Statement of Purpose:

My purpose as a writer for the second writing project of this semester is to analyze the comic I have chosen. In doing this I need to distinguish an argument that the author of this comic, Natalie Dee, could have been trying to make. I will need to present this argument by describing in detail the specific elements of the comic and how they were used to achieve the argument. I also need to address ethos, logos and pathos and how these elements I will be outlining were used to develop these key components in writing. In order to do this I will be expanding off of my initial inferences I have already made during the first writing exercise. I will also incorporate what I discovered in the second writing exercise where I completed a historical analysis of my comic. I will be looking at how the comic uses icons and symbols to make the viewer focus on specific parts in the picture and how the comic is understood a certain way because of our human knowledge. I will also relate this comic and its elements to the time we are living in as a society.

I will be viewing this comic through a cultural perspective. This is an important part in my essay. Analyzing this comic while considering today’s society and the social norms that go along with it during and around the holiday of Valentine’s Day will be crucial to my essay. There are many connections you can make when viewing the picture and keeping these norms in mind. Incorporating this into my essay will establish a clear context for my readers to think about while reading my piece of writing. In turn, I will be able to outline a believable argument that can be easily understood by my audience.

In this writing project my audience consists of anyone who reads my blog, specifically though, this mainly includes my classmates and my professor. This writing assignment is graded so I need to consider the guidelines that were posted on the blog by my professor. Although this is an academic piece of writing, it is posted on the internet, therefore anyone can read it. This is also an important aspect to consider. I need to write in a style that can be appreciated by a wide variety of readers. In order to establish ethos through my writing I will need to use a language that my audience can relate to and understand. Another thing to think about in this writing assignment is how the style of Natalie Dee’s comics can be interpreted in a wide variety of ways because the illustrations she depicts are slightly abstract. This means I will have to present my argument clearly with effective evidence. I will also be able to use multimedia to help explain my argument in ways that words might not be able to communicate. In addition to covering my points in a way that is convincing I also want to leave my audience with something to think about and take away with them after they finish reading. I believe I can compose a successful piece of writing if I am able to complete all the goals I have outlined above.

Blog # 14: WP1 Final Draft

Authors Note:

This writing assignment was challenging for me in many ways. I have never written a piece dealing with photography, or analyzed a work of any sort and then incorporated it into an essay for that matter. It is also my first time using or thinking about writing in a rhetorical manor. I was rather slow at first when I was trying to write my pre-writing exercises dealing with my chosen picture. After each class meeting time, I became faster at picking out elements in photographs and thinking about them in ways that could be used as evidence to form some sort of an argument. The readings from our textbook, Compose Design Advocate, also gave me greater understanding of the technical elements that are used in photography. I also found that my peers were able to help me as well. By listening to their ideas during group discussions, I was able to expand on the way I look at and analyze pictures. I realized as time went on that I became faster and more in depth in the way I was thinking about the technical aspects of the different pictures and what they might be trying to communicate with the viewer. I was also able to look at my chosen photograph in new ways as well as develop evidence for my argument in a more specific fashion. Each writing exercise done inside of the class room and outside of the classroom at home helped me gather all the elements I needed to develop the final blog post for this first writing project.
The argument I chose to present was different than what I thought I was going to argue initially. I was going to focus more on the interaction between the two people shown in the picture. My two pre-writing exercise posts both reflect that. When we were analyzing each other’s pictures in class one of my classmates brought up how the brightness of the photograph and the expressions on the two people’s faces makes the whole picture seem happy. I thought using that and viewing the photograph through a historical context would form a better argument with a strong connection with the context. The argument I thought the photograph could have been making was: Attitudes among people in the changed in the 1940s when WWII brought the U.S. out of the Great Depression.
I didn’t make too many drastic changes in my essay from the first draft I wrote. I changed some wording in my introduction and added in text citations to make some of my historical statements seem more factual instead of just something I came up with myself. I also added a sentence outlining the technical elements I would be talking about in the body. I added in sentences in my section dealing with body language, specifically about how the man and the woman are interacting. In my paragraph about the building I changed resemble to symbolize when I was talking about the building in order to use text from the book. I put in text citations in my body as well in order to develop ethos.
Overall I am happy with the way my final blog post turned out. I learned a lot through this writing project that I think will strengthen my writing for other papers and essays as well.

