Visual Rhetoric

 I chose this picture because I have a lot of investment in this subject. In the last three months of my life drunk driving has been more real to me than the last seventeen years I’ve been alive. On November 4, 2011 I lost a really great friend due to some bad choices. The driver of the car was intoxicated when my best friend from elementary school, middle school, and most of high school was ejected onto the pavement. Her life was abruptly taken away from her because of an ignorant driver who thought he was invincible. I think this situation occurs way too often. Too many people think that they have not had “that many.” They get behind the wheel of a car and harm others’ lives. These people do not understand how many people they are putting in danger. They do not even realize they are putting themselves in danger. This ad shows just how devastating a drunk driving wreck can really be. The wreck brings devastation to many people. In our case, it brought mourning to the whole town. Jaela was a legend, and everyone knew her. She made friends with everyone so this person hurt many more people than himself. The ad that I chose wasn’t nice about the topic. The photographer was obviously trying to get everyone’s attention. It sure did work for me. It brings out how really stupid someone can be. I am tired of some people not taking this as seriously as it is. It is not just ignorant. It is not just careless. It is heartless. If you can intoxicate yourself and drive out on the public streets then you are showing just how selfish you are. I have a strong opinion about this because I have recently had to experience heartbreak and look into the eyes of the heartbroken parents that had to bury their daughter too soon.  This ad is definitely harsh, but I think that it does its job when it comes to getting a point across. I do not think you should take drunk driving lightly and this advertisement shows that some people agree with me. When it comes to driving under the influence you should not be worried about offending anyone. Your life is at stake every day because of the “idiots” that decide they can operate such a machine even if their body or mind is not in the right place.

Thesis: In response to the death of many, this advertisement creates some sort of emotional release for those of us who fear sharing the roads with ignorant, self-consumed drunk drivers who decide to put many lives at risk.

Personal Photo Analysis

This picture does not use a celebrity, but it does use many kinds of rhetorical situations. The kairos of the picture displays that this picture is taken recently. Kairos uses time to influence the audience or appeal to the audience. In this picture I was actually advertising jewelry. You can tell that the bright colors bring out the pink necklace and bracelet, but the darkness of the guitar also draws attention to the jewelry. The bright colors flash when compared to the shade of this guitar. This photo also uses logical appeal. The blue feather in my hair symbolizes a sense of innocence, but also portrays the trend of the feather. This was a quick fad, but a popular one in my hometown. If this were an advertisement it would have definitely appealed to young people because of the trends, colors, objects, and essence of the photo. This photo is also using pathos to appeal to your emotions. If it were an advertisement it would make some feel that wearing this jewelry is somewhat connected with inner beauty and talent. Some would be drawn to this picture just because of the guitar and their experience or love for music. Their enthusiasm for music or playing an instrument would draw them in.  These days there are many who enjoy listening to music and consider it a huge part of their lives. The irony about this picture is that I do not play guitar at all. I actually consider myself pretty tone deaf. This shows just how easy it is for advertisements to trick you or persuade you. By just the right placement of the guitar, my fingers, and the pick, you might have assumed playing the guitar was a profession of mine. This just adds character to the picture and catches the audience’s attention. The picture uses process to demonstrate the way this jewelry is used. The only thing this photo needs is a logo. Logos appeal to reason attempt to persuade the audience through clear reasoning and philosophy. The “advertisement” allows you to make your own assumptions and create your own ideas about it. It is also not very clear, without a logo, what exactly we are trying to sell. There are no statistics, facts or definitions, but it still has many positive rhetorical attributes. This picture is not truly intended to persuade anyone to do anything or buy anything, but with all the aspects of rhetorical appeal, it could very well be used for such.

Rhetorical Text

This weekend I went back to my hometown for a little visit. My hometown is Williamston, so it is only about thirty minutes from where I stay, here at Clemson University. As I visited an old friend I noticed college applications on her desk in her room. Many read, “We are glad to have you aboard,” “We can’t wait to have you here,” “You will be more than pleased with our music program here,” “If you choose to attend it will be the best four years of your life.”  My old high school was having their annual “Miss Palmetto Pageant” and I had friends competing for the title. As I walked into the school there were photos of each contestant. The lady at the ticket booth handed each one of us a brochure for the pageant, presenting each young lady in their best light. We held up “Go Lauren” posters to encourage our best friend and motivate the crowd to cheer her on. Each determined contestant fought for the judges’ vote as they gave a speech, walked down the runway in their best attire, and performed their talent for everyone. On my way back to Clemson that night I saw billboards and even gas station signs promoting their best prices. Another rhetorical text I noticed was a church sign that read, “God can make all things new-even you.” This sign encourages people think about God in their New Year’s Resolutions. As I arrived back to my apartment a few of my friends were playing the X box. We decided to turn it off and watch something we all liked, so we turned the channel to MTV. In between all the drama and fights there were persuasive commercials. A commercial promoting sobriety involving a teen under the influence showed before us. She was vomiting all her hopes, dreams, friends, and family, into the toilet. This came on a teen channel to show teens that getting “wasted” was wasting away their life and future. Finally, I was beyond tired from my long weekend at home so I made my way to my bedroom in my apartment. I looked at my bulletin board as I climbed into the bed and saw my Clemson calendar showing me all the exciting events going on in the next couple of weeks. My weekend was full of rhetorical texts. I never realized how persuasive our world is today until I watched my daily routine consistently.

Spring 2012

My first week back at Clemson has been hectic. I enjoyed my first semester at Clemson, but I am hoping that this semester will be much better. I have a different outlook on college now, as opposed to August of last year. I am learning every single day. I am learning how to be a better student, friend, and roommate. Being out on my own has made me independent and thankful for what I have been given. I knew my first week back would be busy, but it is nothing compared to my first week of my first semester. I am getting the hang of things little by little. My schedule is not so bad, but I would like to sleep in a day or two. I have early classes every day, but I do have more time in the afternoon. I love my new teachers. Each of them have great personalities and are very funny. I am anxious to interact with my new teachers and classmates. I love meeting new people and learning new things about them. Change has always been a bit scary for me, but I am trying to cope with all of the new people and schedules as I advance in my college career. I am excited about my English 103 class because I love to read and write. I definitely think that class will be a great advantage to me.  I am also eager for my communications class. I have never been in a class like that, so it will be interesting to learn how people communicate with one another and why they do some of the things they do. I am nervous about all of the upcoming speeches, but I am used to public speaking. I had my own newscast on the morning announcements in middle school and too Radio and TV broadcasting in high school. Over all, this first week has been busy and exciting, but not too overwhelming. I am thrilled to see what this semester will bring and how I will better myself at Clemson University.