Argumentum Ad Hominem:

By: Krystle Xue and Olga Cotter

Argumentum Ad Hominem
Turning from the issue to the character involved ( argument to the man ).

Example ( Picture )

Advertisement Analysis
Cheerios Cereal is directly addressing families but also anyone who feels alone or ahead of themselves in this hectic
world. The appeals to families are the numerous yet systematic pictures of grains. These healthy seeming pictures
provides the ethos in this advertisement- it expresses a sense of wholeness and all around healthiness that can easily
be spread through the consumers family. The ethos is also shown through the feeling of a connection in the Cheerios
brand, like Cheerios arent just cereal that keeps your family healthy but it is a loving and welcoming family that
embraces you. The image of a bowl filled with cereal in the bottom corner conveys a prediction to the consumer- this
balanced bowl of cereal, with the milk steady in the bowl, and the crisp white edge against the tan table- that if they
buy this product, they will have a never before seen balance and ease in their lives. The appearance of pathos and the
appeal to hectic people go hand in hand. In the short story about Phil and his family, along with the photo of Phil,
provokes a thought in the consumer's mind, that if they buy Cheerios, they will be helping out this kind old man who
is hard at work in the fields, helping us enjoy this sweet and honey filled cereal. The kind-eyed, and sweet old
farmer, Phil, gives consumers the hope of happiness and simplicity, commonly thought to be found in a small town,
on a farm. Phil triggers the primal instincts and the reptilian hot button, to return to where you originated from, to
return home once the storm has settled. This humble farmer provides the courage for people to take a step back
from the chaos of the world and to know it is okay to find comfort in your home and your family. This overlapping
connection to family brings this ad full circle. Cheerios purpose is to provide balance for the uneasy and a loving
home for the lost and lonely.

Text

Textual Analysis
Barack Obama stated this in a speech about Americas economy in which he addresses all
Americans. He uses the fallacy, argumentum ad hominem in his argument which is: there is
nothing wrong with the economy itself, but the problem lies with Americas politics. He creates
this fallacy, not by blaming the underperforming economy for the fastly deteriorating
economy, but by placing the blame on the peoples politics. President Obama sheds light on the
unspoken tales of the true reasons for Americas mistakes in economy and he gives a way to
stop Americas shortcomings. He allows Americans to think for themselves, so they can come
together, and together, they will take the necessary steps to guide America back to greatness.
President Obama used this fallacy to open the eyes of Americans everywhere and to help them
to open their minds to different causes of ups and downs throughout history and in the future.

Our Ad:

Our Ad- Deconstructed

Dicto Simpliciter is
shown when the boy
says, These shoes
are so cool, therefore
everyone should
have them. Simply
because these shoes
are cool, doesnt
justify that
everyone should
own them.
The childish
typography of
Rocky Soles is
designed to look
like pirate font in
order to remind kids
of their dreams to
go on adventures
like pirates in the
hopes of lighting up
their nearly
forgotten ambitions
of adventure.

The Easy steps

allude to this
product being
targeted towards
children.
The bright colors
especially red are shown
to appeal to the younger
variety of children. Red is
also shown to instigate
excitement.

Ad Verecundiam is shown here as the childhood hero of the playground as the leader of
kids, as someone they listen to and admire, so when he expresses his joy and excitement
with Rocky Soles, naturally others want what he has

Overgeneralizing is used in the quote: These shoes are awesome and

rockn, so they are totally safe! Yes these shoes are awesome, and yes
you will look totally rockn in these new and improved water shoes but it
depends on the person using it if it is considered safe.

The SPECIAL
OFFER attention
grabber written in
bolded and red
letters provokes
curious and
excited emotions
from the
consumer

Rocky Soles Analysis

The company, Modern Miracles is targeting the age range of six to twelve year olds. In this
advertisement for Rocky Soles, they use the contrast of cool blues and vibrant reds to dig into the
subconscious of the consumer. They use the shades of blue to remind the consumer of their calm
and resting time, where their mind then will travel into their thoughts of their wildest dreams. They
use the vibrant reds to plant excitement and playful energy into their minds. The ideas of dreams
and ambitions mixed together with excitement make for a creative imagination. At the top of the
advertisement, the starburst is used to force the mind of the consumer into a mindset of, what's
next?, and the eyes naturally scan the rest of the advertisement to find more interesting pieces of
information. The Question at the the top is an attention grabber that sets curiosity into the
consumers adolescent mind. The 5 simple and easy steps are placed there to express the simplicity
and ease that comes with this modern miracle. The short stories and quotes from past customers
are stationed there to ensure some sense of trust and legitimacy of this product, the kind words of
the past customers are used as the ethos in this advertisement for it gives the consumer trust that
this product works.

Works Cited
An Atheist's Analysis of Theism and Gods." An Atheist's Analysis of Theism and Gods: Fallacies: Argumentum Ad Hominem &
Argumentum Ad Verecundiam. Blogger.com, 5 Dec. 2010. Web. 09 Mar. 2016.
Bachman, Rachel. "How Older or Injured Athletes Make Exercise Work." Wall Street Journal 2 Dec. 2014: n. pag. Print.
Benen, Steve. "The Ultimate Political Ad Hominem." 'The Ultimate Political Ad Hominem' | Politicial Animal | The Washington
Monthly.
Nueve. Aqua Water Sports Socks. Digital image. Nueve, n.d. Web. 7 Mar. 2016.
The Shark Whisperer. Digital image. Daily Mail.com. Daily Mail.com, 2 June 2014. Web.
The Washington Monthly, 21 Aug. 2011. Web. 07 Mar. 2016.
Trophy Rock. Digital image. Kwfeeds.com. N.p., 2013. Web.
Zipper-black and white. Digital image. I2clipart. N.p., 2013. Web. 7 Mar. 2016.