"Smoking harms nearly every organ of the body and diminishes a person's overall health. Millions of Americans have health problems caused by smoking. Nicotine is a drug that is naturally present in the tobacco plant and is primarily responsible for a person's addiction to tobacco products, including cigarettes. The immediate health benefits of quitting smoking are substantial [and] people who quit smoking, regardless of their age, are less likely than those who continue to smoke to die from smoking-related illness" (NIH). The progression of time plays a large part in the effort to quit smoking, as shown in the image. Through the use of lighting, position, and symbolism, the passage of time can be related to the effects of smoking. 

The white and blank space surrounding the cigarette and man is clearly seen, as it takes up most of the image. There are a variety of shades of gray, and down the center there is a softly growing light when viewed from left to right. The darker gray area progresses into a bright light surrounded by small shades of light gray. As the image and lighting are looked at from left to right, it is viewed as the passage of time. As time passes, the dark gray fades away into the light at the end of the tunnel. The left, and darkest, part of the image appears closest to the butt end of the cigarette. This dark area being closest to the end of the cigarette that is smoked portrays the negative, dark aspects of smoking. "Smoking increases risk of macular degeneration, cataracts, and poor eyesight. Smoking lowers good cholesterol levels and raises blood pressure, which can result in stretching of the arteries and a buildup of bad cholesterol. Smoking also increases risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, larynx, and esophagus. Smokers have higher rates of kidney cancer and pancreatic cancer" (Pietrangelo). As the image and time progress, there is a small area of light above the cigarette that conveys that smoking feeling good at first, but the large amount of gray surrounding the small amount of light accounts for the mass amount of negatives surrounding cigarette smoking. Smoking "makes [one] feel more energized for a little while. As that effect subsides, [one] feels tired and craves more" (Pietrangelo). As more of the image and time progress, the light grows greater as the distance from the cigarette increases. This symbolizes a "light at the end of the tunnel" effect that shows that after enough time passes one can come to find the positives of quitting. "Quitting smoking reduces the risk of cancer and other diseases, such as heart disease and COPD, caused by smoking. People who quit smoking, regardless of their age, are less likely than those who continue to smoke to die from smoking-related illness" (NIH). The small amount of gray left surrounding the light at the end of the image shows that there are still leftover dark parts impacted by one's history of smoking.

The positioning of the cigarette and man allow for the progression of time to be seen in a sequential fashion. At first, smoking can be dark and harmful as shown in the first part of the image with the cigarette surrounded by almost all darkness. The cigarette being at the beginning allows for the viewer to see that the cigarette is the source of the problem. Moving further along the cigarette, there is figure of a man formed out of the ash that is struggling. This is representative of what smoking does to one's body. Just as ash is the direct physical outcome of smoking a cigarette, the man's body in anguish is the direct result of him smoking. Towards the end of the image, the cigarette is furthest away, and the light is the brightest. The distance from the cigarette is greatest at this point, and represents the passage of time sequentially. This shows that the further away from the cigarette one gets, more time has passed, and things will become brighter and better. If there were an extension of the image, one would expect to see more and brighter light as the distance and time continue to increase further away from the cigarette. As one views the image from left to right, it can be seen that the smoking can be an ominous path to go down, but if one has enough time away from smoking, things will get better.

Symbolism can be used to relate one object to another, and in this case, the pain and anguish caused by smoking and the positive effects of staying away from it. The man in anguish formed by the ash and smoke of the cigarette represents the negative effects of smoking on his body. The man is down on the ground struggling, lifting his hand as he tries to elude the harm of smoking the cigarette and step away from it. The closer his body is to the cigarette, the less there is of him. His legs are nonexistent, and his body builds up, as he is further and further away from the cigarette. This forming of the man as the distance increases can be seen as him reaching for the light. However, part of him is still stuck to the addiction to smoking. "Nicotine is a drug that is naturally present in the tobacco plant and is primarily responsible for a person's addiction to tobacco products, including cigarettes" (NIH). The man is clearly struggling to escape the addiction, his pain and the harmful effects of smoking. The tunnel of increasing light through the center of the image symbolizes the light at the end of the tunnel through the hardships of quitting for the suffering man. Although the man is in anguish and struggling to escape the cigarette, there is a light in quitting. The light is representative of all of the benefits that can come from quitting smoking. This light can only be reached with the progression of time and distance away from the cigarette.

The closer one gets to smoking, the more ominous the image becomes. Smoking causes one to struggle mightily, but with enough time, the light can be reached. Time is needed to be able to quit smoking, and the only way to quit is with the progression of time. The longer one goes without smoking, the better one's health. The light at the end of the tunnel can be acquired through the progression of time spent without smoking.
