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Running Head: Why Stop Smoking?

Why Stop Smoking?

Jesus O Gaspar Espinoza
University of Texas at El Paso
Mr. Rodriguez
RWS 1302: Rhetoric and Writing Studies

Instructor: Marco Rodriguez

Why Stop Smoking?

Introduction
Through the years, the practice of tobacco consumption has been very used in humanity.
If you ask them to a certain number of people who consume tobacco the reasons of why they do
it, they can answer the following: because they like it, because it relaxes or reduces their stress,
because it helps them focus, because it distracts, to socialize, to improve the mood, by addiction,
and if they are young or adolescents, they do it to look more adults, and other reasons that we
could write a considerable list. Tobacco is a product that is very harmful to the health of the
people, which causes addiction to the first main substance which is nicotine and havoc in organs
of human body giving rise to certain diseases such as cancer and pulmonary emphysema,
possibly the main cause of death in the world. Some of the effects or consequences of the
consumption of tobacco have been submitted through two genres analyzed on this occasion; the
video entitled Harmful Effects Of Tobacco On The Human Body made by Kids Educational
Games which compares with colorful illustrations the effects that cause the consumption of
tobacco and the not consumers of tobacco; the second genre is a news' topic entitled Any Doubts
About Quitting Smoking? Visit a Hospital By Katrina Bolton an ABC journalist anecdotes who
tells her experiences as journalist during her visit to the hospital to see persons who consume
tobacco, also showing the consequences of tobacco consumption. These two genres, the video
and the note offered by Katrina, are going to be carefully analyzed in terms of the audience and
the purpose for which they were made; the Rhetorical Issues, finding the uses of proofs logos,
ethos and pathos, its structure and delivery, all this in its way to transmit the information
contained in these genres to subsequently develop the theme selected in terms of the effects of
the consumption of tobacco.
Instructor: Marco Rodriguez

Audience and Purpose

The first genre is an educational video called: Harmful Effects Of Tobacco On The
Human Body made by Kids Educational Games published on August 15, 2014. This video was
mainly developed for children in all educational grades, but according to the content can be used
also for people of all ages. The purpose of this video is first of all to inform the audience about
the effects or consequences that causes tobacco consumption by creating awareness of how
dangerous it is its consumption, since children use to experiment or to play with articles of adult
people, in this case the cigar; and secondly, to convince them not to use it because they can
develop the addiction to nicotine from a very early age and cause the damage referred to in the
video. Possibly the audience for which it was drawn up the video was not very interested in this
topic or even what had in mind, but educational institutions (schools) may have planned certain
topics for children that in addressing them, children can acquire the interest of these topics.
The second genre analyzed is a note of a journalist entitled: Any doubts about quitting
smoking? Visit to Hospital, written by Katrina Bolton and published on January 6, 2016. The
topic can lead us to think that the article is directed specifically for people who consume tobacco,
but can also be applied to any reader who can share this article with people who have not had the
opportunity to read it and who are consumers of tobacco. The main purpose of this genre is to
educate the audience about the consequences of tobacco consumption through anecdotes that the
journalist Katrina lived in a hospital when changing profession from journalist to Medicine
student. This genre is perfect for that audience who have thought to quit smoking, by convincing
them and/or encouraging them to stop smoking.

