WP3: Final Draft

Authors Note:

This project, while I was hesitant at first, was my favorite out of the three I participated in. I may not be the best writer in the world or have an expert's eye for revealing the rhetorical aspects of a sculpture, but I truly put my all into discovering more about my sculpture. In learning more about my sculpture I also learned more about myself. I had to discover a bit of creativity within me to make this project happen.I definitely think that this project, and this class as a whole, has helped me develop into a creative, critical thinking person.

In my project I wasn't really sure where to start in addressing my sculpture. I started by making an outline of what I wanted to say to it. This is where I came across a problem: I felt that I was addressing the young girl in the sculpture more than the sculpture as a whole. While at first I was hesitant to do this, I now feel like this is a good thing. The young girl in the sculpture is who I can relate the most to. It makes sense as to why I would talk to her.

Along with the basic structure of my letter I had problems finding an argument in my sculpture. It wasn't until I started writing my reflections and observations that I realized the argument of this sculpture. It really just kind of hit me. That moment was super cool for me and definitely helped me write the rest of my letter. Instead of presenting the argument right away I tried to relate it to a letter. In a letter it seems like it always starts out with the basic "small talk" and develops into something much deeper. I feel that this definitely happens within my letter. I start building paragraph by paragraph to my argument. I definitely thought it would be effective to start with my first observations of the sculpture and then move on to there.

In the revisions of my first draft I changed a few things as well as added on a little bit. A lot of word choice was changed as well as moving around a few paragraphs for a better flow. I wanted to start with my basic observations, move into the physically rhetorical choices,and slowly get into the pathos and the context of the sculpture. I feel like this draft does just that. I also changed one of my pictures into the veiny hands. This picture came off more effective to me and showed what I was trying to put across well.

Overall, I am very pleased with the way this project turned out. It turned out a million times better than I expected. I definitely feel that this project, as well as the other two, have really left a good impression on me.


WP3: Rough Draft
WP3: Statement of Purpose

WP3: Final Draft

Dear Pieta,

Have I come too late? His elderly head nods down with eyes closed, his chest motionless. At the touch of his fragile hand a chill as cold as death can be felt. Looking upon these cold, colorless hands I can see his veins. He must have been quite sick.


And look at you: draped across his legs with your head in your arms. Do not lay there and feel sorrow. Look at how peaceful he looks: His arms lay gently next to him, his eyes closed, and a slight smile on his face. There was no struggle. He no longer can feel the pain, the sickness that he has been enduring. But it is obvious that you are in pain. The sculpture that which you are stands as a memory of this moment: the pieta and pain felt in this tragic situation.

Pieta, you are made of bronze: a strong metal that can withstand much weathering. The everlasting presence of this metal is like the memory in your mind. While the bronze may oxidize and leave marks from its experience with the weather, it will still stand. Similarly, while your memory of your loved one may slightly fade away as you grow old, you will never forget this moment: it will continue to stand.

It is interesting to note how you were constructed. You are not made of solid bronze, and instead a plaster with bronze poured over. This may have been done by a lost wax method of first molding the sculpture, then making a mold or wax of the sculpture to later be covered in bronze. It is as if a mold was placed over the exact moment you experienced and then preserved. It is interesting how you were molded and how you respond to the environment around you. On one of my past visits with you after a rainstorm it was shown how the pitch in slope of the bed helps develop ideas within those who view you. The rain had trickled down the bed and formed a puddle around your head. It was like the puddle of tears that may have existed in the real moment. You were constructed carefully and thoughtfully- bringing realism and life to this frozen moment in time.

Obvious pathos, mentioned in CDA p.274, is developed with me when looking upon you. The realistic nature of you and your loved one puts this sculpture in terms I can relate to. It’s almost like I’m sitting there with you in reality. The way your body is positioned in deep mourning is very obviously shown and sparks pathos within me. I can relate to the body language shown and can think of moments in which I have felt what you are feeling. I have gone through the loss of a loved one as well. Sympathy is developed in me while looking at you because of this. I think of my grandfather lying on the bed with his head down and eyes closed and how devastated I was. I put myself in your exact place.

Pieta; I feel odd for intruding on such a personal moment. From the sidewalk not much of you can be seen, for you are surrounded by large bushes. These bushes develop an intimate, secluded feel to the environment in which I look upon you. No other sculptures or other people can be seen. You and your loved one, on this bed, is the only focus. Along with separating this private moment from the surroundings, the bushes also cast a gloomy shadow over you. This contributes to the sorrow you bring to me.

Pieta, you are modeled after another sculpture that shares your name by Michelangelo. This sculpture consists of Mother Mary with the crucified Jesus draped across her lap. There are some similarities that exist between you and this sculpture in subject placement and the overall look, but there are some obvious differences as well. One of the main differences between you and Michelangelo’s Pieta is the roles of the subjects. In Michelangelo’s piece the younger subject is deceased and the older subject feels the sorrow. There is a reversal of roles when it comes to you. You are draped across the bed in a similar fashion of Jesus in Michelangelo’s piece, but instead of being deceased are in great sorrow.

When thinking about why Bruno Lucchesi, the one who made you, would reverse these roles it made me think of how universal and everlasting death , and the sorrow it brings, can be. It does not matter what culture, what religion, or what role the deceased one is in when it comes to the sorrow that can be felt when losing a loved one. This is why Lucchesi reversed these roles: to show that emotions, in this situation grief, can be very universal and felt by anyone, anywhere. Pieta, or sorrow, has been felt by every individual on this planet from the times when Jesus walked the earth, to the 1970s when you were created, to forty years later as I stand here. He also strives to show the universality of death. While there may be different views and ideas on what happens after death, everyone here on this earth is mortal and will one day endure the death of a loved one. This is what makes you such a universal sculpture: one that will carry the same message for as long as you stand.

Pieta, I feel a deep emotional connection when I look at you. You carry such a touching story and universal message that anyone can relate to. I relate most to the younger girl, because I have been in her situation. I will now go beyond just relating to the sorrow this girl expresses and will literally put myself in her place.

With sympathy,
Amberley Proctor

WP3: Rough Draft

Dear Sorrow One,

Have I come too late? His head nods down with eyes closed, his chest motionless. At the touch of his fragile hand a chill as cold as death can be felt. Looking upon these cold, colorless hands I can see his veins. He must have been quite sick.

And look at you: draped across his legs with your head in your arms. Do not lay there and be sorrow. Look at how peaceful he looks there: His arms lay gently next to him, his eyes closed, and a slight smile on his face. There was no struggle. He no longer can feel the pain, the sickness that he has been enduring.

But it is obvious that you are in pain. The sculpture that which you are stands as a memory of this moment: the pieta and pain felt in this situation. You are made of bronze: a strong metal that can withstand much weathering. The everlasting presence of this bronze is like the memory in your mind. While the bronze may oxidize and leave marks from its experience with the weather, it will still stand. Similarly, while your memory of your loved one may slightly fade away as you grow old, you will never forget this moment: the last few breaths of someone that meant the world to you.

It is interesting to note how you were constructed. You are not made of solid bronze, and instead a plaster with bronze poured over. It is if a mold was placed over the exact moment you experienced and then preserved with bronze. It is interesting how you were molded and how you respond to the environment around you. On one of my past visits with you after a rainstorm it was shown how the pitch in slope of the bed helps develop ideas within those who view you. The rain had trickled down the bed and formed a puddle around your head. It was like the puddle of tears that may have existed in the real moment.




Sorrow one; I feel odd for intruding on such a personal moment. From the sidewalk not much of you can be seen, for you are surrounded by large bushes. These bushes develop an intimate feel to the environment in which I look upon you. No other sculptures or other people can be seen. You and your loved one on this bed is the only focal point.

