TOW #23: Why Blood Drives Need Saving

       The simplicity of an unnatural image like blood within a donation box efficiently grabs attention from the public.  Without thinking, people are able to tell that something is “incorrect” about an image like that.  So the fact that something is different also tells them that there is an underlying message.  If the image was a donation box filled with a few coins, the viewers might not stop to “listen” to the message.  Even if the text were more direct and changed to “we also need you to give blood,” the viewer would have turned the magazine page already or turned their eyes to a different billboard.  The fact is that an abnormal image, no matter how simple it may seem, perplexes the viewer and draws their interest to the point where they want to comprehend it.                

         The creators assume that although its audience is concerned with the health of mankind, it is not informed enough on the ways to help and the variety of resources needed by societies like ARCBS.  In other words, people care enough to give money, but they also need to care enough to give blood.  By visually attaching “Money Isn’t Everything” to the image of the collection box, the ARCBS contradicts the assumption made by its audience that money is all that their society needs to make a difference.   

The text contradicts the image of the box and tells viewers that they need to do more than empty the spare change from their pockets.  Yet it does this in an indirect way that is a subtle suggestion.  The word “blood” is barely used in the advertisement as it only appears in the society’s name and their website.  The simple idea of blood being donated to the box, not money, serves the purpose of soliciting action.  It’s important to note that the donation box is not full.  This reinforces the overall theme previously explained of a void and has the connotation of lacking.  The blood implies what the society wants from the viewer and the emptiness of the box implies why they want it.  If the box were filled to the top, the viewer may not have sympathetic emotions that inspire him/her to go out and donate blood.  One might think “they don’t need my blood if the box is full.”  Instead, the pathos aspect of the advertisement invokes concern on the part of the viewer and encourages them to act.

TOW# 22: Ex-convicts Near You

       After spending over three years in prison, James Daniels thought that he had done his time paying for his crime. So when he was released, he was surprised to find that the majority of American society would be unable to see past the previous felony. He spent four years following his release working hard to earn a second chance in this country, only to be rejected in both economic and social aspects. Daniels explained his situation, detailing its roots in misconceptions held by the common citizens of America. "I made dumb mistakes when I was younger that led to my conviction," Daniels tells everyone, "But there's a lot more to me than just that."

       In the four years since his release from prison, Richard Cobbs has applied to over 75 different jobs, each one with no successful result. It is not for dispossessing the proper experience or the proper skills, in fact, at age 52, Cobbs has gained experience in laundry, sanitation, and catering work, as well as training in basic culinary arts. The reason he faces numerous denials is because of a simple little box; a box which many of us check off without a second thought, a box which imprisons a person to certain social standard, a box which determines the content of your character for you, a box which labels you an ex-criminal. Cobbs is just one of the current 70 million people in our country who have felony records and who, because of this record, are automatically disqualified from jobs even before getting an interview. A practice like this does not encourage the path to normal life for ex-convicts, but instead disallows it by hindering the steps necessary to support oneself in the world. Without a job many of these ex-felons are kept from the fundamental requirements for life, causing many to face the difficult choice of looking for different ways to provide themselves with basic food and shelter. It is this sense of hopelessness caused from a denial of necessities that often causes these people to reenter the incarceration system, not a desire to commit crimes again. Attempting to continue a normal life under these conditions is difficult, but living with the social stigma of being an ex-convict is nearly impossible.