viz.

Lucaites at No Caption Needed has posted an interesting analysis of the recent dustup between the U.S. and Iran in the Strait of Hormuz. According to Lucaites, the argument that the Bush administration has tried to make about the incident through the images—photos and video—released by the U.S., “relies upon two optics or visual logics, one drawing upon a Cold War consciousness and the other drawing upon the logic of the ‘suicide bomber.’ ”

The New York Times has posted a slideshow by Ward Sutton, “Reading Tea Leaves and Campaign Logos,” analyzing the posters and bumper stickers of presidential candidates.

I’m a big fan of Seth Stevenson’s advertising columns at Slate (he’s going on sabbatical and will be missed). On Monday he posted a new column, where he discusses readers’ submissions for the worst ads on TV. Like a therapist, Stevenson doesn’t so much agree with the contributors as he commiserates with the feelings of anger, betrayal, emptiness and loss directed at or prompted by these advertisements. One question that we can ask ourselves (and our students) is: Why do we care so much about ads? Take this McDonald’s ad for example:

Notes for the Instructor: This is a unit-long assignment, which asks the students to write first a short paper (300–500 words), in which they compare two images/objects/spaces and their respective messages, and then produce a long essay (4–5 pages), in which they incorporate the text they have already produced in the short paper, but make an argument about the rhetorical effectiveness of the two images/objects. In other words, in the short paper they discuss message alone; in the long paper they discuss both the message and its reception. The assignment involves doing extensive research into the respective culture/ideology, which produced the images/objects. Both the short and the long essay should contain a rhetorically crafted, comparative description of the images/objects, which should serve to set up the main argument, i.e., to make the reader more receptive to it.

Here are two sample arguments (quoted with the students’ permission):

Short Paper: “Two of the most well-known statues of King David were erected by Renaissance painters Michelangelo and Donatello. Both artists’ sculptures differ from previous representations of heroic figures in that their versions of David are depicted in the nude. However, these two artists’ figures differ in their characteristic representation of David’s victory: Donatello emphasizes its spiritual side, while Michelangelo expresses its power.”

Long Paper: “Designed twenty years apart, house X and house Y both claim to blend artificial, human creation with the natural landscape, in an attempt to appeal to homebuyers’ rising ecological awareness. However, while X spurred an entire trend in residential architecture, Y remains a lonely monument to its author’s efforts. Y’s rigid, museum-like aesthetic has proven unattractive compared to X’s accommodating, livable beauty.”

Assignment Description: Write a short comparison, which leads to the creation of a rhetorical analysis.

Category: Individual Project.

Goals: This assignment has several goals: a) to give the students the opportunity to realize that successful arguments about rhetorical effect can be quite complex and require much research, b) to give them a chance to revise and incorporate some of their own writing into longer pieces of text with different goals, c) to help them realize that no description or comparison is “neutral;” all descriptions/comparisons have a particular rhetorical goal and audience, and their language and selection of elements is important.

Short Essay

Choose two closely related images/objects, which are at least fifty years old and write a short essay (300–500 words), in which you make a comparative claim about their respective messages. In order to make a sustainable claim, you will need to research the historical and cultural context in which the images/objects first appeared.

Before you begin, consider again the following questions:

• What is the context in which the images/objects first appeared?
• What audiences were they meant for?
• How were they meant to be used/viewed/displayed?
• What is their message? Their goal?
• How do they strike you as a viewer?

Requirements:

• Your paper must have an arguable, strong comparative claim.
• The historical/cultural context of the two images must be expounded briefly – in no more than one paragraph for each image/object. Only choose to include that information which will help your argument.
• Your may have a “block” comparison or a “running” comparison – choose the strategy most appropriate for your argument. Your comparison must include a description of the images/objects crafted so as to set up your main argument and to make your reader more receptive to your claims. In other words, concentrate mostly on the elements which will help your argument.
• Your paper must contain sufficient visual analysis to support your claim.

Grading Criteria:

• Clarity, focus, and value of your central claim/argument
• Appropriateness of selected visual elements, their ordering, comparison, and interpretation in relation to main argument
• Use of visual terms and vocabulary
• Clarity and precision of language
• Correct syntax, grammar, and punctuation

Long Essay

Building on your short paper, write a long argumentative essay (4-5 pages), in which you make a comparative argument about the rhetorical effectiveness of two closely related images/objects. Your images/objects must be at least fifty years old. In order to make a sustainable claim, you will need to research the historical and cultural context in which the images/objects first appeared. You claim must involve the ideologies and messages of your images/objects as well as the reception of those messages.

Before you begin, consider again the following questions:

• What is the context in which the images/objects first appeared?
• What audiences were they meant for?
• How were they meant to be used/viewed/displayed?
• What is their message? Their goal?
• How effective were they in their own time and place? If you cannot find direct information on this question, take your best and most educated guess!

Requirements:

• Your paper must have an arguable, strong comparative claim.
• The historical/cultural context of the two images must be expounded briefly – in no more than one paragraph for each image/object. Only choose to include that information which will help your argument.
• Your paper must contain descriptions of the images/objects, appropriate for your argument and for the comparison you are making. The purpose of the description is to set up the subsequent argument and analysis.
• Your may have a “block” comparison or a “running” comparison – choose the strategy most appropriate for your argument.
• Your paper must contain sufficient visual analysis to support your claim.
• You must cite all sources you have used for your paper in a Works Cited sheet. Please use at least three academic or otherwise reputable sources. (Wikipedia will not do.)

Grading Criteria:

• Clarity, focus, and value of your central claim/argument
• Appropriateness of the descriptions and comparison in relation to main argument
• Appropriateness of selected visual elements and their ordering in relation to main argument
• Use of visual terms and vocabulary
• Clarity and precision of language
• Correct syntax, grammar, and punctuation
• Correct use of citation guidelines and formatting