Assessment One - "God Made A Farmer."

1. Identify what you feel are the ethics of the presentation. What does the narrator lend to its ethics?  

I think this commercial is trying to bring back the ethics of the original American dream using symbolism. The choice of radio personality used coupled with the idea of farming to earn your keep and the dodge ram as part of our booming industry. It creates an idea of the ethics that we once had as a society. One of the things that I thought was interesting is that the ethics of the farmer themselves was a bit questioned if they didn’t drive a dodge truck. Almost suggesting that you’re not really a farmer at all if you’re driving any other vehicle. The ethic of farming itself was driven home by all of the description that was given of what a farmer does and how he works his whole life much harder than regular folk. With the dodge truck as an ending focal point to all of the commentary, to me it suggested that the work is either worth it or somehow made easier by having that vehicle and with that truck a farmer can accomplish anything.

2. Identify central and peripheral route attempts of the film. 

The central route of the film was God or religion and the farmer. Those same phrases were repeated multiple times throughout the clip and kept being said right up to the end. The author kept trying to tie those two points to the dodge truck. The peripheral route attempts were things like hard work, family, caring and love. There were many descriptive parts of the commentary that drilled home all of these concepts to the audience. Once again these sound a lot like the core beliefs of the American dream.

3. Define the proofs - pathos, logos, and ethos - that function in the narrative.

Pathos – In this video there are many emotional comments that make you almost feel bad for the farmer because of all he has to do and the respect that he deserves but is not given because they are almost a dying breed. It shows the qualities that a farmer has of a really amazing work ethic but one that we fail to recognize. It also draws on our emotions with the dying colt or the broken leg of a meadow lark. All of these things create the pathos of the farmer that we wish we could be like.

Logos – The logos in this commercial is a bit interesting because it doesn’t persuade me to buy a dodge. It makes me want to work harder and contribute more to our society by whatever means that I can. I understand what the commercial is trying to do, but the jump from being a farmer to buying a dodge is too much for me to grab onto. All of the logic is there for the farmer, what he does and who he is but the ties to the truck was weak for me.

Ethos – This was the strongest part of the commercial. Paul Harvey is a great radio personality and is great at articulating his words to draw out emotion. He is well respected and many people know who he is and his values.

4. Discuss the epistemic perspective of the proofs you've identified and how these function to reach the communicative effects of the film. 

I think that nearly everyone knows what a farmer is and what they do. I think that most people have a picture in their head of what a farmer looks like and acts like when they hear the term. However, I don’t think that people have the farmer that is depicted in this commercial pictured in their mind. I noticed that every time they showed or talked about how much a farmer works his butt off they also showed the family side and compassionate side as well. Those are sides of the farmer that we do not see. It shows us that they are humans just like everyone else and not just work machines. They communicate what a farmer really is very well.

5. Discuss the narrative perspective of the proofs you've identified and how these function to reach the communicative effects of the film. 

The narrative itself was a proof because of the way he talks in the commercial. With the repetition of the references to God, the way he tells the story almost like a preacher would in front of a congregation. He talks as though he is reading scripture based solely off the farmer. This is like him providing testimony of the product. He is relating what we all can understand to what we can all know if we invest in his words. The anecdote for the farmer is the dodge truck. Buying this machine will help ease the load placed on him and make everything feel easier.  

6. Identify one of Reich's cultural parables in the social and cultural context of the commercial.

One of Reich’s cultural parables that this commercial stresses is the triumphant individual. As stated above, the idea of the hard working farmer making a living and providing for his family while being a model American makes him a successful person in the community. He shows what can be done if you buy a sweet truck and put it to work with your family beside you. He is the type of person people want to emulate and become because of his integrity and compassion he shows others.  

7. Discuss how any of Marwell & Schmitt's Taxonomy of 16 Influences relate to the commercial's objectives. What are the objectives?

You could write the whole paper on just the 16 influences of Marwell & Schmitt’s taxonomy. Just to pick a few, the ones that stood out most to me were the reward / punishment. Where the author speaks to the awesome nature of a farmer. He is so awesome in fact that it was on the eighth day in which God made a farmer. The objective here is to show how needed farmers really are. Without them we would all die of starvation and have no one to observe when it comes time to learn how to work.

Another one of the 16 influences that caught my attention was the moral appeal. You couldn’t possibly disagree with God making a farmer because it was approached as doctrine. The author himself was a well-respected radio personality who no one would suggest had any moral imperfections. The objective here was to establish credibility of the topic and correlate them to the vehicle manufacturers credibility so that it was unquestionable therefore causing no doubts in the capabilities of the dodge truck. Or in other words, vehicle sales and marketing.

8. Apply how the motivational process premises (remember, there are four) create the appeals presented in the commercial.

Needs – From the needs premise the reassurance of worth was a big part of what the commercial spoke about. The only thing that it talked about was how amazing farmers were and how much we needed them. This gives them an overwhelming sense of worth.

Emotions – There was a huge sense of pride and happiness that was associated with the lifestyle that the farmer led. It painted a perfect picture, even though there were sad parts like the dying colt, of how fulfilling the life of a farmer is.

Attitudes – At first glance this commercial spoke nothing but good things to me as the viewer because of all of the positives that it eluded to. I share many of the same beliefs and opinions as Paul Harvey was describing. As I watched it many more times, I got somewhat annoyed because of the ideals the author implied. Not everyone shares the same standards, morals and views as those expressed in this commercial. It may even be offensive to some.

Consistency – This goes along with what I was saying about its potentially offensive material. It also implies that every farmer believes in God. This may create cognitive dissonance between the farmer and the truck manufacturer. Not good for all business.

9. From a "Needs" premise, which of Packer's compelling needs best relates?

The one that speaks out the most to me was a sense of roots. The whole idea of farming was a necessity when this country was formed. As people continued to head out west they began to settle in plots of land and begin their farms. Nothing could drive them away from the piece of ground that they called home. This gave them a place that they could have a family and instill their values into their children. Having roots grounded them and made the American dream a possibility.

10. From an "Attitudes" premise, what values are extorted visually to resonate within the attitudes, beliefs or opinions of the audience?  

The attitude of this ad is that farmers are what make this country great. They are the ones that do all the back breaking work that no one else will do. They make it possible for us to go to Walmart and have food to put on our tables. The beliefs are ones that are believed to be shared by society as a whole. One that revolves around religion and that trusts in God. The opinion is that if you do all of these things according to how the ad puts them, you will be able and worthy to drive a dodge truck.