Summary and Analysis Assignment
Summary of Lutz and Birk’s Essays
In William Lutz’s “Weasel Words: The Art of Saying Nothing at All,” he describes to the reader the different kinds of “weasel” words that are often used by advertisers. Weasel words are words that seem to be making a claim, but can be interpreted in several ways by people. One of the weasel words the author discusses is the word “help.” William Lutz informs the reader that the word “help” in advertisements doesn’t necessarily mean “cure,” rather, it means it will aid whatever comes after it. For example, if a product claims to “help relieve symptoms,” it simply means the product aids in easing symptoms. Unfinished words are another example of weasel words. Unfinished words are …show more content…
Does she achieve this purpose? Explain your answer.
Kiera Butler wrote her essay, “The Creepy Language Tricks Taco Bell Uses to Fool People Into Eating There” to present some of the findings of Dan Jurafsky, a Stanford University professor, about the language used in restaurants’ menus. The author educates the reader about Taco Bell’s language usage and specifically when one finds words like“fluffy” or “seasoned” on the menu. Words like these are usually found in cheaper restaurants, the writer informs, because these restaurants feel the need to convince diners of the “quality of their food.” In restaurants that are fancier, more reputable, there’s no need for these words to be written in the menu because the diner assumes that the eggs will be “fluffy” and his or her food will be seasoned. Trendy restaurants may also use foreign languages on their menus, if they offer the diner a menu at all. Kiera Butler achieves her purpose as she presents the reader with comparisons of various restaurants of different …show more content…
What assumptions does Cross make about her audience in her essay? What assumptions does she make about the audience’s understanding about propaganda to the audience’s own experiences? In her essay, “Propaganda: How Not to Be Bamboozled,” Donna Cross assumes that her audience has heard of or experienced propaganda. She makes the assumption that her audience does not fully understand the meaning of the word propaganda and usually associate it with something negative. To most people, propaganda is “a pack of lies.” They dismiss it and assume that it is manipulating them to believe in something that may not be ethical or true. This audience, the author assumes, is not very educated about the different uses of propaganda and the various categories of it that is being displayed on a daily basis.
Evidence/Data/Information: How could a reader determine if the data, information and evidence in Butler’s essay is
Summary of Lutz and Birk’s Essays
In William Lutz’s “Weasel Words: The Art of Saying Nothing at All,” he describes to the reader the different kinds of “weasel” words that are often used by advertisers. Weasel words are words that seem to be making a claim, but can be interpreted in several ways by people. One of the weasel words the author discusses is the word “help.” William Lutz informs the reader that the word “help” in advertisements doesn’t necessarily mean “cure,” rather, it means it will aid whatever comes after it. For example, if a product claims to “help relieve symptoms,” it simply means the product aids in easing symptoms. Unfinished words are another example of weasel words. Unfinished words are …show more content…
Does she achieve this purpose? Explain your answer.
Kiera Butler wrote her essay, “The Creepy Language Tricks Taco Bell Uses to Fool People Into Eating There” to present some of the findings of Dan Jurafsky, a Stanford University professor, about the language used in restaurants’ menus. The author educates the reader about Taco Bell’s language usage and specifically when one finds words like“fluffy” or “seasoned” on the menu. Words like these are usually found in cheaper restaurants, the writer informs, because these restaurants feel the need to convince diners of the “quality of their food.” In restaurants that are fancier, more reputable, there’s no need for these words to be written in the menu because the diner assumes that the eggs will be “fluffy” and his or her food will be seasoned. Trendy restaurants may also use foreign languages on their menus, if they offer the diner a menu at all. Kiera Butler achieves her purpose as she presents the reader with comparisons of various restaurants of different …show more content…
What assumptions does Cross make about her audience in her essay? What assumptions does she make about the audience’s understanding about propaganda to the audience’s own experiences? In her essay, “Propaganda: How Not to Be Bamboozled,” Donna Cross assumes that her audience has heard of or experienced propaganda. She makes the assumption that her audience does not fully understand the meaning of the word propaganda and usually associate it with something negative. To most people, propaganda is “a pack of lies.” They dismiss it and assume that it is manipulating them to believe in something that may not be ethical or true. This audience, the author assumes, is not very educated about the different uses of propaganda and the various categories of it that is being displayed on a daily basis.
Evidence/Data/Information: How could a reader determine if the data, information and evidence in Butler’s essay is