A Companion to Composition Computer and Quill PenWelcome
by Hugh Rank | http://faculty.govst.edu/pa | HOME |

cartoon thinkersAnalysis -- the taking-apart process --
is the counterpart of composition --
the putting-together process.

We can learn how to compose
by analyzing the compositions of others.

TV ads are the "best compositions of our era": skillful combinations of purposeful words and images. Every word, every gesture, every camera angle, every sound and background are carefully put together in a process of composition.

In 10 brief lessons here, you can learn a lot about your own process of composition by a systematic analysis of these very commonplace "units of persuasion" which you see everyday. Prompter questions in these parallel columns focus your attention on rhetorical principles you can observe in ads and then apply to your own writing projects. Start with the first 5 principles which are general to all writing.

| Purpose | Audience | Limits | Structure | Omissions |
Then, the second set of 5 principles are more specific to persuasion, and they elaborate on a simple 1-2-3-4-5 pattern of "the pitch" -- a systematic framework for analyzing ads.
Attention-Getting
Confidence-Building
Explicit Claims
Implicit Suggestions
Urgency & Response

1st time visitors: please read the appropriate introduction for more information:
Introduction for Students | | | Introduction for Teacher
Home | Site Map | Related pages about Advertising