Driving the Highway for Destruction

As more incidents of fatal motor accidents flood in and the death road toll of young people slowly increases, media moguls, concerned youths and the general community alike have expressed discontent to such reckless behaviour. In an imploring opinion piece, titled “Driving the Highway from Destruction!” (Place of publication: Ednews, Date: unknown), an astute student, Elly heart denounces such misconceptions imposed upon young people and vehemently argues for the change in public perceptions and values. In addition to this, with the two large images embedded in her article, the opinion piece suggests a clear contention: that all drivers, both young and experienced, should take greater care in ensuring our safety on the roads.

Instantly shocking readers with a large bolded title reading “Driving the Highway from Destruction!”, Hart claims that there is indeed a growing trend of unsafety on our roads. By using the word “destruction!” with the commanding exclamation mark, the writer not only draws our attention to extract a sense of immediacy, but more importantly it implies an apocalyptic image which is indeed, responsible for the “road deaths among young drivers”. By affirming that she, “like many other drivers”, have become cognisant of such a contentious issue, the writer unintentionally implores readers to step up and join her as she places herself and her stance on the issue on a higher moral ground. Complementing this idea is also the centered graphic. Depicting hazardous signs which are all too common to drivers, the image attempts to evoke a sense of responsibility in viewers. Portraying an array of safety signs, the triangular warning of pedestrians in similarity with the octagonal sign commanding for drivers to “STOP” invokes in readers an obligation to take greater care when driving. Furthermore the use of the image is then augmented further, as by placing the cumbersome image in the middle of her article, the writer suggests that these signs cannot be