ipl-logo

Rhetorical Analysis Of The Problem With Popplers

977 Words4 Pages

The Futurama episode entitled “The Problem with Popplers” (2000) satirically pokes at meat-eating, while openly mocking animal rights protestors in the face of their ignorant compassion. And while targeting the hypocrisy that exists within modern society and presenting the far too common avarice of corporations and businesses, the episode never truly lets the audience get comfortable. That being said, a general feeling of moral ambiguity underlies the episode. And without becoming unpalatable and unenjoyable, the content reaches the brink of legitimate trepidation, while maintaining cunning social commentary and foolishness. Therefore, the audience most likely consists of young adults and adults, sci-fi fans, and those …show more content…

A potential takeaway from the episode to be careful of what one eats is exemplified by the protagonist, Leela. After she devours the seemingly delicious alien offspring, she comes to the atrocious realization that popplers are sentient beings. And although the episode doesn’t outwardly reinforce the graveness of this matter, it doesn’t conceal the eeriness of it either, which contributes to the humorous tone of the episode. This is shown when Leela ironically discovers that popplers are intelligent beings, yet still licks the crumbs off of her fingers right after. Another rhetorical technique involved in the episode is understatement. The characters go about their lives so nonchalantly and it is obvious that they blindly comply with what society deems acceptable. Because audience members live in a society with such close resemblance to the fictional one presented, it is fascinating to be an observer from the outside looking in. …show more content…

Not only do they enhance satire, but they engage audience members by creating an element of cuteness in the midst of the episode’s horror. Also, by Linda saying she’ll have to “bleep” the language, the episode touches upon media censorship and what is regarded as socially acceptable. For example, the characters use the media to broadcast the hippie being eaten, literally a live murder, but God forbid people hear the word “ca-ca.” In fact, the media even uses this opportunity to advertise Fishy Joe’s new inhumane product, "fresh squeezed walrus" juice, which is quite fishy alright! Furthermore, by Gilman saying “If these gutter-mouthed creatures are so smart, why don't they defend themselves?” it shows that intelligence may simply be the ability to defend oneself in the face of danger, or in other words survival of the fittest. It’s tragically hilarious to witness a reflection of modern society, magnified. Furthermore, the final scene with the staff sitting around the dinner table is a real eye opener, posing the question: How intelligent does something have to be before it’s okay to eat it? When Farnsworth toasts to Leela saying “She showed us it's wrong to eat certain things,” it’s almost impossible not to laugh. The emphasis in this sentence is really on “certain things.” This scene is the perfect example

Show More
Related
359 Words | 2 Pages

Rhetorical Analysis of Remember the Titans In the movie Remember the Titans, Coach Boone states, that his players need to be unified together as a team, instead of being separated because of the color of their skin. He does this by using allusion, diction, and a rhetorical question. Boone uses a rhetorical question in line one when he states, “Anybody know what this place is?”

Read More
119 Words | 1 Pages

Will you be eating roadkill tonight for dinner?   In Brenden Buhler’s “On Eating Roadkill”, the author is asking whether the citizens of the United States would consider eating roadkill, and if, in fact, we are aware that we already have. “So for those on the fence (or outright repelled) by the concept, consider this:  because gelatin ends up in everything from marshmallows to gummy bears to ice cream, there’s a good chance that you’ve already consumed, legally, some accidental meat.” (206) Buhler has convinced this reader that eating roadkill is a viable option for feeding some of our homeless here in America.

Read More
587 Words | 3 Pages

The Onion uses satirical humor to poke fun at modern advertisements and the gullibility of Americans have by mocking the techniques used to sell consumer goods; it does this through its mocking publication of a product called MagnaSoles. This article uses quotes from customers that have bought MagnaSoles, subtle jokes and puns, and the over exaggeration of the sciences implemented by Magnasoles. The article is rampant with subtle hints, jokes, and puns that key the reader in that this article is a joke. With the use of "pseudoscientists" and "pseudoscience" used throughout the article, as well as the "scientific-sounding literature", this is an indicator that this is not real science talking. It also makes fun of the use of making a paper seem more credible through its constant

Read More
199 Words | 1 Pages

In “A Raisin in the Sun” by Lorraine Hansberry, the author uses diction like abstract diction and details by explaining what he exactly wants in life to demonstrate Walter and his dream. To begin, Hansberry uses diction to demonstrate Walter and his dream by using abstract diction. She does this by explaining how he will give Travis anything for his seventeenth birthday and that he will “hand you the world!” (2.2). This shows that he wants to make his sons life as good as possible.

Read More
381 Words | 2 Pages

Jack Nguyen AP English 3 30, July 2015 Nickel and Dimed Rhetorical Strategies and Notes Thesis: Ehrenreich’s personal use of varied rhetorical strategies allowed her to divulge the working conditions and struggles of the poverty-stricken class to the readers in order to provoke them to realize that something has to be done about poverty.. First Body: What: Allusion Pg. 2, Logos Pg. 37. How & Effect: Ehrenreich uses these personal, rhetorical strategies based on her experiences as a low-wage worker in the poor working class. The effect is that Ehrenreich is able to show the readers the conditions in which the impoverished work in and the daily obstacles that they face in life; also there is an appeal to logic and a reference of a poverty idiom. Why: Ehrenreich is deliberately using these rhetorical strategies to incite the readers about the fact that changes need to be done to poverty because it is a detrimental thing to society.

