Abstract:
For our third assignment, we were tasked with creating a visual argument in response to a current social issue. We also created an essay to explain the purpose, analyze the rhetorical strategies and describe our visual argument. In addition, we found and analyzed a poem that relates to our visual argument and referenced it as a supporting factor in our essay. The argument I proposed concerned income inequality and how the treatment of those with lower incomes by those who are well-off is unfair and unkind. My visual argument was a hand drawn, cartoon-style picture. My intended audience included those who read and interact with political/social cartoons and those who read newspapers and articles. From this assignment, I learned how to create a thoroughly descriptive analysis of an image, and how to represent rhetorical devices through visuals.
Cover Letter:
Some of the most meaningful insights I have gained in this unit regarding language, writing and rhetoric include the ability to write a descriptive analysis about a physical subject and to analyze the rhetorical qualities of said subject. Rhetoric and argument most impacted my learning and writing practices in this unit. Argument was the focus for this visual project, and exploring how to convey a well-developed argument through visual art. Furthermore, rhetoric played into this, as well, for its use in creating symbolism in order for the audience to understand the visual argument more thoroughly. Some of the course learning outcomes that I have achieved in this unit include participating in collaborative and social aspects with my peers and engaging in genre analysis and multimodal composing to explore effective writing across disciplinary contexts. Through peer review and communication, I was able to develop my argument further, and provide a better descriptive analysis so that it was easier to understand. I was also able to help my peers in developing their visual arguments as well. This was also a great example of the exploration into a different way of writing, multimodal composition. Creating a visual argument, through use of rhetoric, that communicates using words, pictures, symbols etc., instead of only using language. My overall reaction to this assignment was a positive one. I enjoyed the exploration of a new medium of argument and writing and using alternative methods to demonstrate to my audience a topic with a deeper message.
Visual Argument Essay:
The poem I chose, Widening Income Inequality by Frederick Seidel, explores the role of a person of good financial standing and their social relationship to those who suffer from financial instability. People typically do not respond with kindness or compassion when they see someone begging for money. There is always the excuse of; they are lazy, they can work, they can, they can, they can. “It’s always possible to be amusing”, meaning they have the ability to amuse or entertain for money. Frederick contradicts himself via his use of his knowledge that the poor really are impoverished, versus his “rule” that he doesn’t give to beggars on the street. He goes on to state everything that he possesses that those living in poverty may not have; a hat, “sophisticated shoes”, buttered toast, working feet and legs. He addresses many of the concerns that people dealing with income inequality face regarding food insecurity, little to no health care, clothing. My visual argument acts as a response to this literary work, presenting a real-life experience that New Yorkers will witness, and how people of different incomes are treated and treat each other.
The purpose of my argument is to criticize the way that our society treats those who are less fortunate and how income inequality affects people. I am arguing that most of those who are well-off and wealthy treat people who live in poverty very poorly and without compassion. My intended audience would be anyone who reads political and economic cartoons, in newspapers or on billboards. My visual argument would target the middle and upper middle class, and those who are wary of the inequality between rich and poor. This genre is an editorial cartoon, focusing on economic crises. This seems the most appropriate genre because it is easy to read, and also mimics earlier political cartoons which are associated with commenting on societal issues, and problems that affect the general population. The visual argument will be published in popular newspapers that feature political cartoons like The New York Times or The Washington Post. These newspapers are accustomed to this genre of visual argument and already have a stable audience for it.
The image I made represents the juxtaposition between people of different income backgrounds. It is a scene taken from the everyday life of a New Yorker, walking on a city street. It is a landscape drawing in the perspective of an invisible third person, as the audience member, who is witness to the event. The drawing is done in graphite pencil. This is a one-point perspective image of a concrete sidewalk, taking up the left side of the page. There is a homeless man sitting on the corner, he is asking for spare change. He sits on cardboard and he is visibly physically impared and tired. He wears clothes that are worn out and carries with him a bag with his few belongings. There is a second man that passes by him dressed in name brand attire, i.e Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Nike, but his expression is not visible to us, for he is looking at the man who is sitting on the edge of the sidewalk.
There is text above his head, in a speech bubble, that references what the man says in a serifs Roboto Slab font, “He can get a job, he is just lazy.” Written underneath the scene is a quote, in Roboto Slab, taken from my chosen poem, Widening Income Inequality by Frederick Seidel that states “The poor are poorer than they ever were.” The overall color scheme of the image is very gray and gloomy, with muted colors and tones. This adds to the overarching, somewhat depressive theme of what it is like to be scolded for living in poverty and how people of higher incomes dismiss the wealth gap as something for the impoverished to deal with.
