Rage Analysis

“The world told is a different world to the world shown” (Kress 1).  My four-letter word project was on the word rage, and it consisted of pictures of shadowed figures over children being yelled at, children being slapped or hit, children crying, bruised faces and bodies, small caskets, and grave stones of children.  The final picture is a concrete angel which symbolizes the purity of these children and how they will be hurt no longer.  The song I chose to play while displaying this visual presentation was “Concrete Angel” by Martina McBride.  This song really sums up my visual argument.  It backs up the meaning of the pictures.  The presentation argued that rage can lead to abuse, more specifically child abuse.  Thus, the argument is explicitly: we need to stop this abuse and save the lives of these innocent children. 

Part 2

J. Anthony Blair considers something to have truth value if it can be accepted or rejected.  Rage can lead to parents abusing their children.  The pictures of the shadow yelling at a crying or scared child prove that these parents are angry.  The pictures of the parent about to hit their child show that this rage has lead to abuse.  This expression has truth value.  It affirms visually that rage can lead to the abusive of a child and that this needs to be stopped.  The pictures of wounded children and grave stones further affirm that this rage and abuse need to end.  We need to save a child.  My visual argument can be accepted.  The rage leads to abuse that can lead to death.  The presentation has truth value. 

Part 3

            The reason for my presentation is to show people how rage can turn into abuse.  The claim is that rage can be destructive.  It can lead to the harm and even death of an innocent child.  We need to stop the rage in order to save these children’s lives.  These claims are shown all throughout the project.  The order of the pictures shows how anger can lead to abuse.  The abuse then can lead to bruises and injuries which can unfortunately lead to the death of a child.  All of the pictures show this progression.  These claims are expressed very successfully.  Some pictures are a bit graphic, but they really get the point across.  The viewer gets to feel the pain of the children through these graphic pictures.  The claims in my opinion were expressed in the best way possible.  The pictures showed you how bad rage and abuse can get.  The pictures of the tomb stones at the end of the presentation made the rage real.  The viewer can clearly see that these children died too young and it needs to end.

Part 4

            The visual presentation was predictable in that children would show up in every picture and that they would be feeling pain in some way.  It was predictable right off the bat that the song playing was not a very joyous one and all of the pictures that followed were not either.  The images support the expressiveness of this project by making you feel for these children.  They are touching images that have obvious meaning when put together.  They tell a horrific story of the abusive and sometimes short life that some children go through. 

Part 5

            The order of a visual production is the key to the whole presentation and argument.  It tells a story.  The story of my presentation was rage which lead to abuse which lead to pain and eventually death to those who were not saved.  Visual productions are ordered in a way that presents meaning to the viewer.  It makes your argument known.  The organization of the video can make or break it.  It is the difference between the viewer understanding the video and being in utter confusion.  The order of images sets the tone and makes your argument stronger if done correctly. 

Part 6

            Visual arguments can be successful if done correctly.  Of the presentations I viewed in class many made meaning and were successful, but some of them left me confused and bewildered.  Some people like Anna and Mike back up their work with a lot of underline meaning.  Visual arguments need to be to the point to be understood completely.  Too much hidden meaning can cause confusion.  Images can do what writing does if done correctly.  If the presentation is done to get a simple but powerful point across, images can do what writing does.  There are limits both writing and visual.  I believe that minimal writing with images is the ultimate argument.  The images put you in the scene and make you feel while the words let you understand.  Images can definitely do things that writing cannot.  I would have not been able to write about the child’s bloody face or even the small casket and tomb stones.  The images of these things hit you so much harder than the words could ever do.  Blair says in “The Possibility and Actuality of Visual Arguments”, A single visual image can probably be more powerful than a single verbal assertion (23).  For some, they also capture your attention much more than words.  On the other hand, writing opens up your imagination to endless possibilities outside of this world.  It can explain a situation more in depth.  Images and words together are like peanut butter and jelly.  They are both good separately, but put them together and your sandwich is complete.