The multimodal object I chose to focus on is an ABC Family television show called “Switched At Birth.” It's about two families who discover that their daughters aren't actually blood-related daughters because they were accidentally switched in the hospital when they were born. I believe the goal of the show was to teach viewers to be comfortable with who they are and not let anything stop you from doing what you want. Whether it was defending themselves or their loved ones, each character displayed a strong identity within the show. The identity of all the different characters and the different audiences that the show caters to is what forced me to believe that they have a strong focus on self-acceptance, morals, and determination. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay For any show to be successful it needs to focus on who its audience will be. Something I've noticed with Switched at Birth is that it not only captures the attention of a specific audience, but many others as well. The show's viewers are teenagers from a wide range of cultures including American, Hispanic, and even Deaf culture. The show connects to each culture individually and demonstrates the different aspects and difficulties that families can face and how to overcome them. The show appeals to teenagers likely between the ages of 15 and 19 because the main characters, Bay and Daphne, are both in that transitioning age range. from high school to university; it shows them going through problems that could happen to any teenager their age. The show had several episodes that impact each person's life, for example: girls choosing their first car, going to prom, and being part of school sports teams. Not only did it show important and exciting things that can happen in every teenager's life, but it also showed misfortunes and tragedies that can happen to anyone. An example of this would be the episodes where they showed a character being cyberbullied and another episode where Bay, the main character, was raped. This show is not just meant to entertain, but is informative about what people should do in real life situations, be they good or bad. At the end of those impactful episodes, the cast talked about how some people find themselves facing difficult situations but that, by making healthy choices, they always have a way to overcome them, learn to prevent them and move forward. Switched at birth is not just a teen drama; it also reached out to different cultures, including Hispanics and the deaf, not only by making both main characters deaf or Hispanic, but also showing different sides of each of their cultures. The show caters to the deaf community by including sign language and subtitles in every show and they even aired a completely silent episode in sign language with subtitles. Switched at birth teaches other people about deaf culture and how important it is to not only be aware that it is a serious culture, but also for the deaf community to be proud of who they are. One very important detail about deaf culture that Switched at birth taught me is when to capitalize the word “deaf.” When talking about Deaf culture in general, the “d” is lowercase, but when someone speaks proudly about the Deaf community and its impact, it is capitalized. One of the families who had to face the unfortunate event of changing their daughter to.
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