The
most effective thing about this image is how much the words punctuate the
picture with the understanding that without the picture the words would have no
punch at all. The intense shadows that fall around the toy soldiers speak to
the dark and sinister world that a child suffering from abuse would live in.
The fact that the child's toys, the items in a child's life that are supposed
to fill it with carefree joy, are the only things protecting this child from
his or her demons speaks not only to the loss of an innocent carefree
childhood, but also the complete solitude of this existence, in that these toys
are all this child has. The slogan "If you don't fight child abuse, who
will?" is written in white letters directly in the spot where the toy
soldiers guns are aiming, further signifying the soldiers’ fight on the child’s
behalf. Not only do the words make the picture more relevant, but the unusual
sight of toy soldiers really puts the idea of solitude that this slogan offers
into perspective. If “you” cannot help, these children are so alone that they
must protect themselves using only their imaginations and little pieces of
plastic. The slogan alone may be poignant and the photograph with its intense
values may give pause to its viewer, but the layering of the two creates a
bone-rattling effect in the eyes of the viewer that not only speaks volumes
about the cause this Ad represents but truly sticks with its viewer having a truly
lasting effect on him or her.
I like your picture, but I have to disagree with the idea that the words effectively punctuate the image to deliver vital context. To me, the words seem more of an afterthought, miniscual writing that hardly stands out from the dark background. The image of the toy soldiers as the last, only line of defense against this lurking evil could stand alone uncluttered by the additional, unreadable text-- a symbol as silently troubling as child abuse is.
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