Dave Nuttall
ENG 1010 – 5:30pm
Visual Analysis Paper
The ad states, “Verbal abuse can be just as horrific, but you don’t have to suffer in silence”. It then provides a phone number for victims to call for advice and support, if they will only have the courage to make the call. The stark visual depicted by this ad was obviously what caught my attention at first. The uncontrolled rage, the distended necks, the distorted face of the victim as the huge fist collides, pulverizing cheek, eye, teeth, lips. I am uncomfortable with the image and I attempt to shake it off but find myself forced to consider my own life experiences, which I believe to be a secondary purpose of the ad.
Upon contemplating the message as it related to me in my own life, my mind was bombarded with a barrage of memories, all negative, in which I see myself playing both parts at one time or another. Moments like being verbally lambasted by my Dad for saying something stupid, then realizing it too late and subsequently making my Mom cry, are not easily forgotten. Not that my comment was justified, because I was definitely in the wrong, but I might as well have been punched in the face, just like in this ad, based on the way I felt afterward. Now, fast-forward twenty years and there I am, behaving like a crazed fool, letting my daughter really “have it” because she has found my buttons again, almost an art form of hers at times, and then at just the right moment, she decides to push just one more. So easy to over-react and regrets can last such a long time . . .
Verbal abuse can be found in many different forms ranging from yelling and screaming to subtle digs or “confidence killers” which cause the victim to question their own value. In conversations with others, I have been told of role models such as a mother being a “yeller” and that it became a life goal for them to stop the pattern by doing all they could to avoid this behavior in their own lives. Recognizing it for the problem it causes and then working toward ending the same behavior in a person’s own life becomes a gift of sorts for those who are close to them. Understanding the problem and dealing with it in a way to avoid its perpetuation takes self-control and constant care but results in a greater harmony.
Verbal abuse can be destructive not only to the victim but also to others caught in the line of fire. This collateral damage is inexcusable. Many times, these additional victims are our children, spouses, friends, who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Suddenly they are left feeling as if they have done something wrong and they were not even involved prior to that moment. Verbal abuse can leave a person feeling worthless and puny, resulting in a myriad of issues which many victims may carry with them for the rest of their lives. In extreme cases, the verbally abused may even find themselves perpetrating a variety of crimes against society or even going so far as to commit suicide when they can no longer find their own self-worth and purpose for being.
Truthfully, I believe that if we are honest with ourselves, experiencing both aspects within our own lives is a common story for most. Fortunately, most people do not get so carried away by their emotions that their victims are permanently scarred. Healing when we can and moving on is important. Those who find themselves with scars which do seem unable to heal, may find themselves carrying these scars as emotional baggage and in turn failing to become that which they might have were it not for the abuse. Some may argue that as a result of the experiences we each have and our resulting methods of handling them, we become who we are whether that is for good or for bad. Chronic verbal abuse creates so many more obstacles for a person to work though that many victims may not ever be able to sort through it and experience their full success.
As with all forms of abuse, the abuser must be somehow motivated to change their behaviors before the cycle will ever stop. Fortunately, some do realize the results of these types of behaviors earlier than others and are able to learn to control themselves which is commendable. For so many others however, coming to that crossroads in life, that realization of what is happening, comes only after a devastating event. I hope that ads like this one have been able to serve as a wake-up call for many would-be abusers, signaling them, reminding them that there is a very real and damaging effect left behind by abuse, no matter the form.