The most significant features of my visual argument are my use of color and the wording I used for the caption, which is a direct quote taken from my chosen poem, Widening Income Inequality. The overall color scheme of my visual argument is gray with a lot of muted tones. This is to provide for a gloomy, overcast feeling and to make my audience sad, because it is a sad topic. The caption for the visual argument is “The poor are poorer than they ever were.” This alludes to the poem I chase while also providing an interesting juxtaposition to what is happening in the actual visual. One of my subjects, who appears to be wealthy, says “He’s just lazy, he can get a job”, when he looks at my other subject, a homeless man. The use of text shows the disconnect between classes and the cruelty shown by those who are of higher income status, because they feel that they have the power to treat other people unkindly. Given my intended audience, these aspects are well-chosen. They are easy to identify and interpret, but they also carry a lot of meaning. My audience will be able to understand the use of color, and the overarching message of sadness that it connotes. The juxtaposition comments on our own blindness to the realities that people face. This is the rhetorical element that will push my visual argument further. It is a direct commentary on the society that we live in, which frowns upon the impoverished, and also exposes those of higher wealth for initiating and contributing to this belief system. In conclusion, in order to see this belief system dismantled, and a new social construct that inspires us to show compassion, we must be prepared to call out those who engage in this type of behavior and set the example that income inequality does not determine the kindness that people should be shown, it is character that determines that. We also must work to create a more equitable society, in which people do not have to suffer every day for having low income. It is up to those in positions of power to change these unfair and inhumane occurrences, and it is up to us as individuals to put honorable people in positions of power.
Revision:
The poem I chose, Widening Income Inequality by Frederick Seidel, explores the role of a person of good financial standing and their social relationship to those who suffer from financial instability. People typically do not respond with kindness or compassion when they see someone begging for money. There is always the excuse of; they are lazy, they can work, they can, they can, they can. “It’s always possible to be amusing”, this quote taken from the poem means that the beggars have the ability to amuse or entertain for money, so that they should work for their dollar. Frederick’s narrator contradicts himself via his use of his knowledge that the poor really are impoverished, versus his “rule” that he doesn’t give to beggars on the street. He goes on to state everything that he possesses that those living in poverty may not have; a hat, “sophisticated shoes”, buttered toast, working feet and legs. He addresses many of the concerns that people dealing with income inequality face regarding food insecurity, little to no health care, clothing. My visual argument acts as a response to this literary work, presenting a real-life experience that New Yorkers will witness, and how people of different incomes are treated and treat each other.
The purpose of my argument is to criticize the way that our society treats those who are less fortunate and how income inequality affects people. I am arguing that most of those who are well-off and wealthy treat people who live in poverty very poorly and without compassion. My intended audience would be anyone who reads political and economic cartoons, in newspapers or on billboards. My visual argument would target the middle and upper middle class, and those who are wary of the inequality between rich and poor. This genre is an editorial cartoon, focusing on economic crises. This seems the most appropriate genre because it is easy to read, and also mimics earlier political cartoons which are associated with commenting on societal issues, and problems that affect the general population. The visual argument will be published in popular newspapers that feature political cartoons like The New York Times or The Washington Post. These newspapers are accustomed to this genre of visual argument and already have a stable audience for it.
The image I made represents the juxtaposition between people of different income backgrounds. It is a scene taken from the everyday life of a New Yorker, walking on a city street. It is a landscape drawing in the perspective of an invisible third person, as the audience member, who is witness to the event. The drawing is done in graphite pencil. This is a one-point perspective image of a concrete sidewalk, taking up the left side of the page. There is a homeless man sitting on the corner, he is asking for spare change. He sits on cardboard and he is visibly physically impared and tired. He wears clothes that are worn out and carries with him a bag with his few belongings. There is a second man that passes by him dressed in name brand attire, i.e Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Nike, but his expression is not visible to us, for he is looking at the man who is sitting on the edge of the sidewalk.
There is text above his head, in a speech bubble, that references what the man says in a serifs Roboto Slab font, “He can get a job, he is just lazy.” Written underneath the scene is a quote, in Roboto Slab, taken from my chosen poem, Widening Income Inequality by Frederick Seidel that states “The poor are poorer than they ever were.” The overall color scheme of the image is very gray and gloomy, with muted colors and tones. This adds to the overarching, somewhat depressive theme of what it is like to be scolded for living in poverty and how people of higher incomes dismiss the wealth gap as something for the impoverished to deal with.
The most significant features of my visual argument are my use of color and the wording I used for the caption, which is a direct quote taken from my chosen poem, Widening Income Inequality. The overall color scheme of my visual argument is gray with a lot of muted tones. This is to provide for a gloomy, overcast feeling and to make my audience sad, because it is a sad topic. The caption for the visual argument is “The poor are poorer than they ever were.” This alludes to the poem I chase while also providing an interesting juxtaposition to what is happening in the actual visual. One of my subjects, who appears to be wealthy, says “He’s just lazy, he can get a job”, when he looks at my other subject, a homeless man. The use of text shows the disconnect between classes and the cruelty shown by those who are of higher income status, because they feel that they have the power to treat other people unkindly. Given my intended audience, these aspects are well-chosen. They are easy to identify and interpret, but they also carry a lot of meaning. My audience will be able to understand the use of color, and the overarching message of sadness that it connotes. The juxtaposition comments on our own blindness to the realities that people face. This is the rhetorical element that will push my visual argument further. It is a direct commentary on the society that we live in, which frowns upon the impoverished, and also exposes those of higher wealth for initiating and contributing to this belief system. In conclusion, in order to see this belief system dismantled, and a new social construct that inspires us to show compassion, we must be prepared to call out those who engage in this type of behavior and set the example that income inequality does not determine the kindness that people should be shown, it is character that determines that. We also must work to create a more equitable society, in which people do not have to suffer every day for having low income. It is up to those in positions of power to change these unfair and inhumane occurrences, and it is up to us as individuals to put honorable people in positions of power.
