Natalie Kelber 18 March 2013 ENGL 3060 Critical Commentary 5 The written artifact in question is the promotional flyer

for Subway for their $5.00 foot longs, which they have every month in order to bring more customers in to buy their subs. It is a detailed flyer, which is only a piece of what Subway has to offer, aside from its delicious, healthy subs. Based on Rentzs view on how narratives are used in business writing, this promotional flyer establishes her criteria in explanation of past events, that people can get a $5 foot long until 5pm. When she talks about narrative as a cognitive tool, the promotional flyer gives you a full cognitive outlook based on what subs you can get with this price, how long the great deal is going on, etc. It shows a storytelling ability, in which Rentz mentions in her article, There are some analysts of narrative who believe, as the anecdote implies, that storytelling is the fundamental cognitive act of human beings (Rentz 299). The visuals of the subs gives the idea also that it is a narrative in so many words. The visual patterns mentioned in her article, displays just that. Rentz quotes for instance, simply from exposure to various objects or visual patterns or to logico-scientific texts that imbue our minds with certain categories and logical relations, (Rentz 300). The use of language is apparent in this promotional flyer as well. As Rentz explains about how the use of language in terms of children, this flyer has bright colors, which would stand out to children and people of different ages as well, gives it a sharp appeal for the eye and language. Also, in the article, she touches base on how narratives are a mode of thinking, how language abilities come into factor when reading or looking at visual narratives, which are a selection of a story. In terms of the written artifact in this analysis, Subways flyer for the $5 foot long has language abilities in terms of large print, bright appealing colors, short and to the point. This promotional flyer based on Rentzs four advantages of Narrative in Business Writing, the flyer does demonstrate the ideas that this flyer is easy to read, and it has a unique ability for people to remember the catchy idea that they can get a 12 inch footlong with any lunch meat provided on the flyer. Rentz quoted about how these researchers believe they have discovered that readers have a natural bias toward narrative- that, all other things being equal, readers will invoke their narrative schema to understand what they read, (Rentz 302). This flyer gives the readers/audience about what it is saying. Another point that Rentz was trying to make is the idea of stories being a selection and parts of a text in the same way that we read visually documents, such as this flyer. The second purpose that Rentz talks about in this article is that narratives are persuasive and are engaging. The written artifact in this analysis has the bright colors and visual to give a good persuasive message that customers can get any 5 select sandwiches listed on the flyer at $5 each after 5 pm daily. The flyer is a legit example of a narrative, in which visuals give the message without saying or stating a lot of text. The third purpose that Rentz makes a point of is that narratives has modes of discourse when they are trying to talk about a story. She talks about how there is a close connection between the narrative itself and the actual happenings. In this case, the Subway flyer give a unique idea of getting a good deal on delicious, affordable subs for a good price. It gives the product, the subs,

an different view to the consumers. The fourth and final response listed in Rentzs article is mainly about how narratives go beyond information processing, how the information in the narrative has a demographic and psychographic analysis. In the flyer, it demonstrates that the demographic is people of all ages, that can enjoy the deal of the $5 foot long for $5.00 for a limited time. It gives the great appeal visually and gives information in a way that makes people want to drive to Subway and get a foot long for that cheap. This business document, a promotional flyer, gives people room to make their own judgments about the presentation visually of the flyer, and the information included throughout the flyer. Based on the narrative method of rhetorical criticism, in this promotional flyer, it is directed towards narrative probability, because it clearly overshadows the idea that it crosscultured towards different audiences. At the bottom of the flyer, it gives different numbers on how the Subway restaurants have proudly featured the brand of Coca-Cola and other products throughout certain countries like Guam. It gives the idea of different material setting and gives more structure in terms of what the visual representation is trying to portray. In terms of it being a deductive or inductive approach, this business document demonstrates a good idea of a deductive approach. Its because it gives one specific idea of a good, affordable idea from a restaurant. It also gives a clear idea about how one topic can turn into a good, cheap, profitable million- dollar idea. The question that I propose about this artifact being about narrative probability, is that what is the whole purpose behind this promotional flyer? What does Subway restaurant want people to get from this one idea for the brand? The question that I propose from this artifact being a deductive approach is that what else is this flyer applying to? Is it just about the visual or is there a hidden meaning behind the advertising?

Reference List: Rentz, Kathryn C. The Value of Narrative in Business Writing. Journal of Business and Technical Communication 6.3 (1992): 293-315 PDF file.