TO WRITE LOVE ON HER ARMS

By: Brian Hodges

Background Information

• This picture was created by Ian Williams for TWLOHA.

• To Write Love on Her Arms is a non-profit movement dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury and suicide. TWLOHA exists to encourage, inform, inspire and also to invest directly into treatment and recovery. This picture was created to promote their vision.

“You were created to love and be loved.  You were meant to live life in relationship with other people, to know and be known. You need to know that your story is important and that you're part of a bigger story.  You need to know that your life matters. Rescue is possible” - TWLOHA

What is the purpose of this image?

• The purpose of this image is to promote suicide awareness. The purpose is to encourage better endings and the restoration of broken families and broken relationships.  The purpose is people finding life, finding freedom, finding love. The vision is graduation, a Super Bowl, a wedding, a child, a sunrise. The vision is people becoming incredible parents, people breaking cycles, making change.  

What do you notice in the background?

• In the background, there are several different statistics like “Over 121 million people worldwide suffer from depression”, “18 million cases occur in the United States”. Also, all of the letters are capital, thus bringing more attention to the statistics. 

Who is the audience?

• The audience is anyone suffering from depression, thoughts of suicide or addiction.

What if you removed the background?

• This would become just a promotion. It would do nothing more than just promote the organization. It leaves out all of the statistics such as “One life is lost to suicide every 40 seconds.”

Ethos, or Ethical appeal?

• This picture was created by the organization “TWLOHA”. They have been mentioned by several press organizations such as The New York Times, NBC Nightly News, and CNN.

Pathos, or Emotional appeal?

• You should feel sorry for the people that have to suffer with depression every single day, and remorse for the thousands that couldn’t hold out long enough to get help.

Logos, or Logical appeal?

• It seems logical that you would want help to not be depressed anymore, but some people just can’t find that path.

Works Cited

Williams, Ian. School by Ricochet92 on DeviantART. N.p., 1 Mar. 2011. Web. 06 Nov. 2012. <http://ricochet92.deviantart.com/gallery/25721191>

Tworkowski, Jamie. "To Write Love on Her Arms Vision." To Write Love on Her Arms Vision. TWLOHA, Spring 2006. Web. 06 Nov. 2012. <http://www.twloha.com/vision/>.