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Visual Argument Paper

The visual argument analyzes a photograph of a young boy crying, with words like "fool" and "moron" forming a hand around his throat. The photograph's message is that one should consider how their words might affect others before speaking. While effective, the analysis suggests the message could be broader by showing verbal harassment of adults online. The document also discusses how creating visual arguments requires considering audience and message to effectively convey a claim.

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98 views3 pages

Visual Argument Paper

The visual argument analyzes a photograph of a young boy crying, with words like "fool" and "moron" forming a hand around his throat. The photograph's message is that one should consider how their words might affect others before speaking. While effective, the analysis suggests the message could be broader by showing verbal harassment of adults online. The document also discusses how creating visual arguments requires considering audience and message to effectively convey a claim.

Uploaded by

api-317386402
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Wa l ke r | 1

Roxanna Walker

February 6, 2017

RHET 1312

Professor Foster

Visual Argument Analysis

We live during a time where

technology is one of the main sources

for communication. However, the

effects of communicating through

technology can vary based on the user.

When we use social media, text

messaging, and even face-to-face

communication the things we say to

one another could possibly be taken

the wrong way or intended to hurt one anothers feelings. When we communicate through computer

screens under fake accounts, we tend to not care about how what we say to the person on the other end of

the screen might feel. We belittle them, call them out their names, use slurs, and a larger range of insulting

words to make a person feel their absolute worst. A visual arguments main purpose is to make a claim to

its audience, in an attempt to get viewers to adopt a certain position, perspective, belief, or point of view

on an issue. The photograph that I chose for this assignment makes a claim on being conscious of the

effects ones words have on others.

The visual argument I chose for this assignment is a photograph of a young boy crying with a

hand around his throat, but instead of an actual hand it is made from offensive words such as, Fool,

Moron, Punk, and a variety of other insulting words and phrases. In addition to that right next to the

boy is the sentence, Your words have power use them wisely. I think the designer deliberately made the
Wa l ke r | 2

choice to make the main subject, the boy, a young child crying, with certain words bolder and more

noticeable than others, along with the coloring of those words. The message they are trying to convey is

clear and distinctive: the effect words have on people when they are used to purposely offend should be

taken into consideration before they are spoken. Therefore, I believe they made the right choices about

wanting to get their message across to its intended audience, anyone and everyone who communicates

with one another and to those with younger siblings that might annoy them causing them to say words

that they might not mean. By using this young boy, depicting him as fragile, young, and crying the

designer is appealing to the audiences sympathetic emotions one might have towards someone they

might know making them more conscious of who and how they might affect the ones they love. The

designer of this argument wants its viewers to be conscious about their words regardless of who they are

talking to. Although the claim is clear, is it possible that the message could be clearer or target more

people? Is it possible that making the subject a young crying boy focuses too much on young children

instead of everyone -young, old, male, female, and those who identify as something else?

Although this is a photo of a boy crying with text edited in, I think its an acceptable medium for

the audience, however, I do believe that the same message could have been captured better in a real life

setting where he was being directly verbally harassed by someone. If the same message was presented

that way, then, a real life example of what it looks like to be verbally harassed would have been

demonstrated and could have resulted in a greater effect on its intended or possibly broader audience.

Since this is a generation of advanced technology, and its more common for a two-year-old to

successfully navigate a cellphone or computer, I would have changed the subjects to an adult offended at

an open computer screen that had the comment section of their personal photo visible with offensive

emojis and comments from random people. This argument is effective because, it raises the issue that

what we say to others have a greater effect than what we think to an audience who can relate to the

subject personally. Therefore we should be more careful about not only what we say to others but as well

as how we say those things. The photograph is pushing against verbal bullying, yet there are some who
Wa l ke r | 3

could perhaps counter that the issue isnt that how words are offensive, but instead we are too quick to be

offended by words; that the saying, Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt

me no longer stands true.

From this assigment, I have learned that you must think deeper than what is present, as discussed

in class, you have to look for and at the explicit and implicit arguments. This project has helped me pay

closer attention to who Im talking to and how I want to convey that message, not only when Im

speaking but as well as when Im writing. I must take into consideration my audience, my message or

claim, and how Im going to illustrate that claim in a successful way so that the intended audience

understands and connects with the illustration. Although it is important to have a thought-out argument

that I wish to discuss, if I dont have a targeted audience my efforts to shine light on an important issue

might get overlooked or simply ignored.

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