To: Ms.

Larsen
From: Marcos Torres
Date: 6 March 2015
Subject: Cover Letter for MWA #2
For this Major Writing Assignment, the class was tasked with choosing a movie trailer
that we wanted to complete a rhetorical analysis on. Throughout the sequence, we created a chart
about which appeals or patterns were used in the trailer. We also completed a formal outline
which guided us on how we wanted to format our MWA. All the pre drafting assignments that I
had completed helped me a lot in knowing what needed to go where and how it fit it. Overall, I
felt that this sequence went smoother than the last MWA because all the pre writing was
completed before hand as an assignment. The tone of this piece was informative explaining
which rhetorical appeals and patterns were in the movie trailer I had selected, which was Furious
7. The audience that I was writing to was the same audience that the trailer was aimed at, which
was young adults that are into action and suspense. I did write a little bit about the past movies,
but not enough where if someone had not seen the past movies would not understand. The
purpose of this assignment was to complete a rhetorical analysis. I did this by looking into the
movie trailer and finding the different techniques the movie creators used to make the film more
desirable to see. The main points that I focused on were how the creators of this trailer used
ethos, pathos, and logos.
When writing this assignment I found it very helpful to have done all the drafting. By
this, I mean that it was very nice having previous drafts, including the table and outline already
filled out, so that way I would easily have a guide to refer to. This made the process faster and
smoother than the past sequence. I felt weird not having to do outside research to back up claims,

but it saved time also. I felt that this writing assignment went well and I didnt find myself
struggling to find words for my paper. I was able to find my thoughts and hopefully it turned out
to be a good paper. The only thing that I struggled with was making sure all my cited information
fit under the right category of appeal. Sometimes a scene could have fit into more than one
appeal and I wanted to make sure that where I put it in my paper was the correct placement.
When doing peer review I found it surprising how many helpful comments I received of how to
change things for the better. Taking out words or even how to reword a sentence really helped me
make sure that I completed a good rhetorical analysis.
The learning outcome that we focused of this assignment was learning outcome D which
is to improve your fluency in the dialect of Standardized Written American English at the level
of the sentence, paragraph, and document. The assignment of this MWA was to create a
rhetorical analysis for the movie trailer which I felt really helped me become a better writer. In
college I have focused on statistical or factual papers that needed outside research and sources.
This limited my actual writing and my opinions of things because I always needed to make sure
it was true and supported. This type of assignment used my opinion of what the creators
intentions were for creating this type of trailer. This allowed me to show my point of view
throughout the whole entire document. Outside of class, I found it helpful to rewrite some of my
sentences and see which one flowed better in the document; this helped in strengthening this
outcome. A class activity we completed that helped me in this outcome came from peer review.
Peer review helped because I was able to see how others structured their sentences, paragraphs,
and whole documents.
When others read this MWA, I have a few questions that I would like them to think
about. My first question is if they felt that if this was a good rhetorical analysis and if the reader

agrees with the points I am making. Secondly, I would like to know if they found anything else
that I missed while reviewing the trailer or if they felt any that any evidence would be stronger
than what I have. Lastly, what are things that you find interesting in seeing a particular movie? I
would appreciate the reader to focus on the information that was provided throughout the MWA.
What stood out to you while reading the MWA and why?
Major Writing Assignment #2
Furious 7 is the next installment of the movie series Fast and the Furious. All the Fast
and the Furious focus on the most important things in life which are friends, family, and fast
cars. Many of these movies focus on building suspense which is not always realistic, but this
allows the movie to be more entertaining to the viewer. Many of these movies build suspense and
have action to tie along with the theme, however, at the end of each movie, the conflict resolves.
Many of these movies build off of one another and continue where the last movie ended. The
trailer for Furious 7 continues this tradition by starting from where Fast and the Furious Tokyo
Drift ended. The Fast and the Furious has built a large fan base, and many of the movie stars
have gained popularity for their role in the movies. The trailer for Furious 7, although it does
not sure the appeal of logos, successfully demonstrates the appeals of pathos and ethos to
convince the audience that they need to go see the movie.
In the movie trailer, there are many scenes that when watching are completely unrealistic,
which is the approach that the movie creators were aiming for. Through this tactic, the logos in
this trailer are illogical, but it still entices the viewers to want to see this movie. It makes the
viewer wonder if everyone survives and if they do, then how. When the viewers are watching the
trailer they think that if anyone tried this in real life they would surely die which makes the
characters seem larger than life. An example of this occurs in at 1:35 through 1:45 when all the