Read More
285 Words | 2 Pages

The short story "Hills Like White Elephants," is about a couple that is really young and the is having a issue about abortion. The author uses a lot of rhetorical devices to convey his message but mostly use imagery and symbolism. The way that the story is told by the author the reader can see the story told in their head. The way that the author describe the hills and the town that they was in it shows a lot of imagery. The story also picture the couple waiting for the train that they had been waiting for.

Read More
148 Words | 1 Pages

In “What We Are to Advertisers” and “Men’s Men and Women’s Women” both Twitchell and Craig reveal how advertisers utilize stereotypes to manipulate and persuade consumers into purchasing their products. Companies label their audience and advertise to them accordingly. Using reliable sources such as Stanford Research Institute, companies are able to use the data to their advantage to help market their products to a specific demographic. Craig and Twitchell give examples of this ploy in action by revealing how companies use “positioning” to advertise the same product to two demographics to earn more profit. Craig delves more into the advertisers ' plan by exposing the science behind commercials.

Read More
1527 Words | 7 Pages

“Consider the Lobster,” by David Foster Wallace, published in the August 2004 edition of Gourmet Magazine explores the morality of the consumption of lobsters through the analysis of the Maine Lobster Festival. Foster Wallace guides his readers through his exploration of the festival and general circumstances of lobster eating before evoking a sense of obligation to the creature’s well being. His gentle slide into the ‘big picture’ through his causal argument wades readers into the depths of his thoughts through the power of storytelling until they are left with no choice but to engage with their own perception of the act with skepticism. Ultimately, the passage commands readers to reexamine their own consumption of lobsters regardless of

Read More
739 Words | 3 Pages

In the short story “Hills Like White Elephants,” by Ernest Hemingway, there is a relationship unfolding, a complex relationship difficult to understand. The relationship is revealed by a conversation between a man and a woman, a topic of conversation that people rarely discussed in the period that the story was set. After researching interpretations, it is consistently said “She is pregnant, and he wants her to have an abortion” (Weeks 76), to which I agree that this conversation is about abortion. With the man seemingly pushing the topic and the girl hesitant and questionable, it is unsure as to the result of their conversation. However, it is my belief that she chose to follow her heart and not get the abortion.

Read More
2037 Words | 9 Pages

1. Introduction Published in 1963 under the pseudonym Victoria Lucas, The Bell Jar has aroused the interest of scholars all over the world. One of the most often discussed characteristics of The Bell Jar is its use of similes, metaphors, and symbols. Throughout The Bell Jar, Sylvia Plath employs rhetorical devices to paint a vivid picture of its protagonist Esther. This essay will discuss how Sylvia Plath uses figurative language to represent Esther’s feelings of insanity, anxiety, and freedom.

Read More
334 Words | 2 Pages

When arguing for racial equality, James Farmer Jr. quotes St.Augustine, “An unjust law is no law at all.” He claims that just laws are meant to protect all citizens; whereas, unjust laws that discriminate Negroes are not laws to be followed, thus raising awareness of racial discrimination by using emotional and logical appeals. In The Great Debaters, Henry Lowe appeals to the audience’s emotions during a debate about Negro integration into state universities. To challenge his opponent’s claim that the South isn 't ready to integrate Negroes into universities, he affirms that if change wasn’t forcefully brought upon the South, Negroes would “still be in chains,” which is an allusion to slavery. With this point, he is able to raise awareness of

Read More
970 Words | 4 Pages

All I ever eat is tuna. If I do not have the scrumptious fish for lunch, I have it for dinner at least four times a week. There is no end to my unhealthy obsession with Katsuwonus pelamis and Thunnus albacares. In fact, there was a small period in my life when I was pescatarian, and the only fish I ate was tuna. I am now back to being a regular omnivore, eating vegetables and meats.

Read More
816 Words | 4 Pages

1. The effects of Eighner’s attention to language in the first five paragraphs emphasizes that he is knowledgeable and confident about dumpster diving. As he states, “I live from the refuse of others. I am a scavenger” (Eighner 108). Eighner create an appeal to ethos when he displays his own experiences on the lifestyle of dumpster diving and its different aspects.

Read More
552 Words | 3 Pages

No Nickels or Dimes To Spare In the book, Nickel and Dimed, Barbara Ehrenreich writes the story, “Serving in Florida.” She describes her experience living as an undercover waitress when in reality she’s a journalist for culture and politics with a doctorate in biology. Ehrenreich experiences trying to survive on multiple low income jobs to understand what it is like to be in their shoes instead of being apart of the higher middle class.

Read More
817 Words | 4 Pages

Many audiences of stand up comedy enjoy hearing their favorite comedian entertain them. But what would one think when a comedian cracks a joke about a sensitive topic, for example, a tragedy that affected hundreds of people. Some may argue that, comedians are not supposed to overstep the boundary of controversial jokes. These controversial jokes are linked with political correctness—which is used to describe language, policies, and measures that are taken to avoid offense to certain groups of people. Comedians are not compelled to restrain from controversial topics due to the topic not being sugar-coated, the higher level of contemplation that the joke can reach, and the job of the comedian—to make the current issue manageable.

Read More

More about Rhetorical Analysis Of The Problem With Popplers

Related Topics

Open Document