28th Jan, 2020
Visual text analysis
Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about thing that matter. – Martin Luther King
JR. In today’s world, one of the things that we humans are silent about and we must take quick
action on is endangered animals. The public service poster, with the picture of a seal contained in
it examines the endangered animal on the edge of extinction. Furthermore, this poster attempts to
raise awareness about the limited time left to save endangered animals from the risk of
extinction. The target audience for this poster are all of us humans, but specifically it can be the
governments which are actually responsible for creating institutions in order to save animals
from the brink of extinction. The illustrator of this poster clearly conveys his message through
the effective use of symbolism, metaphor and emotive appeal in his/her poster. Therefore, this
essay will be discussing about the effective ways in which the illustrator conveys the central
message of the poster “Saving endangered animals from the brink of extinction”.
In public service poster, usage of symbolism has been one of the key techniques in conveying its
central message. The big symbolism in this poster is the seal, which represents all the
endangered species of animals which are day by day getting closer to the risk of extinction.
Moreover, the clock’s hand on which the seal is stuck symbolizes the limited time that we
humans are left with in order to save the endangered species. This symbolism (clock) enables the
audience to visualize of how animal’s species have become endangered over period of times. At
the same time, the clock can make the audience imagine of saving the endangered species of
animals before it is too late.
Besides symbolism, metaphor has also played a vital role in this public service poster. The clock
hands which have stuck the seal in between them are pointing at 5 minutes to 12 which is indeed
a metaphor of how time passes and beside that, it shows the ending of the day. Moreover,
showing only five minutes left for the day to end, creates a sense of urgency in the audience
mind. As in relation to the poster, if those five more minutes pass, the seal would die in a cruel
way. Hence, by using this technique the illustrator has been able to make the audience
understand that the time left to save the seal is very limited and indeed quick actions are needed
to take place.
The last point that this essay is going to cover is the emotive appeal of this poster. As shown in
the poster, the seal is screaming with pain. It looks hopeless of anything, but shouting for help.
Shouting for its right to be free. Moreover, the blood of the seal which is on the clock enhances
the emotive appeal of this poster. As the blood and the color red has always been used for danger
and death. Therefore, it makes the audience understand the danger of animal extinction.
Furthermore, the situation of the seal creates a sense of mercy in the audience and it makes the
audience think of helping the helpless seal.
To conclude, in the world that we are living today, many of its helpless animal’s species have
gone extinct and many other are on the brink of extinction. When we humans began our life on
earth, we were not the only species living here. Therefore, we should not try to be the only ones
living here in the end, and we need to start taking quick actions in order to save the helpless
species of animals from extinction. Finally, the darkest places in the hell are reserved for those
who maintain silence in times of crisis. Act now!