Wheeler 1

Damarius Wheeler
Rebecca Agosta
UWRT 1101
20 April 2015
Civic Literacy: Approaching Anti-bullying
I decided to analyze a couple of anti-bullying advertisements along with an
anti-bullying video. Its important to compare and contrast these two different
approaches to anti-bullying because although they share the common goal to raise
awareness of bullying and putting a stop to it, the way they both tackle the issue is
different and also the effectiveness is different.

The two pictures that will be analyzed will share the common subject which is antibullying and a common occasion: people are being bullied. They also share a
common audience which is everyone who sees these advertisements, people being
bullied, and bullies. Unique about this picture, though is the strategies used within
it. That strategy is the use of the graphics: this foot has been created by use of
hurtful words and phrases that can hurt others emotionally. The foot appears to be
in the process of stomping or walking on someone. This metamorphic scene has
been created to display the parallel of how stepping on someone can bring literal

Wheeler 2
pain just as the use of harsh words and phrases can bring emotional pain. The
person in the picture appears to be terrified as they see the foot closing in on them,
showing their fear of the harsh expressions to come. This picture proves effective
as many can relate to this (even if they havent been directly bullied): that harsh
words can sometimes be worse than physical pain.
This advertisement is much more graphic as it is to
represent the results of not being able to cope with being bullied
any longer. At first glance, the person in the picture seems to be
taking a gun to their mouth and shoot, blowing blood out of their
head. But this picture takes the meaning of the previous picture
a step further as it displays the person shooting out the
debasing phrases he has heard that have been stuck in this
persons mind. The use of displaying these words in the form of the blood is the
most effective part of the picture as it shows his way of getting rid of those negative
thoughts which was ultimately committing suicide. The message in the bottom
right corner There are better ways to resolve it. Talk to someone about it is most
likely for ones who are being bullied and/or have thought about committing suicide
because of it. The creator of this advertisement most likely purposed this picture to
provide an alternative way of dealing with bullying which is to talk about the issue.

The last piece to be analyzed, and the one I found to be the most effective, is a clip
from youtube in which the mother records who two children describe their
experiences of being bullied at school. The components of SOAPS are similar to the
former advertisements, but whats most striking about this video is that it isnt
simply a commercial or advertisement with actors; it is a real life scenario.

Wheeler 3
Although the mother may have prompted the kids to speak up about the issue, she
did it with a purpose: to display the real effects of bullying specifically on the little
girl (she was the main focus). The audience is slightly more specific this time as
yes, it is available to everyone who has access to youtube, but the target audience
are parents, schools, and administrators. Even further, this video may have been
used to be shown to the school that the kids attend. The raw emotion in this video
is enough to rally other parents in questioning the motives of the school in what
they decide to do about the continuous bullying. This video appeals the most to
pathos as it is real life, and comes directly from the mouth of elementary kids who
are visibly hurt and concerned about being bullied.