Visual Rhetoric Presentation
Emily Huizenga
What is the purpose of the image?
What is the purpose of the image?
The purpose of the image is to
shock parents into putting
children in cribs at night rather
than in the parents' own bed. If a
child sleeps in an adult bed he
can suffocate, so the city of
Milwaukee made this
advertisement to warn against
this danger.
If the camera were zoomed out
more, what else might we see?
How would this change the ad?
If the camera were zoomed out
more, what else might we see?
How would this change the ad?
We might be able to see the
parents of the child and the
rest of the room. Because we
do not know in what sort of
environment the child lives, it
broadens the audience to
affect more people than it
could otherwise.
How does taking away the words
at the top affect the ad?
How does taking away the words
at the top affect the ad?
Without the explanation, we
can no longer figure out what
the picture is advertising. The
words give clarification to why
the baby is sleeping beside a
knife. Without the
explanation, it just looks like
someone was trying to hurt
the baby somehow.
What is the logical appeal of this
ad?
What is the logical appeal of this
ad?
It is obviously dangerous to
sleep beside a knife, especially
for a baby, so it must be as
dangerous for a baby to sleep
with his parents in an adult bed.
What is the ethical appeal of this
ad?
What is the ethical appeal of this
ad?
The bottom right hand corner
of this advertisement gives
credit for the ad to the city of
Milwaukee, so we know this
is a credible source. We also
can acknowledge that it is
morally wrong to harm
babies, making this ad
ethically sound.
What is the emotional appeal of
this ad?
What is the emotional appeal of
this ad?
When first looking at this
picture, one feels shocked that
a baby is sleeping peacefully
beside a knife. It is a
distressing and disturbing
picture that is very effective in
calling parents to action to get
cribs for their infant children.
This is the other ad in Milwaukee's
collection. Does changing the
baby's race make any difference
on the ad?
This is the other ad in Milwaukee's
collection. Does changing the
baby's race make any difference
on the ad?
Yes, because it gives the ad a
smaller audience by
narrowing it down to AfricanAmericans. Conversely, the
other picture narrows the
audience to Caucasians, so it
is perhaps a good thing that
both ads exist.
Works Cited
Malloy, Brian. Knife, 2. Nov. 2011. Milwaukee, WI.
Adsoftheworld. Web. 20 Nov. 2011.
Malloy, Brian. Knife, 1. Nov. 2011. Milwaukee, WI.
Adsoftheworld. Web. 20 Nov. 2011.