Danielle Gordon Richardson

ENG 102

NOTHING GOES UNNOTICED
Child oblivion is a recurring issue that has gained a lot of attention over
the last few years. There are many aspects to look at when dealing with this topic
and they all contribute to it equally. Depression, drug use, alcohol abuse, eating
disorders, sexual activity and education all play a huge part in effecting how a
child goes through adolescence. I found an article from the National Post in
Canada that states, The signs of depression in young people are often
dismissed as typical adolescent behavior, (Gagnon, University of Ottawa). There
can be a positive or negative path to start out on and generally the one you start
on is the result you end up with but in some cases there can be a transformation
somewhere along the way if a positive impact comes into that childs life.
According to the Child Welfare Information Gateway, there are psychological
results for a child who has been neglected such as impaired brain development,
poor mental and emotional health, social difficulties, juvenile delinquency and
abusive behavior. If children go on being neglected, this could even lead into
affecting their adult life as well. This is why I believe that more awareness should
be brought to the topic, so people can do something in an effort to put an end to
it.
The video featured on this site was made for an event held to raise
awareness to parents about what their kids are experiencing on a day-to-day
basis. The stress a child experiences when enduring adolescence includes a lot
of aspects; the peer pressure to try unfamiliar things, the demand to fit in, to feel
wanted, to feel noticed; it truly is a lot to experience and if there is no support
system for them, they are more likely to give into the demands. The choices only
get greater as each day passes by during adolescence. The ultimate test given is
to a parent, a friend, any important figure in the childs life by what they do to help
them through the issues they are faced with. What they do to help the child could
prevent the bad choices from occurring in the first place, and even if the bad
choices do occurHow the helpful figure assists the child in overcoming it.
The statistics shown in the video were a wakeup call for most people; I
know they were for me personally. All of the children featured in the video had
the same expression of helplessness, worry and anxiety on their faces. They
looked desperate and trapped in the hole that they feel theyve dug themselves.
These emotions shown assist in getting the visual argument across and show the
importance of the topic and how much help the kids of this age group need. This
argument of children being neglected targets practically any audience; if
someone can watch the video and feel some sort of emotional pull whether it be
sorrow, empathy, understanding or guilt, then they are part of the audience that
is targeted. In this specific video I posted to the website, the audience targeted is
fathers, because this video was made for a father convention held in Maine. The
design on this page persuades the viewers to go and reach out to any teenager
they know that may be going through a rough time; to lend a helping hand, just to
let them know that theyre there for them.
Ethos are expressed on my website because I used a quote from a
credible source that states, Too often we underestimate the power of a touch; a
smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of
caring...all of which have the potential to turn a life around. This quote is from
Leo Buscaglia, a respected author that attended the University of Southern
California and he has many other popular quotes that have respect in the
literature world. The video on my website is also a form of Ethos because it is
from the Faith Evangelical Free Church (FEFC) in Waterville, ME and this is an
established, reliable organization. The FEFC happens to be unlike some other
churches though, because they focus on specifically growing as a community,
and focuses a lot on children and self-improvement. There is also a button
located below the quote I have on the home page that states, read more this
button takes you to one of the websites I found my information on regarding the
topic of neglected children, specifically the government website. Pathos is
expressed on my website through the song choice playing in the background of
the video and the picture on the cover page that has a sign stating, A better
world is possible. This picture can trigger emotion because it makes people think
about striving to become better and potentially help change the world into a
better one than what we have now. The song featured in the video sets a tone for
a solemn topic of discussion and music is a common form of pulling on ones
emotion because it triggers independent thoughts and allows you to take
whatever message you want from it. Also, the background picture behind all of
the information and the video is a picture of a dark city; this represents a place
that a lot of people live, and also stands for how consumed you can get in your
own life that you begin neglecting the ones who truly need it. That is why I chose,
Nothing goes unnoticed as my title, because the emotional appeal that goes
along with that serves a strong purpose in bringing self worth to the children who
feel like no one cares. Logos are shown on the website I created because as you
scroll down there is a title at the top that grabs your attention, then comes the
reliable quote explaining the topic in depth more, then below all of it is the video I
used as visual aide. The video used on the web page also presents logos
because there is logical proof that is contained in it. The effects of neglecting
children are undeniable. The American Humane Association states:
According to the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System
(NCANDS), of the approximately 899,000 children in the United
states who were victims of abuse and neglect in 2005, 62.8%
suffered from neglect alone, including medical neglect.
There are government websites that have factsheets explaining this issue, other
YouTube videos, and many more websites that confirm the information given in
this video made by the FEFC as well.
The most challenging part of composing this visual argument was deciding
which video to use to help portray the argument I am making through this
website. There were a lot of topics I tried deciding between, but I felt the topic of
neglected children was the most appealing for me to work with. Once I decided
on this topic, the most difficult part was what to actually place onto the website
because there were so many good facts, quotes, pictures, and videos to choose
from but the space is limited. I made a lot of changes from the original run
through I had in making this website, I even changed the URL website address at
one point to what it is now, http://wenotice.weebly.com. I believe the most
effective aspect of my website is how it all comes together because when people
first go to it, the URL, the title, and the quote all make the reader feel important. I
made these come together in a creative way because all of the wording makes
the viewers feel like they actually can make a difference in someones life,
because I do believe that everyone has that potential. I chose the titles and
images I did because they all serve the same purpose in increasing the likelihood
of people coming together to help each other.
One way the peer feedback helped me improve my work was with the
positive feedback they gave. They critiqued my work by saying something along
the lines of, you did a good job with this, but one way you could make it even
better This approach gave me the motivation I needed to improve my writing
and my website that much further. I appreciate the feedback I got because they
were not rude in any way, but they inspired me to just give this work my all and
improve it that much more. Responding to other people helped me understand
the project more. By visiting other peoples websites and seeing multiple
approaches to the same project, I was able to better understand what is
expected of me through this project. This made me go back and change some
details about my website and visual aide on the website to make it easier for
other people to access and understand.
I worked on this project efficiently; I started out by choosing a topic, then
designing a website layout, then I chose images and quotes for the page, then I
researched the topic further to have more credibility to my website. There is not
much I would change about the process in which I approached this assignment.
If I were to do this project again, I would just go more into depth on my website. I
would figure out how to add more tabs, and potentially create my own design.
The layout I used for this specific project, however, was quite sufficient.
















