Small Assignment 3
Visual Analysis
For this assignment, we had to pick an object that was made between the 18th century and the 21st century, then find an ad for the object and make a visual analysis of the advertisement. I chose the steam engine for this assignment.
Reflection
When it comes to the persuasive appeals of an ad, I learned from my analysis that there are a few ways to interpret the same type of appeal. For example, there is the appeal to authority. In many cases, this is done in advertising by having an authority figure sell or promote the product to the consumer, like a dentist promoting a certain brand of gum (though I still don’t get the correlation between the two, why would a dentist promote gum of all things). In the case of my ad from my visual analysis, the appeal to authority was quite literally an appeal to the government, the highest authority. The analysis of the ad I chose also helped me realize there are many techniques that are used to help sell a product. The most difficult part of writing the visual analysis was using evidence from the ad, as the ad wasn’t that big and it didn’t give me a lot to work with. I also didn’t want to keeping using the same lines from the ad as evidence for multiple appeals. It would make me seem like some bad attorney. The thing I learned from the analysis about my own writing is that I tend to trail off onto a certain thing that was part of the assignment as a sort of padding. The part that I enjoyed the most about the visual analysis was identifying aspects of the ads that weren’t necessarily persuasive appeals. I realized that the angle that the train was shown probably had some psychological effect on a viewer. I did my research, and it does. The upward angle helps create a sense of awe for a viewer. The color of the background also was another psychological effect, as blue symbolizes dependability in advertising. I believe that the most important thing I will take away from this visual analysis is the ability to identify the most important part of an ad.
A Visual Rhetorical Analysis of Saving Precious Time for America Circa WW2
The machine in the ad above is a locomotive, or a train. The object powering the train and allowing it to move down the track is known as a steam engine, and the artifact that I will be covering. A steam engine is an engine that utilizes heat, using steam as a sort of “gasoline”. I say it like that due to the fact that gasoline wasn’t as plentifully available at the time. Water inside of the engine is heated up by an outside force, commonly coal inside of a mini furnace, which is why we always see coal being shoveled into the engine car in movies. They are external combustion engines, where the steam itself is separate from the combustible materials. The very first attempt at this type of machine was by Hero of Alexandra in the 1st century A.D. The first successful commercial steam engine was invented by Thomas Newcomen in 1712. Many other inventors improved on this design, mainly to make a reliable way a powering machinery. This artifact is extremely revolutionary. It is so revolutionary, that it kickstarted the Industrial Revolution in 1760. This is basically the prototype of the car engine and powered pretty much every machine during the time period. We will be analyzing this advertisement for a steam engine locomotive made by one of the largest producers of steam train locomotives, The Baldwin Locomotive Works. As this company ended over a century ago, I was unable to find where this particular ad was published, though I did find that all of their resources were moved to a location in Eddystone near the last years of the company, so it might have been made there. What I do know is that this is not their first advertisement for their products, as I did find an ad from them that appeared much, much older, probably sometime around World War 1 due to the mention of soldiers and tanks. The message of the ad is that Baldwin Locomotives are helping save precious time for American citizens. They appeal to the viewers using pathos and ethos with patriotism and expert appeals, respectively. They also appeal to logos by showing the value of their product.
This advertisement definitely appeals to Pathos in terms of patriotism. The poster distinctly talks about helping transport vital resources to soldiers, and also states how they are helping deliver parts for weapons such as tanks. Since this ad was probably made during a conflict, this helped garner support for the railways, and therefore Baldwin Locomotives. In terms of Ethos, this poster is appealing to the U.S army and Allied forces as an expert. As previously stated, this ad was most likely made during World War 1, and the U.S played a hand in the conflict. Baldwin was most likely trying to appeal to the war efforts at the time, and if that was the case, it succeeded, as the Baldwin Locomotive Works built 5,551 locomotives for the Allied forces (TheReaderWiki). Baldwin also was appealing to how they were helping the nation, stating “Baldwin has played a part in the development of modern steam power.” The logos in the ad is the argument that the steam train was still valuable. Near the end of the war, the diesel engine was made, leaving the steam train obsolete. Baldwin failed to transition from steam trains to diesel trains properly, so they are trying to reinforce the value of their best product. They also state the other things they produced, stating “Baldwin also serves the Nation as a builder of tanks, guns, and other war material.” This is a desperate move to keep their company afloat.
The blue background against the locomotive helps bring about a positive viewpoint on the machine. Just the color of the background may seem unimportant, but it influences you more than you think. Colors in advertising can help tell a message to a viewer, and each has a different meaning. In advertising, the color blue represents dependability and honesty, which is helpful in the case of this ad. It helps show how one can rely on Baldwin locomotives and that they’re being told all of the facts. It also helps reinforce the American patriotism in how reliably they are helping the war effort.
The angle the train is depicted also helps sell the locomotives as well. The perspective that something is shown from has a powerful psychological effect on a viewer. For example, showing something from a high angle can make it appear weak or submissive. In the case of the advertisement, the low angle with the train coming towards the viewer creates a sense of ae and power. Combined with the blue background, it makes it seem very dependable (Boilard).
The ad was made during a war, and wars end up helping create change and innovation despite the horrors they can conjure. Penicillin is an example of a great thing made during the war this ad was printed in. Many things are abandoned for the new and improved. This was the case for the steam engine, which was slowly being replaced by the diesel engine during the war. Despite this, Baldwin Locomotives managed to sell an extraordinary amount of steam engines before the end of the war. The steam engine was the ancestor of the modern car engine, and without it, we wouldn’t be where we are today.
Works Cited:
24, Meghan BoilardUpdated April, and Meghan Boilard. “The Psychology of Camera Angles.” PhotoWorkout, 24 Apr. 2021, https://www.photoworkout.com/camera-angles/.
“Baldwin Locomotive Works.” The Reader Wiki, Reader View of Wikipedia, https://thereaderwiki.com/en/Baldwin_Locomotive_Works.
“Baldwin Locomotive Works.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 8 Apr. 2022, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baldwin_Locomotive_Works.
“Steam Engine.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 4 Apr. 2022, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steam_engine.