Mehgan Coleman

Ruth Colocho
Jenna DeRieu
Kelsey Kolin
Jill Chrobak
WRT 160
29 January 2014
Words Can Hurt
Bullying is not something new to our generation. However, because of the increase in
technology available, bullies have more opportunities. Since the start of social media, a new
bullying concept has been created, called cyber bullying. For that reason, an anti-bullying ad has
been chosen for this rhetorical analysis. The ad is shown in black and white, and utilizes a little
boy who is crying. In the image, the boy is being choked by the hurtful words of others. This
image has appeal, because it shows a message that does not get as much attention as it should.
The little boy presented in this picture portrays the effects of bullying, and the pain on the child's
face draws attention from everyone who has been bullied, who has seen someone being bullied,
or even who has been a bully. The purpose of this ad is to show the physical and mental effects
of bullying on a child, and to bring awareness to bullying. This image is rhetorically effective,
because it gets the attention of its audience, and it effectively portrays how hurtful bullying can
be, by representing the insults as a hand choking the child.
As previously stated, the only text incorporated in the image is the text arranged to make
a hand around the child's neck, and it is there to show how hurtful it is to be bullied: that it does
not necessarily have to be physical bullying that hurts. This message that the image is intended to

send contradicts the saying "Sticks and stones may hurt my bones, but words will never hurt
me." Words are clearly hurtful, and the image gives new insight to bullying. The text appeals to
the audience emotionally, not in a happy way, but in a way to which the audience can relate. At
some point, everyone has been called a name, or has been told one of the phrases, in the hand
and has even called others those things, as well. The words are made to look like handwriting,
and also have dashes in front of them, as if they have been taken from a list of insults. Some
words are bolded, and look like they are angrily written; others are in all capitals; and still other
words look smudged. The words are in all different sizes and strokes; some are more insulting
than others, but they are still all hurting the child.
The image chosen for analysis is a great example of what contrast in a black and white
image should look like. When one first looks at the illustration, what catches the eye is the
bolded, harsh words that come together to represent a hand choking the little boy. Bolded words,
such as fool, moron, punk, and pig are just some of the wounding words that are
represented in this image. The subtle background makes the picture bare, which draws more
attention to the abrasive words, and to the tear running down this childs face. If this was not the
case, and there was a very elaborate background, it would have taken away from the emotion
shown on the childs face, along with the hand around the childs neck, which is currently the
center of attention.
The image shows a lot of pathos, which is emotional appeal. There are many things that
people can relate to, just by looking at this picture. Looking at the picture, one sees a little boy,
maybe six or seven years old, with tears in his eyes and running down his cheeks. Around his
neck, one sees a hand, with a lot of hurtful words written on it. The child creates the emotional
appeal in the image. Usually, when people see a little child with tears in his or her eyes, or

looking troubled or upset, they tend to wonder what is wrong, and they want to take the pain
away in any way they can. The child is looking up, as if he is thinking of the hurtful things that
people may have said to him, or called him. It makes him cry, and the hand around his neck
shows how he is feeling: trapped and suffocated by the insults and degrading things he is being
called. That can connect emotionally with anyone who has been surrounded by younger children
who have been bullied, because they know the effects of bullying. The emotion behind the
picture is evident, because the child clearly shows pain and hurt, and incites the audience to feel
sad, and even sorry, for the child.
Many people have been bullied at some point in their lives, and, for those who have not
been bullied, they know somebody, or have seen someone who has been. Chances are, most
people have bullied someone else, without even knowing they were doing it. That is what makes
this image appeal to logos, or be logically appealing. It utilizes the fact that most people are
aware of what bullying is, but then it shows the negative outcomes of bullying that some may
initially overlook. This ad compels the audience to think about bullying, and to think about how
it affects lives. By using logos, this image forces the audience to take a stand against bullying.
This image is rhetorically appealing. The image uses pathos to cause the audience to
make an emotional connection; it effectively does this by showing a hurt child, with which most
everyone can connect with. This picture also uses logos, in that the audience has seen people
being bullied, or has been victims of bullying. By using different font sizes and types, and the
way it is all aligned, the picture looks bold. The alignment and contrast in this ad help set the
tone of the image, thus helping prove the argument. The overall message of the ad is to convince
the audience to make a stand the next time they see bullying occur.