Fantasy Theme Criticism

Princesleah Aguilera ENGW 2325-01 Dr. Mary Rist 1 December 2016 Fantasy-Theme Criticism Final Draft:

I.

Introduction

This year’s 2016 presidential election communicated a series of advertisements that granted each candidate a platform to show America what it could be. The platform presents a fantasy to the American public showing that they would become in the four following years. I am choosing to research the democratic propaganda used to advertise Hillary and focusing on the advertisements: “Role Models” and “Mirrors.” These advertisements had the fantasy that they created for the American people in common. They showed kind of a nightmare of what America would become, showing you how messed up an America run by Donald Trump could be versus the fantasy that Hillary Clinton presents.

Definition of fantasy-theme criticism: The fantasy-theme criticism, designed by Ernest G. Bormann, created an analysis for groups with similar interests who would create this message behind what was really being communicated to them. As stated by Foss in Rhetorical Criticism “The fantasy-theme method of rhetorical criticism is designed to provide insights into the share worldview of groups” (97).

Research question: As the analyst, we are exploring the advertisements and asking, why did Hillary Clinton and her team apply the nightmare vs. fantasy agenda to their advertisements? And how did Hillary attract the audience with the fantasy she was presenting in her advertisements?

II.

Presentation of Artifacts

“Role Models” Actors: - Children - Donald Trump on Television - Hillary Clinton Actions: - The children are attentively watching the television and watching what Donald Trump says on television.

- Donald Trump is shown swearing, speaking vulgarly, and being disrespectful on television.

- Hillary Clinton is shown (in a sense) speaking out against Trump and speaking up for the future that will end up with Trump as a role model in the future.

Scene: - The children are at home watching television, kind of just going about their day.

-

Donald Trump is mostly on television at his rallies.

The “Role Modes” advertisement displayed the children seated around the television watching clips from a series of Donald Trump’s speeches. The parts of the advertisement that would have resonated the most with the viewers would have been how the advertisement focused thoroughly on what was being said and who was watching it at certain times. For instance, when Trump said, “When Mexico sends its people they’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists,” and a clip of a Hispanic girl is meanwhile watching the advertisement. Trump says, “And you can tell them to go f*** themselves,” and two little boys are watching, seeing their next president cuss on national television.

The span of disrespect and derogative actions that happen through the Donald Trump portion of the advertisement allowed Hillary to show a portion of America the reality of the opposing candidate and at a time where Hillary needed to benefit from voters being against Donald Trump.

“Mirrors” Actors: - Donald Trump - Young girls Actions: - Donald Trump is mostly speaking of women derogatively and laughing about the way he talks about them.

- The young girls are looking at themselves in the mirror.

Scene: - Donald Trump is just being interviewed on television.

- The young girls are mostly in the bathroom, bedroom, or anywhere with their reflection.

The “Mirrors” advertisement displayed a variety of girls looking into mirrors, cell phone cameras, and in the background of the clips of young girls, Donald Trump’s voice over is playing and even a clip of one of him speaking at a talk show plays. Donald Trump goes on to degrade women and speak derogatively.

The transcript of the advertisement shows the diction and syntax that Donald Trump historically used to speak about women. Below, is the transcript of the Mirrors advertisement which I will use to analyze and show what fantasy Hillary Clinton advertised about Donald Trump in order to campaign against him in the election. The relevancy of the advertisement allowed Hillary to show a side of Trump that would make him less of a presidential nomination for the American public.

DONALD TRUMP: I'd look her right in that fat, ugly face of hers...

She's a slob...

She ate like a pig...

A person who's flat-chested is very hard to be a ten...

Does she have a good body? No. Does she have a fat [explicative]?

Absolutely.

INTERVIEWER: Do you treat women with respect?

TRUMP: I can't say that either.

III.

Analysis of Artifacts

The themes mostly presented in the ads, in my opinion, are what Hillary Clinton is clarifying toward the idea of Donald Trump and what America he is attempting to make. She introduces these ads to give the American audience a new perspective on Trump that will show America who is accepting of what fantasy Hillary is showing of Donald Trump.

In the “Role Models” advertisement Hillary presents the fantasy that the average American parent could resonate with. She provides and inner-rhetorical question of, “Do we, as parents, really want this man to become president?” She’s exposing the side of Donald Trump that should have gotten her elected rather than him. The continuous internal message of Donald Trump being a bad person, disrespecting humans of all kind, being judgmental and the opposite of what you’d want from a role model for the future of America.

At the shifting point of the advertisement, the screen goes black and places, “Our children are watching. What example will we set for them?” She shows you what a nightmare it would be to elect Donald Trump for presidency. She shows the family culture what respect we need to have and the disrespect that Donald Trump shows in the speeches he made. The message she presented in between her and Donald Trump’s scenes of the example being set was the strongest message in the advertisement and allowed her to win the popular vote.

In the “Mirrors” advertisement Hillary plays more into the cultural narrative with the feminist movement. The fact that she was supposed to be the first woman president. The fact that Donald Trump was able to speak of woman so disrespectfully showed that the public that voted for him was accepting any other person that spoke of women this way. After Donald Trump is asked if he treats women with respect and he gives his answer, “I can't say that either.” The screen then goes black and asks “Is this the president we want for our daughters?” Asking this exposed the fantasy that women do not deserve respect, that question could’ve even referred back to the feminist movement internally stating, “If you’re okay with this man being our president, then you are okay with your wife, daughter, or sister being treated the way he treats women. Hillary advocated strongly with this campaign because she was hoping to be the first woman president.

IV.

Conclusion

With this being said, the propaganda provided during the election gave us the nightmare vs. fantasy so that we, as a whole American public, could view what message she is trying to send us about Donald Trump. Hillary attracted the audience that had children, especially girls. She attempted to show them that their voice and their voted mattered for the future of America and the future of their children. Although she lost the presidential race, she spoke to people and made sure those who did vote for her realized that they couldn’t accept an America where the president disrespected women and couldn’t be a valuable role model for each and every one of their children. Her presidential campaign attempted to advocate against a campaign that wouldn’t have made America more respectful and dignifying.

Works Cited: Foss, Sonja K. Rhetorical Criticism: Exploration & Practice. 4th ed. Prospect Heights, IL: Waveland, 1989. Print.

"The Living Room Candidate - Commercials - 2016 - Role Model." The Living Room Candidate Commercials - 2016 - Who We Are. Museum of the Moving Image, n.d. Web. 04 Dec. 2016.

"The Living Room Candidate - Commercials - 2016 - Mirrors." The Living Room Candidate Commercials - 2016 - Who We Are. Museum of the Moving Image, n.d. Web. 04 Dec. 2016.