Jenna Schwack

Dr. Lori Bedell

CAS 137H
14 October 2013

Rhetorical Analysis
Hunger and natural disaster have been phenomena affecting millions
worldwide for decades now. Whether it is happening here in the United States, or
across the globe, hundred of thousands of children go without food every day.
Action Against Hunger is an organization that has been fighting to end worldwide
hunger and malnutrition of children since 1979. However, when dealing with such a
devastating issue, how does one gain the support needed to help these children?
People tend not to want to recognize the plight of the hungry. It makes them
nervous and upsets their belief in a just world. Recognizing this, Action Against
Hunger created a compelling ad that grabbed the attention of millions in 1997. In a
black and white ad, five images of the same child are shown beside each other,
ranging from a healthy image of the boy to an image of the boy bare- boned and
suffering. Action Against Hunger was successful in grabbing the attention of its
audience with the use of specific characters, the evolution of time, and powerful
language.
The use of a specific character in this ad is a large element in the companys
appeal to pathos. There is a strong emotional attachment whenever a child is used in
an ad or campaign. Children represent innocence and our potential future.
Therefore, the use of this specific character appeals to the emotions of every human
being. Decent people feel pain at the suffering of children, so the use of this boy
appeals directly to our most basic emotions. By employing the picture of this boy,
Action Against Hunger was able to counteract the impulse to ignore poverty and
hunger. Most people are able to ignore the suffering of nameless, faceless strangers.
By putting a face on the suffering--especially the face of a child--decent people were
forced to confront the reality of hunger in the world.
The speaker also chooses this child as the face of this ad to represent a larger
population affected by this pandemic. Action Against Hunger is a humanitarian
organization that seeks to end hunger globally. Whether caused by natural disaster
or poverty alone, malnutrition and dirty water are the enemies against which Action
Against Hunger will fight all around the world. Therefore, this ad uses this specific
boy to represent all global communities. Without giving any specifics as to who this
child is or where he is from, the advertisement allows the audience to assume his
identity, that this child could come from any of the numerous parts of the world
affected by malnutrition and hunger. The boy now represents any child potentially
affected by hunger--not limited to only one geographic location.
Action Against Hunger also strategically used time to convey the urgency of
hunger to all human beings. There is a sense of urgency exemplified in the
digression or revival of the boy shown in this ad. When moving from left to right,
one witnesses the bare boned child slowly regaining his heath and strength.
However, when moving in the opposite direction across the ad, the viewer sees the
same boy, in the same pictures, moving from a healthy state to a very unhealthy one.
Although the ad does not give a specific place, the evolution of time allows this ad to
appeal to a much greater audience. Without setting the child in a specific location,
the main focus of the ad can be placed upon the need to fight hunger, wherever it is.
The evolution of this child shown in this ad conveys an immediate need for action.
The speaker, Action Against Hunger, employs time to place an emotional
responsibility on the audience. One is immediately drawn to the idea that the future
of all who are in need is dependent on the actions of the viewer. If the viewer allows
time to pass and do nothing, people starve. If the viewer acts, then in time, hunger
will be a thing of the past. By being able to witness what happens to the character
during the course of a limited span, the audience is compelled to action out of fear of
letting the boy starve.
The speakers last attempt in reaching the audience is the use of powerful
language. Although the language is not complex nor particularly eloquent, the effect
the language of this ad has on the audience is dynamic. When moving from right to
left, as the boy gets worse, white letters above the images say without your help.
When moving from left to right, as the boy gets better, white letters below the
images say with your help, followed by The way this posters works is up to you.
There is an intensity surrounding this language. The final quote is the main appeal
to ethos. Ethos is defined as an appeal to ethics, and the morality of the society. The
responsibility to act has now been placed on the populace. They are responsible for
whether the child lives a healthy life or if he suffers. With the use of this quote there
is a moral obligation created to help fight against world hunger, and help Action
Against Hunger.
This also cuts through the human reaction to ignore the problem. Not only
are people faced with an actual face, as mentioned above, but they are directly
challenged to help. The individual seeing this ad and reading these powerful words
realizes that he or she is uniquely able to help end the crisis. If people have a natural
instinct to avoid dealing with a problem as massive as hunger, they also have a
contradictory yet innate desire to help others. The language of this ad appeals to
that innate desire, igniting the need to be part of the solution.
The 1997 print ad for Action Against Hunger is a prime example of an
effective advertisement that uses character, time and powerful language to convey
its message. These powerful tools are used to evoke an emotional reaction, and
compel the observer of the ad to action. It appeals to our most basic emotion and to
our sense of humanity. This ad became a powerful tool in Action Against Hunger's
fight to eliminate starvation.








References-
Rhetoric and Civic Life . Boston, MA : Pearson Learning Solutions , 2013. Print.

"Action Against Hunger | ACF-USA - Ending World Hunger & Malnutrition."Action
Against Hunger | ACF-USA - Ending World Hunger & Malnutrition. N.p., n.d. Web. 14
Oct. 2013. <http://www.actionagainsthunger.org/>.