http://my.opera.com/qos/albums/showpic.dml?album=1172131&picture=15799451
This is a link to a picture of words arranged into the shape of a beer bottle. I found this picture by typing in anti drug advertisements into google. I liked this picture because it is plain but still makes a strong impact on the viewer about the negative effects of alcohol. The message is that alcohol destroys more lives then natural disasters and all the wars combined.
Why does the creator of this picture choose to hold off saying that he is talking about alcohol till the last line?
What effect does calling alcohol "the slickest thief" have on the overall message?
How does the personification of alcohol impact the viewer’s perception of alcohol?
Would the image be more effective if it had more visual elements?
How does this image appeal to the pathos and logos of the viewer?
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ReplyDeleteI think the reason that the creator chose to say the thing talked about is alcohol till last line is this way can better highlight the disastrous effects of alcohol. When I have seen so many tragedies described in the picture, such as wars and natural disasters, and I finally found it's alcohol that will cause more serious results than those, I will be shocked and be aware of the bad accidens caused by alcohol, such as suicide, addiction to drugs, drop out, etc. Ultimately, holding off to say it's alcohol also can keep audience's curiosity. When I saw the first sentence, I was curious about what exactly the creator wants to say, then I will keeping looking it.
ReplyDeleteI think waiting until the last line was a good idea also. I personally would not be as interested in reading it if it simply said " alcohol is bad because" but by waiting until the end the creator captured attention of the audience, as well as myself. It has a much more powerful effect and allowed the audience to see how harsh the effects of alcohol actually are.
DeletePrompt1
ReplyDeleteFor the first time I saw it, I noticed the colour of background is black and the words are in white. That is a big contrast to audience and they will pay more attention to see what is exactly in this picture. Maybe the creator wants to suggest as soon as someone is addicted to alcohol, his or her world will become dark and grey. Then, I noticed that the font size of words in different lines are different in this picture. The creator of the picture emphasizes on these words: wars, millions, and alcohol, which are in the biggest-size in this picture. These three big words can be connected into a sentence: alcohol can make millions of wars in world, which emphasizes the heavy effects of being alcoholic.
Blog Prompt 7:
ReplyDeleteThis post does seem to have an effect on people’s knowledge, values, and ideas. This is a very strong image, both visually and textually. The use of a plain background and colors makes the image seem more business-like. The image is more likely to be taken seriously than it would be if there were additional graphics or if the image was very colorful. Not many people realize how dangerous alcohol can be, and this is a very sobering image that will help those who see it to fully understand the full effects that alcohol can have. However, those who have commented on the image do not seem to be taking its message in sincerely. Those who commented on the original image used emoji, which, in my opinion, shows that their comments are not entirely sincere. One does not use an emoji in professional writing because professional writing is meant to be taken seriously by those who read it. Therefore, by inserting an emoji in their comments, the commentators are making their comments seem unimportant and light-hearted.
The creator’s choice to not mention alcohol until the last line makes the message more powerful. The audience is not sure what the subject is, and is surprised to learn that it is alcohol. The reader is shocked by the fact that alcohol has such a large effect on the world, and the image had more impact on the audience because of the shock factor. The image would be less effective if it had more visual elements. Adding other visual elements would distract from the seriousness of the message that is being portrayed by this image. As it is, the image is blunt and to the point, which makes the message that is being portrayed more impactful to the audience.
ReplyDeleteBlog prompt 1
ReplyDeleteThe personification of the alcohol in my opinion greatly impacts the viewer's perception of alcohol. From the first line you read in the image, you are engaged and interested to see what the image is talking about. Because the alcohol is talking in first person, the viewer gets an inside look as to how the alcohol feels about itself and gets to see it from a different point of view. The alcohol describes itself as the "sickest thief" and being very destructive. From this, a viewer takes away a negative view and gets to see that even the alcohol itself knows that it causes harm.
To me the device used in this poem is association. When we think of events that are described by the poem in our current context and their importance we can arouse a very sickening response within ourselves.