Works Cited:
Australian Human Rights Commission. Women and Living for the Women.
2011. Private collection, Australia. Web. 18 Apr. 2014.
<http://somethingincommon.gov.au/get-inspired/writing-and-living-
women>.

Buscaglia, Leo. "Speaking of Love." Nov. . Web. Apr. .
www.youtube.comwatchvopGlppEs >.

"Child Neglect." American Humane. The American Humane Association,
2013. Web. 18 Apr. 2014. <http://www.americanhumane.org/children/stop-
child-abuse/fact-sheets/child-neglect.html>.

FEFChurch. Faith Evangelical Free Church, 2011. Web. 18 Apr. 2014.
<http://www.fefchurch.org/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&layout=it
em&id=9&Itemid=64>.

Gagnon, Dr. Andre. "Mental Health Problems Unnoticed in
Youth." National Post 2014 [Canada] . Web. 18 Apr. 2014.
<http://www.nationalpost.com/story.html?id=76f2c0d0-55c3-4670-8f0d-
73aefa4a1469>.

"Long Term Consequences of Child Abuse and Neglect." Child Welfare
Information Gateway. US Department of Health & Human Services, n.d.
Web. 18 Apr. 2014.
<https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/factsheets/long_term_consequences.c
fm>.

YouTube. Faith Evangelical Free Church, 21 Oct. 2009. Web. 18 Apr.
2014. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8d8z3yX6eI>.















Peer Reviews
Editors Name: Nathan Dacasin____________________
Writers Name: _Danielle Gordon Richardson________________

Visual Argument Peer Review



The visual image should contain a clear and specific statement of claim being
made. The written text should address the process of completing the visual
argument. To what degree does the writer:

Use clear and effective visual representation of support to claim, that is, how
effective is the image theyve chosen and why and how is it (or isnt it) effective?
Explain.
I think that the visual representation is an effective support to their claim. The
visual video that is chosen is effective because of the message that it convey that
teens today need help. The video presents a number of statistics such as pregnancy
and drug use as The Frays famous song How to save a life is played in the
background. The video wants the audience to address the fact that teens today are
going through some major issues.




