Miles’ Visual Rhetoric

1. The diversity of the pictures that make up this composition makes it difficult to describe all of the feelings I get when looking at them but to sum it up I would have to say proud and disappointed at the same time. I feel proud to be a citizen of a country that has been able to push through issues such as segregation and fighting for women’s rights. At this point in time we see these issues as basic human rights but it wasn’t always that way in the minds of society. I’d say I am disappointed because now it seems like we are on our way back to those segregated mindsets with all the different groups that are turning up. We are starting to become a nation divided all over again and it will get us nowhere. I don’t feel like living through these events would make them any more meaningful to me than they already are. It’s nice for me to be able to look back at our history and be able to be proud of what we have been through as a country. All of these images are easily analyzed as visual rhetoric. You can feel a sense of power and emotion from each of them and it’s easy to see that these things have actually happened.
2. I think they all serve the purpose of attempting to change people’s perception. Most of them are meant to serve and instrumental purpose of showing the different groups that the United States of America has seen throughout the years. When you’re trying to start a movement these images play a major role in speaking to people about your message so to show pictures like the ones I selected tend to get the message across.
3. Most of these images convey a very serious tone with the exception of the LGBTQ picture but even with that one people still understand the message and that it’s important to society. By looking at the words and symbols used in each image it makes it easy to see the seriousness of the situations being shown. You can also tell by looking at the facial expressions of the people in each picture. The other point I want to make about these images is that most people know a little bit about the background info of each situation so having learned about them, that helps to convey the seriousness of the pictures.
4. All of these photos are definitely intended for an audience however determining said audience isn’t necessarily easy. Most of them are probably intended for more than just one group but there are some that are certainly intended for specific group of people. I wouldn’t say that any of them are discriminating but as stated in the first part of the question they are definitely directed at specific groups. While they all want all of society to know that they each represent a certain issue, the support they will receive will most likely come from people who belong to the groups they are directing their messages toward. For instance the segregation and black lives matter pictures, while representing opposite ideas, are still focused mainly on empowering African Americans and the rights they deserve to receive. I say opposite ideas because the segregation issues way back were fought against to try and change so they were treated the same as everyone else. While the black lives matter movement seems to me to push African Americans to separate themselves from whites.
5. To me these images all appeal to me because they are all a very big part of not only our U.S. history but also the things our country is dealing with now. I’ve never really considered myself a patriot but I am proud to be a part of this country because of all of the diversity we have seen and fought for in the past and now. Despite being a fan of the diversity we see here, I feel that we as Americans don’t do things the right way. We aren’t able to be diverse together because everyone always feels that they have to fight each other. These images all seem to be culture specific as they are targeted for a specific audience. Having not actually been around for any of the events of the past I didn’t get to experience them while they were happening. But having learned about them in school I know about what each picture represents so it’s fairly easy for me to form some sort of enthymematic response to all of them.
6. For the majority of the images I selected i feel like a different angle or distance would defeat the purpose and make the image seem less powerful. I think something in the message trying to be sent would be lost. Changing some of the black and whites to color photos might add something though.
7. I don’t think that the creator of the photos I selected would affect the credibility too much of these images because they all are sending their own messages regardless of the person that took the photo. Each issue depicted is something bigger than the image itself so I think if people look at the problem represented by the photograph that will speak strongly enough for the credibility of the photograph. Take the 9/11 picture for example. People know that it happened without actually having to be there. They know that it was a tragic event and that a lot of people lost their lives. It wouldn’t matter who created the image to feel the effects of that day.
8. These pictures to me show the best representation that is the U.S.A. because we are supposed to be one of the most diverse countries in the world. We have built our image around that idea and these images show that we have been willing to fight to become a diverse union of many different cultures. To see Americans come together like they have in the past and work together to achieve a goal is the best thing I can think of. However I see a lot of us fighting each other and I hope we can get past that. Despite the difference of opinions and the tension between races, religions, and people with different ideas, I’m still proud to be an American.