Rhetorical Analysis: It's The Right Thing '

Both letters, by Herbert and Seaver discuss the usage of the slogan "It's the Right Thing." Each writer uses Reductum ad Absurdum and logos as their rhetorical strategies. While Herbert, executive of the Coca Cola Company, argues that the slogan is plagiarized, Seaver, representative of Grove Press, disputes the use of the slogan as it is protected by the First Amendment. Seaver has a more persuasive prose to emphasize his idea that the "It's the Real Thing" slogan is not copyrighted. The use of logos is a rhetorical strategy used in both author's letters. In Herbert's letter, logos is used to tell Seaver the first time "It's the Right Thing" slogan was created. Herbert wrote that it was first used in advertisement in "1942" (Herbert, 16) and that "the line has appeared in advertising for Coca-Cola during succeeding years" (Herbert, 18.) Herbert means that the "It's the Right Thing" slogan has been in use in the Coca Cola company many years before the book Diary of a Harlem Schoolteacher (1970) has. He includes these points to validate the

Herbert addresses the problem of using the slogan with association of the book as there will "be a likelihood of confusion" as there is a "connection with our respective products" ( Herbert ,9-11.) Herbert brought the flawed idea that people would confuse the book and Coca Cola as they have the same slogan. However, Seaver counteracts this with verbal irony saying that the public would "mistake a book by a Harlem schoolteacher for a six-pack of Coca Cola" (Seaver,5-6.) Seaver distinguishes the flaw of Herbert's argument as people would not connect the two products even if they had the same slogan. This proves Herbert's argument as logically incorrect as the public would be able to tell which product is sponsored by which company, Coca Cola sodas by the Coca Cola Company and the Diary of a Harlem Schoolteacher by the Grove