Article Analysis Essay on With These Words I Can Sell You Anything

Introduction

In his article, With These Words I Can Sell You Anything, William Lutz discusses how advertising is used to lure customers to buy the products (Lutz 73). He expresses that the world of advertising is cunning and a reader needs to be keen when deciding to buy an item based on an advertisement. The reason he believes that it is hard to get the item that one deserves from viewing its advertisement is because of the use of doublespeak in adverts. Lutz confirms that while legal regulations have restricted advertisers from misdirecting buyers by using certain words, they have come up with a word and accurate replacements for words that often see the customer buying the items without necessarily having been the quality and ideal thing they wanted. The article by Lutz successfully educates customers to be effective observers of the doublespeak used in advertisements while making purchases to ensure that they are not lured by words to buy the wrong items.

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The purpose of Lutz's article is not to oppose the need for advertisement but rather makes the readers consider reading and understanding the words used in the adverts they read. Indeed, while he could be misquoted as directing the readers not to trust advertisements, the ideal point he speaks about in the article is that consumers must be more candid with advertisements. Lutz informs the reader that the primary goal of advertisements is to prove to the consumers that the product being sold is different from other similar products in the market. Therefore, an advertiser will choose the words that they feel are most appealing to the market, even when their product is not the best. However, advertisers have found a good to maneuver through, and they now use parity words. Such words give them a way to make the same meaning while at the same time, escaping legal consequences that may follow when the wrong words are used in adverts (Lutz 62). Therefore, the author only seeks to shed light on the way adverts are done and not duping them as unimportant.

The author is effective in appealing to the reader with headings and subheadings. They are adequate since they differentiate one idea from the other. When the author handles abstract items such as the use of 'help' as a weasel word, he makes it have a bold subheading such that the reader can read and understand it entirely. The use of differentiation of each particular part from the other makes the reader understand each part fully. The planning of the work has instrumental effect in the final interpretation, which induces the idea that by planning his work well, the author gives the readers a better chance to interact with his work and understand it (Bajaj n.p.). He thus, makes it possible for him to make them understand how the use of doublespeak shifts attention from the attributes of making them think that the product is better or bigger and not its innate qualities.

As an explication of knowledge about the subject, the author appeals to ethos. Ethos refers to how an author established credibility and understanding in his work (Vu 31). Lutz asserts credibility by showing that he has experience with adverts. His credibility is affirmed in the way that he understands the different words that advertisers use, and sure, they are. He shows the use of weasel words such as 'help,' 'virtually,' and 'acts first' to show the readers how these words are made use of in adverts without any particular meaning being attached to them (Lutz 64 ). The credibility of the author is showcased understanding of the different terms that are used in adverts. He stands a chance to educate the reader since they can trust his wide understanding of adverts and therefore educates them to be careful with the words used in adverts and their meaning.

The author makes effective use of logos to show how doublespeak is used to influence customers to make wrong choices, which makes his work educative. Logos is the reflection of how facts are used to support an argument (Vu 31). In the largest part of his work, the author shows how weasel words are used to woo customers to buy the items without explicit meaning. In one instance, for instance, the author shows how words like 'virtually' are used to make customers view the product they are about to buy works, as stated in the advert. As an eye-opener, Lutz induces that the use of the word to the mind of the reader replicates as 'same as' but not exactly as it is. Several advertising statements accompany the sentiments of the author from different organizations such as Domino's Pizza, Bayer, Advil, and others to show how doublespeak is used to mislead the readers (Lutz 66). The use of facts presents evidence of doublespeak to the reader, which subsequently informs them to be more insistent of reading and understanding adverts as they buy products.

William Lutz, in his work, With These Words I Can Sell You Anything educates readers successfully on the need to interrogate doublespeak in their works before they decide to buy a product. He informs the readers that advertisers use parity words to escape legal consequences and attract customers unjustifiably. To prove so, he uses ethos and logos. Also, the author makes use of headings and subheadings to make the readers understand the different viewpoints. The work by Lutz is, therefore, educative on the readers and can cause them to be more effective in analyzing adverts when buying materials to ensure that they are not misled.

Works Cited

Bajaj, Geetesh. "Upgrade from Writing to Digital Signage| PowerPoint and Presenting Stuff." (2019).

Lutz, William. "With these words, I can sell you anything." Exploring Language (1995): 73-87.

Vu, Doan. "Rhetoric in Advertising." VNU Journal of Science: Policy and Management Studies 33.2 (2017). doi: https://doi.org/10.25073/2588-1116/vnupam.4093