Use design principles effectively? How well does it follow the principles of
design explained in the textbook chapter on visual argument? Please indicate how
they do this or how you interpret what theyve done.
The writer uses design principles very effectively. The principles of design follow
the ones that are explained in the textbook chapter on visual argument effectively
as well. The writer utilizes the images and multimedia to appeal to emotion
throughout the website. For example, right above the actual text of the essay the
writer has a banner that has the text you are beautiful floating up in the clouds,
which appeals to the audiences emotions as they may have a slight confidence
boost. The city scape background also makes the site seem that it is targeted
towards teenagers as well.



Make effective incorporation of ethos, pathos, and logos in the visual
representation of the argument? Please explain what you notice.
I believe they effectively incorporated ethos pathos and logos in the visual
representation of the argument. Pathos is incorporated as the writer is constantly
appealing to the emotions of the audience, as they feel the need to address the
issues that teens are going through today. Ethos is present as the video that is
present is from a credible organization known as the Faith Evangelical Free
Church. Logos is present in the visual representation through the statistics,
arguing that there are a number of effects due to the neglect of children.

Who is this visual image/argument geared toward? Who is the target audience?
How do you know that?
The visual argument can technically be geared towards all people, but specifically
it is meant to make an impact on those who neglect their own children. Childhood
neglect can have a detrimental effect on children as they grow into their
adolescence and this issue is the main focus of the argument.



How well does the written text provide thorough, clear, and thoughtful answers to
questions in the essay? Explain.
Overall, the written text does provide clear and thoughtful answers to most of the
questions in the essay, but the answers could be more solidified and specific in
order to be clearer with the audience. The ideas presented are great, but could be
structured slightly more efficiently



Editors Name: Kevin Duong
Writers Name: Danielle Gordon
Visual Argument Peer Review



The visual image should contain a clear and specific statement of claim being
made. The written text should address the process of completing the visual
argument. To what degree does the writer:

Use clear and effective visual representation of support to claim, that is, how
effective is the image theyve chosen and why and how is it (or isnt it) effective?
Explain.

The image (or video in this case) is incredibly effective and fits the authors claim
very well. The authors claim revolves around the neglect of children during their
adolescence that causes them to spiral down the wrong choice path. The video helps
reinforce this claim by giving many statistics on the number of teens that begin
drinking, abusing drugs, committing suicide etc. on a daily basis.



Use design principles effectively? How well does it follow the principles of
design explained in the textbook chapter on visual argument? Please indicate how
they do this or how you interpret what theyve done.

The writer uses the principles of design as described in the textbook very well.
Quotes are implemented throughout the website to further reinforce what the authors
claims are. In addition, the darkness of the website gives off a sense of morbidity but
also seriousness of the subject.





Make effective incorporation of ethos, pathos, and logos in the visual
representation of the argument? Please explain what you notice.


All three of these elements of appeal are used well in both the essay and the video.
The ethos (credibility) of the content comes from the video as well as the sources.
The emotional appeal, or pathos, comes from the startling statistics that are displayed
during the video. The numbers already seemed high, but at the end of the video when
it is revealed that the statistics were daily statistics, it makes it even more surprising.
The logos is given well in the essay when the writer talks about how parents neglect
their childrens behaviors by merely shaking off their actions as typical adolescent
behavior.






Who is this visual image/argument geared toward? Who is the target audience?
How do you know that?


The visual argument is geared towards parents as well as responsible adults. They are
also the target audience, and I figured this out because at the end of the video it states
that Dad, its time to wake up. Also, at the end of the introduction paragraph of the
essay, the author makes a call to the readers to take action in preventing teens and
children from falling into depression. Another target audience could also be teachers,
who are in part responsible for the construction of a kid character as he/she matures.



How well does the written text provide thorough, clear, and thoughtful answers to
questions in the essay? Explain.
The written text is completely clear and thorough in answering all of the questions
needed for the essay.