Rhetorical Analysis Statement of Purpose and Design Plan

Statement of Purpose: For this writing project, I will continue with my theme that explores the incorporation of religion and the incorporation of science into the next generation as I analyze written texts and accompanying visuals. However, now my audience consists of my scholarly peers, and I am assuming they only have casual familiarity with the issue and the texts I am analyzing. Compared to my Photo Essay, this analysis will be more complex and sophisticated in light of a more academic reader, but will still focus on content (the posters) designed for a younger or more impressionable audience. Using four snapshots of a public ad campaign for Science World, I want to argue that these ads are successful in the company’s goal to “not only to increase awareness of our organization and introduce our "personality" to the community, but also to support our mission of engaging the general public with science in a way that is both thought-provoking and fun” by means of a subliminal appeal tugging on the audience’s curiosity and fear provoked by specific images and diction in the advertisements. This analysis will identify the strategies that these advertisements employ through their visual and written components. I want to then discuss how these work together and how they accomplish the company’s goal through a more complex way than Science World has stated in their ad campaign quoted above. I want my audience to agree with me on my analysis as well as open their eyes to not only what these advertisements do successfully, but also what they could have done better. I also want them to see and be convinced of my second argument, that subliminal curiosity and fear, not just being thought provoking and “fun,” is what makes these advertisements so successful.

  Design Plan: I plan to set up my essay by introducing background information first, then perhaps mention my thesis followed by my media and supporting evidence, then closing with a conclusion or reflection paragraph(s). This is an academic paper so I want to follow a format that I am relatively familiar with and I think is professional and presents the information in a logical way. I plan on placing my pictures next to the paragraphs I which they are discussed and analyze them rhetorically first by the visual content, then written, then explore how the two work together, for each one of the pictures. I want to do this because I think this is how someone walking down the street would observe this advertisement. The visual is what gets their attention, but it does not make sense until they read the caption, then they put the two together to get the message. I am using the four Science World campaign advertisements seen after this design plan. Images will be positioned to the left and next to the parargraph innwhich they were introduced. I want to do this to define a clear separation of ideas and media as well as give my audience a chance to observe the visual before my analysis. I also think it will just look more appealing since my images are different orientations and sizes and may shift the text too much or make it look awkward if I left them on the right and left side of the text. The communication will be produced for both the written text and visual through the analysis of ethos pathos and logos for each, as well as rhetorical devices.

 Written text:
• Ethos: The Science World logo is the main source of credibility in all these images. The creator of these ads also instill trust through their claim “we can explain” on each of the advertisements.
• Logos: The creator of these ads purposely used short, quick written supporting evidence that could be considered a logical appeal. Scientific facts or research results are simply stated instead of any logical argument, which is still a good source of logos if coming from a relevant and credible source. • Pathos: The creator instills many emotions with just a few worlds for each of these advertisements. Emotional diction like “fear,” “love,” and “born,” as well as some stereotype prone ideas such as “earthquakes” and “bugs” works to evoke a particular emotion from the audience.

 Visual:
• Ethos: Once again, the attention drawing yellow dot containing the Science World logo encapsulates quite a deal of credibility for this image. Also, the background space of these images indicate these advertisements were costly and made very public which assists in gaining the audiences trust.
 • Logos: All these visuals are constructed to grab your attention and make you think about something you probably never realized or knew. They creatively dilute the audiences mind with a concept that is usually relevant to their lives to produce a logical argument supporting the claim they made in the written text. The visual in these advertisements are largely used as evidence.
• Pathos: All these ads are presented to either gross out or amaze the audience with is a emotional appeal in itself. The use of perspective, visual concepts, and special effects make help direct an emotional appeal that will most of the time inflict fear or an urge to find out more about the subject which is the advertisements goal.

 I will also be analyzing rhetorical devices such as the use of simple sentences as well as perspective, color and special effects in my supporting evidence and claims. Then for each image I will discuss on how the two components work together and how they accomplish the company’s goal, as well as explain the subliminal message of each of these advertisements.
 I will then text this on my peers to see if they can follow my argument and if they agree with my thesis and supporting evidence; probably using my rough draft in some sort of in class activity again. I also may ask peers outside of class and may bring it to the writing center if I have time.

My Reading Experiences

When do I read? What do I read? What am I reading for? After taking a minute to think about these questions, it was obvious to me that I only read to learn. No longer do I read for my own enjoyment like i use to when i was younger. I read for school, for research, and to learn. However i am essentially reading all the time, at school, at work, on the billboards while i drive, at home, on the tv, ect.. Advertisements and lone sentences are almost immediately processed in my head. It is the longer texts that I will voluntarily decide to read and they usually must meet specific requirements in order for me to read all of it. It seems that they must always be interesting, new, and captivating. I rarely read the same thing twice or even similar topics. I am reading textbooks, science articles, news headlines. I cannot remember the last time i read more than a page of a novel or story that was not required of me for a class i was in. Excluding facebook and twitter posts that usually go right over my head, I am only reading to find out something new.