Obvious pathos, mentioned in CDA, is developed from looking upon you. The realistic nature of you and your loved one puts this sculpture in terms I can relate to. It’s almost like I’m sitting there with you in reality. The way your body is positioned in deep sorrow is very obviously shown and sparks pathos within me. I can relate to the body language shown and can think of moments in which I have felt what you are feeling. I have gone through the loss of a loved one as well. Sympathy is developed in me while looking at you. I think of my Grandfather lying on the bed with his head down and eyes closed and how devastated I was. I put myself in your exact place.



Pieta, you are modeled after another sculpture that shares your name by Michelangelo. This sculpture consists of Mother Mary with the crucified Jesus draped across her lap. There are some similarities that exist between you and this sculpture, as well as obvious differences. One of the main differences between you and Michelangelo’s Pieta is the roles of the subjects. In Michelangelo’s piece the younger subject is deceased and the older subject feels the sorrow. There is a reversal of roles when it comes to you. You are draped across the bed in a similar fashion of Jesus in Michelangelo’s piece, but instead of being deceased are in great sorrow. When thinking about why Bruno Lucchesi, the one who made you, would reverse these roles it made me think of how universal and everlasting sorrow and death can be. It does not matter what culture, what religion, or what role the deceased one is in when it comes to the sorrow that can be felt when losing a loved one. Emotions can be very universal and felt by anyone, everywhere. Pieta, or sorrow, has been felt by every individual on this planet from the times when Jesus walked the earth, to the 1970s when you were created, to forty years later as I stand here. Death is also universal. While there may be different views and ideas on what happens after death, everyone here on this earth is mortal and will one day endure death through their own death or the death of a loved one. This is what makes you such a universal sculpture: one that will carry the same message and idea for as long as you stand.

Pieta, I feel a deep emotional connection when I look at you. You carry such a touching story and universal message that anyone can relate to.

With sympathy,
Amberley Proctor

WP3: Statement of Purpose

In learning how to analyze art, you have to start simple. So far in English 151H we have built our way up to not just analyzing a flat canvas rhetorically, but a three dimensional object: sculptures. While sculptures can display some of the same technical elements and ideas as paintings and photographs, they display them in a whole new way. Three dimensions expand this analysis beyond a canvas and bring the art to life.

My sculpture of choice is Pieta by Bruno Lucchesi. This piece was built in nineteen-seventy and consists of a young girl draped over the bed of her elderly, dying loved one. My sculpture, Pieta, shares a name with another piece that served as its inspiration: the original Pieta by Michelangelo (below this paragraph). There are some major differences between these pieces such as subject context and how the sculpture expressed the “pieta” or sorrow. I plan on addressing some of these differences and similarities within my analysis.



My analysis of this piece is going to much different than my past ones. Instead of presenting an essay form analysis of the rhetorical elements of my piece, I will be addressing my sculpture in a letter form. While this letter is directly to my sculpture, I will want to include details that can help my audience (discussed later) follow my analysis. In my letter I plan to center my rhetorical analysis on the name: Pieta. Sorrow is a big aspect of this piece and pathos is developed from the audience by just simply looking at it. Along with talking about the simple and obvious pathos that is developed by this piece, I will also take this thought a little further and talk about the sympathy that can be developed from viewers that can relate personally with this very intimate setting.

Rhetorical elements are very important in my analysis. This includes, but is not limited to, what the sculpture is made of and the way the material is manipulated. While material is very important, the environment in which this piece is positioned is also important. The artist chose this material for a reason. He knew how this material would be effected in the environment it is placed and how it could be viewed when it was placed in the garden as well as forty years later.
While analyzing this argument, it is also important that I keep in mind my audience. Primarily, my audience will be my fellow peers and my professor. They will be able to see my performance and will know what is expected and asked of me. This audience is my most critical.

As mentioned in CDA p.40, context of audience is just as important as whom the audience is Along with my peers and professor, anyone that happens to be walking by the Sheldon will be able to view my presentation and hear my analysis. My secondary audience consists of these bystanders, as well as anyone that reads my blog online. My letter will be posted here and available to anyone who finds it. This makes my audience very broad. Therefore, I should keep my analysis on a level that would be acceptable to a variety of people reading it.

Overall, I hope to convey this message of Pieta in such a way that it not only reveals the aspects of my analysis, but brings meaning to this sculpture.

WP3: Post

Pieta by Bruno Lucchesi is a sculpture made in the 1970s. It consists of the scene of a dying man in a bed and a young girl draped over the bed. This sculpture is very similar to the original Pieta by Michelangelo. This version is of Mother Mary holding the deceased Jesus after his crucifixion. Between the two sculptures there is a reversal of roles: in the original Pieta the younger subject is dead while in the Pieta by Bruno Lucchesi the older subject is dead.

The name of both pieces, Pieta, means sorrow. This is shown in both sculptures through the sorrow of death. I feel that this title fits well for both pieces. The types of sculptures that Bruno Lucchesi makes are those similar to the Renaissance times. The realistic ways of both sculptures and the attention to detail shows this. Bruno Lucchesi is very familiar with this type of sculpture because his work is inspired by Italian/ European inspiration. Much of Bruno Lucchesi’s works are similar to the sculpture Pieta. Along with his influences from Italy, Bruno Lucchesi was inspired by a sculptor he met while he was a shepherd.

Going on a tangent from the biography of Bruno Lucchesi and his work, I wanted to focus on the material in which this sculpture was made from: Bronze. Bronze is used in many sculptures, including the one I am analyzing: Pieta. Bronze is ideal for sculptures because they have a very desirable property of expanding slightly just before they set, thus filling in the finest details of a mold, something that is very important for such a realistic piece such as Pieta. The bronze is also very important for Pieta because of its strength. This sculpture was made to be outside, so the sculptor, Bruno Lucchesi, needed to keep in the mind how it would weather. This is why bronze was chosen.

Overall, there are a lot of background aspects that I should include in my analysis of this sculpture (and will  )!

WP3: Analysis Part 2

In my most recent visit to my sculpture, I analyzed the material in which sculpture is made of. I had never really thought about the material of my sculpture, which is bronze, in any other way other than just what it was made of.

Bronze is a very strong, hard metal. It is interesting to compare the material the sculpture is made of to the actual form of the sculpture. My sculpture is a very “soft” form in the way it is presented. The bed looks soft and plushy by the way the bodies are “sunk” into it and the way the blankets and pillows crease. However, upon the touch of the “bed” it is hard and stiff. This sculpture gives the impression of reality, but it preserved by the bronze of the metal.

It is also interesting how the reality of the sculpture had its effect on me. My last visit I focused a lot of just trying to connect with my sculpture on more of a personal level, to help deepen understanding. Upon looking at the old, deceased woman I just kind of reached out and touched her fragile, veiny hand. It was really cold. For someone like me who has an experience of losing a loved one, this instantly struck up memories. It was like the chill of death I felt when I touched my grandfather’s hand in the hospital the day he died. This was the first true sympathetic emotion I felt with my sculpture.

The bronze that is used for this sculpture is much different than the material that was used in the original Pieta by Michelangelo. Even though marble was used in the original, both versions have similarities in the way the subjects look and the emotions that are felt. Along with the difference in material, the construction of these sculptures differs as well. The original Pieta was made of solid material. My sculpture, when looking underneath, looks as if it was constructed first with some form of molding material and not out of solid bronze. The molding looks to have then been coated in a bronze material thereafter. This gives the impression from the front/top portion of the status of it being pure, solid bronze. But it isn’t! I found this very interesting. I feel that this was needed (the bronze coating) to help preserve the sculpture for outside conditions such as where it is.

I plan on including the material in which this sculpture is made of in my letter; I feel it’s very important. It’s preserving a moment in time.

