Rhetorical Analysis of Astroturfing: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver Video
Last week tonight is an American comedy program which is presented by John Oliver.
The comedy is about trade, cynicism, politics, lies and irresponsibility and poor parenting. The
actor wants to show us how people tell lies in our social and political lives and as such wants to
caution us against such politicians. According to this comedy, the actor is optimistic that people
can learn these lies when they are being told. The author also wants to portray the negative
consequences of irresponsible behavior by showcasing how some parents leave their children
alone without proper care that they deserve (“Trade: Last Week Tonight With John Oliver”).
The intended audience of this satire is the parents and the general American people who
are politically active. Scriptwriters and storytellers do not reveal their target audience, but their
hidden meaning reveals their audience. This hidden meaning is a style applied by artists to
convey their message to the large audience without compromising their reputation or standing
(Coleman & Robin). In this comedy, the target audience is the parents and voters. He introduces
the American politicians and the baby who gets burnt due to irresponsible parental care. The
audience as portrayed here in the comedy is horrendous and humiliated. The author assumes that
his audience is experiencing the same humiliation and as such is compassionate and emotional.
The tone of the author is humorous. He shows it when he disapproves Donald Trump’s
fallacy that America loses $ 850 billion a year yet America’s trade deficit is about $ 500 billion.
The author is also passionate when repeatedly tells his audience about the lies that politicians
keep telling each and every time. The author’s choice of words is so critical and terrific. He does
not choose obscure words but rather a simple language to convey his message to a variety of
audience. The author relays a stronger opinion by passionately moving the audience into his
world, and the action moves the audience. Through his way of conveying the message, the
viewer can be able to interpret his tone and agree with his word (Brewer & Jessica 646-655).
However, it is not possible to move the entire audience. Some people will not agree with the
actor. However, in the context of this comedy, the critics will analyze his choice of words which
are easy to understand while the message is clear.
The actor uses a simple language but in a formal structure. The actor also utilizes
everyday language to engage his audience fully. Language use is significant in comedy. Actors
should consider their audience before deciding on the kind of language to apply. In this comedy,
the actor has mastered a formal language in an ordinary/straightforward language. However, the
actor does not use facts and figures to make his point. He uses fiction and personification to
relate his experience with the American society. The effect of using this style is that the audience
will receive the message with little provocation or criticism (Crystal, David & Davy). In this
comedy, there are several instances of swear words. These words are relevant to the comic
because it draws the ordinary world closer to the people. The author also uses word repetition to
create emphasis on the major theme that he wants his audience to be aware of.
Additionally, the author applies some strategies to show his audience what he means. For
example, he applies the use of video clips in the midst of his act and draws comparison between
facts and lies. Politics is largely portrayed by the author as a central theme that surrounds the
current American society. The actor chose a few points to focus because the audience cannot
consume too many points without confusion. The art of comedy does not require an actor to use
many themes in a single act (Leech & Geoffrey). If such happens, there are high chances that the
audience will get mixed up in the process thereby diluting the central issue of the play. The actor
here presents themes surrounding politics that audience is able to relate with and make sarcasm
out of it.
The actor also has a high ethics appeal. He portrays himself as someone who better
understands his audience and what they need from him. The author also utilized his authority and
command by facing his audience head on and points out the social injustices and adverse effects
of having leaders who don’t use common logic in making crucial decisions that are affecting the
country today. The actor also applies pathos whereby he captures the audience’s emotions and
stirs their feelings. In poetry, winning the souls of your audience is an intelligent act that actors
use to attract their attention. The audience is the primary consumer of poetry so they should be
given priority. In business and economics, customers are treated with a lot of care because they
are the major shareholders in that particular business. In poetry, the audiences are like the
customers in the industry who make the market keep going (Coleman & Robin). The author
hypes his audience with fear, anger and emotions throughout the scene.
In this comedy, the actor changes his tone based on theme change. The actor’s tone is
humorous when he exposes the lies that the Trump administration comes up with. Poetry is an art
which involves the utilization of various tones in the same text to portray different feelings
according to different themes in the text. This tone change makes orators and actors hype the
feelings of the audience as long as possible (Brewer & Jessica, pp. 640-650). This art also draws
the audience’s attention throughout the play. The main actor in this comedy captures the
audience’s attention by changing his tone based on different themes he wants to portray, and this
keeps his audience attentive and lively.
This comedy was created by the actor to serve different purposes. For example, he wants
to warn the audience that trade is not a war but a healthy competition that should involve
negotiation between participating countries and not trading threats and sanctions. The actor also
wants to inform the audience about the negative effects of lack of factual arguments in politics.
He wants to inform the audience that bad politics divides the society. In this regard, politicians
make lies to suit their agenda which in the long run may affect the status of the country. The
actor also wants to entertain his audience when he changes his asks several questions and plays
videos repeatedly to involve the audience in critical thinking as well as differentiating between
facts and lies.
In conclusion, last week tonight is an American comedy that was created and run by John
Oliver. The actor’s primary audience is the parents and the politically active individuals in the
USA. This comedy is effective because it addresses the real challenges facing the social state of
America. The target audience will be encouraged and get inspired in the long run as well as
being able to differentiate between lies and facts. The play also encourages the audience to think
critically on the social-political affairs facing the society today.
Works cited
Brewer, Paul R., and Jessica McKnight. "Climate as comedy: The effects of satirical television
news on climate change perceptions." Science Communication 37.5 (2015): 635-657.
Coleman, Robin R. Means. African American viewers and the black situation comedy: Situating
racial humor. Routledge, 2014.
Crystal, David, and Derek Davy. Investigating english style. Routledge, 2016.
Leech, Geoffrey N. A linguistic guide to English poetry. Routledge, 2014.
Trade: Last Week Tonight With John Oliver (HBO). Youtube, 2018,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etkd57lPfPU . Accessed 24 Sept 2018.
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