Who Are You Really Hurting When You Smoke? Visual Rhetoric Presentation By: Matthew Bunnell

Background Information This picture appeared on numerous billboards throughout California several years ago. The ad was funded and supported by the California Department of Health Services and the California Tobacco Control Program. I discovered the ad on the Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights webpage.

Who is the Intended Audience?

Intended Audience The intended audience of the photograph is adults that smoke around children, especially adults of a child’s family whom children come in contact with on an everyday basis.

What is the Intention or Purpose?

Intention/Purpose The purpose behind the advertisement is to make adults aware of the damage they are doing to children when they smoke around them. The ad does not say that smoking can cause harm to those that smoke, but rather makes an assertion that secondhand smoke is very damaging to others lungs. Second hand smoke is especially harmful to children.

What is the foreground of the Image?

Foreground The foreground of the image is the picture of the young child on the left side of the image. The words that are located on the right side add an extra element of depth to the image and would be considered the middleground of the photograph. The words do not match the characteristics of the obvious foreground and are further “back” in depth when you examine the image as a whole.

What is in the Background?

Background The figure in the background, which the viewer can infer is the young boy’s mother, is located in the back of the photograph.

What is the focal point of the ad?

Focal Point The focal point of the advertisement is the young child. This is where the viewer’s eyes are drawn to first, followed by either the words to the right of the picture, or the boy’s mother in the background.

Why did the creator of the advertisement make it black and white?

Advertisement Color The creator of the advertisement used neutral colors because the subject is very dismal and provokes a sad emotional. It is not a happy or exciting topic, so bright colors were not used to create this ad.

Is the advertisement balanced?

Balance in the Ad The image is balanced because the words on the right balance out the mother and child on the left.

What does the ad lose when the words or the pictures are removed?

Ad Omission When the words are excluded, the picture does not have much meaning. The viewer does not know the specific message of the photograph because there is nothing in the ad to explain the picture. There could be many topics that the ad is attempting to make an assertion about. When the picture is excluded, the emotional appeal for the ad is lost. The words are still a part of the ad to convey the message, but the advertisement loses some of its effectiveness.

Why is the picture of the mother located behind her son and a shadow?

Position and Shade Influence The reason the mother is positioned behind the young boy is that she is the one inflecting the damage on her son. The reason her photograph is similar to that of a shadow is because it shows her thoughtlessness. If one examines the ad closely, they will discover that the mother has a smile on her face. This shows she could care less about the consequences of her actions on others.

What is the Ethical Appeal

Ethos The advertisement is credible because it was published by the California Department of Health Services and the California Tobacco Control Program. The ad was also posted on the Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights webpage. This group was formed in 1976 and works at all levels of government throughout the country to fight for nonsmokers’ rights.

What is the Logical Appeal?

Logos The logical appeal for this ad is that when an individual is around a smoker, the smoker is greatly hurting the nonsmokers health. While secondhand smoke will not do that much damage to an individual when inhaled on very rare occasion, when one is constantly around a smoker, the nonsmokers health greatly decreases.

What is the Emotional Appeal?

Pathos The emotional appeal for this ad is designed to reach anyone that smokes on a consistent basis around others. The advertisement uses a relationship between a mother that normally smokes around her young child to help convey this message. The emotions of sympathy and concern are used to open smokers eyes so they are more aware to others health when they make the choice to smoke.

Source “California Smokefree Ads.” No-Smoke. American Nonsmokers’ Rights Foundation, 2 Sept Web. 24 Nov