For English, we must write an essay analyzing an advertisement. Here is the image I chose:
Baby Tiger
I have not completed my essay yet, but I'd love to have suggestions on how to improve what I have or other aspects of the image that I should break down.
As time goes on, the number of problems faced by conservationists continues to cultivate. Habitat destruction, wildlife trade, climate change, pollution, and poaching- just to name a few- have become significant threats against our planet in recent years, driving protection societies to plead more desperately than ever for acknowledgement and support. World Wildlife Fund (WWF), one of the most prominent conservation organizations, has begun to tackle the crisis from a new angle, thrusting feelings of responsibility to the public through more aggressive advertising.
Tiger population has been rapidly decreasing in recent years, falling as much as 97% in the past century. The problem, largely overlooked, is made more critical than ever here by humanizing it. The ad depicts a poacher's hands, poised to shoot, gun aimed at a young girl adorned with stripes, representing a wild tiger. Her slight crouch and intent focus on the leafy floor indicates that she's preparing to pounce at something, lending an innocent quality to the image. She appears to be oblivious to the poacher, continuing about her activities much as a hunted animal might do in the wild.
The concept, horrifying enough to start, intensifies when the composition is analyzed. The aimed gun is close to the audience, as if the viewer is seated next to the shooter. This adds a feeling of responsibility and involvement; because the observer is so close to the predator, it feels as though the two are working together to hunt the prey. The audience becomes accountable for the well-being of the girl and hereby for the survival of wildlife as well, as she represents the natural world through her attire.
The presence of the gun greatly intensifies the image as a whole. Although poaching has become a harsh reality of our modern world, advertisers often avoid blatantly depicting the act to avoid the controversy associated with it. In WWF's advertisement, however, the gun is one of the main focuses of the image. The rifle is close to the viewer and sharp, its metallic shine contrasting piercingly with the natural forest background. This contrast accentuates the idea that the weapon is out of place in the scene. A harsh diagonal line extends from the barrel of the gun through the girl, emphasizing the hunter's eagerness to fire through the direct aim.
The colors used in the scene have a great effect on the image's frightening atmosphere. High contrast brings out deep black shadows throughout the picture, lending a spooky air reminiscent of horror films. Although many of the colors displayed in the image are categorized as warm, such as the girl's orange skin, they all have cool violet-tinged undertones, giving the scene a chilling quality that is stressed by the background, featuring dormant, leafless trees.
The darkness of the image is most prominent around the outer edges, where the photo has been darkened and blurred. This adds emphasis upon the center of the image, where the girl stands; here, the picture is lighter and sharper, as if a spotlight is shining on the child. This further heightens the feeling of aim depicted by the gun by highlighting its target.
The text itself is an important aspect of the advertisement. Although the image is powerful without the text, the words give the audience a more personal connection to the child in the picture. The presence of the girl, the target of a gun, already aims to give the audience an obligation to protect. This obligation is made stronger by giving the girl a relation to the viewer- "Imagine this is yours." As a result, the viewer's connection to the environment is also strengthened by the empathy stirred through the strengthened personal bond to the child...
As time goes on, the number of problems faced by conservationists continues to cultivate.---I could definitely be wrong, but 'cultivate' doesn't seem like it's the right word here.
...have become significant threats against our planet in recent years, driving protection societies to plead more desperately than ever for acknowledgement and support.---This is a great sentence!
The t iger population has been rapidly decreasing in recent years, falling as much as 97% in the past century.
Her slight crouch and intent focus on the leafy floor indicates that she's preparing to pounce at something,...
This puts emphasis upon the center of the image, where the girl stands;...
The presence of the girl, the target of a gun, already aims ---This, right after 'the target of a gun' seems a little bit like a pun...it seems out of place in so serious an essay. I might just be a little too picky, but it did catch my attention. :)
You're an interesting and very descriptive writer. I've enjoyed reading this. Good luck in school and have fun!
:)
