Introduction
When searching for a public service announcement, I examined different images dealing with such vital issues as social injustice, abuse, sexism, and many others. However, I have decided to analyze the image of a global character and have chosen an advertisement of the World Wide Fund that reminds everyone on our planet about the importance of trees as the Earth’s lungs. The image speaks strongly to me because it uses symbolism to capture attention to the global problem of deforestation as the result of human activity.
Main body
The purpose of this essay is to demonstrate how imagery, composition, color, and symbols combine in one image to build a strong and socially important message. Every day new advertisements that call for environmental protection appear, but I want to show that this particular one perfectly illustrates how a visual image can invoke emotions through the symbols. This announcement is successful in creating an image that aims to affect people’s minds all around the globe and attract their attention to the problem of losing the planet’s lungs.
The first criterion by which I evaluate this image is the clarity of the message. When looking at the picture, one can see two big forests in the shape of the lungs, one of which is damaged. This malformation immediately draws the viewer’s attention because of its dark color that opposes the green color around. The image of the woods in the form of the human lungs manipulates the viewer’s mind by the truthfulness of its representation. The rivers flow through the forest as if the blood vessels run through the lungs. The sky is cloudy, which creates a gloomy light in the picture.
The second evaluation criterion is the power of the message. The gloomy landscape, the deficient beauty, and the feeling of destroyed health make the viewer think about the importance of forests for human existence. The comparison of the forest with the lungs creates a realistic vision that imitates the raw photo. The emphasis is put on the “ill” lung, which looks unnatural and has a deformed shape and structure. The damaged area of the “lungs” once was part of a green forest, but now we can see the equipment in its place. These details draw the viewer’s attention to the visual and powerful message, which provokes anger by the destruction made by human hands.
In the described image, pathos is a powerful rhetorical technique because of the use of the symbol of the lungs, which appeals to the viewers’ emotions and evokes the feelings that already reside in them. People should realize that they hurt not only the planet’s lungs but also the human ones. We are one with nature, and by killing it, we kill humans and deprive ourselves of normal breathing. For this reason, the symbol of the lungs is used here to easily convey this idea to the public and appeal to their emotions. Logos is also clear because of the obvious and logical statement of advertisement which tries to raise public awareness of the world problem. With the help of ethos, this ad has the power to influence human behavior and morals.
Conclusion
The woods are the lungs of our planet, which create oxygen and keep us breathing, but humans destroy nature through deforestation. By understanding the serious consequences of this issue, perfectly depicted in the image, we can fight this problem and clear the lungs of the poison. It is important for me and every human who is concerned about the future of our planet. This is a reminder that people have to fight to protect the world we live in.
References
World Wildlife Fund. “WWF Deforestation & Lungs Campaign.” 2020. Web.