Erin Arndt

Dr. Freymiller

CAS 137H

11 October 2016

Rhetorical Analysis Essay

Child sexual abuse, exploitation, and material of that nature has been a taboo subject for

generations in the past. Whether people looked the other way or swept it under the rug, child

sexual abuse was not addressed on a large scale until recently. Before the 1970s child sexual

abuse was considered rare until statistics taken by the U.S. Department of Health and Human

Services in 1998 reported there was a considerable increase (Putnam). This statistical increase is

mostly likely to be caused by an increased awareness of child sexual abuse occurred during this

era (Putnam). Innocence in Dangers public service announcement (PSA) graphic, Smartphone

and The Childrens Societys PSA video, Milestones, both address child sexual abuse, an

extremely inappropriate human injustice, in an appropriately effective way that captures and

maintains the viewers attention. Together, imagery, emotional appeals, the utilization of color,

and the credibility of the organizations work together to make both these PSAs work effectively

in different mediums. Still imagery and video can communicate volumes of information to an

audience, and both artifacts accomplish this well visually.

The manner in which these ads incorporated their use of imagery is effective in the way

they appropriately brought up the seemingly awkward subject of child sexual abuse. Through the

screenwriter's use of imagery each artifact was effective in the manner in which they brought up

child sexual abuse. Innocence in Dangers Smartphone kept imagery simple; very few elements

are incorporated in the graphic. The simplicity stems from the anonymously framed subject,
wearing simple clothing with no other background or foreground objects. The simplicity of the

photo provides a less is more effect, preventing the viewer from being overwhelmed with an

already overwhelming subject. The Childrens Society Milestones video successfully

incorporates hard cuts (a film technique where one scene is changed to the next without

transition) to transition from the girl narrating her life story through a growth chart on the wall,

to an unfamiliar room where her abusers pursue her. Through this filming technique, the viewer

is wrenched into the situation along with the narrator uncomfortably communicating how

demoralizing child sexual abuse can be.

Additionally, appeals to emotion captivate and maintain the audiences attention. What

better way to maintain an audiences attention than through emotions? Emotions are what drive

peoples actions; for these artifacts to be successful PSAs the audience needs to feel the need to

take action toward prevention of child sexual abuse. According to Dr. Lamia, if an individuals

brain interprets something a distressing or negative the brain sends an alert through emotions

and signals the brain to pay attention. The subject of child sexual abuse warrants concern and

distress, therefore signals in brain activate the individual to pay attention. The Smartphone

graphic exhibits use of emotional appeal through the placement of the hand coming out of the

phone, therefore implying that the phone is the root of the problem; the root of the violation. Not

only the placement of the hand coming out of the phone, but the inappropriate placement of the

hand on the subjects buttocks is visually alarming. By creating an image that is strikingly

alarming it captivates the viewers attention, urging them to understand what message the PSA is

trying to send. At the beginning of the Childrens Societys PSA video, the viewer is introduced

to a family setting that is familiar and comfortable. By appealing to the safety of a home and

family, the creator of this PSA evokes a sense of normality and safety at the beginning of the
video. Coupled with the familiar, family setting at the beginning, the camera begins to dolly

through the house, up the stairs and settles on a growth chart. Here, the camera starts panning up

as a young girls voice-over begins. The girl begins describing the all too familiar growth chart

on the wall saying, Teddy is just as tall as me as the tic marks go up she explains stages in her

early life. When the girl reads off Got a new phone. Yay, the camera hard cuts to an unfamiliar

room that is darkly lit. The girl who is narrating presumably lays on an unsheeted bed having

photos of her taken. Flashing between the innocence of the youthful growth chart to the

disturbing, dark room where she lies scantily clad on a bed, is jarring to the audience and evokes

a sense of pity as well as confusion as to why this girl is in this situation, and how she got there.

As the PSA video rolls on, she says, Abused by all of them tonight, conveying feelings of

empathy and distress for the girl, she is only 15 and being molested by multiple men. The aim of

the PSA is to conjure a call to action through visuals and dialogue to motivate the viewer to take

action and help victims like this young girl.