WP3: Cursory Analysis

[PICTURE OF SCULPTURE HERE]

When first looking at my sculpture, Pieta by Bruno Lucchesi, attention is focused on a little girl laying on what looks to be a bed. The girl is sprawled carelessly across the bed with her head in her arms. As an audience member, the way the girl is positioned brings thoughts of despair and sorrow to mind: while as an audience member I can not see the girls face directly, it seems as if the girl is sobbing into her arms. Upon seeing this girl's sorrow, as an audience member I wonder what is going on that would cause this reaction. We are then focused at the person that is laying within the bed: an elderly person. It is not extremely evident if this elderly person is male or female, but obviously has been sick. This subject is propped up against many pillows, which can imply that this person has been there in the bed for a while. The elderly person's hands are also very "veiny" and he/she looks very fragile. Upon looking at the face of this elderly person it is recognized that the eyes are closed and the head as a whole is drooped down towards the chest. Cultural/social events signal this as a sign of death in my mind. The context of this sculpture turns from just an elderly person and a girl, to a sad death of a loved one.

Technical elements wise I see a large display of pathos through the emotions between the subjects and the sympathy that is developed within me while looking at this sculpture. It is interesting to note the contrast of emotions between the elderly person and the girl: The girl is in obvious grief, where as the elderly person looks very at peace and even shows a slight glimpse of a smile on his/her face. In my letter to this sculpture I think I will focus on this and try to deliver comfort to the girl. I can do this through the sympathy that this sculpture develops. I have had a grandparent in the hospital, in a bed similar to this, that later passed away. I can feel the pain that this girl feels and can definitely use this relation to write a letter of the things I was told during my situation as well as the things I would have liked to hear and never did hear.

Another aspect of the sculpture is the realistic nature of it. Instead of delivering an abstract version of this "story", the audience is presented with a very realistic interpretation of this scene. When looking at this sculpture, as an audience member you feel like you step into the scene. The tall green scrubs almost serve as the boundary of the hospital room or bedroom this scene is taking place in. It is a very intimate scene.

Overall, I am very excited to analyze this different medium of argumentation at the Sheldon. I feel that writing a letter to this sculpture will be a very interesting change for me and help strengthen me as a writer.

WP3 Pre-Write: Experience with Art-Objects

This year has been my first true "exposure" to art. Between Chancellor's Leadership Class and English 151 I have been exposed to different forms of art and asked to analyze/reflect on them. In Chancellor’s Leadership Class we were simply asked to just reflect on paintings within the Sheldon. I mainly just reflected on the content of the pictures and what I felt they were meant to say. I feel that, while this was not a real deep “analysis” of these paintings, this experience helped lead into English 151. English 151 presented a whole new world of how to analyze art. Instead of just performing a cursory analysis of the art, I can now recognize technical and rhetorical elements that support the argument.

While I have been exposed to some forms of art, sculptures have not been included in this exposure... yet. I have stopped and looked at some of the sculptures around the Sheldon Art Museum throughout my first year here at UNL, but have never formally analyzed them. I feel that, even though I lack experience with dealing with this kind of art form, that I can combine my experiences with other art forms such as painting, photographs, and comics to accomplish this analysis.

I feel that I have kind of "built" myself up to analyzing such an art form. At first, I had no idea what to look at or think when looking at a photograph or painting. After being in English 151 for a while, I feel very comfortable giving my thoughts on an argument of an art form and backing it up with support. Abstract art is the one thing that would worry me in analysis. I do not think in a very abstract way, so analyzing these art forms is very hard for me! Also, while I have painted before or doodled little comics, I have never built a “sculpture” of my own. Therefore, knowing the techniques that go into making a sculpture is something that I will have to read up on before analysis.

I hope to make WP3 my best project yet. I aim to work on developing a good argument thesis and building up clear, straight forward elements of support. I definitely am excited to start this project.

WP2: Final Draft

Author's Note:

I was at first a little hesitant as to how I was going to be able to rhetorically analyze comics. I had never thought much about the “Garfield” and “Baby Blues” comics that I enjoyed reading every Sunday in the newspaper as a child. Before this project I just thought them as still-frame cartoons. However, I have found that they are much more than that. While expanding my view, once again, on what can be analyzed rhetorically besides just literature, I also feel my writing has improved once again. Honestly, I thought I would never like doing this kind of rhetoric: I’m much more into writing essays and speeches. My opinion has changed greatly and, honestly, I find analyzing in the ways English 151H has taught me much more interesting.

While I did not change much of my WP1, WP2 went under some major changes. At the beginning of my project I was a little confused as to what my argument could be. I choice a comic that was a little abnormal from the comics I was used to. This comic did not include “abstract representations” in the form of little cartoon characters and instead served as an art form and a form of serious thinking. I narrowed my argument down when I discovered what these comics were modeled after: romans dur. This classification of the comic allowed me to deepen my thinking.

After creating my writing project, there were many suggestions that were offered to improve it. Starting at the beginning, writing wise, it was suggested that I should cut out the first paragraph of my project. I thought about this for a while, but felt that this paragraph helped lead into my argument of romans dur. Without knowing what a comic is in a simple form, how could my audience see it in a more abstract and abnormal form? By audience I was thinking about my secondary audience that may not have the same amount of education on this subject. In my images, Ellie also suggested that I use a comic that was similar to the structure of my comic. At first, I had a comic that was only one frame. I included instead a Garfield cartoon that is split up in a similar fashion as mine. This allows for a better comparison.

A lot of my major changes throughout the body my project consisted of clarifying the many ideas that I tried to push all into my project. I did this by separating paragraphs that, before, were very long. I also chose to split up the sections describing the panel by panel differences and build that my comic presented. I split these up by including the individual frames for the audience to look at as the read. I felt that this created a better flow and understanding as the support is given.

While I included quite a bit on typography, I feel that it was needed. The typography of this comic was very important to me in supporting not only the argument I was presenting, but the rest of the comic as well. It was suggested that I shorten this section quite a bit, but I felt that it would take away from what I was trying to show. My conclusion was something I pondered on for a while. I knew, before the many suggestions, that it needed some TLC. However, I feel that in the end, I did answer the “So what” question that I was trying to answer and presented a good end to my comic.

In general, citations were edited and pictures were changed to present a better view and understanding of my project. I really enjoyed this project and have gained personally from doing it.

Rough Draft #2

Rough Draft #1

Statement of Purpose

WP2: Final Draft

The definition of comics, deriving from Greek for “of or pertaining to comedy” (Wikipedia) explains the contemporary interpretation of what a comic is: humorous. When most think of what is classified as a comic, comic strips like the one directly above are thought of. Among the many mediums of argumentation, comics are a very effective form. This medium is commonly used as a way for people “outside the mainstream to express or question what could not be expressed or questioned in ‘traditional’ formats” (Wysocki and Lynch 509). However, while these colorful, cartoon comics are definitely a huge part of the comic scene, they are not alone. As stated in Compose, Design, Advocate, comics can “now be an art form as well as children’s entertainment, and can be a structure for serious thinking in combined words and drawings” (Wysocki and Lynch 509).



“She’s Okay,” (displayed above) photographed by Emily Horne and made into a comic by Joey Comeau, is an example of this serious thinking. The comics in the archives “A Softer World” by Horne and Comeau are modeled off of a type of writing called “romans dur,” made famous by writer George Simenon in the 1930s. This type of writing is defined by the New York Review of Books as material “in which…displays a sympathetic awareness of the emotional and spiritual pain underlying the routines of daily life” (Denny/Brookner). My selected comic agrees with this definition and gives the reader a look into someone’s silent desires, in this case, the want for everything to "be okay." This comic expresses and supports the argument of the expression of “emotional and spiritual pain” that The New York Review of Books refers to. This argument is constructed from technical elements such as structure, typography, word choice, separation and placement of certain parts of the medium, and the saturation and focus of the photograph. All of these technical elements contribute to the overall structure, or logos, pathos and aesthetic of the comic.

