Visual Argument: Cycle of Domestic Violence

The claim of my visual argument is that one act of domestic violence can have a domino effect causing other acts of domestic violence that have an indefinite end.  I used a celebrity example ofChris Brown (R&B singer, dancer, and actor) to exemplify my claim.  In doing so I tried to evoke sentiments of disgust from viewers by showing the results of Chris Brown’s domestic violence acts in contrast to his apologies, and ultimately relating this entire situation back to its starting point.

            The prezi begins with a picture of Chris Brown as a little kid and a following image of Chris Brown’s abused mom.  Chris looks so happy and innocent, but his mom looks completely distraught.  The juxtaposed tone of these two images causes one to feel disgust towards the person (Donelle Hawkins Chris’s stepfather) who would make a young child witness such a bestial act which imposes upon the innocence of a child.  The images also create sympathy for Chris’s mother Joyce Hawkins because she endured lots of vicious acts against her.  Viewers assume that Chris must have been affected by this family turmoil in some way.  This assumption may cause them to feel a bit sympathetic towards Chris for having a troubled childhood.  These feelings of sympathy set the stage for the next few pictures.

            Next we see a photo that represents the meeting of Chris and pop singer Rihanna.  The two got into a relationship that boosted both of their careers.  However, on February 9, 2009 Chris was arrested and charged with being domestically violent after his girlfriend called the cops saying Chris had beaten her.  The next photo shows Rihanna’s battered face.  Viewers are disgusted and may remember the fear of Chris that Rihanna expressed.  Most people believe that under no circumstance is it permissible for a man to hit a woman and by no means should he go a step further by beating her causing multiple wounds.  The sympathy now shifts from Chris to Rihanna because she is originally in the same situation that Joyce was in. 

            Then viewers see the image of Chris and his mom on the Larry King show.  He went onto this show to make a national apology for his actions, but also revealed to the public that he witnessed his mom being abused by his stepfather various times throughout his childhood.  Viewers can see that Chris’s actions are due to a deep seeded stigma planted by the atrocities he witnessed at a young age. Once reminded of this viewers give sympathy back to Chris and place the blame for these acts and their disgust on Chris’s stepdad.

            After the release of Chris’s current album, Fame, which is the next picture, the buzz about his abuse of Rihanna resurfaced on his recent appearance on Good Morning America.  Chris got so irritated and angry that he picked up a chair and threw it at the window.  The picture shows the broken window that reports say actually sent shards of glass flying into the streets.  After seeing this image, viewers are once again upset with Chris.  Why did he do that?  Didn’t he learn his lesson the first time?  Why didn’t the anger management classes help?  But Chris made a televised apology on BET the following week, which is the next image viewers see, where once again the issue of his abusive stepfather came up.  This makes some viewers even more heated after seeing this image because they do not believe that Chris is truly sorry, though he keeps apologizing.
     The last image shows Chris at the Teen Nickelodeon Awards with his little brothers and a few adoring fans; all under the age of ten.  These little boys are idolizing someone who seems unable to control his anger and acts out in bursts of domestic violence.  What type of message are these children receiving?  If the trauma of seeing his mom abused is enough to set Chris down a violent path, then who's to say children, fans of Chris Brown, will not undergo the same trauma from seeing their idol arrested on public television for beating his girlfriend? 
     The cycle of domestic violence only takes one act to begin a chain reaction of subsequent violent acts.  Parents must censure their kids interactions to guard them from becoming a part of this ongoing cycle.  In this specific example, that might mean prohibitting children from supporting Chris Brown or explaining what happened to make sure the children know that Chris's actions were inappropriate.
ezi: Chris Brown; One Act.  No End.