• “Human Trafficking,” by Gabriell Brown

 

In “Human Trafficking,” Gabriell educates her audience on the fact that human trafficking can happen to any female, anywhere and at any given time. To achieve that, she relies mainly on emotional appeal, by showing footage of places, such as the streets, a park, and even her own home (seemingly safe places), where females could be subject to human trafficking. Gabriell ends the video by claiming that women should be “aware of themselves at all times,” or else they are vulnerable to traffic. Perhaps what contributes most to this ominous ending’s appeal is the presence of bystanders in most of the footage shown throughout the video, which leads to the conclusion that even in the presence of other people, women should be mindful of their surroundings. The video does a good job at reaching its audience: all women. However, it could be improved by increasing credibility, as the video makes claims about the dangers to females on public environments without providing a credible source.

The video is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDXqOs5Yotw

 

• “A Walk in Atlanta,” by Erin Hamilton

 

With the video “A Walk in Atlanta,” Erin evidences the constant presence of street art in Atlanta, doing so through a walk on the city’s streets. The video’s thesis is that street art is always present in Atlanta, and such claim is effectively developed and proven by the video footage. Erin not only walks on the streets, but does so without interrupting the footage, fast-forwarding while walking, but shooting at normal speed when coming across street art. Since street art is found very frequently, many of these normal speed “breaks” occur, and this strengthens Erin’s claim. In fact, this is Erin’s Logos, the proving of his claim through a walk in the streets, Erin’s credible source. Pathos is also present when varied forms of street art, from elaborate paintings to simpler quotes, are shown on the street, creating a connection with the audience by appealing to a great variety of preferences of art. Overall the video is very effective in appealing to its audience: urban art enthusiasts. Perhaps some more words could be added to add to the footage and music.

The video is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPyrzyGiiIE&feature=youtu.be

 

• “Grey,” by Amaal Abdi

 

In “Grey,” Amaal Abdi depicts the emergence of “fake news” and its role in dividing society, claiming that “fake news” bring damage to society. Amaal does so through a short story, by which grey people are depicting entering a “news pill” store. This begins Amaal’s critique of news, claiming that people do not think twice when it comes to news and accept a ready-to-swallow “news pill” instead of thinking for themselves. As other grey people enter the store, a nearby “fake news” stand begins to gain more and more clients until, when the last grey person comes in, everyone in the now renamed “alternative news” stand is either white or black and fighting amongst themselves. Through all this symbolism, Amaal leads the audience to conclude that “fake news” is on the rise, becoming mainstream and not only polarizing society in opinions, but also creating racial divide. The video masterfully uses these symbols to conclude in a call to action: people ought to be more skeptical about the news they see. Because of its depictions of ordinary people, the video successfully appeals to every viewer, creating emotional appeal through a divided society, logical arguments through the symbolism in the story, and ethos by contextualizing a contemporary issue.

The video is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjez0mInBrw