Rough Draft Paper #2 Pg 167-168

Thesis: The belief that peanuts promote good athletic performances is easily drawn from the ads of peanut products.

Evidence: Each of the ads contains an image of some kind of athletic being carried out with text or graphical components explaining their success. The National Peanut Board ad’s text, for example, states that the displayed runner “never ran out of energy” in peanut butter colored ink. This leads the viewer to believe that this was because of the peanuts that the athlete ate prior to her race. Second, the Yum Yum Peanut Butter ad shows an extremely bulky man getting bounced back into what looks like a boxing arena. The fact that he is being bounced back in shows that it is because of the peanut butter he is still in the game. Similarly, the light, that could be regarded to as stars leads the viewer to believe that it was the peanut butter that made him a “star”. The third ad, one for the Crunchy Peanut Butter Clif Bar, has the word "energy" on it three times. Additionally, it has a picture of a man rock climbing in the great outdoors. The mountains in the background lead the audience to believe that he has climbed a great distance. The rock climber's posture makes it seem like he has just regained his footing on the sloped wall of rock.

Opening: Is it true that peanuts are good for athletes? If they are, how do the companies that make peanut products convince us of the necessity of this hearty legume, and its special importance when used in their products? Being an athlete myself, I have often wondered if peanuts could be that "super-food" to get me onto varsity. Often times, my gymnastics coach with tell us to eat a peanut butter sandwich before we compete. It is a well known fact that peanuts are high in protein and that protein builds muscle. Does this mean that every peanut product will help the buyer bench twenty more pounds, or that anything with peanuts is good for you? This belief is founded by the ads of peanut merchandise, which skillfully use graphics and text as their advocate.  

Conclusion: It is amazing how the use of a few pictures and the emphasis on certain words can lead to unquestioned belief, and even well established theories. Catching a measly glance of the design of a product can create a lifestyle if the viewer is not careful to view the actual identity of the merchandise. Confusion about a products real abilities can result in waste. 

                                          

 

 

 

 

Sources: National Peanut Butter board, clifbar.com, 

 Sources: National Peanut Butter board, clifbar.com