Final Draft:

The 1930s marked a decade of disparity and hopelessness in the United States. America was going through the Great Depression. The stock market had crashed and the economy was suffering severely. Jobs were scarce and it was hard for people to even get the essential things they needed to survive (McElvaine). Needless to say, I’m sure the mood throughout the whole country was somber. The government was doing what they could to solve the problem. Even though some reforms, like the New Deal, seemed to be promising, nothing proved to be as successful of a solution as WWII would be. World War II was the event that initially brought the United States out of this deep economic slump. Although America was not officially involved in the actual fighting that was going on in Europe, the supplies needed by the warring countries were manufactured by industries in the United States. This created a large amount of jobs, thus stimulating the economy and pulling the U.S. out of the Great Depression (McElvaine). The atmosphere throughout the country probably did a complete change to optimistic and hopeful. I think the photograph A soldier and a woman in a park, with the Old [Russell] Senate Office Building behind them, Washington, D.C. (LOC) demonstrates this change in attitude among people living in the United States during the early 1940s. There are key technical elements that help support this argumenmt such as, lighting, hue, brightness and vectors of attention. This picture was taken in 1943 by photographers who were working for the government. The Farm Security Administration, later known as the Office of War Information, was documenting life in the United States between 1939 and 1944. They then made these images into transparencies. The individual photographer’s name was not included with the information about the picture. The location is Washington D.C. The identity of the woman and the soldier were not given. The white building in the background is the Old Russel Senate Building located northeast of the Capitol Building . WWII began September 3, 1939 when Germany invaded Poland. By 1943 when this photograph was taken the United States had already officially entered the war on December 8, 1941 after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor (history.navy.mil).

There are several technical elements incorporated into this photograph that help support the argument that people in the 1940s were in much higher spirits than in the 1930s. Lighting, hue and contrast are three photographical elements that can be considered while looking at this photo. This picture was taken using only natural lighting from the sun. This gives the picture a high amount of brightness and makes the image more crisp and realistic. The hues in this photograph are strong. There are not very many colors in the photograph but each one is its own very distinguishable hue. The sky is a light blue, the building is a bright white and the pavement and concrete are also a light gray hue that seems to reflect the natural light from the sun. The dark hues in the picture are found in the trees, bushes and the clothing worn by the two people. However this creates a nice contrast between the lighter colors. These elements start to develop pathos. The combination of brightness, hue and contrast gives the picture a cheery and warm feeling. It is not depressing in the least to look at. It makes you want to enjoy your surroundings, the outdoors and just simply life itself.

The second technical element that helps develop the argument further is the vectors of attention in the picture. There are two main subjects in the photograph, the two people and the Old Senate Building. Even though they are located off the left side of the photograph, I think the main vector of attention out of the two is the woman and the soldier. The woman is sitting facing the photographer. She is sitting very poised professional and polite with her right leg tucked begind her left calf. Her body language seems relaxed by the way her arms are laying in her lap. She has a smile on her face and seems to be enjoying her time just sitting. There does not seem to be any emotion of worry or displeasure. The soldier looks to be as equally relaxed and carefree. He is sitting on the ledge with one knee propped up and his elbow resting on it. He is also almost a little slouched in regards to posture. This is a very casual pose which agrees with the worry free mood this photograph could be portraying. His attention is not directed toward the photographer, but instead he is looking at the woman. He is also smiling and appearing to be enjoying himself. I think the way these two are interacting within the photo also reflects upon the kind of mood the country was in during the 1940s. He is most definitely looking at her, yet she is appearing to be ignoring him to some degree. However, I think she is well aware that he is looking at her by the facial expression she holds. They almost seem playful with one another because of the way he is somewhat opening his body towds her, yet she is faced away from him. The 1930s were, for the most part, serious because of the Great Depression. During the 1940s when the economy started to flourish again people were probably ready to have some fun and enjoy not having to constantly worry.

