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Reflecting on Rhetoric

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 use of these illustrated characters made me feel connected to what I was reading and made me feel as if I was actually being taught about visual literacy by real people. Later on, when actual photographs of Jonathan and Liz are introduced in the book, it creates the metaphor and forces readers to become similar with these characters. 


Jonathan                        Liz

I also learned in the Introduction that arguments can be made stronger with the use of visual elements. Magazines, books, internet, and TV all use visual elements to get their arguments across to the audience. Similarly, this section uses visual elements to make their points and lessons stronger and more credible. 


I have learned that visual elements and representations can be used to express ideas and tell stories to readers. While reading about the importance of symbols and design, the book also displayed an example of a symbol, the Human Rights Campaign logo. The authors broke down the idea of the symbol and explained all of the artistic decisions that were made. This helped me better understand how to read and interpret visual elements and how to use visual literacy.


This logo has become a visual metaphor for the idea of LGBTQ+ equality. 

The visual elements in the Introduction have helped me understand what I am learning about and they have helped strengthen my sense of visual literacy. 




Issue 1: Why Rhetoric?

"Rhetoric is about the spaces in which we write, converse, debate, and share ideas" (Losh et al. 40).

Issue One focuses on the idea of rhetoric and where and who it comes from. This issue focuses on Aristotle and uses many visual elements to connect this idea to readers. 




An example of visual elements in Issue One is the setting and time of the illustrations. The illustrations of Aristotle and his background images help portray the idea that rhetoric is an ancient idea and has been used by many people. It shows that rhetoric is not the "bad word" that many people perceive it to be (Losh et al. 38). By using Aristotle to explain what rhetoric is, it gives it a sense of credibility.


Logos, Pathos, Ethos, and Kairos

These are the four elements to the idea of rhetoric. Issue One uses visual elements to help readers understand the meaning behind these four words. Ethos, or the credibility of a writer, is accompanied with examples of two different people with different levels of credibility. One image is a doctor, telling the patient that "reading medical journals will just confuse you" (Losh et al. 46). The other image is of a librarian saying "you should read medical journals to find out about treatment" (Losh et al. 46). The example of the doctor portrays the idea of Ethos and this helps readers understand the meaning of the word. 








A final example of visual literacy used in Issue One is the two sorority ads. These images are followed with a chart to help readers decide which poster better depicts the idea of rhetoric. These images helped me understand how rhetoric can be used even with visual literacy.




Image 1 https://www.google.com/search?q=visual+literacy&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS808US808&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj026v1wKLdAhVRulMKHStxDQcQ_AUICigB&biw=1280&bih=615#imgrc=dKtTMosLL3mC6M:
Image 2:
https://www.google.com/search?q=liz+and+jonathan+graphic+guide+to+writing&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS808US808&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiqyJinxqLdAhVQuFMKHUixCgIQ_AUICygC&biw=1280&bih=566#imgrc=E0S9s2-DrpBu5M:

“Aristotle's Rhetoric.” YouTube, YouTube, 23 Oct. 2015, www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCreeTluEJw.
“Ethos, Pathos, Logos, Kairos.” YouTube, YouTube, www.youtube.com/results?search_query=ethos%2Bpathos%2Blogos%2Bkairos.
Human Rights Campaign. “About Our Logo.” Human Rights Campaign, www.hrc.org/hrc-story/about-our-logo.
Losh, Elizabeth M., et al. Understanding Rhetoric: a Graphic Guide to Writing. Bedford/St. Martin's, 2017.


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