Visual Rhetoric Journal

Smoking Kills

            There are many advertisements present in the media, which try to detest people from the urge to try or continue smoking. Everyone knows that smoking kills, so why do people continue to do it? The targeted audience for this message that smoking kills are the people who are oblivious of the fact that having one more cigarette is causing detrimental damage to them. The advertisements also target the younger generation that may or may not experiment with smoking. Many teenagers follow the media’s “it” look or what is “cool” for people to be doing.  Television and magazine ads of horrifying images showing the consequences of smoking will hopefully implant the idea that society is not trying to promote smoking as a “cool” thing to do.

            Being from New York, this specific smoking kills advertisement is a very boldly depicted image.  For anyone who remembers 9/11/01, depressing memories arise and the reminiscence of that day is exceedingly heart breaking. When I see this advertisement, I remember how many innocent people died from the collapsing of the twin towers, but the above statement that 2,000 times the amount of people that past in 9/11, die from smoking related causes each year. This is a brilliant advertisement because the relation to such a common activity like smoking is more catastrophic than the unbelievable acts of 9/11. The statistic makes the advertisement more credited and more personal to people who went through the horrible event. A deeper message in this advertisement suggests that smokers have the ability to choose their fate and outcome, while many of the 9/11 victims did not.

Smoking Kills Advertisement Link: http://mediame.com/adblogarabia/every-year-smoking-more-people-than-911/

Atlanta Compromise

Booker T. Washington exemplifies the struggles of blacks because of the mass number of immigrants entering the United States during 1985. At this point, the blacks were considered to have freedom from slavery, but were still segregated amongst the whites in many areas. They wanted to be apart of the industrial field, but were ostracized in the working community because of the low wage demands of incoming immigrants. Booker T. Washington’s speech, Atlanta Compromise, was directed to the audience of white men in the North. The speech was asking Northerner’s to realize that they should be hiring blacks who arose out of slavery, especially because of their skill set of physical work in the business world. Booker T. Washington, being a black man, understood the struggle of his people. When the blacks had an opportunity to prosper into a more equal society, they were ignored and pushed aside for foreigners. His message was also trying to support the blacks and explain the beneficial impact of hiring blacks in the South.

Since Booker T. Washington was a black man, he had more credibility with his message to his audience. He witnessed what went on in his community and sent out the message. His speech possess an anathema, where he repeats the saying, “ Cast down your bucket,” in reference to lending a helping hand to the people who struggled in the neglect of jobs in the South. With that repetitive saying, the speech is more direct and powerful with his message, asking for help for the Southern blacks.