The traditional structure of comics defined by Scott McCloud's essay, "The Vocabulary of Comics” describes them as a representation “filled with icons that we call pictures” (McCloud) and words that help support the pictures and guide the audience in the frame-by-frame storyline. In “She’s Okay” the structure is a little different than the structure found in most comics (such as the example at the top to the page). Instead of presenting a hand drawn picture background with bubble letters emitting from the characters’ mouths, we are presented with a digital interpretation of an edited photograph with what looks like white strips of writing pasted on top of the picture. The “cut and paste” look of these typography strips give this comic a “crafty” hand-done look, even though it was digitally made. The audience can also see this by the uneven cutting of the frames. The audience is not introduced to any cartoon characters or even given a background to where this comic is taking place. This "crafty" look to the comic makes it more realistic and believable to the audience. People relate better to things that aren't super "high tech"and visually accurate. The crafty look of "She's Okay" makes the audience look at the comic as something that they could "re-create". It does not come off as outstandingly professional, but as something an average person could make. This makes a connection between the audience and the comic on a "average Joe" basis.

When first looking into the content of the comic, the audience is first attracted to the typography. This is the primary vector of attention of the comic. Typography can be presented in many different ways to emit different reactions, or displays of pathos, from the audience. Typography, however, can also be altered for what the type is meant for. As described in Compose, Design, Advocate, “in old hard-calligraphy manuscripts, pages have large ornate letters” and “these manuscripts were usually meant to be read aloud, slowly” (Wysocki/Lynch 279). This text was very drawn out and formal, which took a longer time to comprehend. In contrast, the text in “She’s Okay” is a very mechanical, universal form of typography, similar to what is found in newspapers. It is very straight forward and functional, making it easy to skim across the text quickly and get the idea the typography is trying to convey.

The similarities in font between newspapers and "She's Okay" also helps invoke emotions within the audience. The connection between fonts allows the audience to think of places that they could find stories that reflect the emotional pain that can be felt through this comic. This is a very effective rhetorical choice, reflecting back on the simplistic style of the comic and the mention of newspapers within the typography. It is almost like these words belong in the newspaper. The addition of the aspect of newspapers in this comic also bring a sense of false reality. It is ironic that something so realistic is mentioned in a very dream-like comic like "She's Okay." This realistic addition of the newspaper connects the idea that this "emotional and spiritual pain" is not just felt in a "dream world," but very much in reality.

Along with rhetorical choices in font, this mechanical and functional typography is also presented in a very interesting way. Instead of being placed directly on the background, the designer decided to give the comic a “cut and paste” look with strips of writing placed over top the photograph. This separates the words from the photograph and makes the argument of an underlying thought placed upon the photograph. Similar to how some people write on the back of photographs describing where and when the photograph was taken, the designer of this comic adds thoughts which cannot be displayed by the photograph alone. The overlaying aspect of the typography on this comic supports the argument of presenting the "underlying emotional and spiritual pain" that romans dur are defined to present. The typography that is added in this comic whispers the thoughts and story behind the pain the narrator in this comic feels.

Along with being separated from the background picture, the text is actually separated from itself as well. The text is separated panel by panel and also within the same frame. This separation of the typography allows the audience to take the comic step by step, paying attention to each word. The text develops as it goes on frame by frame.



In the first frame, it starts out with “I’d like to read a story in the newspaper that ends with….” This beginning tells the audience a “background” as to what may be talked about. As an audience, we are aware that this comic is directly talking about a newspaper article that the writer would like to see. Within this frame the text is split up between “a story in the newspaper” and “that ends with.” This separates the background that the designer is giving and the beginning of the “desired article” that is about to begin. The separation of words within the frame allows the audience to take, not only the whole comic frame by frame, but each frame itself slowly.


The second frame states “but she was having a bad dream.” This frame builds on from the previous frame by giving us more information on this newspaper article. This text is very shocking as a reader because in most newspaper articles, the victim is unfortunately not having “a bad dream.” Dream is a very important word in this panel and is part of the foundation for the whole argument. This comic, discussed later in this essay, is a representation of not only "emotional and spiritual" pain that can be felt, but the dreams and wishes that can come from this pain.

The last frame continues this thought by say “really she’s okay.” The parts of the typography referencing the newspaper article evoke an emotional response. It makes the audience think about what newspaper articles really say: the horrible things they report in the world and how things, for the most part, are never “okay”. This makes the typography seem unrealistic: contributing to the argument of a deep desire, or dream.

Overall, the typography is a huge part of the support system of this comic. The typography not only gives the audience information into the story or issue that the comic is trying to present, but also helps lead the audience into the picture and the comic as a whole. This is shown by the way the font sets the tone, the structure develops thinking, and word choice sparks thoughts and emotions.

After looking at the typography included in this comic, attention is shifted to the photograph. The photograph follows the same format as the typography and brings even more pathos to the comic. The photograph is one single moment split into three frames, framed by thick dark lines. Compose, Design, Advocate mentions how this effect can “suggest how we think while we scan a scene around us: the scene does not change, but the words in our head do” (Wysocki/Lynch 512). These sections are obviously supposed to be considered on a frame by frame basis. As we scan the photograph from left to right, culturally what we normally do, we learn more about the photograph. At the first frame we only see what looks like grass and a black triangle in the lower right hand corner. As we continue, the black triangle molds into something white, with grass still present. It is not until the last frame that we see that the black and white object is a hood of a car. We are also introduced to another form of life other than grass: people. These people consist of a large and smaller person. It is inferred that the larger subject is a woman by the many bracelets and what looks like painted nails, but this cannot be proven. The smaller person’s sex is also not obviously displayed. What is, however, obvious is the emotional connection between the two subjects. The placement of the subjects is in a tight embrace. They obviously know each other and are very close. This embrace brings feelings of security, happiness, and comfort to the comic. This is another "false reality" and/or desire that the comic presents. This comic is not reality, and this embrace can not happen because unfortunately, "she" is NOT okay. It is hard as an audience member to grasp this feeling of emptiness and being left without comfort unless they themselves have experienced an event that the narrator of this comic has experienced.

The main concept of the photograph that is important in the understanding of the argument is the concept of a dream. The text refers to an event or happening being “just a dream.” Evidence from the photograph supports this. The photograph is highly saturated and blurry. These characteristics portray a “dreamlike” scene. Similarly to dreams that you may have had, the photograph is also split up. This is similar to the fragmented memory you have after you wake up- you remember bits and pieces, but not always the whole thing. Not only is this “fragmented view” of the scene shown in the split up manner of the photograph, but also in the photograph as a whole. When piecing the three parts of the comic together, there is still not a very detailed “big picture” look to the photograph. This dream aspect of "She's Okay" helps support the argument of revealing the ''emotional pain" that is secretly in everyday life.

Scientists studying dreams say that within our fantasies we can reveal our deepest wants. It is a way to escape reality for us. This comic does just that: its shows a person's most secret desire that they carry along with them everyday and their attempt to escape the holds of reality through a "dream-like" thought. This "dream-like" thought is captured in this comic by the use of technical elements to develop pathos and logos throughout. When looking into this comic it is hard not to feel like you are intruding on someones deepest secret...and imagine yours in its place.

Works Cited

Wysocki, Anne Frances and Dennis A. Lynch. Compose, Design, Advocate: A rhetoric for integrating written, visual, and oral communication. New York, NY: Pearson-Longman, 2007.

"Comics." Wikipedia. 18 March 2010. Web. 24 March 2010.

Denny, Norman and Brookner, Anita. "Red Lights". The New York Review of Books. 27 March 2010. Web. 26 March 2010.

McCloud, Scott. "The Vocabulary of Comics." Understanding Comics. 195-208. Print.

WP2: Rough Draft #2

The definition of comics, deriving from Greek for “of or pertaining to comedy” (Wikipedia) justifies the contemporary interpretation of what a comic is: humorous. When most think of what they classify as a comic, comic strips like the one directly to the left are thought of. Among the many mediums of argumentation, comics are a very effective form. This medium is commonly used as a way for people “outside the mainstream to express or question what couldn’t be expressed or questioned in ‘traditional’ formats” (Wysocki and Lynch 509). However, while these colorful, cartoon comics are definitely a huge part of the comic scene, they are not alone. As stated in Compose Design Advocate, comics can “now be an art form as well as children’s entertainment, and can be a structure for serious thinking in combined words and drawings” (Wysocki and Lynch 509).

