America’s Hidden Shame: Child Hunger

Broken down and tired? Feeling alone and scared? Those are the emotions of every little boy or girl that faces hunger in America. The Feeding America website explicitly states, “72% of households live at or below the federal poverty level with a median annual household income of $9,175.” This suggests that a vast number of children in the US today still wonder when their next meal will be. The despairing truth is that child hunger is still ongoing; this is a growing epidemic problem with over 41 million Americans struggling to survive. Child hunger is still a prevalent issue that impacts the nation.
The photograph below was publicized by the PEACE Fund Radio to spread awareness of child hunger by appealing to the audience’s logic through statistics and their emotions through the visible despair in the child’s eye.
Child hunger is not the type of hunger where one craves a chocolate bar or a bag of chips; it is when a child suffers from malnutrition due to lack of proper nourishment and inadequate food intake. This dilemma is restraining the future generation from fulfilling their potential. The photograph was to garner the public’s attention and to raise awareness about child hunger. The PEACE Fund posted this picture to spur action, raise funds to aid children, and eliminate child hunger. The intent was to garner awareness and put an end to child hunger. This picture was posted to grab the attention of the public- mainly the government, non-profit organizations, and adults with bonds to children, such as teachers, parents, and doctors. These target audiences are the ones mostly capable of aiding children. The government and the non-profit organizations hold access to a number of resources that can directly aid children and provide them with meals. In addition, parents and teachers who retain an emotional bond with children provide them with emotional support.
The picture posted on the PEACE Fund Radio of a little girl staring at an empty plate speaks a thousand words. The innocent child in the photograph strikes an emotional cord within the audience with her depressed and gloomy looks as she stares at the plate wishing to have something to eat. Even though she is dismal for not having a plate of food to eat, her modestly downcast eyes could have a bigger impact on her perspective of life in the long run. Living such an impoverished lifestyle could result in major illnesses that can end her life due to malnutrition. Harry Truman, a former president of the United States stated, “a nation is only as healthy as its children” (The PEACE Fund). It is a matter of sense to provide our children with sufficient nutrition to grant this country a flourishing economy
The picture below was posted and advertised by the PEACE Fund Radio, a weekly radio show that was founded in 1997, to "Protect, Educate, and Aid Children Everywhere" (Stuart Mitchel). This show aims to shed light on child hunger and spread awareness by promoting an active networking stage for charities and donations. The PEACE Fund ranks among the top trusted sources as their show is aired live to millions of Americans nationwide. This appeals to the audience sense of credibility, as it is a mean of convincing the radio station of being trusted to avoid fake news, false fundraisers, and gain the trust of listeners that it attracts for a better cause and a better tomorrow.   
It is significant to take into consideration the rhetorical techniques that are applied in a photograph, since they impose a great impact on how the audience perceive the the message that is being delivered. In the picture beneath, the PEACE Fund considered utilizing couple techniques to appeal to the audience’s perception about child hunger. The focal point in this image is represented by the baby’s face, since it is the most prominent feature in the photo. Even though there is a plate in front of her, the photographer ensure the audience’s eyes fall on her despondant face. The utilization of white and black as the background color in the photograph imposes a great imapct on the audience’s mood. These colors are often associtiated with gloominess and sorrow. The lack of vivid and lively colors suggest that she is in a hopeless situation. Another rhetorical charactaristic presented in the image is that it is a close-up shot. Such a technique provides the audience with a better view of the kid’s sorrowful emotions as she stares at the plate with her glazed-over eyes. The close-up is aligned to the right, which makes the text equally as focused on as the her face. This piece of fact offers the audience with an insight about the epidemic of child hunger. The image appears to be taken in a kitchen at a house. Home often refers to one’s secure and safe environment where one seeks comfort, stability, and peace of mind. However, in this innocent child’s face, home doesn’t differ from any other place, since she still lacks her basic necessity.
Child hunger has been an issue for many years in American history, resulting in many families going hungry due to the lack of income. This picture creates a great logical argument through the demonstrated statistics presented at the bottom of the picture to alarm the viewers about this epidemic. The picture reads, “1 in 6 people, 1 in 5 children, 50 million Americans.” These statistics clearly portray that many families are unable to provide enough money in order to feed themselves, thus disabling American households from feeding their children and causing child hunger. 
Child hunger is a significant issue that needs to be ended. The PEACE Fund’s post reinforces the notion child hunger is still an ongoing problem that is affecting our children. This photograph heavily relies on the audience’s sympathy, and makes an effort to call them to action. They are aiming to spread awareness and raise more funds to support their cause. The intent of the visual characteristics is to appeal to the audience’s logic, credibility, and compassion, hoping to spur a reaction.

https://s3.amazonaws.com/peacefund-assets/images/pfr-header-images/_pfrRadioEpisodeHeader/2-22-2017-Hunger.jpg


Work Cited

“Hunger and Poverty Facts.” Feeding America, www.feedingamerica.org/hunger-in-america/hunger-and-poverty-facts.html?referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F.

Mitchell, Stuart. “Peace Fund Radio looks to highlight childrens issues.” Ethical Marketing News, 11 Apr. 2017, ethicalmarketingnews.com/peace-fund-radio.

“The PEACE Fund.” The PEACE Fund, radio.thepeacefund.org/.

“PEACE Fund Radio.” The PEACE Fund, radio.thepeacefund.org/who-we-are.

S3.amazonaws.com/peacefund-assets/images/pfr-header-images/_pfrRadioEpisodeHeader/2-22-2017-Hunger.jpg. (The image)

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