Dorazio 1

Lindsey Perlman Dorazio

Professor Harrison

Philosophy 25

21 May 2017

Homework Assignment 1: Hillary Clinton Advertisement

The advertisement I chose was a Hillary Clinton campaign ad titled Tomorrow

released during the 2016 presidential election. In the ad, Hillary Clinton is by herself

looking directly into the camera dressed in all white, which is typically associated with

purity and honesty. That has been the message Hillary Clintons been trying to reflect

throughout her whole campaign and especially as shes addressing the nation on the eve

of the election. She speaks with optimism and hope for the future of the country trying to

garner the support of those still undecided and encourages everyone to vote the next day.

She speaks with immense hope knowing how momentous and historical this election and

the presidency could be. In the ad, the following rhetorical fallacies are present false

dilemma, dysphemism, slippery slope, and an appeal to the people.

Almost immediately a rhetorical device is used with a false dilemma, which

suggests only two possible alternatives exist for people to choose when in fact there are

more. And in this ad, Hillary Clinton is only claiming that we have two choices in who

we vote for, although more than two political parties exist with more than two candidates

for president. False dilemmas occur quite often in political advertisements because the

majority of the vote goes to either of the two major political parties being republican or

democrat and a small percentage of the overall votes go to independents or other minor
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political parties. A dysphemism is also present in the beginning when Hillary Clinton

mentions dark and divisive to describe the future of the country if her opponent

Donald Trump were to win the presidency. Since this is a political ad Hillary Clinton

isnt opting for more neutral language when describing Donald Trump she wants to make

a stark difference when comparing her against her opponent. She is trying to persuade

voters to choose her as their candidate when she describes herself as hopeful and

inclusive as opposed to the not so appealing future she described of her opponent.

Hillary Clinton also hints on a slippery slope for the country if her opponent were to win

with Americas core values being tested. Clinton focuses on an appeal to the people by

using the views of the majority to persuade voters with continuous remarks on hope for a

better future for the next generations. Hillary Clinton closes out her short speech by

mentioning all the political experience she has had and even with the time shes spent

helping kids and families to help further elevate her credibility as a presidential

candidate. She also addresses every American when stating, I want to be a president for

all Americans not just those who support me in this election, for everyone, Hillary

Clinton is appealing to the masses in hopes of becoming the next president and uniting all

Americans.

The ad targets anyone that is registered to vote but more specifically focuses on

her supporters and undecided voters. This ad was released on prime time television as

well as online through YouTube and on her social media platforms so it would be

accessible to nearly everyone in the United States. Throughout the ad, the psychological

effects promoted to the audience include feelings of inspiration, hope, power, persuasion,
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change, and happiness. The ad plays upon the audiences subconscious yearning for a

strong leader that will fight for them with hard work in every way possible and bring

about necessary change. The ad also gives the viewers a sense of power and control

because they have the chance to vote for any of the candidates to be the next president

and because Hillary Clinton uses language that feels almost personal when addressing the

audience. For the audience watching the ad, it almost feels like a one on one conversation

with Hillary Clinton because of how closely positioned she is to the camera, the subtle

interior of a house behind her, and with the inviting nature of her body language.

Throughout the video, the camera slowly zooms into Hillary Clintons face, which

probably provides a sense of reassurance and comfort in those who support her or are

undecided.

In this two minute advertisement Hillary Clinton is direct and to the point while

getting out her final message to voters as a presidential candidate. Hillary Clinton

presents herself differently in this advertisement than other past appearances, she is very

relatable and likeable, less like a politician and more like leader. Hillary Clinton makes

one last sincere appeal for the presidency to Americans hoping to sway any last minute

undecided voters. Throughout the whole ad, Clinton remains very positive and hopeful

for the outcome of the election and Americas future. During the advertisement, several

rhetorical devices are present such as a false dilemma, dysphemism, slippery slope, and

an appeal to the people. Hillary Clintons use of language is personable and lighthearted

after a long and rough election she is trying to get voters to forget all of the spectacles

that came to light in the election.

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Works Cited

"Tomorrow | Hillary Clinton." YouTube. YouTube, 08 Nov. 2016. Web. 19 May 2017.