“She’s Okay,” (displayed below this paragraph) photographed by Emily Horne and made into a comic by Joey Comeau, is an example of this serious thinking. The comics in the archives “A Softer World” by Horne and Comeau are modeled off of a type of writing called “romans dur,” made famous by writer George Simenon in the 1930s. This type of writing is defined by the New York Review of Books as material “in which…displays a sympathetic awareness of the emotional and spiritual pain underlying the routines of daily life” (Denny/Brookner). My selected comic definitely agrees with this definition and gives the reader a look into someone’s silent desires, in this case the want for everything to "be okay." The argument that this comic expresses this “emotional and spiritual pain” that The New York Review of Books refers to is constructed from technical elements such as logos in the form of structure, typography choice, placement and separation of certain parts of the medium, and the saturation and focus of the photograph. All of these technical elements contribute to the overall structure, pathos and aesthetic of the comic.
The overall universal structure of comics defined by Scott McCloud's essay, "The Vocabulary of Comics” describes them as a representation “filled with icons that we call pictures” (McCloud) and words that help support the pictures and guide the audience in the frame-by-frame storyline. In “She’s Okay” the structure is a little different than the structure found in common comics (such as the example at the top to the page). Instead of presenting a hand drawn picture background with bubble letters emitting from the characters’ mouths, we are presented with a digital interpretation of an edited photograph with what looks like white strips of writing pasted on top of the picture. The “cut and paste” look of these typography strips give this comic a “crafty” hand done look, even though it was digitally made. We can also see this by the uneven cutting of the frames. We are not introduced to any cartoonish characters or even given a background to where this comic is taking place. I think that this "crafty" look to the comic makes the comic more realistic and believable to the audience. Like mentioned in Scott McCloud's essay, people seem to relate to things that aren't super "high tech"and visually accurate. The crafty look of comic makes the audience look at the comic as something that they could "re-create". It does not come off as professional, but as something an average person could make. This makes a connection between the audience and the comic.

When first looking into the content of the comic, the audience is first attracted to the typography. This is the primary vector of attention of the comic. Typography can be presented in many different ways to emit different reactions, or displays of pathos, from the audience. Typography, however, can also be altered for what the type is meant for. As stated by Compose Design Advocate, “in old hard-calligraphed manuscripts, pages have large ornate letters” and “these manuscripts were usually meant to be read aloud, slowly” (Wysocki/Lynch) This text was very drawn out and formal, which took a longer time to comprehend. In contrast, the text in “She’s Okay” is a very mechanical, universal form of typography, similar to what is found in newspapers. It is very straight forward and functional, making it easy to skim across the text quickly and get the idea the typography is trying to convey. The similarities in font between newspapers and my comic also helps envoke feel emotions within the audience. The connection between fonts allows the audience to think of places that they could find stories that reflect the emotional pain that can be felt through this comic. This is a very effective rhetorical choice with type, reflecting back on the simplistic style of the comic and the mention of newspapers within the typography. It is almost like these words belong in the newspaper.

This mechanical and functional typography is also presented in a very interesting way. Instead of being placed directly on the background, the designer decided to give the comic a “cut and paste” look with strips of writing placed overtop the photograph. This separates the words from the photograph and makes the argument of an underlying thought placed upon the photograph. Similar to how some people write on the back of photographs describing where and when the photograph was taken, the designer of this comic adds what thoughts cannot be displayed by the photograph alone.

Along with being separated from the background, the text is actually separated from itself as well. The text is separated frame by frame and also within the same frame. The frame by frame separation of the text allows the audience to take the text step by step, paying attention to each word. The text develops as it goes on frame by frame. It starts out with “I’d like to read a story in the newspaper that ends with….” This beginning tells the audience a “background” as to what may be talked about. As an audience, we are aware that this comic is directly talking about a newspaper article that the writer would like to see. Within this frame the text is split up between “a story in the newspaper” and “that ends with.” This separates the background that the writer is giving and the beginning of the “desired article” that is about to begin. The second frame states “but she was having a bad dream.” This frame builds on from the previous frame by giving us more information on this newspaper article. This text is very shocking as a reader because in most newspaper articles, the victim is unfortunately not having “a bad dream.” The last frame continues this thought by say “really she’s okay.” The parts of the text referencing the newspaper article evoke an emotional response. It makes the audience think about what newspaper articles really say: the horrible things they report in the world and how things, for the most part, are never “okay”. This makes the typography seem unrealistic: contributing to the argument of a deep desire, or dream.

After looking at the typography included in this comic, attention is shifted to the photograph. The photograph follows the same format as the typography and brings even more pathos to the comic. The photograph is one single moment split into three frames, framed by thick dark lines. Compose Design Advocate mentions how this effect can “suggest how we think while we scan a scene around us: the scene doesn’t change, but the words in our head do” (Wysocki/Lynch). These sections are obviously supposed to be considered on a frame by frame basis. As we scan the photograph from left to right we learn more about the photograph. At the first frame we only see what looks like grass and a black triangle in the lower right hand corner. As we continue, the black triangle molds into something white, with grass still present. It isn’t until the last frame that we see that the black and white object is a hood of a car. We are also introduced to another form of life other than grass: people. These people consist of a large and smaller person. It is inferred that the larger subject is a woman by the many bracelets and what looks like painted nails, but this cannot be proven. The smaller person’s sex is also not obviously displayed. What is, however, obvious is the emotional connection between the two subjects. The placement of the subjects is in a tight embrace. They obviously know each other and are very close.

The main concept of the photograph and text that is important in the understanding of the argument is the concept of a dream. The text refers to an event or happening being “just a dream.” Evidence from the photograph supports this. The photograph is highly saturated and blurry. These characteristics portray a “dreamlike” scene. Similarly to dreams that you may have had, the photograph is also split up. This is similar to the fragmented memory you have after you wake up- you remember bits and pieces, but not always the whole thing. Not only is this “fragmented view” of the scene shown in the split up manner of the photograph, but also in the photograph as a whole. When piecing the three parts of the comic together, there is still not a very detailed “big picture” look to the photograph. This dream aspect of "She's Okay" helps support the argument of revealing the ''emotional pain" that is secretly in everyday life. Scientists studying dreams say that within our dreams we can reveal out upmost desires and wants. It is a way to escape reality. This comic does just that: its shows this person's most secret desire that they carry along with them everyday.

Overall, through all of these key technical elements, the argument of this comic living up to the romans dur definition are justified. On top of living up to the romans dur definition and showing the “spiritual and emotion pain” someone endures, “She’s Okay” also proves itself as a comic. Comics are a representation of the world. Just because this comic is not an abstract representation and is more realistic in terms of the way the medium is organized, it does not make it less of a representation. This comic is very important to the world of comics, and literature, because it allows another medium of argumentation, a way to express desires and self in a different approach.

Works Cited

Wysocki, Anne Frances and Dennis A. Lynch. Compose, Design, Advocate: A rhetoric for integrating written, visual, and oral communication. New York, NY: Pearson-Longman, 2007.

"Comics." Wikipedia. 18 March 2010. Web. 24 March 2010.

Denny, Norman and Brookner, Anita. "Red Lights". The New York Review of Books. 27 March 2010. Web. 26 March 2010.

McCloud, Scott. "The Vocabulary of Comics." Understanding Comics. 195-208. Print.

WP2: Rough Draft 1

The definition of comics, deriving from Greek for “of or pertaining to comedy” (Wikipedia) justifies the contemporary interpretation of what a comic is: humorous. When most think of what they classify as a comic, comic strips like the one directly to the left are thought of. Among the many mediums of argumentation, comics are a very effective form. This medium is commonly used as a way for people “outside the mainstream to express or question what couldn’t be expressed or questioned in ‘traditional’ formats” (Wysocki and Lynch 509). However, while these colorful, cartoon comics are definitely a huge part of the comic scene, they are not alone. As stated in Compose Design Advocate, comics can “now be an art form as well as children’s entertainment, and can be a structure for serious thinking in combined words and drawings” (Wysocki and Lynch 509).

