David Zimmerman

English 211

4 February 2020

Visual Arguments in Anti-Bully Ad

By using contrast and the stark symbolism along with the placement of the content and
variations in font and size of the text, National Voices for Equality Education and Enlightenment
create a powerful image to create pathos to raise awareness of the long term effects and
potentially deadly results of bullying. The creator of the ad was extremely effective in
presenting his case with minimum use of words. The imagery alone speaks loudly to how a few
words could adversely affect someone.

By placing the young lady that obviously in a great amount of pain, dressed in black with
jet black hair and dark eye makeup against the stark white background with shadowing around
her almost like a dark aura helps create pathos. She is obviously someone in a very dark place in
need of some help to clear things up. Additionally, using browns and black lettering creates
contrast and aids in creating the pathos. Through the use of placement of the harsh comments or
rumors on her forearm over the places where she has scars from past attempts at self-mutilation,
with some seeming to be slightly covered over with skin helps drive the main message of “I can
fell the rumors getting under my skin”[CITATION Nat \l 1033 ] and again builds more pathos.

By the ad being a full page in a magazine or newspaper, even in the digital form, it causes
the reader to realize that this must be an important matter for the author to want to catch you
attention. The creator of the ad used many visual attitudes to help with presenting the message to
prevent bullying. Using the young lady’s facial expression helps create a negative reaction to
what would make someone feel that much pain emotionally. Using the “rumors” as part of the
cuts on her arms and the varying font sizes and by not keeping them parallel but over the scars or
as part of the scars making them seem to be what is cutting her creates a focal point that helps
drive home the title of the ad.

The main narrative by being placed to the side and at the same level as her arm that is full
of the “rumors” getting under her skin helps the reader understand what she must be going
through and helps show the conflict within her. There is conflict in her statement “Compared to
the pain of the insults the cutting is nothing.”[ CITATION Nat \l 1033 ] She wants the reader to
understand that the words alone hurt more than physical pain. She herself is conflicted as to how
long she can stand the continued abuse which can be found in her statement “How much longer
can I last before I finally let go?”[ CITATION Nat \l 1033 ]

The creators of the ad used multiple ways to build an incredible amount of emotions to
drive home the message of anti-bullying. They rely on conflict, symbolism, contrast, several
different uses of attitudes and contents to ensure that the message is delivered to the reader
leaving no room for any possible conclusion other than any kind of bullying is wrong. This ad
also drives home the idea that for a lot of people the emotional and mental pain is more than the
physical pain of fighting or self-mutilation. The addition of the statistics of the number of
teenagers that attempt suicide because of bullying alone helps create a sense of how large the
problem really is. In the new digital age and people being able to hide behind a keyboard and
says those kinds of things about another person will only cause the statistics to continue to
increase.

This is a very well thought out ad that works at creating deep feelings of sadness and
anger towards the people that made this young lady endure this kind of treatment while also
creating a desire to do what is necessary to prevent it from happening again. The creators used
as many elements as possible to pull the reader in and make them feel for the subject and wan to
help her. While we look at the ad and have feelings about the nature of the ad, it will not
accomplish its primary mission if we do not act to prevent bullying and hopefully the next
attempted suicide.

Works Cited
National Voices for Equality Education and Enlightenment. "I can feel the rumors getting under my skin".
n.d. Website. 11 February 2020.