Visual Arguments

QUESTION #1 ON PAGE 908

I liked "Identities are infinites.. What's yours?" the best. All of the colors and words do a great job of drawing the viewer in. What I like most about it is the upbeat feel, and also the simplicity.

The ad that I liked least was "Embracing Diversity in University Residences." The hands kind of creeped me out, it had no color or visual interest, and I think that a better poem could have been chosen to exemplify the importance of diversity.

QUESTION #2 ON PAGE 921

The cartoons are all referencing college admissions. The first threeo are commenting on how it is unfair that, due to the supreme court ruling on affirmative action, minorities have an easier time getting into college.  The fourth is saying that people are quick to blame minorities for getting in to college easily, but that there are plenty of other kinds of people who get college admissions precedence for various other (equally unfair) reasons - such as athletes, out of state students, and alum's children. The fifth is simply commenting on how costly it is to get into a good school.

I think that the fourth cartoon is the most effective. It is interesting to look at and simple to understand. The statement that it makes about each of the stereotyped characters is amusing. And I definitely agree with the general message - minorities aren't the only ones recieving preferential treatment when it comes to college admissions.

I think that the third essay is the least effective. It is a good message, but there is waaaaaaaaaaay too much going on in the ad. It didn't make me want to read it at all. It needs to be condensed in order to keep an audience's attention.

Jello Mousse - "It's time to give in"

What does the creator's attitude seem to be toward the image? They have zoomed in on the spoon full of mousse - making it the center of attention - and have worked to portray it in decadent detail.

Which media are used for this visual text? Images and words, no sound or videos.

What role is played by the words that accompany the visual text? They promote this idea of the desert being decadent and desireable. The word "decadent" is actually used towards the bottom. "It's Me O'clock" says that this is something you're doing for yourself; it's something that you want and deserve. And the large print, the ad's slogan, "It's time to give in" also enforces this message.

What does the visual text assume about its viewers and about what they know and agree with? It assumes that they actually enjoy dessert-food. The "60 decadent calories" part implies that the audience is calorie-conscious.

What overall impression does the visual text create in you? For me, the ad definitely makes the desert seem appealing. It is depicted to be rich and exciting. This is very different from the way that I would generally imagine Jello products to be, which is interesting.

What argumentative purpose does this visual text convey? It is an argument to convince you to buy their product.

What emotions does the visual evoke? Hunger!

How is the visual text composed? Where is your eye drawn first? My eye is first drawn to the large spoon of the dessert. It is situated in the center of the ad and is the largest thing on the page. My eyes are then drawn to the words "It's time to GIVE IN."

Fourth Essay - Beach Renourishment

For the fourth essay, my group will be arguing against beach renourishment. We chose this topic because it is something that is relevant to our Wilmington community, and because it is something that is very expensive and only temporary.

My thesis statement for the paper is: Beach renourishment is not an effective way to deal with beach errosion because it is costly, non-permanent, and the process can disrupt the natural environment of the beach.

I can't wait to start writing more of this paper! There are so many blogs, articles, books, and research on the subject. Some of the sources I've already looked at include..
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1541-1338.1986.tb00704.x/abstract
http://www.csc.noaa.gov/beachnourishment/html/human/index.htm
http://books.google.com/books?id=VWnxpAxp6TMC&pg=PA159&lpg=PA159&dq=pros+and+cons+of+beach+renourishment&source=bl&ots=9DpOFOeVgg&sig=1PprZ5FqmJ13ldiY6W5aA-N1kLI&hl=en&ei=vcCcTZXJN4-DtgeY7-S4Bw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6&ved=0CEgQ6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q=pros%20and%20cons%20of%20beach%20renourishment&f=false