Morales 1

Jose Morales
English 115
Malvin
October 17, 2016
A Moment of Silence
On September 11, 2001 one of the largest and most tragic catastrophes occurred in the
United States; it was possibly the gateway that led to the popularization of anti-terrorism
conflicts between the U.S. and various countries. The main attack was on the World Trade Center
where 2,606 people died, and it is the attack that many people find it horrific due to the amount
of people involved. In order to capture the image of the burning towers, the anti-smoking
advertisement created by the organization Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), shows two
cigarettes set vertically and perfectly parallel to each other. The cigarettes burn down as the
fragile ash stays up and their combined smoke contaminates the clean air around it. This
advertisements direct visual connection to the twin towers, tries to convey the message that
smoking kills thousands of people daily through the use of pathos and claims that it is a matter
that must be taken as serious as a terrorist attack with logos.
The two cigarettes represent the towers shortly after they were hit; this aspect of the ad
reaches out to the audience through pathos. One of the cigarettes is slightly shorter, showing that
it was lit for longer just like the South Tower, a detail that may imply there is still time to save
life since both cigarettes are still up. The ad uses the cigarettes while they are still burning to
show the hope that they can still be put out before more people die. At the very moment the
picture of these cigarettes was taken, thousands of people died and thousands more began their
long and painful deaths just as if it was a picture of the World Trade Center the moment both

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towers were hit. This portion of the anti-smoking advertisement utilizes pathos by attracting the
American peoples deep empathy towards the attack on the September 11. The toxic smoke
released to the inferno at the top is highlighted to allow the viewer to get a sense of what it would
be like to be slowly dying. Additionally, the ad allows its audience to quantify the amount of
people being affected by cigarettes through the infamous death toll from the attack and as a result
attracts their emotional sensitivity towards the issue. The black smoke released by the cigarettes
reminds the audience of the clouds of ash that killed NYC residents slowly after the attack. This
smoke not only sympathizes to those who are aware of the damage it can cause but it also
informs the uneducated that when anyone smokes, the people around that smoker are also in
danger of malicious diseases that ultimately lead to death. According to CNN, it took about 11
days for the US government to issue out over 7 billion dollars in compensation for the families
affected by the attack. However, the government fails to take that same immediate action towards
tobacco addiction, even though more people are affected. Overall the visual comparison between
cigarettes and the attacks on the World Trade Center are used with pathos to sympathize to the
audience aware of all the casualties of that day, in order to bring awareness that smoking is just
as dangerous and can cause greater casualties.
Moreover, the ad also uses pathos through a written message. In big and different font,
the demand No More Killing is typed in front of all the graphics in order to highlight its
significance. This statement not only puts the blame on the people smoking, but mostly on the
reader that is assumed not to smoke. This statement claims that the people who choose not to act
against smoking and reject those in need of help, are directly contributing to the deaths of
thousands. It is up to the people who are not addicted to tobacco, to make the correct judgment
and help those in need quit and regain their life back. The association of guilt is primarily the

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reason pathos is seen in this aspect of the ad. The survivors guilt that many have from the attack
is manipulated towards the guilt people should have from not taking any sort of action against
their family and friends.
In an attempt to persuade the audience to take a stand against smoking, the advertisement
uses logos. In order to stress the consequences of smoking, the work killing is written with red
font to assimilate with the color of blood and death. This portion of the anti-smoking ad targets
the governments actions towards the annual death tolls from smoking. The amount of people
that die from smoking is equivalent, if not greater, to the number of casualties from the WTC
attack. According to the History Channel it took less than a month for President George W. Bush
to initiate foreign conflicts with certain extremist groups. This gave him the power to send troops
to fight terrorism to Iraq and Afghanistan. It wasnt long for other ally countries to join in the
fight, against these groups with the sole purpose to eradicate all terror attacks, and supply
monetary and military reinforcements to the U.S. This anti-ad shows the audience that the death
tolls from smoking surpass those from September 11 every year; and although the terror attack
will always be a sensitive scar to the American people, smoking should also be taken seriously.
This is a strategy to persuade people through logic, by depicting that people and their families
are greatly affected by smoking, is very much like families affected by the terrorist attack. How
many more innocent people need to die for the American government or any of its allies realize it
is time to fight the massacre these tobacco companies are organizing annually. The mastermind
of the 9-11 attack was brought to justice, it is logical that for mastermind of the smoking
epidemic to be held accountable with more than just an increase in taxes.
Additionally, the anti-ad persuades and impacts the viewer with its credibility. It uses
ethos by explicitly stating its origin is from an organization that fights the use of tobacco. The

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global organization, Action on Smoking and Health(ASH), created this anti-ad with the hope of
showing a different perspective on smoking deaths. The organization has been running for almost
50 years and has expanded as a global organization with headquarters in the USA and UK. It
accepts donations and uses them to fund anti-smoking programs. ASH has credibility due to its
running age and following population. The ad is entailed around the attacks on the World Trade
Center, therefore it stresses the value of life. Thousands of people dying in one day traumatized
the entire nation; thousands of people dying daily due to smoking should traumatize the entire
world. Viewer are meant to see this ad and value the life they have.
Furthermore, the anti-smoking ad uses some of the strategies that are depicted in the
Intensify/Downplay by Hugh Rank in order to grasp the readers attention. The
advertisements message is intensified by associating it with the tragedy of September 11. The
terror attacks of that day are linked to dark and uncomfortable emotions that lead to wounds of
the American people. By associating smoking to this day, all those horrifying feelings are now
linked to smoking; the negative views on smoking are now intensified. In addition, the
advertisement undergoes downplay through confusion. Instead of being a busy ad, this one is
very simple and straight forward, since its main message is that smoking kills all the words
explaining that are clear to read. There is nothing being hidden from the public, instead the
opposite is achieved when the majority of the ad is relatively clear and organized.
Every September 11th, since 2001, we remember the thousands deceased due to the terror
attack. Many people would do anything to prevent this great loss, if they had known it would
happen. This anti-smoking ad, uses pathos to grasp the sorrow from the attacks and connect it to
the act against smoking and utilizes logos to persuade the audience that we can prevent such loss
if the fight against smoking becomes just as important as terrorism.

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Works Cited
Rank, Hugh. Intensify/Downplay. Models for Writers: Short Essays for Composition. Edited
by Alfred F. Rosa and Paul A. Eschholz. 11th ed., 2012, pp.610-611.
History.com Staff. Reaction to 9/11. History.com, A&E Television Networks, 2010,
http://www.history.com/topics/reaction-to-9-11.
View Topic - Cigarette Sign Cluesforum.info. View Topic - Cigarette Sign Cluesforum.info,
http://cluesforum.info/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=193.
Macleod, Duncan. "ASH Twin Towers Smoking - The Inspiration Room." The Inspiration Room.
N.p., 15 June 2008. Web. 1 Dec. 2016.