Understanding Rhetoric

Upon reading Issue 2 of Understanding Rhetoric, a Graphic Guide to Writing, I was introduced to the idea of strategic reading. One reading strategy presented in this issue is critical reading. Critical reading is a more active way of reading literature where the reader deeply analyzes and interprets what they are reading. Writers Losh and Alexander present the idea of critical reading by examining Frederick Douglass' autobiographies. The use of Frederick Douglass' book as a way to demonstrate critical reading helped me understand how to effectively analyze text. I have read Douglass' autobiography in the past, so this was all familiar to me. Being able to look at his words in a new way made the information seem so much more powerful. The choice to use Douglass' work implements the idea of Ethos. Frederick Douglass is an extremely well-known and admired activist, so using his words makes the points much more credible. Even in Douglass' own writing, he ...

Introduction: Upon reading the introduction of Understanding Rhetoric: A Graphic Guide to Writing , I came across many examples of visual elements and metaphors. These visual elements and metaphors work together with written words to create visual literacy . The Introduction of  Understanding Rhetoric: A Graphic Guide to Writing is filled with multiple examples of visual elements. One of the most straightforward uses of visual literacy is the comic book setup. This artistic choice made by the authors and illustrators of the book helps grab the attention of readers while giving them something to relate to and think about. I think that the comic book setup made me feel like I was reading for enjoyment, rather than because it was assigned work. An example of a visual metaphor used in the introduction is the illustrated characters of Jonathan and Liz. Readers are introduced to these characters in the first few pages and they guide them through the lessons of the book. The ...