1. What elements of satire did you notice upon your first read of the article?
The Onion uses a satirical tone to draw attention to the public’s gullibility and the advertising industry’s power. There is a touch of humor throughout the article that mocks the exaggerated diction advertisers use in real life. The article even goes as far as to make up its own scientific diction including the change of neutrons into “comfortrons” and nuclei to “pain-nuclei.” 2. What rhetorical strategies contribute to the satire? How are they effectively used?
The use of numerous hyperboles throughout article brings awareness to the fact that advertisements do the same thing, over-exaggerations. The article in its entirety is ironic, it is an advertisement making fun of advertisements, which adds some humor to the criticism. 3. What are the key differences between student response 2A and student response 2B? How do you account for the three point difference in scores?
The difference between 2A and 2B is that essay 2A provided evidence and explained in detail the rhetoric devices and how they were used effectively; 2B on the other hand simply just answered the prompt. 4. Explain the score received by the writer of 2C. Where do you think this writer might have missed an opportunity to craft a much stronger essay? Where are the opportunities for improvement?
I believe the writer could’ve crafted a much stronger essay if they thoroughly understood what the prompt was asking. It seemed as if they had an idea of what they were writing about but not enough understanding to go in to detail. 5. Based on your evaluation of the question, responses, and scoring commentary, what advice would you give to your classmates for approaching a question which requires an insightful analysis of satire?
I would advise my classmates to make sure you know what the prompt is asking, make sure you thoroughly read through the article or excerpt so that you can provide a detailed response, and finally always remember when writing, “Tell them what you’re going to tell them, tell them, and then tell them what you told them.”