This here is obviously a drug advertisement. How is rhetoric in this message used to elicit different feelings in people? What is the rhetoric trying to show people about drug use? and how? Lastly, do you think this ad would be successful at all if used in US advertising, why or why not?
I am responding to Jacob's questions. The message above the image surely would have a huge impact on eliciting the feelings in the viewers. Then, the use of pathos by showing the sad and sorrow faces of the person who apparently to be behind bars, and his parents would also evoke different feelings from the audience. From the rhetoric used, the ad tries to convince its audience is that drugs addiction does not only damage oneself, but also the people around them, whether related or not. Evidently from the image, the audience could see that all three people are in deep sorrow just because one person made the wrong mistake. To answer the last question, I think the ad would be success in term of convincing people about the danger of drugs and its impact to the surrounded people. However, I wonder if the same people (Asian) used in the ad would be effective in the US. Certainly having the people that the audience, who are Americans, can relate to would surely boost the effectiveness of the ad. So I think using three "Americans" in the ad would definitely make the ad more successful in the US than three Singaporeans.
ReplyDeleteBlog Prompt 7:
ReplyDeleteThe ad definitely expresses the fact that drugs affect not only the user, but those close to him as well. The ad features a man separated by bars from an Asian couple. Each person in the ad is sorrowful, which leads the viewer to believe that drugs have harmed the people involved in the ad. The ad depends mostly on the viewer's family values. Because this ad is showing how using drugs can affect those close to a person, the viewer needs to care about those around him in order for this to be effective. Most people do care about their families and this ad is trying to convince the viewer that using drugs would harm their family. By showing people crying, the ad shows how drugs will hurt those around the user. This ad also wants the viewer to believe that drugs will cause them to end up in jail. The ad portrays this by showing jail bars separating the boy from the couple. People generally do not want to end up in jail, making this an effective choice for the ad.
I am responding using blog prompt 1. the main form of rhetoric used in this ad is pathos. All three people in the ad, the adults and the younger man, are all crying which is trying to pull some sort of emotion from the viewers of the ad. The picture is showing the younger in jail being visited by either his parents or some other adult figures in his life. The question on top of the picture, "If you take drugs who really pays the price?" is implicitly saying that not only the person taking the drug is effected, but other family members as well. The adults can be effected in many ways by their son being in jail, things such as anxiety and depression can effect both parents. Although this is very different than the effects of drugs and actually being in jail, it can be emotionally and physically draining as well. overall, the pathos in this ad I believe is quite effective and a simple way to convey the authors point across to its viewers.
ReplyDeleteThis post is in response to Taylor. Taylor mentions that the couple outside the bars is Asian. Do you think that the creators of the advertisement intended to make the couple Asian or is this detail irrelevant? Also, the creators of the advertisement showed this picture in a way that makes it unclear as to which person/people are taking drugs. Most people would assume that the younger guy in the picture is the one that took drugs and the adults are the ones "paying a price." However, it is not unreasonable to conclude that the couple are the ones that are behind bars and are responsible for the consequences due to drugs. Do you think that the creators of the advertisement intended to attract both audiences?
ReplyDeleteIn response to Jacob's questions:
ReplyDeleteI think this advertisement would be effective in the United States even though it is intended for the people of Singapore according to the logo placed in the bottom right of the ad. The message of the ad is that people using drugs hurt not only themselves, but also their families and friends. The couple crying in front of what appears to be their son has an impact that can be felt everywhere, not just Singapore. While the couple is clearly Asian, I don't think it would create a barrier for other cultures because the image of a young man behind prison bars does not discriminate. I feel that this advertisement could be incorporated in the United States and one wouldn't be able to pick it out from other anti-drug posters for being foreign.
Prompt 1: The advertisement suggests that of someone does drugs, they will end up in prison. The ad also implies that that drugs not only affect the user, but the family, and the parents are the ones that really "pay the price"
ReplyDeletePrompt 1:
ReplyDeleteThis ad plays on the feelings of the viewer. The obvious emotion on the face of the parents causes the viewer to sympathize with the situation; however, if time is taken to think about it, it becomes less effective. The camera angle, for one, is unrealistic in an actual prison, at least given how well the faces are lighted - the picture must be posed. For me, at least, the fact that the picture is unrealistic decreases its impact.