Semester 2, Blog 1, PSA on conflict diamonds

     On first glance, one can see that this image is a public service announcement for the effects that conflict diamonds have on the people who work so diligently to find them.  The image features a severed hand, wearing a large, diamond ring, one can infer that it is a wedding ring because it is styled as so and has been placed on the ring finger of the left hand.  The hand lies in the center of the image, only surrounded by a sea of white and a few small words written in black ink.  Because of the white background, the hand and text are able to stand out, and all of your attention is drawn to them. The hand is African and clearly has not been made this race on accident, conflict diamonds are more of a problem in Africa then in anywhere else in the world.  The hand has been severed and certainly not with a clean cut, indicating that it was a brutal incident, the positioning of the hand is also significant, the fingers are reaching out, almost like a cry for help or like they were trying to hold someone's hand, possibly their loved one.
     The text in this image is small, and placed strategically on the top and bottom of the page, making sure that it will not be missed.  On the top, the words "For every hand taken in marriage, another hand is taken away." are written in a fancy, cursive font, indicative of a wedding or regal occasion.  The use of the word "taken" is extremely significant, in the beginning of the sentence; it relates to being united with someone you care dearly about, and in the end of the sentence, it relates to losing something you care about dearly.  The bottom of the page features more text, this time in a more serious font.  The text informs the viewer about the problems associated with conflict diamonds and uses the catch phrase, "Beauty isn't worth death."  This small, but significant grouping of words is one of the most important parts of the whole image, it relates the picture to the text showing how no matter how gorgeous this diamond appears, it isn’t worth all the suffering this person will have to endure.  The text at the bottom of the page is also followed by a small logo, the one used for the organization that works to prevent the horrors that come with being forced to find and work with conflict diamonds.
     The image is meant to reach an audience of high class, wealthy, men and women.  Diamonds are a symbol of status, the more you own and wear, the richer you are, it's no secret.  This PSA aims to reach this audience, using the image to show the buyers and wearers of these diamonds that they have a terrible past, hoping that instead of throwing their money on new bling, they'll use it to support an organization such as this one.  They use the tactic of marriage and its relation to diamonds to reach the audience, showing how the diamond wedding ring you want to buy your loved one caused somebody else's loved one, a million miles away, to lose their hand, or worse, suffer death.  The purpose of this PSA is to bring awareness to the problems associated with conflict diamonds, to show how they have seeped into our lives and we must work together to stop it.  The image emotes a feeling of disgust and helplessness, showing how this person is suffering and it is up to us to help, it's persuasive in how it pairs something so gruesome with something so beautiful, relating a problem we mostly overlook with an item we have the pleasure of seeing everyday.