The second vector of attention, the Old Russel Senate Building, is also something that can be incorporated into the argument of the change to more positive attitudes during the 1940s. This building is a government building that holds the offices of the United States’ senators. To me, including this building in the picture is symbolizing the government. During the 1930s the government was battling a suffering economy. In my opinion, during times of struggle, like citizens of America were facing during the Great Depression, governments and governmental leaders can be blamed for the hardships individuals are facing. Herbert Hoover was in office during the beginning of the Great Depression. He lost support during the early 1930s and was not re-elected. Instead Franklin Delano Roosevelt was elected in 1932 and remained in office until his death in 1945. He is given credit for starting to reverse the struggling economy by issuing his policies like the New Deal and the Second New Deal (fdrheritage.org). This fits into the argument because the people’s attitudes towards the government began to change during and after the Great Depression. When people have a government they can trust and believe in I think they are more likely to be happy and more relaxed. I think this reflects in the woman and the soldier’s facial expressions and body language.

The 1940’s marked a decade of change. The United States was a completely different place than it had been in the 1930s. Everything was different, from the way people dressed to the jobs they had. World War II had a significant amount of influence in this change that swept the nation. A soldier and a woman in a park, with the Old [Russell] Senate Office Building behind them, Washington, D.C. (LOC) communicates through a few simple elements of photography how these changes affected the people living in the United States during this time. In general I think this picture shows how people were simply happier during the 1940s. Although the United States was involved in a world war overseas, there was promise in the day to come, people had jobs and something to look forward to. It was a time of change, but this change was obviously for the better in the eyes of American citizens.




Works Cited:



"Franklin D Roosevelt." American Heritage Center Museum. 2007. Franklin D. Roosevelt American Heritage Center, Inc., Web. 11 Oct 2009. .



McElvaine, Robert S. "Great Depression in the United States." Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia . 1997-2009 Microsoft Corporation, 2009. Web.http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761584403/Great_Depression_in_the_United_States.html.


"Pearl Harbor Raid, 7 December 1941." Naval History and Heritage Command . 16 April 2009. Naval Historical Center, Web. 11 Oct 2009.


Links:

Statement of Purpose

WP1 Rough Draft 1

WP1 Rough Draft 2

Blog # 12:Revised Rough Draft

The 1930s marked a decade of disparity and hopelessness in the United States. America was going through the Great Depression. The stock market had crashed and the economy was suffering severely. Jobs were scarce and it was hard for people to even get the essential things they needed to survive (McElvaine). Needless to say, I’m sure the mood throughout the whole country was somber. The government was doing what they could to solve the problem. Even though some reforms, like the New Deal, seemed to be promising, nothing proved to be as successful of a solution as WWII proved to be. World War II was the event that initially brought the United States out of this deep economic slump. Although America was not officially involved in the actual fighting that was going on in Europe, the supplies needed by the warring countries were manufactured by industries in the United States. This created a large amount of jobs, thus stimulating the economy and pulling the U. S. out of the Great Depression (McElvaine). The atmosphere throughout the country probably did a complete change to optimistic and hopeful. I think the photograph A soldier and a woman in a park, with the Old [Russell] Senate Office Building behind them, Washington, D.C. (LOC) demonstrates this change in attitude among people living in the United States during the early 1940s.This picture was taken in 1943 by photographers who were working for the government. The Farm Security Administration, later known as the Office of War Information, was documenting life in the United States between 1939 and 1944. They then made these images into transparencies. The individual photographer’s name was not included with the information about the picture. The location is Washington D.C. The identity of the woman and the soldier were not given. The white building in the background is the Old Russel Senate Building located northeast of the Capitol Building . WWII began September 3, 1939 when Germany invaded Poland. By 1943 when this photograph was taken the United States had already officially entered the war on December 8, 1941 after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor (history.navy.mil).

