Refuge; Analyzing an Escape

For many years, domestic abuse has been viewed as a "private matter", to be dealt with in the closure of one's own home. It was not until 1971 in West London did Refuge open the world's first safe house for the battered women and children who were seeking a way out. Since then, Refuge has led the campaign against domestic violence and is now the country's largest single provider of domestic violence services. Through my study of Refuge's organization, I have also been able to find statistics that show on any given day they will support over 2,000 women and children (Refuge.uk). Attesting that for the past 37 years, organizations like Refuge have continued to bring this issue to a larger and larger audience. This audience is becoming more aware of the severity of this issue anytime an advocacy advertisement, similar to the one I am addressing today, is circulated amongst people who can relate to a victim or who may be in a situation where they may become a victim in the future. The overall claim can be stated that a person should not ignore the warning signs of domestic abuse, because it is a pressing issue in which action needs to be taken. The idea we as human beings value the well-being of others serves as the perfect warrant for the audience. Personally, I find this ad to be highly effective. In the visual, Refuge sustains logos throughout by using logical appeal while managing to establish a credible ethos through their factual evidence and professionalism, as well as create an exceptional pathos by sympathizing with those who are victims of domestic abuse.

To begin, we notice the image on the on the visual itself only takes up about a third of the actual space provided for the ad. A bold headline suggest every week, another two women are escaping domestic violence. Logically, we assume this is for the better or that they are being protected from torment in some way or another. As soon as the audience focuses on the image itself it becomes an accurate depiction of the tragedy that is domestic abuse. There is a grave sense of irony portraying that for some women the only time they manage to escape is in the all too frequent instances of death. Irony appeals to logos in this case because of the shock value it has on its audience. Suddenly this is no longer just another ad, but rather an attention grabbing signal that this matter is a huge deal. One should not just ignore the signs but instead be proactive and help prevent any developing occurrences. The use of logos here also helps establish a central purpose for the audience by our underlying assumption that we cherish precious life and feel moved to help those who are suffering. I feel the logos proves to be effective over all because it aims at the audience's intellect and suggests that if you are logical, then you will understand the significance of this issue.

The next rhetorical element to address is the visual's demonstration of ethos. Although refuge is well known throughout western London, it cannot be assumed that the entire audience is familiar with their advocacy. The writer becomes more trustworthy by displaying links to their webpage, as well as a registered charity number for anyone who wishes to follow up on the legitimacy of the organization. Text is presented on the visual in a clear format that is easy to read and understand. The author does not use hard to understand imagery that may mislead or deceive the audience in any way. Refuge states several statistics in a straight forward