“She’s Okay,” (displayed below this paragraph) photographed by Emily Horne and made into a comic by Joey Comeau, is an example of this serious thinking. The comics in the archives “A Softer World” by Horne and Comeau are modeled off of a type of writing called “romans dur,” made famous by writer George Simenon in the 1930s. This type of writing is defined by the New York Review of Books as material “in which…displays a sympathetic awareness of the emotional and spiritual pain underlying the routines of daily life” (Denny/Brookner). My selected comic definitely agrees with this definition and gives the reader a look into someone’s silent desires, in this case the want for everything to "be okay." The argument that this comic expresses this “emotional and spiritual pain” that The New York Review of Books refers to is constructed from technical elements such as typography choice, placement and separation of certain parts of the medium, and the saturation and focus of the photograph. All of these technical elements contribute to the overall structure, pathos and aesthetic of the comic.
The overall universal structure of comics defined by Scott McCloud's essay, "The Vocabulary of Comics” describes them as a representation “filled with icons that we call pictures” (McCloud) and words that help support the pictures and guide the audience in the frame-by-frame storyline. In “She’s Okay” the structure is a little different than the structure found in comics (such as the example at the top to the page). Instead of presenting a hand drawn picture background with bubble letters emitting from the characters’ mouths, we are presented with a digital interpretation of an edited photograph with what looks like white strips of writing pasted on top of the picture. The “cut and paste” look of these typography strips give this comic a “crafty” hand done look, even though it was digitally made. We can also see this by the uneven cutting of the frames. We are not introduced to any cartoonish characters or even given a background to where this comic is taking place. Like the creators, Horne and Comeau, the photograph background and the typography work together to build the overall argument of the comic.

To begin with, the audience is first attracted to the typography. This is the primary vector of attention of the comic. Typography can be presented in many different ways to emit different reactions, or displays of pathos, from the audience. Typography, however, can also be altered for what the type is meant for. As stated by Compose Design Advocate, “in old hard-calligraphed manuscripts, pages have large ornate letters” and “these manuscripts were usually meant to be read aloud, slowly” (Wysocki/Lynch) This text was very drawn out and formal, which took a longer time to comprehend. The text in “She’s Okay” is a very mechanical, universal form of typography, similar to what is found in newspapers. It is very straight forward and functional, making it easy to skim across the text quickly and get the idea the typography is trying to convey. This is a very effective rhetorical choice with type, reflecting back on the simplistic style of the comic and the mention of newspapers within the typography. It is almost like these words belong in the newspaper.

This mechanical and functional type is also presented in a very interesting way. Instead of being placed directly on the background, the designer decided to give the comic a “cut and paste” look with strips of writing placed overtop the photograph. This separates the words from the photograph and makes the argument of an underlying thought placed upon the photograph. Similar to how some people write on the back of photographs describing where and when the photograph was taken, the designer of this comic adds what thoughts cannot be displayed by the photograph alone. Along with being separated from the background, the text is actually separated from itself as well. The text is separated frame by frame and also within the same frame. The frame by frame separation of the text allows the audience to take the text step by step, paying attention to each word. The text develops as it goes on frame by frame. It starts out with “I’d like to read a story in the newspaper that ends with….” This beginning tells the audience a “background” as to what may be talked about. As an audience, we are aware that this comic is directly talking about a newspaper article that the writer would like to see. Within this frame the text is split up between “a story in the newspaper” and “that ends with.” This separates the background that the writer is giving and the beginning of the “desired article” that is about to begin. The second frame states “but she was having a bad dream.” This frame builds on from the previous frame by giving us more information on this newspaper article. This text is very shocking as a reader because in most newspaper articles, the victim is unfortunately not having “a bad dream.” The last frame continues this thought by say “really she’s okay.” The parts of the text referencing the newspaper article evoke an emotional response. It makes the audience think about what newspaper articles really say: the horrible things they report in the world and how things, for the most part, are never “okay”. This makes the typography seem unrealistic: contributing to the argument of a deep desire, or dream.

After looking at the typography included in this comic, attention is shifted to the photograph. The photograph follows the same format as the typography and brings even more pathos to the comic. The photograph is one single moment split into three frames, framed by thick dark lines. Compose Design Advocate mentions how this effect can “suggest how we think while we scan a scene around us: the scene doesn’t change, but the words in our head do” (Wysocki/Lynch). These sections are obviously supposed to be considered on a frame by frame basis. As we scan the photograph from left to right we learn more about the photograph. At the first frame we only see what looks like grass and a black triangle in the lower right hand corner. As we continue, the black triangle molds into something white, with grass still present. It isn’t until the last frame that we see that the black and white object is a hood of a car. We are also introduced to another form of life other than grass: people. These people consist of a large and smaller person. It is inferred that the larger subject is a woman by the many bracelets and what looks like painted nails, but this cannot be proven. The smaller person’s sex is also not obviously displayed. What is, however, obvious is the emotional connection between the two subjects. The placement of the subjects is in a tight embrace. They obviously know each other and are very close.

The main concept of the photograph and text that is important in the understanding of the argument is the concept of a dream. The text refers to an event or happening being “just a dream.” Evidence from the photograph supports this. The photograph is highly saturated and blurry. These characteristics portray a “dreamlike” scene. Similarly to dreams that you may have had, the photograph is also split up. This is similar to the fragmented memory you have after you wake up- you remember bits and pieces, but not always the whole thing. Not only is this “fragmented view” of the scene shown in the split up manner of the photograph, but also in the photograph as a whole. When piecing the three parts of the comic together, there is still not a very detailed “big picture” look to the photograph. All that is remembered is the main point: in this photograph, the embrace.

Overall, through all of these key technical elements, the argument of this comic being more than just a comic and living up to the romans dur definition are justified. On top of living up to the romans dur definition and showing the “spiritual and emotion pain” someone endures, “She’s Okay” also proves itself as a comic. Comics are a representation of the world. Just because this comic is not an abstract representation and is more realistic in terms of the way the medium is organized, it does not make it less of a representation.

Works Cited

Wysocki, Anne Frances and Dennis A. Lynch. Compose, Design, Advocate: A rhetoric for integrating written, visual, and oral communication. New York, NY: Pearson-Longman, 2007.

"Comics." Wikipedia. 18 March 2010. Web. 24 March 2010.

Denny, Norman and Brookner, Anita. "Red Lights". The New York Review of Books. 27 March 2010. Web. 26 March 2010.

McCloud, Scott. "The Vocabulary of Comics." Understanding Comics. 195-208. Print.

WP2: Statement of Purpose

When comics are thought of, many instantly think of the weekly “Sunday comics” that appear in the newspaper. These comics (example above) are usually abstract, colorful figures making a joke about an aspect of life or politics. While this is a common example of comics, it is not the only. Comics are defined as a representation of the world by Scott McCloud's essay, "The Vocabulary of Comics.” This representation is “filled with icons that we call pictures” and words that help support the pictures and guide the audience in the frame-by-frame storyline. My comic, “She’s Okay”, from the archive “A Softer World” (directly below) is a very different interpretation of comics. My comic is modeled off of "romans dur" by George Simenon. According to the New York Review of Books, romans dur are defined as material " in which [they] display a sympathetic awareness of the emotional and spiritual pain underlying the routines of daily life."

Understanding the difference between my comic and what would be considered “everyday comics”, I will address how my comic correlates to the definition of romans dur that New York Review of Books presents by providing the audience with a look into this “emotional and spiritual pain.” This argument is constructed from technical elements such as saturation, vectors of attention, cropping, word choice and font choice that all contribute to the overall structure and aesthetic of the comic.

