Rhetorical Analysis On DOE Road Safety

Sweet Child O’ Mine

No one can say that they have never been in a rush to go somewhere. We all like to be on time and sometimes that results in speeding on the road. When drivers speed, they run the risk of endangering themselves and others. This public service announcement created by Northern Ireland’s DOE Road Safety department depicts the harsh reality of speeding as well as the consequences speeding causes. This ad uses fear to show the very real and horrifying consequences of speeding. The DOE employs a strong use of rhetoric in this PSA with an emphasis on Pathos. Using children as the victims in the video is a solid choice as it draws in a very large demographic. Whether you have a kid or not, it is extremely gruesome to see a child die. Let alone a whole classroom full.

This DOE road safety ad opens with a classroom of children putting on their coats and backpacks getting ready to go somewhere, this is where the use of Pathos begins. Using children as a focal point draws sympathy from the viewer. Most people are drawn to small cute things, like small animals or children. By casting school children as the victims in this ad, the DOE makes you concerned feel for them. It makes any viewer that has a child in their life, think about what could happen to their own child while they drive recklessly. The scene then focuses on one child who is playing with a toy blue car right before everyone is

The calm and soothing feel of this song enforces the use of Pathos. The song choice creates an emotional response by causing you to care for the children. The song begins to build up all the way up to the chorus when it stops abruptly. It is at this point that the car flips over the wall killing the children. The song then comes back in a moment before the narrator says “Shame on You.” Bringing the song back in at this moment enforces the guilt previously