Escobar

Kayla E. Escobar
Professor Sheila Fielding
WRTC 103
21 February 2016

The Cost of Prom: A Look at the Price of Prom and an Evaluation as to Whether the Cost
is Worthwhile
Prom is a tradition that dates back to the late 1800s. Over the years, it has changed
drastically, and grown from a modest celebration to an expensive, annual extravagance for high
school students. The article Is Prom $pending Out of Control, written in May 2015 by Kaitlin
Menza, a freelance writer and editor who covers pop culture and women's health, is a
comparative analysis which examines the cost of prom. This rhetorical analysis focuses on two
high school students and compares their opposing viewpoints to demonstrate the pros and cons
of spending money on prom. These viewpoints are then compared to a Visa public service
announcement (PSA) which very simply promotes responsible spending. The verbal argument
provides opposing perspectives and leaves its audience caught between two paths as opposed to
the PSA which provides one strong appealing perspective that allows for a compromise between
the two opinions.
Menza quotes the prices of various prom essentials to convince the audience to assess
prom spending. She also asks open ended questions and compares two viewpoints to encourage
the reader to form an opinion about the cost of prom. The underlying question throughout the
article is, Is prom spending worth the cost? To answer this question the author compares the
opinions of two high school students who have differing feelings about the cost of prom. Morgan

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Bryant, a 17 year old high school senior from Viola, IL, believes that prom is wonderful, but it
should feel accessible to everyone (Menza 2). Murray Rosenbaum, a 16 year old high school
junior from New York, NY, disagrees with Bryants opinion. Rosenbaum states that prom is a
special extravagance that's worth the cost. From the perspectives of these two high school
students, we can examine and form an opinion on the cost of prom.
The author, Kaitlin Menza, uses logos to demonstrate the principle of reason and
judgment within the article. She states that Proms got fancier in the 1950s, when a thriving
postwar economy allowed high schools to move the events out of their gymnasiums and into
hotels or country clubs (Menza 4). This quote is significant because it explains the evolution of
prom and how it grew to become a lavish event. The author also states that parents typically
pay about 56% of prom costs (Menza 4). This statement demonstrates that prom is an
extravagance that not only involves a students financial status, but that often times affect their
parents financial status as well. The author also uses this quote to target a second audience in the
article, the parents of high school students. Statistics revealing the average amount of money
spent on prom are introduced as a factual element that forces the reader to consider actual dollar
amounts rather than general terms like expensive and excessive. For example, it was
estimated that the average American household spent $1,000 on prom last year (Menza 4).
This dollar figure causes the reader to relate $1,000 dollars to their monthly mortgage payment, a
down payment on a car, or money that could be saved towards their childs college tuition.
The author also uses pathos in the article. Rosenbaum believes that If administration
and student leaders work together to keep ticket prices affordable, while families save up for
other expenses, then all teens can enjoy an unforgettable evening (Menza 3). This quote is
effective in evoking a feeling of motivation and collaboration from the audience to raise money

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for prom. Bryant, on the other hand, states, Students who cant afford to spend $1,000 on one
night feel like theyre having less of an experience than their classmates (Menza 2). The author
uses Bryants quote to show the emotional impact that the high cost of prom has on those who
feel like they cant afford it. Rosenbaum responds to Bryants claim and refers to prom as a
worthy once in a lifetime splurge and dismisses Bryants financial concerns by making the
audience feel like prom is essential, despite the cost.
While the two students take their place on the opposite sides of the spectrum, Visas PSA
offers middle ground - spend responsibly:
$ave money, $tress less, $pending responsibly is BEST

According to Visas 2015 prom spending survey, its not unusual for girls to spend $200,
$300, or even $400 on a prom dress. Yet 70% of prom dresses are used only once! Once you add
in the added cost of tickets, meals, and transportation, the cost of prom can be overwhelming. In
fact, students and their families spend an average 3-6 months to repay the cost of prom night.
Three to six months for one night? Think it over and spend responsibly.
For more information Visit:
http://www.whsv.com/home/headlines/Girls-Take-Home-Prom-Dresses-Thanks-to-SimmsCenter-Event-254059721.html

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The PSA above was written in 2015 by Visa headquarters as an informative PSA. The
author is trying to encourage the audience to evaluate the cost of prom and the effects it can have
on financial status and stress levels. Visa uses ethos, logos and pathos to appeal to their
audience. The authors main idea behind the visual PSA announcement is to encourage high
school students and their parents to assess the financial impact before spending. The title is
effective in convincing students that responsible spending is in their best interest; in fact, the
PSA directly links spending with stress. The author uses facts and statistics from a 2015 Visa
survey to bring attention to the ridiculously high costs of prom and to support her point of view.
Visa bolds the title and provides a visual of a female in a dress made of money to catch the
audiences attention and symbolize the negative effects of prom spending.
Visa uses ethos to show the credibility of their PSA. They provide their trustworthy
copyright logo at the bottom of the PSA and use their 2015 Visa Prom Survey as a form of
credible statistics (Escobar). Most importantly, Visa informs consumers about the cost of prom
and indirectly warns that the failure to take the high costs into consideration could impact their
credit.
Visa uses ethos to appeal to the audiences emotions. The title $ave money, $tress less,
$pending responsibly is BEST (Escobar), is significant because it makes the audience feel like
theyre being responsible by limiting their spending and relieving stress instead of missing out
as previously stated by Rosenbaum. Visa goes on to explain that 70% of prom dresses are used
only once and that students and their families spend an average 3-6 months to repay the cost of
prom night (Escobar). These quotes evoke emotions because they describe the possibility of

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prom as a financially reckless endeavor rather than a once in a life time splurge as stated by
Bryant (Menza 3).
Finally, Visa uses logos to demonstrate the principle of reason and
judgment. Statistics such as students and their families spend an average 3-6 months to repay
the cost of prom night emphasize the excessive amount of money spent on prom each year
(Escobar). The statement, According to Visas 2015 prom spending survey, its not unusual for
girls to spend $200, $300 or even $400 on a prom dress, highlights the unreasonableness of
buying an expensive dress that will likely only be worn once (Escobar).
By using pathos, logos, and ethos the author convinces the audience to assess the
financial impact of prom spending. The PSA announcement focuses on only one perspective, the
need to spend responsibly, while the verbal argument provides opposing perspectives from two
different sources, Bryant and Rosenbaum. In my opinion, the PSA announcement is more
powerful. Although the verbal argument provides two perspectives, it leaves its audience caught
between two paths as opposed to the PSA which provides one strong appealing perspective.

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Works Cited
July 2012 | I Want Wedding Champagne! Web. 21 Feb. 2016.

Menza, Kaitlin. "Is prom $pending out of control?" Choices/Current Health May
2015. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 5 Feb. 2016.