Instructor: Marco Rodriguez

The time in which is released each genre is important to the audience, because depend on
the time and the content, the audience will put the attention necessary to be informed about the
theme. The time of the first gender analyzed that is the video, has a duration of 8:11 minutes, but
only the first 7:47 minutes are related to the theme, the rest is only an announcement or
propaganda of other videos available from the vendor of the video. In this video you can take
approximately 1 to 1:30 extra minutes adding to the 7:47 minutes, in which the audience can stop
the video to appreciate in detail the illustrations shown in the video. In the second genre that is
the publication, the reader can take approximately between 6 and 7 minutes of reading without
the need to repeat the reading since they are anecdotes very interesting and easy to understand.
Sometimes, the language and vocabulary involve the audience or take away their
attention. The language used in both genres is informative and formal because the audience can
notice that they have been informed of an important topic whose content requires of seriousness;
in the same way, the vocabulary used to communicate the information contained in both genres is
appropriate and understandable for each audience to which it is addressed without falling into the
error of containing unknown words or idioms in which the audience can stay with the doubt;
even if some unknown word or acronyms used in any of the genres, these are explained for best
results in acquiring the information.
Rhetorical Issues
Logos
During the analysis of these two genres, which are very interesting and entertaining for
the particular way in which involve people at the time to see or read its publications. First, the
video helps reason the causes and effects that offer smoking tobacco, but at the same time

Instructor: Marco Rodriguez

contrasts the effects or the benefits of not smoking tobacco in a very particular manner which is
the illustration of two characters that are easy to identify, compare, or relate with people of real
life viewing in them the effects or reported in the appearances that video, demonstrating so what
is this illustrating the video is the truth; while in the second genre that is the written publication,
surrounds the people in a series of small anecdotes of real cases that are lived in a hospital,
demonstrating the effects or consequences of tobacco.
Ethos
In the second instance, the credibility of these two genres are strong because they
demonstrate that there is knowledge in the subject, for example: The video shows two characters
giving his personal experience, comparing with one another, but it is not enough experience and
the comparison, the video also shows the illustrations of the damage both internal like the mouth,
lungs and heart, as external like the skin and hair. While the second genre analyzed, shows the
author of this publication her credential as a student of medicine and personal experience in
research for her publications when engaged in journalism, as a result she has spent considerable
time in the hospital acquiring experience in this topic, getting to know certain actual cases of
which she was a witness. In the two cases both the video and the publication, give the council of
quitting thus giving an expression of good wishes or well.
Pathos
About the use of emotions, the two genres show their sentimental side trying to influence
people through making them feel a certain fear of losing health caused by tobacco smoking, or
any other form of its consumption. These two genres, also offer the feeling of a promise to losewin, for example lose the habit or addiction to tobacco, but gain the benefit of health and beauty,

Instructor: Marco Rodriguez

but more importantly the hope of recovering the emotional well-being of themselves and their
families.
Structure and Delivery
Every genre analyzed has its own structure to release its content. The first genre displays
its information in a manner illustrated and animated, and with the adequate time to be able to
transmit what is necessary for the audience. This genre has been designed to be able to read the
dialog that is displayed, and the same way illustrates adequately each of the effects and contrasts
that this transmits, even it is not necessary to use the sound if so desired, since with the its own
subtitles that contains the video, it could acquire the information that this resource gives the
audience, contributing to the main purpose for which it was designed. With regard to the second
genre, also has an organized structure typical of a narrator, and although there are no illustrations
relating to the topic, there is no ambiguity in the narration because it explains one by one to each
case or experience with the different patients, giving only the information required to transmit
the purpose for which it was written the note. Both genres were designed differently but met with
the same purpose, the report on the consequences of using tobacco, and to convince the audience
to stop smoking.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is important that the audience understand the purpose for which these
two genres were designed through the language and appropriate vocabulary in a viable time. The
evidence and the reasoning of why it is important and necessary to stop smoking, the credibility
through the experiences and the way to illustrate the information, and the way in which it makes

Instructor: Marco Rodriguez

feel readers thus creating an environment of concern and importance that this subject are very
clear in these two genres analyzed.

Instructor: Marco Rodriguez

References
K. (2014, August 14). Harmful Effects Of Tobacco On The Human Body,
Educational Video For Children. Retrieved February 10, 2016,from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fF7SNcw7kxQ

ABC News, K.B. (2016, January 6). Any doubts about quitting smoking?
Visit a hospital. Retrieved February 09, 2016, from
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-01-07/bolton-any-doubts-about-quitting-smoking-visit-ahospital/7073122

Instructor: Marco Rodriguez