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Onion Rhetorical Analysis Essay

503 Words3 Pages

The Onion:Rhetorical Analysis The Onion’s satirical article, “Revolutionary New Insoles Combine Five Forms Of Pseudoscience”, uses several rhetorical devices to campaign its innovative, revolutionary product: MagnaSoles shoe inserts. Using the fictional MagnaSoles as a model, the article humorously mocks the strategies used by companies to market products to attract customers. Using a sarcastic tone throughout, it gives the read a true taste of the tactics used in today’s advertising. The passage uses fabricated scientific jargon as an appeal to authority, it’s main rhetorical device. These rhetorical devices are used together with ethos and logos to give a hyperbole version of a modern advertisement. Throughout the article, questionable …show more content…

A happy customer is pleased after her sprained ankle healed within “seven weeks” not only would the insoles not hat have had anything to do with the healing, they could have been detrimental as a sprained ankle usually takes less that seven weeks to heal. The credibility of the customer is also challengeable because MagnaSoles were released “less than a week ago”. The article ends with another “equally impressed” customer who is happy to say, “Why should I pay thousands of dollars to have my spine realigned with physical therapy when I can pay $20 for insoles clearly endorsed by an intelligent-looking man in a white lab coat?” This, possibly sarcastic, remark demonstrates that not only is the customer unaware of who is endorsing the MagnaSoles, he claims that he chose them over a proven medical treatment. The testimonials not only prove how outrageous the purchaser feedback in advertisements can be, but how embarrassing some people are when buying products. The Onion’s article effectively attacks the ethos used by companies by demonstrating how far advertisers will go to convince people into buying their dubious

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