Visual analysis.

Alexa Michelle Marquez

Rhetoric and composition I
October 10, 2015

MENTAL ILLNESS (Image A)

PHYSICAL ILLNESS (Image B)

The purpose of this paper is to compare two images that look the same but have
total different ideas, making the reader differentiate how much importance people give to
mental health illnesses. Mental illnesses are disorders that affect your mood, thinking, and
behavior. The author created this pathological images to give a message across. Image A and
Image B

are the transmitters of this message.

The artist of image A designed the image in order to give an example of how mentally
ill people are treated. The artist also gives symbolism to the help and attention this problem
receives, which for mental health illnesses is not much. Throughout the years, society has
underestimated mental health illness because it is not something that one can perceive easily. In
many cases, people are just classified as crazy individuals for this reason people do not give
nearly as much help to this cause than they do to those with other illnesses. This has caused
a major problem and conflict in peoples self-esteem, making mental illnesses something
everyone is afraid of treating. In this image it is demonstrated how people react to the problems
people have with mental illnesses.

The artist of image B designed the image in order to give an example of how much better
people treat individuals with physical illnesses, rather than those with mental health illnesses.
Image B also contains symbolism showing the much more attention given to this sickness. The
image demonstrates how much more people care about physical illnesses. Physical illness
receives much more help, medication, volunteering and donations than mental health. These
aspects

are the help that is mostly demanded in the mentally sick field.
Even though that the images are the same, they are quite different. Together they form an

impacting message. As one can see in image A the friend in the right is not giving any
importance to the friend in the left after she has shared her problem. In contrast, image B shows
the friend in the left very much concerned about the friends health in the left. The friend
in the right represents most of society. The girl in the left is the representation of the mentally
sick people who are thought to be crazy.
Both of these images give a representation of unjust and uneven treatment, even though
being in the same harmful and deadly circumstance. What this images transmit to the reader is
knowledge over this issue. What the reader must do is be active and in some way the reader
should be motivated into trying to make some difference over this matter.
In conclusion the artist succeeded in giving the message across by making the reader
aware of the unevenness of the attention and help received by both physical and mental health
illnesses. As stated before, society has become lightly comprehensive to the issue of mentally
ill people, giving little or no treatment at all to the so called crazy people. This images are
made to give awareness to people of how serious and deadly this sickness can be too many
people, for this deadly reason help must be given.

References.
"How People Treat Mental Illness Vs. How They Treat Physical Illness." BuzzFeed. N.p., n.d.
Web. 10 Oct. 2015.