http://adsoftheworld.com/media/print/the_roy_castle_lung_cancer_foundation_chair?size=_original
This
is an advertisement for the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation. It portrays a young girl holding and playing
with her doll while in her other hand is a lit cigarette. My first reactions to this image were of
disgust and sadness. It makes me want to
ask the parents what was going through their heads when they decided to endanger
their child’s life with the harmful effects of second hand smoke. This advertisement
to the normal eye could portray more than one symbolism. To me, this ad shows how adults have a large
influence on the health and safety of their children. To prove my assumption, the child’s right
hand is actually an adult’s hand which is holding the lit cigarette. The adult
hand signifies an older figure in the young girl’s life such as her mother,
father, or relative. This shows how older figures are shown as irresponsible when
it comes to the safety of their children.
Second hand smoke causes many children to be hospitalized and in some cases
contract lung cancer. When a parent smokes in the same room as their child,
both parties share the numerous dangerous chemicals contained in every
cigarette. We are shown a young girl
dressed nicely and playing with a doll in a clean kept room. This helps to establish that the problem of
second hand smoke is not just in dingy places such as bars or in the
streets. It can occur in a safe place
such as the child’s very own living room.
The doll symbolizes the child’s innocence to the given situation. She is
not aware of the danger she is in while an older figure is putting their child
in harm’s way. This advertisement helps
us to take the position of an outside, professional opinion. An outsider’s opinion helps people to gain
the perspective of child endangerment. Therefore, this advertisement is a clear
representation of young children being endangered by their parents selfish
addiction within the walls of their home.
I think that your close look at the signs within this image and what they signify is very good. I looked at this image and I thought of the U.S.'s new decision to put graphic pictures of what happens to your lungs when you smoke, etc. on cigarette cartons. I think that the government's attempt at shocking smokers and those who are considering smoking into stopping is never going to work. However, right now, the government is attempting to push against the norm of smoking and they are clearly out numbered. It is simply interesting to see how governments (in both of these images) are the ones attempting to break the hegemony. Normally, the governments are the ones attempting to use social construction to trick their people into a reality that what they are doing isn't that bad, but this time they are attempting to make a better reality instead of the one that we are currently living in.
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