There are several technical elements incorporated into this photograph that help support the argument that people in the 1940s were in much higher spirits than in the 1930s. Lighting, hue and contrast are three photographical elements that can be considered while looking at this photo. This picture was taken using only natural lighting from the sun. This gives the picture a high amount of brightness and makes the image more crisp and realistic. The hues in this photograph are strong. There are not very many colors in the photograph but each one is its own very distinguishable hue. The sky is a light blue, the building is a bright white and the pavement and concrete are also a light gray hue that seems to reflect the natural light from the sun. The dark hues in the picture are found in the trees, bushes and the clothing worn by the two people. However this creates a nice contrast between the lighter colors. These elements start to develop pathos. The combination of brightness, hue and contrast gives the picture a cheery and warm feeling. It is not depressing in the least to look at. It makes you want to enjoy your surroundings, the outdoors and just simply life itself.

The second technical element that helps develop the argument further is the vectors of attention in the picture. There are two main subjects in the photograph, the two people and the Old Senate Building. Even though they are located off the left side of the photograph, I think the main vector of attention out of the two is the woman and the soldier. The woman is sitting facing the photographer. She is sitting very poised professional and polite with her right leg tucked begind her left calf. Her body language seems relaxed by the way her arms are laying in her lap. She has a smile on her face and seems to be enjoying her time just sitting. There does not seem to be any emotion of worry or displeasure. The soldier looks to be as equally relaxed and carefree. He is sitting on the ledge with one knee propped up and his elbow resting on it. He is also almost a little slouched in regards to posture. This is a very casual pose which agrees with the worry free mood this photograph could be portraying. His attention is not directed toward the photographer, but instead he is looking at the woman. He is also smiling and appearing to be enjoying himself. I think the way these two are interacting within the photo also reflects upon the kind of mood the country was in during the 1940s. He is most definitely looking at her, yet she is appearing to be ignoring him to some degree. However, I think she is well aware that he is looking at her by the facial expression she holds. They almost seem playful with one another because of the way he is somewhat opening his body towds her, yet she is faced away from him. The 1930s were, for the most part, serious because of the Great Depression. During the 1940s when the economy started to flourish again people were probably ready to have some fun and enjoy not having to constantly worry.

The second vector of attention, the Old Russel Senate Building, is also something that can be incorporated into the argument of the change to more positive attitudes during the 1940s. This building is a government building that holds the offices of the United States’ senators. To me, including this building in the picture is symbolizing the government. During the 1930s the government was battling a suffering economy. In my opinion, during times of struggle, like citizens of America were facing during the Great Depression, governments and governmental leaders can be blamed for the hardships individuals are facing. Herbert Hoover was in office during the beginning of the Great Depression. He lost support during the early 1930s and was not re-elected. Instead Franklin Delano Roosevelt was elected in 1932 and remained in office until his death in 1945. He is given credit for starting to reverse the struggling economy by issuing his policies like the New Deal and the Second New Deal (fdrheritage.org). This fits into the argument because the people’s attitudes towards the government began to change during and after the Great Depression. When people have a government they can trust and believe in I think they are more likely to be happy and more relaxed. I think this reflects in the woman and the soldier’s facial expressions and body language.

The 1940’s marked a decade of change. The United States was a completely different place than it had been in the 1930s. Everything was different, from the way people dressed to the jobs they had. World War II had a significant amount of influence in this change that swept the nation. A soldier and a woman in a park, with the Old [Russell] Senate Office Building behind them, Washington, D.C. (LOC) communicates through a few simple elements of photography how these changes affected the people living in the United States during this time. In general I think this picture shows how people were simply happier during the 1940s. Although the United States was involved in a world war overseas, there was promise in the day to come, people had jobs and something to look forward to. It was a time of change, but this change was obviously for the better in the eyes of American citizens.

Works Cited:

"Franklin D Roosevelt." American Heritage Center Museum. 2007. Franklin D. Roosevelt American Heritage Center, Inc., Web. 11 Oct 2009. .

