CHAPTER 14Visual Arguments have been around for centuries. They have lined the banks of the Nile in the form of statues, leaders have stamped them on monetary coins, and early cave dwellers carved them on cave walls. Visual arguments can range from the simplest of images to television ads. These images make arguments of their own, since each person analyzes the meaning differently. Human vision is selective. People have a tendency to shape what they have seen and learned to see things according to their meanings within their culture. Images can bring meaning to life because they appeal to emotion, or a significant point in history. Any image can be portrayed as a visual argument. Take for example, the picture on the top left. It is a visual image of characters from The Adventures of Alice in Wonderland in the setting of a modern day subway. Anyone who is familiar with the short story or Disney's film Alice in Wonderland, knows the famous line from the white rabbit, "I'm late, I'm late!" The title of the subway has the word "circus" which portrays how hectic people are on their way to work or on the way home in a subway. And in the long run how ridiculous it can be. Overall, analyzing the visual elements of arguments can be tricky, especially because images can hold more than one meaning. But it can also be the reason why visual arguments are so effective.
So as a synopsis, the chapter in this book was primarily on visual arguments as a whole. It emphasized the power of visual arguments, and the effectiveness of shaping the messages behind visual arguments. If you refer back to the chapter in Everything's an Argument, the chapter will give you tips on how to analyze different visual arguments and how to determine the meaning behind the images.
It also provides a section on using visuals in your own arguments.
IDEAS FOR ADVOCACY AD
images from Shepard Fairey
images from Shepard Fairey
Daniella,
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you said about visual arguments. The chapter clearly states how visual arguments have been around for pretty much the entire history of the world. The importance of visual arguments is evident because like you said, we see them everywhere. Everything from walking down the street to when we turn on the television at night. They have an impact on our lives, there is no doubt about that. It can evoke emotion, imagination, awareness and sometimes humor. It does not matter what the cause or product is being sold or publicized, all that matter is if it catches our eye or makes us stop in our tracks to listen or see what they have to say and why we should listen to the company or the campaign. The reason visual arguments have around for so long is simply for the fact that it is successful; it really does work. I like your Obey examples, I love the brand and what they stand for, they believe in rebelling and testing the boundaries. They company definitely did a good job at making a good visual argument. Obey was frowned upon for a very long time, and not until the public loved them did they succeed. Obey was a graffiti artist which has to do ONLY with visual argument, so I think in my opinion that your example was spot on and fantastic. Visual arguments means a lot.