Humayun 1

Sehar Humayun
Ashley Humphries
ENC 1101-0002
24 April 2015
Image- Effective for Text

Take a moment to observe this image in this advertisement. From a distance, the image of
the young girl in the ad does not convey any significant meanings. The observer, at the first
sight, may think of it as an advertisement of a robot or a young girl suffered by child
pornography. In fact, this image could be perceived in a number of ways depending on the

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approach of the viewer. For example, a viewer considering the blonde silky hair of this young
girl might think through this image as the advertisement for girls beautiful hair. Another
observer may focus the beautiful black eyes or pink baby lips of this young girl. But, such type
of considerations would surely create a confusion for the onlooker. He would surely be jumbled
by the dent in the head of this cute little girl. The grief and pain in her eyes would be a mystery
for the observer. Every viewer would definitely come by several thoughts; if this is an
advertisement depicting the child pornography then why the girls hair are so ordered? Why are
there no marks on her clear skin? In this regard, lets say this is not a child pornography. Then,
why is there pain and sorrow in her innocent eyes? Why is she looking at the observer in the way
as to take pity on her? What does the dent in her head mean? What does the black material on her
face mean? These are the questions and confusions which are enough to snatch the peace of
mind. The observer is obvious to search for the answers to these questions in order to understand
the true meanings of this advertisement, otherwise it is not only a picture but also a muddle.
Now, pay attention to the text at the bottom of the image. This text serves assistance in
understanding whats going on. It reveals the fact at first sight and helps follow the user in right
direction of perception. Certainly, this script makes the viewer think that this is an advertisement
for car accident prevention. The uncertainty of the image is depressed by the supporting
manuscript and the text together with the image adds meanings to the importance of this ad.
The text in the ad focuses the word town. Why is it important? What does the
advertisement mean by In town, car accidents dont just happen to cars? Everybody know that
car accidents are dangerous for the people and areas facing it. Then why only town? Are the car
accidents in cities safe and have no dangerous and harmful impacts there? Obviously, not! Let us
think critically about this ad. The image of the child girl supports the prominence of word

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town in this advertisement. It helps the viewer think that children in towns are always around
and their lives are at stack. Cities are safer than small towns (Philip Ross). Towns are more
exposed to car accidents than cities because cities have proper traffic laws and traffic police is
always around. But towns dont have such strictness about traffic and they are somewhat underdeveloped. Mostly the children are roaming about here and there. In under-developed countries,
children play in the streets of their towns. Most of the little kids go to their school by walk and
alone. In such situations, children are at a risk of car accidents. A little rush by the driver can
play with the lives of little innocent kids. The accident not only happens with the child but also
his/her family. The injury or death of a little kid is more difficult to be borne by the parents. That
is why, the ad says Slow Down and dont play with the lives of entire families. It is a message
for the viewers to be very careful while driving specially in towns because a little hurry in a town
can be a big matter particularly for children. The presence of the child in the image elicits the
maternal and parental feelings of observers and make them give more importance to the driving
safety in towns. Nearly a million children worldwide die every year as a result of unintentional
injuries, and the biggest killer is traffic accidents, according to a report from the World Health
Organization (Brenda Wilson).
The gender role is of special consideration in this image. What if there were a little boy in
the picture? In my views, the presence of a young boy cannot be as effective as that of a young
girl. Whether the boy may be cute or innocent with a briny pain and distress in his eyes, he
cannot be as solicitous for the audience as a young girl can be. This image of a young girl in the
ad engenders an emotional response for the viewers. By nature, girls are more vulnerable and
considered more innocent than boys so this image plays a key role in provoking the emotions and
forcing the audience think over their driving speed.