McElvaine, Robert S. "Great Depression in the United States." Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia . 1997-2009 Microsoft Corporation, 2009. Web. http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761584403/Great_Depression_in_the_United_States.html.

"Pearl Harbor Raid, 7 December 1941." Naval History and Heritage Command . 16 April 2009. Naval Historical Center, Web. 11 Oct 2009.

Blog 11: Writing Project 1

The 1930s marked a decade of disparity and hopelessness in the United States. America was going through the Great Depression. The stock market had crashed and the economy was suffering severely. Jobs were scarce and it was hard for people to even get the essential things they needed to survive. Needless to say, I’m sure the mood throughout the whole country was somber. The government was doing what they could to solve the problem. Even though some reforms seemed to be promising, people were losing faith. World War II was the event that initially brought the United States out of this deep economic slump. Although America was not officially involved in the actual fighting that was going on in Europe, the supplies needed by the warring countries were manufactured by industries in the United States. This created a large amount of jobs, thus stimulating the economy and pulling the U. S. out of the Great Depression. The atmosphere throughout the country probably did a complete change to optimistic and hopeful. I think the photograph A soldier and a woman in a park, with the Old [Russell] Senate Office Building behind them, Washington, D.C. (LOC) demonstrates this change in attitude among people living in the United States during the early 1940s.This picture was taken in 1943 by photographers who were working for the government. The Farm Security Administration, later known as the Office of War Information, was documenting life in the United States between 1939 and 1944. They then made these images into transparencies. The individual photographer’s name was not included with the information about the picture. The location is Washington D.C. The identity of the woman and the soldier were not given. The white building in the background is the Old Russel Senate Building (location) located northeast of the Capitol Building. WWII began September 3, 1939 when Germany invaded Poland. By 1943 when this photograph was taken the United States had already officially entered the war on December 8, 1941 after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor.
There are several technical elements incorporated into this photograph that help support the argument that people in the 1940s were in much higher spirits than in the 1930s. Lighting, hue and contrast are three photographical elements that can be considered while looking at this photo. This picture was taken using only natural lighting from the sun. This gives the picture a high amount of brightness and makes the image more crisp and realistic. The hues in this photograph are strong. There are not very many colors in the photograph but each one is its own very distinguishable hue. The sky is a light blue, the building is a bright white and the pavement and concrete are also a light gray hue that seems to reflect the natural light from the sun. The dark hues in the picture are found in the trees, bushes and the clothing worn by the two people. However this creates a nice contrast between the lighter colors. These elements start to develop pathos. The combination of brightness, hue and contrast gives the picture a cheery and warm feeling. It is not depressing in the least to look at. It makes you want to enjoy your surroundings, the outdoors and just simply life itself.
The second technical element that helps develop the argument further is the vectors of attention in the picture. There are two main subjects in the photograph, the two people and the Old Senate Building. Even though they are located off the left side of the photograph, I think the main vector of attention out of the two is the woman and the soldier. The woman is sitting facing the photographer. She is sitting very poised professional and polite. Her body language seems relaxed. She has a smile on her face and seems to be enjoying her time just sitting. There does not seem to be any emotion of worry or displeasure. The soldier looks to be as equally relaxed and carefree. He is sitting on the ledge with one knee propped up and his elbow resting on it. He is also almost a little slouched in regards to posture. This is a very casual pose which agrees with the worry free mood this photograph could be portraying. His attention is not directed toward the photographer, but instead he is looking at the woman. He is also smiling and appearing to be enjoying himself. I think the way these two are interacting within the photo also reflects upon the kind of mood the country was in during the 1940s. He is most definitely looking at her, yet she is appearing to be ignoring him to some degree. However, I think she is well aware that he is looking at her. They almost seem playful with one another. The 1930s were, for the most part, serious because of the Great Depression. During the 1940s when the economy started to flourish again people were probably ready to have some fun and enjoy not having to constantly worry.
The second vector of attention, the Old Russel Senate Building, is also something that can be incorporated into the argument of the change to more positive attitudes during the 1940s. This building is a government building that holds the offices of the United States’ senators. To me, including this building in the picture is like representing the government. During the 1930s the government was battling a suffering economy. In my opinion, during times of struggle, like citizens of America were facing during the Great Depression, governments and governmental leaders often are blamed for the hardships individuals are facing. Herbert Hoover was in office during the beginning of the Great Depression. He lost support during the early 1930s and was not re-elected. Instead Franklin Delano Roosevelt was elected in 1932 and remained in office until his death in 1945. He is given credit for starting to reverse the struggling economy by issuing his policies like the New Deal and the Second New Deal. This fits into the argument because the people’s attitudes towards the government began to change during and after the Great Depression. When people have a government they can trust and believe in I think they are more likely to be happy and more relaxed. I think this reflects in the woman and the soldier’s facial expressions and body language.
The 1940’s marked a decade of change. The United States was a completely different place than it had been in the 1930s. Everything was different, from the way people dressed to the jobs they had. World War II had a significant amount of influence in this change that swept the nation. A soldier and a woman in a park, with the Old [Russell] Senate Office Building behind them, Washington, D.C. (LOC) communicates through a few simple elements of photography how these changes affected the people living in the United States during this time. In general I think this picture shows how people were simply happier during the 1940s. Although the United States was involved in a world war overseas, there was promise in the day to come, people had jobs and something to look forward to. It was a time of change, but this change was obviously for the better in the eyes of American citizens.