While analyzing this argument, it is also important that I keep in mind my audience. Primarily, my audience will be my fellow peers and my professor. This audience will be aware of the same concepts as I am and contain the same knowledge of analyzing material such as photographs and comics. While this is helpful to the audience in terms of understanding the terminology and examples I present, this also makes this audience my most critical. They will know very quickly if terminology is used wrong or if my argument does not add up.

As mentioned in CDA p.40, context of audience is just as important as whom the audience is. I can imagine that my audience will be on the college campus in places such as a study room, a dorm room, or even an office. My peers and professor will first be considering my argument in helping me revise my paper, and later on grading the completeness and thoroughness of my argument.

Other than my main audience, there is also a possibility of anyone else that can access my blog on the internet to read my analysis. This is the hardest thing to consider when writing an argument in that I cannot guess at their background or the context in that they may read my blog. Therefore, I should keep my analysis on a level that would be acceptable to a variety of people reading it.

Overall, I hope to provide an argument that shows that comics can be more than just the humorous cartoons in newspapers and comic books. I want to introduce my audience to, what may be the new, concept of romans dur and translate the definition that New York Review of Books provides for these types of comics into my analysis of “She’s Okay”. While I do this I hope to maintain a simple, detailed approach that my audience will understand. I do not want my audience to finish my analysis confused or left wanting more. I also want my audience to understand that there many other ways of argument other than just essays and photos, and furthermore want them to include comics in their description of materials of argument in the future.

Works Cited

Wysocki, Anne Frances and Dennis A. Lynch. Compose, Design, Advocate: A Rhetoric for Integrating Written, Visual, and Oral Communication. New York, NY: Pearson-Longman, 2007.

Denny, Norman and Brookner, Anita. "Red Lights". The New York Review of Books. 27 March 2010. Web. 26 March 2010.

McCloud, Scott. "The Vocabulary of Comics."

WP2: "Romans dur"

Comics consist of sequential frames that display a narrative in almost a mini-film fashion. Each frame builds onto an idea or event, with speech bubbles and underlying narrative to help guide the reader. Although to most people comics are categorized as humorous, there are many other types of comics that exist. One of these different types of comics is "romans dur" or "hard novels". The comics that are archived on my selected website, A Softer World, are modeled off of "romans dur" by George Simenon. According to the New York Review of Books, roman durs are defined as material " in which [they] display a sympathetic awareness of the emotional and spiritual pain underlying the routines of daily life."


A Softer World, comic #44, displays this definition well. Instead of presenting a joke on politics or an adventure of a super hero, this comic presents the secret thoughts of everyday people. The way that the typography is presented in the comics is almost like being able to look into someone’s mind and see what they are thinking. This "romans dur" is very similar to the popular Post Secret project. In this project people send all of their secret burdens to a man who puts them all anonymously in a book. The secret-sharers include a picture and typography to go along, expressing their deepest secrets. These secrets are usually very shocking and emotional. We are made aware of the "emotional and spiritual pain" that The New York Review of Books states is embedded in romans dur and projects like Post Secret by this combination of typography and photography.

This definition of "romans dur" really helped me transition from the Sunday comics that I am used to, to this type of material (romans dur). I am now able to, instead of just looking at this comic as random text on a split three-framed presentation; see the underlying meaning and argument behind this comic. This comic is expressing the secret thoughts and emotions of someone I may walk by every day. Like previously stated in my cursory analysis, the build that is created with each frame helps us take the comic step by step. The development of the pictures helps us learn from each frame more and more about the situation. The picture in the background has more of meaning to me now that I know the definition and goal of this type of comic. Instead of being just a random picture, the picture of the embracing people and hood of the car is like a vision of what this person would ideally want: for everything, and everyone for that matter, to be okay and to be able to hug their loved one dearly. Looking further into the picture I noticed that the picture was lacking in sharpness. While at first I just imagined that this photo was just really old, I feel that this "fuzziness" adds to the "dream" look of the photo: it’s not real, but only a dream.

The typography is just as important to me as the photograph. While the photograph allows for a sense of pathos to be developed because of the embracing bodies, it does not fully tell the story. The text reads "but she was just having a bad dream, really she's okay." This allows the audience to make assumptions and tie the photograph and the typography together. The phrase "...she was just having a bad dream..." helps argue the "fuzziness" of the photograph contributing to a dream scene. With another form of medium, such as just the photograph, this comic would not come off as emotional or shocking.

WP2: Cursory Analysis

The comic strip that I chose is from the “A Softer World” archive. This comic strip is a three-panel comic strip that, instead of having three different pictures for each panel, has one picture cut into three panels. This is very interesting in that with each panel, the audience in introduced to more detail and more emotion. When looking at each panel separately, without influence from the next one, you can build on thoughts and ideas of what the comic strip is trying to express.

The first panel reads “I’d like to read a story in the newspaper that ends with…” and only has a dark greenish brown background and a small triangle of black in the lower right corner. When looking at this panel alone, you cannot see that this panel is actually the grass of the overall panel. The second panel reads “but she was just having a bad dream,” This panel introduces a subject, “she” and gives more detail to the picture, we now see black and white in the lower portions of the panels, but it is still not evident to what this might be. The final panel reads “really she’s okay.” I would say that this panel is the one that really brings understanding to the strip. You can now see that the figure of color is a car and there are bodies introduced. These bodies are hugging very tightly, showing an obvious connection.

While looking at this comic strip emotions were definitely invoked. The text argues that the author wishes “she” was okay and that this happening that the author refers to was “just a dream”. The author does not express what the happening is, but as an audience we can develop our ideas of what it may be. I have a personal experience with a cousin of mine passing away after being hit by a drunk driver. Seeing the car in the lower panels of this comic strip and the context of the text made me think of a car accident, that the audience wishes the car accident was just a dream. You can also infer from this comic strip that “she”, the subject that the author mentions, was either hurt very badly or passed away from this happening. Similarly to the analysis of photographs, I felt a strong sense of pathos from this comic strip. There is the pathos of what the words, forming a story, are telling us and the obvious pathos from the two bodies hugging dearly.

I would say that the way this comic strip was presented is very effective. The typewriting in the comic strip is like the “thoughts” that are going through the authors mind and the picture almost a “dream” of what she wishes she could do: hug her friend/loved one tightly and have everything be ok.

WP1: Final Draft

Author's Note

This writing project challenged me and took quite a bit of effort in making. While I have taken classes that required I analyze poems, novels and plays, this writing project was a whole new experience for me. Photography, before this project, was more of just a visual recording of memories that I have made with friends and family. It was not until after completing this project did I realize how much really went into photography and how interesting it can be to analyze. At first, it was very difficult for me to talk about “key technical elements” when looking at a photograph. I am a very structured person that prefers facts over opinion. I like to learn concrete concepts and then develop my ideas around them. This analytical project made this very hard for me to do. There were not many “concrete concepts” to analyzing photographs. There definitely were terms and elements that went into analyzing the photograph, but ideas and opinions could definitely change based on which of these terms and concepts you used. There was definitely a contrast between what ideas I developed from a picture and what the person next to me todeveloped from a picture. This project took a lot of creativity for me. Honestly, I do not think I could have completed this project with the level of understanding and confidence as I have without our textbook, Compose Design Advocate. This book gave me some of the concrete terms that I needed. I also found that class discussions really helped me. Our class contains some of the brightest University of Nebraska-Lincoln Honors Student I know! With all of us incorporating our interpretations and ideas behind analyzing photographs it brought a unique level of mutual understanding. It was like learning another language to me, I knew the words and sort of how they should be used, but I did not fully understand how to use these terms and analyze my photograph until I practiced with others. I definitely saw a level of growth in my writing style and confidence during this project.

My paper has evolved quite a bit since day one! I, at first, was a little confused as to what a photograph’s argument could actually involve. I came from many different angles: analyzing pathos in the baby, analyzing both the argument that could exist in the photograph and the argument that may exist from the photographer. I finally landed on what I feel is a powerful argument from this photograph: that “through technical elements such as natural lighting, cropping, framing and vectors of attention this photograph develops pathos that argues the dramatic difference in lifestyle that these orphan children live compared to average American children.”

