Rhetorical Analysis: Advertisement About Following the Speed Limit

I saw this shocking advertisement the other day. What strong visual rhetoric is being displayed here. First of all, the fact that the person depicted in the advertisement is a child (of perhaps 6 or 7), already ellicits in the viewer either maternal or paternal feelings. The viewer immediately connects the child with any other children in their lives, whether it be a sister, brother, son, or daughter. This obviously engenders an emotional response as they subconsciously put this child that they know in the shoes of the child in the advertisement. As girls are usually seen as more vulnerable than boys, the gender of the child in the advertisement also plays a key role in evoking emotion. Perhaps the most shocking visual rhetoric being displayed however, is the huge impression in the little girl's head designed to look like that of a dent in a car. As humans, we respond to pain and suffering with a great degree of emotion. The designers of this advertisement know this. They use this knowledge to create a shockingly, almost horrifying image of a young girl in a serious, life-threatening condition to engender a strong emotional response. To top it all off, the little girl's warning eyes, on the verge of tears, are sad and pleading. The message in the bottom of the advertisement verifies the pain in her eyes and calls for action: "In town car accidents don't just happen to cars. Slow down." Certainly, all of these visual elements are crafted in order to appeal to the viewer sense of pathos, and thereby, prompt the viewer to action in heeding the advertisement's direction to slow down and go the speed limit, especially in town (because children are around and their lives are at stake). Despite the success that the advertisement has in elliciting emotion, it is always a risky move to use the fear factor to motivate a group of people to do something. However, in this case, I believe the move accomplished what they (the advertisement designers) desired. Whether or not it is ethical to use fear as a means of making someone do what you want them to do, it is effective, and that is why the designers of this advertisement chose this visual image.