Rhetorical Artifact Analysis

Words: 521
Pages: 3

An object in my home that serves as a persuasive artifact is my younger brother’s painting that is showcased at the living room. The painting is composed of a simple picture of the dark sea with a couple of sea creatures visible from the water’s surface and the bright orange color of the sun on the background of the painting. It is a simple painting. It is not extravagant in any way. Yet, it has a profound meaning for me as the audience of the artifact. As a rhetorical artifact, it persuades me to think, do, and believe in certain ways and it does so by triggering some basic values I have as the audience while inspiring me to see the deeper persuasion in it.
A basic persuasion that the painting offers is that it imposes to me that I am a member
…show more content…
By being placed properly instead of being ignored, the painting asks me to believe that my family consists of people who appreciate creativity and effort. It encourages me to express myself and embrace my uniqueness because my family, as shown by their appreciation on the painting, will support and value my creative endeavor.
Considering its power of persuasion, there is no doubt that the painting is a material instance of rhetoric. It persuades me to think that I am a part of my family, to believe that they appreciate creativity, and to pursue my interest dauntlessly.
However, regardless of the conclusion that the painting is persuasive, I assume that its intended purpose was not to persuade. My brother is too young to even care about persuading me about things unrelated to foods or games. He only painted to express his imagination. Still, even his simple purpose to get rid of boredom fulfilled the persuasive stance of the painting because both the purpose and the persuasion value the same thing: appreciation on