I
am writing a review in conjunction with a rhetorical analysis on a UNICEF ad that has to do with child abuse. The ad
shows a young African girl asleep in a simple bed with mismatched bedding. Her
room is plain; the walls are bare and made of corrugated metal. The floor looks
very hard, either made of concrete or dirt. A dozen tiny green toy soldiers in
formation face a closed door, lit by the light coming into the room from under it.
This
ad has strong emotion for me. It really pulled at my heart strings to see those
little soldiers standing there protecting this little girl from the monsters
that come through the door. I was instantly transported to my own childhood and
could feel the feelings of this small child. The belief is strong that our toys
are there for us, to play with us, comfort us, and protect us.
I connected
strongly to the idea of my toys giving me protection and comfort. I remember a
specific instance after an abusive episode had occurred, where I held my small
musical cat named Frufru, sobbed into her hair and rubbed her velvet covered
nose with my hand, pleading for comfort and love. I look back now and remember
that at that moment, I did feel love and comfort from this inanimate object.
This toy that wasn’t capable of projecting those feeling back to me.
As
an adult I look at those little soldiers with sadness, knowing that this little
girl likely has no defender who can protects her from her abusers. No parent,
no older brother or sister, no neighbors, no friends to protect her. She is on
her own, except for those little toy soldiers.
The
call of the ad is that we are all in charge of fighting against child abuse,
whether we have children or not. I feel that the ad has a very powerful message
that every person it’s meant to target will reflect on. I don’t think there is
anything more they could have done to make the ad more powerful in its imagery.
The point is clear it is our duty to protect children from abuse of all
varieties. And that if we don’t help, who’s responsibility is it? Definitely
not the child’s, and it’s not her toys job. It’s ours.
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