Emily Rimmasch

Trelease

English 1010

3 October 2019

Think Before You Send

It is a strange thought that one simple action can change the course of your life in

a single second. One of these simple actions that can turn into a dangerous situation is

texting and driving. In an image portraying a texting and driving incident, we learn that

there are tragic consequences for even sending a text to someone who is driving. The

artist shows this by emphasizing the diagonal lines of chaos, the wide chasm between

foreground and background, and the intense use of colors. These artistic elements

specifically stress the artist’s cautionary message to influence people to not text others

while driving.

One of the most prominent elements in this image is the use of lines. The

direction of all the objects in the image are very important and help to portray the mood

or attitude. Most of the lines in this particular piece are diagonal which represent stress.

The woman’s face in the image is diagonal, along with the spray of blood, her

cell-phone, and her arm with the henna tattoo. Knowing that these lines represent

stress, we are able to better understand how chaotic this image really is. From the

woman’s face and diagonal direction we see her reaction and how distressed she really

is. We also see all of her facial features turned as she actively is trying to avoid the

blood. The spray of blood creates a complex web of lines emphasizing the chaos of the
situation even more. The kitchen behind the woman shows much more simple lines in

contrast to the confusion up front. The kitchen has many horizontal lines which show

calmness. This helps convey how her life was prior to the accident, simple and

easy-going.

Continuing on with the idea of the kitchen in comparison with the woman up front,

background and foreground play an important role in conveying the message of the

image. The foreground of the image shows the woman in distress as she is sprayed in

blood from the phone that she has just used to text her husband. We can infer that they

are newlyweds because of the Indian traditional wedding henna on her hand. The

foreground of the image must be what the artist intended the focal point to be, because

it stands out the most with the different usage of bold colors, unusual lines, and clarity of

the image. The foreground of the image shows the chaos and danger of the situation,

while the background of the image gives off a complete opposite vibe. In the

background, we see the clean and simple kitchen where the woman was most likely

preparing a meal for her husband and herself. The cabinet is open and there is a pot on

the stove; showing that prior to the accident, the woman was just doing everyday things,

unaware of what was about to happen. With the direct contrast of background and

foreground we are able to pick up on so many details that are not initially realized in the

image.

Another element that is portrayed in this image is dramatic color. Of course the

red blood is the first thing that we see when we glance at the image. The blood is

exploding from the phone where the woman has just sent a text to her husband. It is
then sprayed all over the woman to show that the blood of his accident is on her. Red is

a very emotionally intense color that is used to represent danger. In this case the red is

the actual blood and most definitely portrays the danger of the situation. There is also

another drastic color that is used heavily in this piece which is the color white. The

background of the entire kitchen is all bright and white along with the actual woman who

is wearing white and has fair colored skin. This is a significant contrast to the red,

because white represents purity, cleanliness, goodness, and innocence. This helps us

get a sense that the creator of the image wants to show us that the accident is

destroying the couple’s happy life. The two colors have completely opposite meanings,

showing how fast an accident like this can happen and ruin a simple yet good life.

In conclusion, we learn the danger of distracting others while driving through the

artist’s use of diagonal lines for chaos, a wide chasm between foreground and

background, and the intense usage of colors. The artist specifically chose to emphasize

these elements to portray their message of how we must be aware when sending texts

to be cautious of those who are receiving. The artist has created a powerful image to

hopefully leave an impact on those who view it to do better. The creator wants us to not

only avoid texting and driving, but to also be mindful of sending texts to those who are

driving. It is through this image that we can have the hope to avoid car crashes due to

texting.
 Works Cited

Dropitanddrive.com,​ dropitanddrive.com/. Accessed 21 Sept. 2017.