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This advertisement can never be effective if there were no image in it. Only the text
message about the threats of traffic accidents is obvious to everybody. The audience knows that
driving fast and out of control is a risk. The text is a usual and universal fact to everybody. It
cannot aggravate the emotions and is not as much effective as to compel the audience pay
attention to it. Traffic safety messages like Drive Slow, Dont Rush, Drive Carefully etc.
are mentioned everywhere on traffic signals and road boards. How many people pay special
attention to them? In my views, only 1 of 10 persons! Most of the people even dont bother to
have a look at these types of messages because they are the usual messages a driver sees
hundreds of times while driving on the road. They have lost their value and are nothing new and
unique to gain importance. The image in this advertisement serves as the backbone for the
importance of this message. Consider the dent in the head of the young girl in this image. This
dent is exactly the same as the dent in a car. When a car is hit by something, a dent appears at its
surface. The text says Car accidents dont just happen to cars and the appearance of a dent
in the girls head supports this argument. It is showing that a dent is also the fate of the person hit
by a car. Not only your car suffers damage but also the victim faces injury. The dent in the head
is used to symbolize the harm and injury to the victim. It tries to make the observer think do not
just care for your car maintenance but also for the victim. Many times, people are concerned
only with the cost of maintenance they have to pay in case of destruction to their car and do not
think about the life of sufferer. This image is a clear indication of the fact that the victim also
deserves care and attention, perhaps more than the damage to the car!
If one considers carefully, he will see some black spots surrounding the dent. These are
scratches in the clear skin of young girl in the image. Mostly the dent in a car is accompanied by
the scratches and fade color of the area where it is hit. The abrasions and scratches on the face of

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little girl depict that victim also faces the same adversity. A minor carelessness of the car driver
can make the life of a person colorless. Especially, if the victim is a child in a town, his life is
smashed and spoilt in case of severe injury. The child has not yet seen much more in his life and
there is a long life ahead which becomes miserable with disability because towns dont have
better medical facilities to take the victim immediately for necessary treatment. The residents of
towns are mostly not so rich and they cannot afford the expenses of taking the victim to
big and expensive hospitals in cities. In these situations, the victim has to spend the rest of his
life with physical disabilities. A car accident can also cause emotional and psychological trauma
(Robinson, Smith, A. and Segal). Sometimes, children cannot stand by such an extravagant pain
and die. In case of death, the life of their parents loses colors and charms. In every sense,
disasters are beyond the surface of the car.
The intense pain and gloom in the eyes of little girl in the image demands a strong
emotional response. Such a melancholy questions the audience what is the fault of a young child
if the driver of a car drives badly? Why should the child suffer undue pain and pessimism? Is it
a fair deed to hit innocent people for no reason? Why should they suffer the eternal loss to their
life? The woe in the eyes of this pretty little girl demands justice. It induces the audience
emotions to take pity on every child in this world. These eyes are pleading and prompt the
viewer in heeding the root of the advertisement. The image of the young girl in this life
threatening condition is hewed in order to reveal the effects of car accidents and incite
the viewers sense of pathos so that they may ponder upon their actions.
The background of this advertisement is filled by grey color which is associated with
loss and depression. This background color also adds to the implications of this ad. It creates a
bereavement milieu and makes the ad impressive. If it were a red, pink or some other charming

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color, the ad would have lost its seriousness. The color psychology is of significant importance
for this ad. The scratches on the face of young girl in the image are also grey. They are not red as
blood. This scene needs to be analyzed critically. The red color for blood is obvious and
specifies injury. But, this advertisement makes the audience think beyond injury. The injury is
to the victim but the impacts are also on his family. Injury is not so treacherous and is often
recovered. Thats why there are grey abrasions indicating that the impacts of car accidents to
small kids are beyond injury. As discussed earlier, sometimes the victim child has to spend all of
his life with disability. This physical deficiency makes him think that he is less than other normal
children. He does not consider himself a normal human being and sometimes suffer from severe
psychological stress. Such a life is worse than death and children are especially more sensitive to
feel differences. The little girl with grudge and warning eyes demands the audience to consider
the long lasting influences of their hurry. A little rush can make the life of an innocent child
worse than death.
The safety message in the form of text alone was not impressive and had no deep impacts
on the audience. Similarly, the image alone was unable to direct the viewers to the right path and
could not depict the actual meanings of the ad. The combination of text and image created an ad
that is impressive enough to leave a deep impact on the audience. Now, the audience is surely
convinced to think at least one time before going out of speed. Not everybody, but still many of
the drivers will be convinced emotionally to take pity on innocent children. The image and text
support each other adding to the importance of slow driving message.

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Works Cited
Ross, Philip. "Cities Safer Than Small Towns: Deaths From Accidents 40 Percent Higher
Outside Urban Landscape, Says Study [REPORT]."International Science Times.
International Science Times, 23 July 2013. Web. 23 Apr. 2015.
Wilson, Brenda. "Traffic Accidents Top Cause Of Fatal Child Injuries." NPR. NPR, 10 Dec.
2008. Web. 23 Apr. 2015.
Robinson, Lawrence, Melinda Smith, M. A., and Jeanne Segal. "Emotional and Psychological
Trauma." : Symptoms, Treatment, and Recovery. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2015.