account, I frequent the website and am often led to click on the many news articles or sometimes the advertisements that catch your eye with its vibrant colors and movements across the computer screen. Normally I only go to the yahoo website to check my e-mail but movement is one technique that catches people’s attention. These images, whether they are accompanying a news article or an advertisement, are more convincing or persuasive when they catch the viewer’s attention at first glance. The 21^st Century auto insurance advertisement on the right-hand side immediately catches my attention when I open the yahoo homepage. The strange, dorky-looking man in red and white boxer clothes pops up on the screen though cowering behind a pole. Closely following is the appearance of red boxing gloves. On a white background the red color pops out at the viewer while a lighter color would have blended into other pictures and words. A red “switch and save” sign shows the increasing amount of money you can save by switching to 21^st Century as the obviously senseless-looking man is one-sidedly beat up. The man must represent other auto insurance companies or “senseless” people who prefer to buy auto insurance from companies other than 21^st Century. Lastly, a “Take a shot to see what you can save” quote appears and allows you to continue on with a game where you see “how much you can save” while beating up the man. Color and definitely motion and interaction persuade the viewer and along with numbers if the viewer is concerned about money.