To This Day By Shane Koyczan

To This Day is an animated video about the effects of bullying which is written and produced by Shane Koyczan. The approach that he uses for the video is spoken word poetry which involves rhyme, wordplay and intonation; all of which were evident in the video. The video is critiqued according to its content, influence, wordplay and creativity.

Shane Koyczan narrates the story from his own personal experience. He opts for telling the audience how bullying has affected his life, and two other people he knew from school. Although, the video lacks any valid information besides his first-hand encounter with bullying, Koyczan takes the opportunity to allow the audience to put themselves in the shoes of the victims of bullying. The viewers will be able to understand that insults are not just words but they can cause a great deal of pain for the time being and in the long run as well. He does not restrict his video to a specific target audience; not just bullies but to the victims too. Shane Koyczan offers advices, words of encouragement and reminders that they are more than just the nicknames they have
“And if you can’t see anything beautiful about yourself, get a better mirror, look a little closer, stare a little longer because there is something inside you that made you keep trying despite everyone who told you to quit.” The sentence had been etched in my mind since watching To This Day and has changed my view ever since. The sentence implies that I am not what is wrong with the reflection, rather the mirror is damaged or I am not looking close enough or long enough to see the real beauty. Koyczan suggests that even after being thrown to the ground over and over again had left me bruised, drained and on the brink of giving up, a part of me forced myself to keep trying because that part of me believed that I was capable of so much more. Koyczan is perceptive in pointing out that I am strong