main characters are in their cars, and their cars are in the plane. The scene then takes a turn when
all of the characters start driving off of the plane. This uses the pattern of comparison and
contrast. This is because the viewer will compare the scene with what can really occur in real
life. This makes the viewer question the outcome of what happens next. How do the characters
know where theyll end up or how can they guarantee the parachutes can withstand the force of
the car? Another way that this trailer doesnt show logos comes from 2:29 2:47 in the video. In
this scene, the main character Dom drives his car from a high floor of one skyscraper that leaps
through to another. This all happens while he is in the process of being shot at. This type of scene
leaves the viewer with questions. One of those questions being how they even got the car that
high in the skyscraper. Since these scenes are not logical, they dont demonstrate logos. It does
not persuade the audience that this movie is realistic in order to appeal to them. However, it uses
both pathos and ethos to appeal to the viewers to watch the movie.
Throughout the Fast and the Furious movies, the viewers have received a sense of what
the main characters represent. All of the characters care deeply for one another which really
resonates with the viewers. In the trailer, the main character Dom is quoted at 0:09 0:12 saying,
The most important thing in life will always be the people right here, right now. Thats whats
real. This type of quote makes the viewers think about their loved ones and think about if they
are spending enough time with family and friends. The type of pattern this shows is Definition.
The voice over of the main character describing that the most important things in life are the
people around him helps give a definition of friends and family. Although this isnt an actual
definition, it describes what the most important thing in life is to him, therefore distinguishing its
characteristics. The next example that evokes pathos of the viewer is the scene where the house
is blown up at 0:25. In this scene, Dom gets a phone call from the antagonist where he then hears

a beep from a box. The scene then cuts to the house being destroyed. A viewer is more than
likely going to be familiar with the house that is destroyed because it takes a big part in other
movies. With it being destroyed, it first frightens you with a big explosion and then the viewer
feels sympathy for the characters because the house they owned was destroyed. The type of
pattern this shows is Description. This is because when the house is blown up, it immediately
makes the viewer have sad feelings or emotion. This emotion helps to further persuade us that
the antagonist is bad and the viewers will even more so tend to take the side with the
protagonists. A house is a place of safety and something you have to work for. Seeing their house
blow up makes the viewer feel bad for the characters in the movie. The trailer appeals to your
emotions because of how it looks, how it sounds, and maybe even how it feels. Basically, it
appeals to the sensory details. This scene also has the pattern of Cause and Effect because since
the antagonist of the last movie was killed, the brother of the antagonist wants revenge, which
makes him the bad guy in this movie. This is shown in a bomb that destroyed the house within
the trailer. This helps show a direct Cause and Effect that is carried over from the other movies.
Over the years, the Fast and the Furious movies have used pathos to build a relationship
with the fans. This relationship help builds an emotional but also credible connection, which is
ethos. Before the Fast and the Furious movies, many of the stars within it were unheard of or not
very famous. But with the rise of the movies, the stars themselves began gaining popularity. Now
these stars are big names in Hollywood and the Fast and the Furious trailer was not afraid to
show them off. Right at the beginning of the trailer at 0:09 0:17, all the stars from the movies
are seen. This shows more Description and Narrative because it helps set the scene for the movie.
It helps the audience know that the characters are the same, which helps build credibility. Since
they are likeable characters from previous films, it helps give the audience a feeling of respect

towards the movie. Fast and the Furious is produced by Universal Studios which is one of the
most popular movie producers and has had many large hits in the box office. At the 1:00 mark,
the words Universal Studios popped up in the trailer. This shows Narrative and
Comparison/Contrast, because the trailer shows that the movie was made by Universal, a very
successful company that has made many popular films. Therefore, it tells the audience that a
respected and well-off company made this movie, which gives the trailer credibility. It helps the
audience know that it isnt a cheap or cheesy movie, as most Universal films are well-made. This
can either go in Narrative, setting the scene for the movie. It could also be Comparison and
Contrast, where the viewers compare and contrast this company with other companies that
might produce less quality films. Lastly, the movie is building off of its prequels. Many people
have seen the rest of the Fast and the Furious movies and the trailer uses that. It puts in past
clips from other movies and everyone already knows the characters and how they act. This again
shows Narrative and Comparison/Contrast. Because this movie has already had so many wellliked prequels, it has allowed viewers to gain an understanding of respect and it has given
viewers an impression of what the movie is going to be like. Because of its widespread
popularity, it shows that many people have a general liking for the movie, which in turn makes
believable, respectable, and likeable by most viewers. People can compare this to other racing and
action movies and realize that because of the very successful franchise, that it might be better than
others. Overall, by using past films and building off of the already successful movies, Furious 7

is a popular movie that many people will want to go see.

Overall, the Furious 7 trailer used both pathos and ethos to make their audience want to
go see the movie. However, they did not successfully use logos. Although they made the
characters seem very powerful and brave, it affected the trailer in a negative way when it came to
the degree of realism. However, this trailer still evoked much interest by providing both pathos

and ethos. For pathos, they made the audience reflect on their lives and families by talking about
how those are the most important things. They used pathos in a way to make sure the audience
can connect with the characters in the film on an emotional level to keep them interested. Lastly,
the creators of the Furious 7 trailer relied on the reputation that they been able to uphold
throughout the other movies in the series. They used the big names of the film and who produced
the film to help build their credibility. To conclude, the Furious 7 did a good job using the
different rhetorical techniques and patterns to make their movie more desirable to see.