ENGLISH 103

VISUAL RHETORIC ASSIGNMENT

In order to exhibit your proficiency in rhetorical analysis and argument, you

are to develop an essay that examines a visual text, specifically a cartoon or
advertisement. The aim of your paper is to construct and support a well-
crafted, persuasive thesis statement that discusses how your image itself is
using rhetoric to make an argument. In other words, your paper’s argument
is your interpretation of a visual text, and your evidence is the text’s use of
visual rhetoric. This includes the image’s use of color, composition,
symbolism, language, characterization, and etcetera. Whatever guided you
to your interpretation of the image is your supporting evidence. Finally, use
the rhetorical appeals by name when you feel they are relevant or necessary
in your paper. Think critically about how logos, pathos, ethos, and kairos
might function in your image.

Your essay should be formatted according to MLA guidelines (located in your

DK handbook), include a Works Cited page, and be approximately 1500
words (6 full-length double-spaced pages). You should include your image
somewhere towards the beginning of your essay with a caption that includes
the author, title, and any other relevant information pertaining to the text.

This assignment is worth 20% of your final grade and consists of the
following parts:
• Thesis statement, due September 01, 2010
• First draft, due September 06, 2010
• Final draft, due September 13, 2010

*Hardcopies of your work are required during the first five minutes of class
on each of the respective due dates. They are also to be turned in on MCL.

You are required to visit the Writing Center a minimum of one time.
If you are unsure of what type of help you may need with your writing,
contact me for a referral form as early as possible. Remember to take your
books, this assignment sheet, and any notes or writing about your
assignment with you to your session.

Thesis statement assignment: For this assignment, you must complete

the thesis exercise on pp. 22-23 of Envision in Depth. I want to see each step
of this exercise and not solely your working thesis. Please include a copy of
your image with your thesis statement. When you turn this in via MCL you
should additionally reflect on your writing process thus far, including
difficulties or successes you experienced while formulating your working
thesis. You do not need to give me a hardcopy of your reflection.
You must complete the thesis statement and first draft for your final draft to
be read and graded by me. This is non-negotiable. No late work will be
accepted so get started early. Any questions should be asked during class,
during my office hours, or e-mailed to me as early as possible.
DO:
• Construct an attention-grabbing title. Many scholars like to use the
standard format of following an interesting turn of phrase with a more
literal description of their paper’s focus. For example: “‘He did not look
like a baby at all’: Seeking the Supernatural in Doris Lessing’s The Fifth
Child”
• Construct a clear thesis statement that works as an outline for
the rest of your paper. Then revise it. And then revise it again. A
thesis statement is not merely an opinion. Instead, it is an arguable claim
that you promise to support with evidence. Your thesis becomes
meaningless if you promise the reader one thing and then veer into
another direction during the body of your paper. Always revise your thesis
as the direction of your paper changes or grows in unexpected ways.
• Ask yourself “so what?” in the conclusion. Why is what you are
arguing important? Why should this matter to your reader? Remember
that your conclusion is not just a re-worded form of your introduction.
Instead, your conclusion should consist of a short recap of your thesis and
then an answer to the “so what?” question. While it can be useful to bring
up new ideas or perspectives in your conclusion, do not open a can of
worms that cannot be settled in a few sentences. This is the last thing
your audience reads so end your paper strongly.
• Remember that each paragraph of your paper represents one
idea and your supporting evidence for that idea. If you have too
many or even competing ideas in one paragraph, you lose your reader. I
suggest creating an outline, even if it is scant, before beginning your first
draft. This enables you to figure out just how many ideas you actually
have concerning your image, choose your strongest points, and play
around with what order you want to present them in.
• Print your image in color if your argument discusses color at any
point.

DON’T:
• Get sidetracked by your own opinion. If your cartoon or image
focuses on abortion don’t get bogged down by your personal opinion on
the issue. This is a good way to lose readers who may not agree with your
political perspective. Instead, discuss how the image is making an
argument about abortion through its specific visual components.
• Focus on what the image is arguing. Just like getting sidetracked by
your personal opinion, focusing on the image’s argument rather than how
the image argues is fatal to this specific assignment. The point of the
assignment is not the argument of the image itself, but proving that you
can analyze and interpret the image’s argument based on your
knowledge of rhetoric.
• Fallaciously believe that a small sample of people equals an
entire group of people. Just because I like the color green doesn’t
mean all white/American women/instructors also like the color green.
People are much more complex than such generalizations suggest. Vast
generalizations of this sort are not only irritating to readers who know
better, but dangerous to your credibility as a writer.