ReplyDeleteThe sum of the military might of the nations of this world is surely an incomprehensible topic. One might simplify this by looking at only a small number of some of the assets these forces would employ if a cataclysmic clash of forces were to occur. In one weapon system alone, modern nuclear weapons, we possess the ability to simultaneously eradicate every known form of life across the entire expanse of the world many, many times over. I only speak of a single nation's ability. The use of such weapons would render the world irrecoverable to habitation. This thought surely provokes a certain understanding of only a small fraction of power that alcohol claims to have in this poem.
The poem describes its destruction on men in relation to all the wars combined. Watch Saving Private Ryan to get a relatively modern but still minuscule idea of the destructive effects on personal lives that wars bring. If one sought further intimacy with the effects of wars, become closely acquainted with a widowed mother of a child who will only hear of the tales of his heroic father. You could also imagine yourself on an ancient battlefield riddled with swords and shields suffering a stab wound to the leg. You lie their immobilized among many other, most of whom begin to fill the field with the scent of decaying death. It will not be the wound that kills you either, but the slow process of freezing to death as your body slowly and painfully suffers the freezing of you your extremities. Multiply these thoughts by the time of all the nations and the military encounters and members thereof. In it's true awareness it leaves us with an endless void of absolute depression. Again we compare this to the strength of alcohol and begin to develop a towering picture of its might.
The line about giving nothing and taking all is very interesting. Alcohol implies even "good memories" induced by its effects are of worthless dust. Some may relate to this notion in reflection of their opposing political party, or maybe of a cosmic black hole that seems to pointlessly destroy planets, suns and even entire solar systems without relent.
The author wanted to convey an unimaginable strength of alcohol by using our ability to associate with modern things that also contain great displays of strength. It surely appears to be effective.
Blog Prompt 1
ReplyDeleteThe first striking idea of this image is the chalk-colored text on a dark "blackboard-like" background. The creator may have wanted this to be a forewarning to students younger than the age of 21 to be affected by this image, since those are typically the type of people being exposed to chalkboards. I also find it interesting that the words are formatted to look like a beer bottle. In addition to the word color and scheme, the focus is on the enlarged words "wars", "millions", and "unpredictable" before revealing the culprit as alcohol. This could be an indication of the image bringing fear into the potential future customers of alcohol. The picture and text seem to make alcohol (in the form of a beer bottle) look like a weapon of mass destruction, or a world-wide epidemic (or just something that can kill a lot of people). If something is so dangerous, as this add suggests with the chosen text, why is there not any action being taken to suppress its presence in society?
Responding to the blog facilitator's questions
ReplyDeleteThe image would be less effective if there would be other visual elements. Focusing on only the text helps the reader identify that this is the focal point of the image. If there were additional visuals, the attention would not be completely centered on the image seen in the link. This would then change the impact of the text and format of the image, and possibly hinder the effect by diverting a reader's focus. Also, the idea that everything is "black and white" seems to play into this picture's overall impact as well. Usually, an image doesn't include only two colors unless it is trying to make a clear point.
2. The author wrote the words "the slickest thief" because it personifies alcohol as a living being whose goal is to steal from its victims. The overall message is affected by this in the sense that alcohol is looked at more as someone instead of something and one may begin to feel as if the alcohol wants to accomplish something in life: taking as much money from people as it possibly can.
ReplyDelete4. This message would not be more effective if it had visuals as it is supposed to be text about a message that is blatant and straight-forward. Adding visuals would only allow more interpretation by anybody who reads the ad, which is not the goal of the author. Instead, keeping the picture as is leaves very little room for other interpretations and most people will probably have the same idea of what its meaning is.
Blog Prompt 1)
ReplyDeleteI believe the other refrains from using alcohol until the end to show how dangerous it truly is. The top of the bottle shows how this thing is more dangerous than armies, and has killed millions. If someone were reading it on a piece of paper they would wonder, "what great thing could cause this?". The answer is alcohol which many people do not see as life threatening because it is so commonly abused, however this picture shows the extreme danger of alcohol and how many lives it has claimed.