Photo Essay, Closing Comments

Completing this photo essay was more complicated than I originally thought. I think the main issue was having to use personal photos that I needed to take in a 2-week period. I feel as if I could have had more relevant pictures for perhaps a different topic or argument. However, I think i did a good job with what I had. In my final version of the photo essay, I think I successfully followed my design plan in terms of format and the process of including ethos, logos, and pathos. I ended up asking less questions than I originally intended, and my narrative became much more personal than I thought it would be. If I did need to fix something in this essay, I would guess it to be making my audience more obvious. I can see how this power point Photo essay is not as specific to a specific audience as it could be. I also think I accomplished my purpose of arguing that religion and science can coexist. I think I did a good job of remaining neutral and presenting an unbiased argument. The way my pictures are aligned tell a story that the captions below then narrate, and i think the project overall has a smooth and even flow type of feeling when reading through it.

Photo Essay

For all the young adults of today curious as to how two HUGE (and often contrasting) ideas are actually tightly intertwined and simultaneously influencing their future, enjoy...

Photo Essay: Design Plan

I realize I am composing this Photo Essay on a delicate topic so my primary strategy is to remain respectful and thoughtful.

I also have plans to appeal to my audience in multiple other ways. I want to make sure they trust me and that my credentials are worthy of talking about this subject. In my essay I will make them aware of both my religious and non-religious background/history (Ethos). Also, I want them to convince them of this religious and science co-existence by excluding my own opinions and using real, non-manipulated photos and also discuss widely agreed upon religious beliefs and well researched scientific theories (Logos). And finally, I plan to appeal to my audience’s emotions through thought provoking image comparisons and “big idea” questions (Pathos).

My intentions are to use MS PowerPoint to present my essay with a solid color background and frames. I do not want anything taking away from the pictures or words. Also, I plan on using a hard contrast font color through the entire essay to remain uniform and neutral (much like my argument). Likewise, my pictures (multiple per page) will be aligned together, parallel, and with the same size and dimensions to portray the feeling of balance and equality as an undertone to “co-existence.”

I will be opening with a narrative addressing the relationship between religion and science in the past, their relationship now, and asking questions about their future. Hopefully my audience will find things they can relate to or engage in. I want to have 3-4 pages of pictures (3-4 each) that I will stylistically format to highlight the relationship between religion (one of the pictures), science (a different picture) and then an example of their mutual, co-existence in between (the picture in the middle).

Communication is very important for my essay. Not everything I have to say can be done with pictures and vise-versa with only words. I am also looking for feedback from my essay and presentation so I will be asking questions thought the project.

            

            I can test my projects effeteness from my peer’s opinions. I want them to see the connection and co-existence between religion and science and I want them to question the future between the two as well. Ultimately I want to open my audience’s minds to a not so thought about idea and I should be able to tell if I achieved this through their reactions.

Photo Essay: Statement of Purpose

Michael Newtoff

College Writing 2

Photo Essay: Statement of Purpose

    

            I have an idea to focus my photo essay on the personal, documentary-like story of myself. I have recently noticed that I have many religious and scientific experience each day and I want to shed light on how religion and science can co-exist.

            The growing debate over religion and science bothers me in the fact that their arguments are set up so there will be a winner and a loser. Although I do believe that they should each have boundaries from each other in certain situations, I would like to argue that there is still room for both in our daily lives if that’s how one chooses to live. Although I am not religious anymore at all, I grew up catholic and feel that I have enough experience to present a well-balanced argument.

            This photo essay will not debate nor support religion and science. This photo essay will not glorify or undermine religion and science either. This photo essay is essentially to explore the prevalence of the two in our American society (using me as an example) and will also suggest some questions in regard to where and where it does not belong in respect to each other.

            I am composing this for my peers who may have noticed similar occasions of their coexistence. I am also composing this for anyone who is one-sided on the issue and I offer a non-biased look at how religion and science can have a mutual relationship.

            ***This essay will be specific to the Catholic/Christian religions due to the pictures I plan on taking, but the message applies to all religious practices.

               

Research Topic

My intention for my final research topic is of a somewhat controversial subject. It will consist of an argument and the research behind the future of religion in the world (specifically America). It may be combined with where future of science is heading as well, and overall explore where the opinions and ethics of the next generation seems to be heading and where it ought to end up based off of current trends and expert opinion and observations.