Exploring the Visual

How does the interplay of written & visual text affect our response / interpretation? How does the intertextual nature of the text create a completely different impact? Does this text have anything to say about identity?

Through the use of visuals and short texts, the producer is able to question gun laws and respond to the irony of a certain ban, namely targeted towards parents of the general public. The famous saying ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’ is vividly portrayed through this ad, as the producer is able to bring across a variety of different ideas and hidden meanings that allow the audience to look beyond the picture itself, for instance, by using children of different ethnic races, they may be trying to represent two different perspectives, the white child representing the conservative ‘Republican’ stance, while the African-American child representing a ‘Democratic’ stance. In addition, as children are the future generation, the producer may be implying that future gun laws are in the hands of children. The choice of people the producer uses is just one aspect that may be further looked into, facial expression, body language, color, setting, props, and image angle all significantly contribute towards constructing deeper meanings and implications that the audience may not be able to grasp just by glancing at this visual.

Furthermore, text plays a pivotal role in bringing across a general idea that the producer wants to convey. The color contrast between the background of the word and the actual words draws attention to the text, making it the focal point for the audience. This creates a sense of irony as we would expect guns to be the item banned for protection, but instead it is the children’s book. In addition, the choice of the color red may also symbolize fear and violence resulted due to the current gun laws. Therefore, the intertextual nature of the text creates a significant impact on the audience by giving a terse statement about the main idea the producer is trying to get across. The text itself “one child is holding something that’s been banned in America to protect them. Guess which one” may represent the identity of the United States of America, as irony is created towards the gun laws that are currently placed within the nation, this may portray the values and beliefs of the nation.