The unnamed advertisement is made by the M​edical Foundation for the Care of Victims

of Torture​ in 1999 as part of a leaflet. The purpose of this advertisement is to raise awareness

about the effects and consequences of torture. The advertisement portrays Mr Ahmed as a

victim of torture, which is the main theme, to grab the attention of the reader, appeal to their

interests and desires, then encouraging and persuading them to take action.

Firstly, the advertisement grabs the attention of the reader. This is done by using the

focal point of the advertisement, which is the heading, which is bolded and has a bigger font

size compared to the rest of the advertisement, causing it to stand out. The heading is also at

the top of the advertisement, and naturally the reader would see the heading first. The heading

itself uses anaphora in the phrase “Imagine being the person..”, which immediately puts the

reader in the perspective of a torturer. In the first two lines, by putting the physical actions into

the reader’s mind, this allows the reader to personally understand the situation that is presented

in the advertisement itself. The third line, “Imagine being the person who stood by and did

nothing,'' uses pathos as a strategy, suggesting that the reader had the opportunity to prevent

torture but didn’t, which instills a sense of guilt into the reader. Additionally, emphasis is put on

the word “nothing” by putting it at the end of the sentence, amplifying the sense of guilt.

Furthermore, the heading uses words with negative diction such as “beat” and “forced”, which to

a reader could be provocative. These words are also placed before the subject, Mr Ahmed,

which gives the reader a perspective into the emotions of Mr Ahmed. The fact that the subject is

referred to as “Mr Ahmed” instead of his full name provides a sense of respect from the

company to the victim, which virtually communicates the company’s understanding of Mr

Ahmed’s problems. Overall, the attention is drawn to the heading by using pathos in the

heading.
 Secondly, the advertisement appeals to the interests of the reader. The bolded text

below the heading provides further context into Mr Ahmed’s story. Words with negative diction,

such as “severely injured” and “forced to leave” are used again to generate a sense of sympathy

in the reader. The last sentence of the bolded text, “[He] was forced to leave because he knew

he would have to face more.” foreshadows what would appear in the rest of the advertisement.

Additionally, the third, fourth, and fifth paragraph graphically describes the torture that Mr

Ahmed goes through, and also uses words with negative diction such as “excruciating”, “electric

shocks”, “forced”, and “threatened”. In comparison to the words in the heading and the bolded

text, the words used in these paragraphs have much harsher and more violent connotations.

Furthermore, the three paragraphs are intentionally detailed to reinforce the reader’s

visualization of the torture, with references to the first two lines of the heading. The last

sentence in the fourth paragraph, “It was also at Ouargla that troops would amuse themselves

by firing at him and only just missing.”, would generate a sense of anger in the reader, as it

directly references the troops as the main subject of the sentence rather than Mr Ahmed. This

would incentivize the reader to stop the troops. Overall, the second to fifth paragraph provides

further context to the heading and also generates interest to stop the torture in Ouargla.

Finally, the advertisement appeals to the readers’ desires and persuades the readers to

take action. In contrast to the words with negative diction before, the sixth paragraph uses

words with positive diction such as “escaped”, “help”, and “overcome”. However, the

advertisement still reminds us about Mr Ahmed’s problem by using the words “wounded,

traumatized and depressed.”, which causes the reader to feel sympathy and further pushes the

desire to help Mr Ahmed. The use of words with positive diction in this paragraph uses pathos
and provides a sense of relief for the reader, with the fact that their desire to help Mr Ahmed can

be fulfilled. The paragraph has multiple references to the Medical Foundation to persuade that

they are the solution and that they need the reader’s help. The emphasis on the Medical

Foundation is further promoted by the first line of the 6th paragraph: “Fifty refugees like Mr

Ahmed come to us every week”, which uses logos to suggest that they are a viable solution that

the reader should invest in and support. The last few lines of the advertisement is a call to

action for the reader with a big emphasis on the word “you” in the last sentence of the sixth

paragraph: “[We’re] counting on you not to stand by and abandon them.” This sentences puts

the reader before the company, and puts further importance on the call to action rather than

promoting the Medical Foundation itself. The use of the word abandon is also significant here,

as if the company is treating Mr Ahmed and other victims as the reader’s loved ones, which puts

further importance on the reader’s support. The last line of the advertisement, “Please fill out the

coupon now, and help give someone their future back.”, suggests that the future of victims like

Mr Ahmed are gone due to the torture that they experienced, but the reader can essentially

restore their future. The usage of the word ‘now’ also makes it seem urgent, and urges the

reader to donate as soon as possible. Overall, the desire and call to action is accomplished by

using positive diction in comparison to the negative diction to instill a sense of hope and remove

the sense of guilt and anger.

In conclusion, the Medical Foundation uses words with negative diction at the beginning

of the advertisement to guilt trip the readers into thinking that they have done nothing to stop

torture. On the other hand, the Medical Foundation also uses words with positive diction

towards the end of the advertisement to give hope to the readers, whilst also promoting

themselves as the solution to the problem.