“Should Ads Be Allowed at School?” Article Analysis (Essay Sample)

In the Upfront Magazine article “Should Ads Be Allowed at School?” you see two opposing sides trying to convince you that they’re right. They do this by using types of propaganda to construct their arguments.

While reading the article, you read two seperate sides on differing opinions about whether or not ads should be allowed in school. First you read Cynthia Calvert’s, the Owner and Founder of Steep Creek Media, side that yes, ads should be allowed in school, but how does she get the reader/audience to agree with her? Easy answer; Propaganda. Calvert uses multiple different types of propaganda to construct her argument.

Calvert says, “In the United States, advertising is a multibillion-dollar industry. What if your school district could harness some of that financial power to supplement its budget,” (Calvert, 22). In this, Cynthia uses a type of propaganda called snob appeal. When using snob appeal, the author will take something glorious that richer people may have and make it available to less fortunate families. Calvert starts this by talking about how much money the advertising industry makes. Once she ties schooling into that, she makes it seem like there is a better opportunity for students in public schools to have a better and more effective education. This is a good way to pull your reader in and make them think about what the school system could possibly look like.

Another way Calvert constructs her argument is by making glittering-generalities. Calvert says, “Over the past 11 years, we’ve raised millions of dollars for Texas schools. That money has helped pay for new computers, textbooks, supplies, team uniforms, teachers’ salaries, and so much more,” (Calvert, 22). She brings out what can and has been done with the money raised from advertising in schools. She uses this to support her idea that it could potentially make schools a better learning environment for students. By bringing forth what all has been done, it makes this seem like a really good thing to do in order to help the students thrive academically.

Taking a turn from Cynthia Calvert’s thoughts on advertisements in schools, we look at the opposing side put together by David Monahan. David Monhana has a campaign for a commercial free childhood. He uses similar tactics to Calvert to create his argument.

He says, “You’re in school to learn about the world and how you can make your own special contribution to it,” (Monahan, 23). Monahan says that by keeping ads out of schools, it creates a strictly educational environment for students to focus purely on learning. Monahan used a type of propaganda called pathos. By using words like “you” and “special” he appeals to the audiences’ emotions. He makes the reader feel special and like they can actually make a difference in the world by keeping ads out of schools so students can grow and learn with minimal distractions.

Another tactic Monahan uses is circular argument. He says, “But schools shouldn’t accept financial assistance if it means companies would place ads where students can see them… Focus on what really matters: learning,” (Monahan, 23). He believes that by putting ads around schools or where students could potentially see them puts their education at risk because they’d be so distracted with the advertisements hanging around.  Keeping ads out of students' line of vision promotes them to focus more on schoolwork. If students are doing schoolwork rather than reading an ad, then the graduation rate will go up in high schools, and the overall GPA for students would continue to increase as they payed closer attention to their environment. By creating a solution to a problem that hasn’t yet been stated, Monahan makes it seem like he knows what’s best for students and schools. This makes him seem prepared and trustworthy because he’s putting students before himself and how the ads would affect him.

In the article “Should Ads Be Allowed at Schools?” by Upfront Magazine, you read two opposing views construct their arguments to persuade people to agree with them by using various types of propaganda.