Did You Not See?

Rhetorical Analysis

Emaan Zahir

ENG393, Section

February 22nd, 2022

 If you knew something wrong was happening to someone you love, would you report it?

This is a question that rings in the heads of thousands of people who suspect that someone they

know and love may be suffering from domestic abuse. Domestic violence can occur to anyone

regardless of their age, nationality, race, gender, or sexual orientation, and can occur in various

forms such as mental, emotional, physical, or sexual abuse. Nearly 20 people per minute are

physically abused by an intimate partner in the United States and intimate partner violence

accounts for 15% of all violent crimes (NCADV, 2020.) Domestic violence is one of the biggest

contributors to crime and the cause of many mental health, reproductive, and physical issues. Not

only does it take a serious physical toll on an individual by causing a variety of problems such as

chronic pain, increased risk of stroke, heart disease, lung disease, and gynecological problems,

but it can cause mental issues such as depression and alcohol/substance abuse as well. In a

survey done by the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, they found that 1 in 4 women

and 1 in 9 men are a victim of sexual violence or stalking by an intimate partner (NCADV,

2020.) A lot of individuals feel that when their partner exhibits abusive tendencies towards them,

that it is coming from a place of love and care. In reality, it is just a manipulation and abuse

tactic used by their partner to control them. Most abusive relationships have some example of

abusive rhetoric taking place, usually through abusive tactics such as “gaslighting” which is

when one partner lies to undermine the other partners sanity, or through a method such as

“projection” which is when one partner places their own insecurities onto their partner to shift

the blame and avoid accountability.

The billboard in question displays a photo of an upset woman with a blackened eye, a

bloody nose, and a bleeding lip. Her face is covered in bruises and cuts, and she looks as if she

has been physically abused. The photo of the woman is displayed right in the center of the
billboard with bold text on both sides of her face, and the billboard is located in Canary Wharf,

London. The background of the billboard is a bright white, which is in stark contrast to the

boldened black text stating, “If you see it you can change it,” and “Don’t turn a blind eye.” The

blinding white background showcases the urgency of the message by making sure passersby

notice how bright the billboard is, and the black and white contrast emphasizes that it is

important the message is seen. On the bottom left of the billboard is a short message in pink

lettering about how to text the phone number given to donate to domestic abuse victims. On the

bottom right also in pink lettering is “women’s aid,” which is the name of the organization

responsible for putting up the billboard. The bottom quarter of the billboard is a collage of

various smiling faces with brackets around each individual, showing that domestic abuse isn’t

just at women and can affect all types of people. There are photos of both men and women, old

and young. The main photo of the woman is difficult to look at and is shocking as it showcases

the reality of domestic abuse to passersby. Billboards are found everywhere on the side of

highways and roads and are often ignored; however, a photo of a beaten woman is something

passersby might find difficult to overlook. The billboard is unique and the sharp contrast with

pink lettering contains a strong message: if you suspect someone might be getting abused, speak

up!

The billboard implements the rhetorical element of pathos by posting a photo of a beaten

and bloody women. In the photo, the women is clearly hurt and bleeding, and this is a clear

appeal to the emotions of anyone driving by. A photo of an injured women is bound to capture

people’s attention and open their eyes to the reality of individuals facing domestic abuse.

Unfortunately, people are often more willing to be sympathetic to women rather than men, even

though men also go through domestic abuse, so the decision to put a woman on the cover is
clearly hoping to garner the sympathy of passersby. When thinking of domestic violence, the

first thing that usually comes to mind is a husband abusing his wife or a boyfriend abusing his

girlfriend; however, the collage of photos of various victims at the bottom proves to be a harsh

contrast to that thought process. There is a young man and an old man who are domestic abuse

victims and who’s struggle matters just as much as the main woman on the billboard. The text

alongside her photo states that domestic abuse not only involves the individuals being abused,

but also those who become aware of it. The text appeals to the guilt and internal struggle people

feel when they realize that someone is being abused, and it begs them to help the hurt individual

by making the bold statement: “Don’t turn a blind eye.”

The billboard also employs the rhetorical device of ethos in an attempt to get passersby to

understand the gravity of the message by putting the name of the organization and instructions

about how to help on the bottom corners of the billboard. Oftentimes, people want to help

domestic abuse victims, but aren’t sure how to help or are unsure of whether or not they can trust

the organization claiming to help. The billboard is an example of ethos since it displays the name

of the organization on it, allowing passersby to look up the organization and make sure they are

donating to a real cause. The instructions on the billboard show the full process of how texting

the given number allows for an automatic 2 pounds to be donated to the domestic abuse victim

cause, which shows the passersby they are a reputable and trustworthy organization. The detailed

instructions and the name of the organization answers questions the audience may have

regarding reliability, as people are more willing to trust an organization once they know the

name of the organization they are donating to and how those donations work.

