MEME

I have created a meme using rhetorical commentary on the big environmental issue of the coronavirus. The coronavirus started in China and has been spreading outside the world with few exceptions. Online there are many videos, articles, tweets, etc. that emphasizes washing your hands. Some people seem genuinely outraged that due to other people having such bad hygiene it is spreading to others with flu-like symptoms. In the picture there is a man sweating and struggling with what button to pick which says coronavirus and the other one is labeled “basic self care like washing your hands” to infer that some people would rather take the risk of getting the coronavirus rather than washing their hands. I am using pathos which is an emotional appeal in the meme because the guy in the picture is showing distress via facial expressions and visible precipitation. This affects the reader because they want to know what he is worried about and if he is worried maybe the audience will feel empathetic and make them want to wash their hands more often. I also utilized the rhetorical appeal of ethos when becoming more relatable by using a meme in order to give this information. A constraint to this rhetoric is that it is only given via a meme so few words are used in a picture in order to create a message the audience will understand.