Rhetorical Triangle-Ad Post

Jaimie Thomas

Anti-Smoking Ad Blog Post

This anti-smoking advertisement was designed to be a straight forward and obvious visual on purpose. The author is deliberately showing readers that they might as well shoot themselves because that is what smoking does to a person over time. The author most likely chose a gun to compare the position of the smoker’s hand because it is a painful and frightening symbol to people all over the world. A gun represents force, power, and control. To humans, cigarettes are the slow-motion version of guns. A cigarette can be be forceful because addiction will overcome the smoker over time and one is practically forced to smoke again to get himself back to happiness. Many think they will not become addicted in the beginning, but most find out quickly how trapped they become by smoking only a few times. 

People are curious by nature. If someone is told to stay away from something or some place, they are going to be more inclined to participating in the dangerous activity they were strictly told to steer clear of. This is the unfortunate reality for majority of the worlds smokers. The advertisement said every year in the U.K. one hundred and six thousand people die due to smoking. That is far too many people to be dying from something most of them consider an activity. 

A cigarette and a gun are both very powerful objects. It is not until they are ignited that they cause harm to people. Both a gun and a cigarette will kill a person but neither is a guarantee on the first “hit.” If a person is shot by a gun unless the bullet punctures the heart, brain or lung the person will most likely survive. Sometimes, unfortunately, the bullet hits the right spot in the body and the person is killed. With cigarettes, many will find themselves able to smoke for years upon years and nothing will happen to them. Sadly for others who smoke on a regular basis, will develop lung disease or cancer of the lungs and Most do not have a good recovery after getting so sick. 

It is strange to think that humans control their lives. As humans, we tend to make our own decisions and plan out each day according to what we want to do or need to do. Unfortunately, smoking can cause people to dedicate certain times of their day to smoking. Then, they realize they have to smoke at some point because the craving becomes unbearable. Also, a smoker will start rationing their money so they will have enough to cover the cost of their desired need per week. Pretty soon, a pattern develops and smoking begins to control the smokers life. In an inadvertent way this parallels to the controlling nature of a gun. If a bank robber were to walk in a bank with a gun in their hand, the whole room of people will immediately surrender to the thief. The gun becomes the object of control in the room. As horrible as it is, smoking will kill those who do it on a regular basis. This advertisement is supposed to frighten smokers and help them realize cigarettes hold the same power as a gun.