I did not make too many major changes in my essay between my first and second draft. Many of the changes that I made contributed to presenting my essay more clearly to the audience. This included addressing which photograph my essay pertained to (by suggesting where the audience should look to find my photograph), clearing up some wording issues that may come off confusing to the audience, making my argument more precise and detailed (adding in the "differences" that I suggested in my original argument), reorganizing paragraphs (four and five) and just tweaking my essay to better fit my overall argument. I feel that having peer reviews really helped me work out minor problems that my essay had. These reviews offered great guidance of things to look at.

Overall, I can say with full confidence that I put my all into this paper and am very pleased with how it has developed.

Rough Draft 2
Rough Draft 1
Statement of Purpose

WP1: Final Draft

In the center of Africa, just below the equator, is the country known as “The Land of a Thousand Hills”: Rwanda. This country is most known for the tragic genocide that its citizens endured in 1994. Rwanda’s population was ethnically split at this time around 65 percent Hutu and 35 percent Tutsi, two tribes that lived in harmony many years ago. After trouble started between the two tribes, things only went downhill. This genocide was very well planned, with the goal in mind to eliminate Tutsi citizens from Rwanda. Checkpoints were set up all over the country to help find every person whose identification card labeled them as a member of the Tutsi tribe. Men were killed on the spot, women sentenced to sexual violence, and children were forced to become part of the Hutu militia. Even Hutus that were associated with any Tutsi tribe member were not safe from the hands of the Hutu militia. This time period was violent and devastating, and led to many families being torn apart.

Besides enduring the horrors of the 1994 genocide, the citizens of Rwanda have had to be strong in yet another horror- the epidemic of HIV/AIDS. Rwanda is on the low end of the underdeveloped countries list and therefore does not have adequate healthcare to deal with this complicated and deadly disease. An example of this underdeveloped healthcare is in Rwanda’s child mortality rate: in Rwanda- 1 in 5 children die before their fifth birthday. While in the United States being diagnosed with HIV/AIDS can be very devastating, we still have the means to help fight it and keep the patient alive. In Rwanda, HIV/AIDS is almost a death sentence. Most Rwandans cannot afford care, or in some places cannot even find it. After these victims of HIV/AIDS pass away, many children are left orphaned. Over 600,000 children were orphaned in 2001 due to this epidemic.

With the thousands of children left orphaned after the genocide and the ongoing HIV/AIDS epidemic, a place was needed for these children to continue their lives. That is when the project and gallery that my photograph belongs to, “Through the Eyes of Children”, was born. After experiencing the horrors of the 1994 genocide herself, Rosamond Carr helped start the Imbabizi Orphanage. She has dedicated her life to helping these children continue their lives despite their hardships. Being inspired by Ms. Carr’s dedication and charity, in 2000 David Jiranek came up with the idea of the project “Through the Eyes of Children”. At first, the orphan children were simply given disposable cameras to take pictures of things close to them - themselves, their friends, and their country - to be displayed on their walls or in picture books. A year later, the U.S Embassy helped take this project to new heights: they offered the children a place to display their work and earn money to help their education. This is now what the project is all about: helping these orphans.

Most Americans are aware of the Rwandan genocide and the many victims that lost their lives. However, there is another class of victims that can be forgotten from this event: the orphan children that were left behind. The untitled photograph by Devota (immediately above) helps bring these forgotten orphan children to the minds of the world. It exposes the environment in which these orphans live and the emotions that they feel. Through technical elements such as natural lighting, cropping, framing and vectors of attention this photograph develops pathos that argues the dramatic difference in lifestyle that these orphan children live compared to average American children.

Analyzing this photograph in terms of coloration and vectors of attention, it is recognized that the baby’s vest, the gasoline can, and the blanket make a makeshift “triangle of color” against the dull colors of the soil, wood, and corn husks. This keeps your eyes in lower right vicinity of the photograph. This untitled photograph also uses natural lighting; making the photo more realistic, as if the viewer is standing right there, in the muddy Rwandan soil. There are natural spots of sun and shade, bringing random variations of brightness throughout the picture. When first looking at the untitled picture, your attention is drawn to the crying baby's face, cornhusks, part of a wooden beam and an empty gasoline can, the lighted areas of the photograph. Looking further into discovering the main vector of attention of this photograph, we bring these two concepts of lighting and coloration together: your eyes wander from the baby to the baby’s surroundings to the “triangle of color” and then back to the baby. This leads the viewer to discover aspects of the baby, as well as aspects of his environment. The baby overlaps as a vector of attention in both the color scheme and the lighting. I feel that while there is not a formal framing, this acts as a form of natural framing for this picture. While the baby is not literally the “center of attention”, these technical elements around him help frame him as the center of attention.

Along with an established vector of attention via lighting and coloration, cropping is another important technical element in this photograph. The photograph is cropped in such a way to emphasize the baby and his surroundings. To the right we can see what looks like to be a pant leg, imply that the photographer took this picture on more of a personal level, kneeling down on the same level as the baby. This, as well as the baby’s attention pointed directly at the audience draws us in and allows us to become part of the picture instead of just observing. This technique helps deepen pathos in the overall picture. We can feel this baby’s need for comfort, its sorrow. This is an obvious appeal to pathos that this photograph presents. This photograph definitely tries to evoke emotions and create an emotional connection between the baby in this photograph and the audience. The obvious pathos in the photograph expresses emotions that we as audience members know and have felt ourselves. This connection helps the audience put themselves in the crying baby’s situation.

Once we have developed a sense of pathos for the photograph, we can return to the main argument. From the lives that most of us live, we know that this environment is not a good environment for such a small child to be living in. We can develop sympathy for the baby from this. The nests of blankets that serve as this baby’s “play pen” are dirty and torn. The baby’s clothing is also not in the best shape, and only consists of a vest: no diaper, no pants, and no shoes. Most babies also usually are not set to play in the dirt next to pieces of old wood and gasoline cans. We are made aware of the kind of environment that the children of Rwanda, as young as the baby in this picture, live their lives in. This makes us want to reach out and help them, give them a clean place with toys to play in. The baby is also not happy, but instead is sorrowful and upset (this displays obvious pathos, discussed earlier). It makes the audience wonder where the baby’s parents are, where his comfort will come from. From the tragedies that Rwanda has suffered, it can be assumed that this little boy may have lost his parents from the HIV/AIDS epidemic and can act as a “stand in” for the thousands of children that lost their parents during the 1994 genocide. Adding on to the sympathy that can be developed from this photograph, some of the audience may even relate to this child and have experienced loneliness, abandonment, and/or poverty. This also brings up a sense of empathy that can be incorporated into the photograph. Those who have experienced what this child is going through can relate on a more personal level and may want to reach out and help more. Overall, this is the main argument of this photograph- while giving the audience insight of what these children go through it demands sympathy and encourages help from those who can relate empathetically and sympathetically to this child.

Overall, I deeply feel that the argument of this photo is a very important one. I believe that the photographer wanted others that look at this picture to think of the children of Rwanda and remember all of the hard times that these children and their families have gone through, and are still enduring. The photographer wanted the audience looking at this photograph to sympathize and understand the difference in lifestyle that these children live, be grateful for what they have, and give what they can.

Works Cited

Information from these sites contributed to the making of my essay

"Orphan Crisis." Orphans of Rwanda. 2008.
http://www.orphansofrwanda.org/learn/orphan_crisis.php

"The Project" Through the Eyes of Children. 2006.
http://www.rwandaproject.org/fr_theproject.html

"Rwanda's Long Search for Justice". BBC News. 2008.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3246291.stm

"Rwanda". Wikipedia. 2010.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rwanda

"Origins of Tutsi and Hutu". Wikipedia. 2010.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Origins_of_Tutsi_and_Hutu

"HIV/AIDS in Rwanda". Wikipedia. 2010.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HIV/AIDS_in_Rwanda