A rhetorical element that the billboard implements well is the audience themselves,

specifically by appealing to individuals who have seen abuse in their lives before. The billboard
showcases that no one is safe from domestic violence and that because it can affect anyone, it

could happen to anyone in the audience’s lives as well. Whether it’s their siblings, parents,

children, etc., domestic violence is an issue that plagues many families. The main photo of the

woman is bound to elicit a strong response from parents who worry it could be their daughter, or

brothers who worry for their sisters, or from children who worry that it could happen to their

mothers. The audience is forced to put themselves in the shoes of someone who experiences

domestic abuse or as someone who has to see someone they love going through this traumatic

process. Seeing a topic of this nature can be jarring, and the text on the side ponders the question:

“If it happened to someone in their life, WOULD they turn a blind eye? Would they report it?”

Another rhetorical device the billboard uses is epistrophe. Epistrophe is the repetition of a

word at the end of a sentence, in this case the word “it.” The text on the billboard says “if you

see IT, you can change IT.” The repetition of the word “it” suggests a pause between the two

sentences, emphasizing the way the first sentence plays into the second one. There is also a sense

of urgency in the pause, and the pause allows the audience to solidify the message into their

heads. Repetition at the end of sentences is common when there is a purpose or a message that

needs to be delivered to an audience, and allows for a rhythmic flow to a sentence. It strengthens

the message behind the phrase while also being easy to read.

A key rhetorical device used in the billboard is the dark and haunting tone implied by the

harsh color differences and the short and straight-to-the-point phrases. The attitude towards

domestic violence is apparent in the harsh imagery and emotion invoked in the hearts of viewers

who might have experienced something similar in their lives. The phrase “if you see it you can

change it” gives an inspiring and desperate tone, giving the feeling that whoever is suffering

from domestic violence is depending on those who are aware of it to be saved from it. It gives
the indication that without them, the person will continue to suffer. The tone in the phrase “don’t

turn a blind eye” is a little threatening and hopeless as it sounds as if the billboard is guilting the

individual for knowing about the abuse yet doing nothing to help the suffering individual. The

billboard does a good job in conveying the tone through the tone and the structure of the phrases.

In conclusion, the billboard showcases the rhetorical elements of pathos, ethos, audience,

epistrophe, and tone to affect the passersby driving by and elicit emotions that will encourage

them to help someone they suspect of going through domestic violence and abuse. The billboard

knows who its audience is and therefore uses a specific tone that is both desperate, threatening,

and inspiring in an attempt to force passersby to put themselves in the shoes of someone who is

being abused, forcing them to feel the same desperation that those who suffer feel. The ethos and

ethos shows the audience that the organization is legitimate and that it can be trusted. The pathos

appeals to the emotions of the audience, while the epistrophe emphasizes how importance it is to

speak out and help individuals who are suffering from domestic abuse. With this, the audience is

left wondering: if they knew or even suspected that someone was going through domestic abuse,

would they speak up and help that person? Or would they stay quiet and let it happen?
 Sources:

Brehaut, Kaitlin. “The Dangers of Domestic Violence and the Importance of Prevention.”

Institute for Health Policy Leadership, Loma Linda University Health Institute for Public

Health and Leadership, 1 Apr. 2019, ihpl.llu.edu/blog/dangers-domestic-violence-and-

importance-prevention.

“NCADV: National Coalition Against Domestic Violence.” The Nation's Leading Grassroots

Voice on Domestic Violence, www.ncadv.org/statistics.

Person. “Billboard Woman Heals When Passersby Notice Domestic Violence.” ABC7 San

Francisco, KGO-TV, 8 Mar. 2015, abc7news.com/interactive-ad-billboard-international-

womens-day-domestic-violence/547246/.

Couch, Robbie. “Bruised Woman on Billboard Heals When People Look at Her, Reminds

Passersby of Dangers of Ignoring Abuse.” HuffPost, HuffPost, 7 Dec. 2017,

www.huffpost.com/entry/domestic-violence-billboard_n_6833680.

Schmitz, Melanie. “This Billboard ‘Heals’ Domestic Violence Victim's Bruised Face as Passers-

by Take Notice.” Bustle, Bustle, 5 Mar. 2015, www.bustle.com/articles/68179-this-

billboard-heals-domestic-violence-victims-bruised-face-as-passers-by-take-notice.