Color is everywhere in our daily lives, and it can be used to strategically reinforce certain

ideas. In Farver Birrens book on color psychology, he mentions an experiment done by Gilbert

Brighouse. Brighouse measured human reactions under green and red light and found that

reactions were 12% faster under red light. Brighouses findings indicate that red colors evoke

greater responses from people. In both artifacts, color is utilized to gain attention from the

viewer. In the Milestones video, the girl wears red lipstick when shown in the dark room to make

the viewer aware of her, especially in that dire situation. More subtly, in the Smartphone graphic

the subject wears pink pants, which is a hue of red. The pink color denotes innocence in its pastel

nature. Typically, pastel colors are thought of as youthful and innocent, just they are associated

with babies and young children. By incorporating a color that denotes innocence, this further
amplifies the malintent of the ominous hand lingering in the back pocket of the subjects pants.

The contrasting use of light and dark used throughout the Milestones video is an important

indicator of right and wrong in this PSA. The house is bright, white, and pure as the camera

strolls in a continuous shot up the stairs. White is usually associated with purity and security;

when her family is depicted in the video they are only shown in white settings indicating they are

to be associated with security, and safety. Contrasting dark, almost black scenes are periodically

cut throughout the video. These dark scenes occur when the girl is a dangerous place trapped by

her abusers. In addition to the red lipstick that the girl wears in Milestones drawing the viewer's

attention, it could also be indicative of stop just as stop signs are red.

The Innocence in Danger organization and the Childrens Society are organizations

created to help children who are victims of sexual abuse and aim to reform laws to protect them

in addition to educating communities on the warning signs and symptoms of this abuse and how

they can potentially help their child. Innocence in Danger organization partnered with the

eNACSO (European NGO Alliance for Child Safety Organization) as associate members on June

28th, 2012 (New eNACSO). By partnering with the eNACSO, the Innocence in Danger

organization was able to reach their full potential and get the funding they needed to establish

themselves not only in France but Germany, England and the U.S. as well. The Seriously

Awkward campaign, which produced the video artifact, is a smaller subset of the Childrens

Foundation. They reach out to 16 and 17 year-olds who are victims of sexual exploitation, who

do not receive justice on account of the law that states they are able to give sexual consent at the

age of 16 in the UK (The Law on Sex). The Childrens Society is an organization based in the

UK; it is a national charity that runs local projects and campaigns to change laws that affect

young people and their sexual rights. The Duchess of Gloucester has been the Royal president of
the Childrens Society for over thirty years; having royalty endorse a cause such as this certainly

appeal to ethos (Our Royal President). With donations, they conduct research to get a better

understanding of the childs perspective and what they want and need to recover from sexual

abuse and/or exploitation.

Ultimately, both the Innocence in Danger Smartphone graphic and the Childrens

Societys Milestones video are effectively appropriate PSAs that both maintain the viewers

attention and sway the viewer to engage in civic action to prevent child sexual abuse. This is

attained through the use of imagery, color, pathos, and the organization's ethos or credibility on

the subject. Child sexual abuse and exploitation should be addressed in local communities and

schools. Providing education on the matter could help give children the ability to talk about it.

Child sexual abuse and exploitation are inexplicable crimes that should no longer go unseen;

PSAs like these have the power to enable change and bring awareness to this global issue.
 Works Cited

Ads of the World. Innocence in Danger. Herezie France. Apr 2013. JPEG file.

Birren, Faber. Color Psychology and Color Therapy; A Factual Study of the Influence of Color

on Human Life. New York: Pickle Partners, 1950. Google Books. Web. 9 Oct. 2016.

Lamia, Mary. Like it Or Not, Emotions Will Drive the Decisions You Make Today. Intense

Emotions and Strong Feelings. Psychology Today. 13 Dec. 2013. Web. 9 Oct. 2016.

New eNACSO Members and Associate Members. European NGO Alliance for Child Safety

Online. European Commission, 18 Jun. 2012. Web. 26 Sep. 2016.

Our Royal President The Childrens Society. The Childrens Society. Web. 9 Oct. 2016.

Putnam, Frank. Ten-Year Research Update Review: Child Sexual Abuse. J. AM. ACAD. Child

Adolesc. Psychiatry. 42:3. 2003. Web. 9 Oct. 2016.

The Childrens Society. Help Victims of Child Sexual Exploitation. Video. Youtube. Youtube.

10 Nov. 2015. Film. Web. 7 Oct. 2016.

The Law on Sex. FPA. Apr. 2015. Web. 9 Oct. 2016.