Superwoman

The argument: Even Superwoman is helpless to aids.

The ad makers have placed an image of a very powerful, strong, battle-fighting figure we are all aware of as Superwoman in a setting that we are also very aware of as a room of fear, death, and weakness. The juxtaposition of the two come together to form an ad of awareness and warning for aids is a battle even Superwoman can't win. 

Many rhetorical strategies are put at play here in this ad to grip our attention. By placing Superwoman in the ad, the strategy of authorities is applied in order to make us, the ad readers, recognize that "aids make us equal"; that whether human or superhuman, we are all susceptible to aids. Cause and effect is also being used, but not so much in an obvious way. Unprotected sex can cause aids. An image of sex is not necessary for the audience to make that connection because this cause and effect is not breaking news. The ad serves as a reminder, not a scientific break through. In addition, the way that Superwoman is posed, the lost expression on her face, the gray filter placed on the picture to add grimness, the depth and darkness of her eyes, the thinness of her arms and face, the IV, the way her right hand is placed in an attempt to grip using her very last strength, the loneliness - these all serve under the description and pathos rhetorical strategy. When both used together, the purpose is to personify a Superhuman into a normal human being. It makes us think, that could be me. In addition to pathos, perhaps the reason why Superwoman was chosen instead of Superman is because women, when seen in pain and helplessness, stirs in men the desire to help, while in women, it stirs the feeling of relativity - women feel for other women's pain. As for ethos, the ad displays one little symbol that says enough - the red ribbon. The red ribbon is a symbol for AIDS.gov, and especially for it being a dot-gov website, we are given a sense of credibility and trust because this ad was created through a government organization. In relation to trust, examining the motive of the ad increases that trust. Why would the government take the time and money to invest into creating this ad? Was it to decorate the streets of America? No, the image serves to inform and remind. The motive is to inform and remind.

I was moved by this image because of the truth it speaks. As college freshmen, we are vulnerable to many college temptations. And though some nights may be the time of our lives, we should protect ourselves so that one awesome night doesn't create a living hell for the rest of our lives.