Blog #10: Statement of Purpose

I feel my purpose for this first writing project is to analyze my chosen picture in order to gain a greater understanding of the argument the photographer was trying to make by capturing this specific moment in time. I want to communicate the specific elements of the picture and how they were used to form ethos, logos and pathos in order to carry out this argument. Specifically, I will be further expanding off of my initial inferences I made about my photograph in the first writing exercise. This will be done by incorporating what I have found in the second writing exercise. I will be explaining the technical aspects of my photograph and how they are used to develop a specific argument. These aspects include: vectors of attention, hue, brightness, saturation, cropping, focus and framing. I will also be looking at this photograph through a historical lens. This is a very important part of my research and analyzing of this picture. Thinking about the time period when this picture was taken can lead to many interesting assumptions about the picture and its subject matter. Along with the elements of the picture I have selected, I need to consider my audience, as well as the context for this writing assignment in order to construct an effective paper.

My audience can broadly be considered anyone who reads my blog. More specifically my classmates and professor will probably be my main audience. Since this is a graded piece of writing, I need to consider what is expected of me particularly by my professor as an audience member. This entails completing all parts of the assignment fully and including everything that is specified in the outlined guides of this writing project. However, this will be posted on the internet for anyone to read so I also must take that into consideration. I need to make it appealing to a wide variety of readers who obviously have a wide span of interests. I cannot just direct this to one specific person like I might if I was just handing in a hard copy to a professor since this I going to be posted on an internet blog. Further expanding off of this, it is unlikely that all of my readers will have a personal relationship with me because this can be read over the internet by anyone. This means I will have to establish ethos through my writing in order to seem credible to my audience. I will also have to choose wisely what point I would like to get across and do this affectively to make my essay contain enough information to be complete, but also not too lengthy that it becomes unappealing. Also, I need to realize that not all of my audience members will necessarily analyze this picture the way that I will. They may have other inferences about this piece of photography. I will need to write in a style that is not completely one sided or trying to persuade. Instead I will need to effectively communicate my points and what I feel like the picture is arguing, yet leave my audience with the freedom to make their own assumptions and possibly even create questions within my audience that they will be left to think about.
My final consideration in this writing project is the context. The main context I feel is incorporated into this assignment is an internet blog. Specifically, the context is a blog written by college student. I think it is very important that I consider how my writing can be used through this context in order to create a better essay. I will be able to incorporate multimedia along with writing into my blog post. This can prove to be a useful tool in forming an effective argument.