The Rhetoric of Images
Choosing and Appropriate Images to Enhance Your
Argument
Annotating Sources, Outlining, and Drafting
Two Things to Sign Up For:
• Choose peer review for research paper
• Put a question about the Research Paper in the
Answer Hat.
The Answer Hat
At this point in your research, I know that people in
this class are coming across a variety of
questions/obstacles, and I want to know what they
are.
EVERY person needs to put at least one question or
concern on a note card (no names needed). I will
look through the questions and answer them as best
I can for everyone.
Annotate Printed Sources
• Highlight and comment on important or intriguing
information:
• Facts/statistics important to your argument
• Well-stated points to which you can respond using a
quote sandwich
• Common threads across all research
• Facts/points in one source that relate to information
from another source
• Content that will help you to use a balance of
logos/ethos/pathos
Outline Research Paper
• I have placed an outline on the course website.
• Know your thesis. What is the big claim about pop culture
you are making? Make sure this claim has a clear point of
view and a preview of how your essay will support the
claim.
• What are the major points of support for your thesis? Each
of these points will require a paragraph of explanation (or
several paragraphs, if the point is complicated).
• Each body paragraph of your paper should have quotes or
paraphrases from your sources integrated smoothly. Begin
grouping quotes/info and deciding how you will group them
into paragraphs so you can weave them together and with
your own ideas.
Draft Research Paper
• If you have a strong thesis and a clear idea of where
you are going with your paper, you may use this
time to draft your essay.
• You may also continue to find more appropriate
sources for your paper.
• Today will require you to be self directed. Use your
time wisely while I am conferencing with others,
and you will have less to do at home.
Choosing Images as a Rhetorical
Choice
• Remember, your rhetorical choices are the choices
you make as a writer in order to communicate
clearly and persuasively with your audience.
• A well-chosen image will illustrate or clarify a point
made in the essay.
• A well-chosen image will be consistent with the
tone and purpose of the essay.
• A well-chosen image will be given appropriate
credit in your essay.
Examining Image Use
• In order to effectively use images in our own essays, we are
going to examine how images are used to communicate in
some example texts.
• We will be asking the following questions about each image:
• What do I observe when I look at the image? (Consider use
of color, layout, relative sizes of various parts of the image.)
• Is there any text that accompanies the image? What is the
role of that text?
• What is the original context for the image?
• Who is the audience for the image?
• What is the purpose of the image?
• What is the message of the image?
Image 1:
Image in context at: http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/orlando-vacations/
Analyzing the
image:
Where is your eye drawn first in
this image?
What is the main focus? What is
pushed to the background?
What messages might this image
communicate?
Image 2:
Image in context at: https://disneyland.disney.go.com/au/
Analyzing the
image:
Where is your eye drawn first in
this image?
What is the main focus?
What messages might this image
communicate?
How is this image different than
the first? How is its message
different?
MLA Rules to Remember for
Citing Images
• Give credit for the image to the person who created
it, if you know who that was.
• Let your audience know where to find the image if
they want to see it for themselves in context.
• If you insert an image in the body of your paper,
you MUST mention it in the text and write a
caption.
Tips for Choosing Images for Use
in Your Essay (via the OWL)
• Choose images that are directly relevant to the
argument you are making. Look for illustrations
that enhance your audience’s understanding of
your topic or illustrate a point you are trying to
make in a powerful way.
• Use quality versions of the images. If your images
are low quality or distorted, this distracts your
reader from your argument.
How Do I Cite an Image?
• Each image will be assigned a number, in the order in
which it is mentioned in the essay.
• In MLA format, photographs, charts, graphs, and other
images are all called “figures.” This is abbreviated in the
text of your paper to “fig.”
• When you mention the image, direct your audience to
that image at the end of the sentence that mentions it
by writing (see fig. #) at the end. (Note: replace # sign
by the number assigned to the image.)
• See p. 531 of Rules for Writers for an example of image
use in an MLA style paper.
• See p. 518 for how to cite specific types of images.
How Do I Cite an Image?
• Each image must have a caption below it that does
three things:
• Tells the image’s figure number.
• Briefly describes the image and why it is relevant to
your argument.
• Gives credit to the source of the image, either with
an in-text citation (author’s name in parentheses) if
the source is on your works cited page, or by simply
telling the audience all information about the
source of the image in the caption.
Example Image Use When You
Know the Photographer/Creator
• The following example uses an image from an
article called “'Required Reading': As Textbook
Prices Soar, Students Try to Cope”
• Here is how you might mention the image in the
body of your essay.
The high price of textbooks is especially tough
for bright students who are pushing themselves
academically. Students who double major in difficult
fields find themselves paying even more for
textbooks than their peers with a single major (see
fig. 1).
Insert the image at the end of the paragraph
where you mention it. Try to center the image.
Fig. 1: A student who is majoring in pre-med, biology, and Spanish sits next to a few of
her textbooks. Photograph by John Breecher for the article “'Required Reading': As
Textbook Prices Soar, Students Try to Cope” by Martha C. White.
Example Image Use With Example
Disney Image:
• in the body of your essay.
In many of the advertisements on Disney’s
website, the iconic Disney landmarks are pushed to
the background. The focus in these images is often
several generations of a smiling family (see fig. 1).
Kids ride on their parents’ shoulders, grandparents
hold hands with grandchildren, and in the
background, small but not forgotten, the Disney
castle reminds the audience which company is
responsible for this perfect moment of family
bonding.
Insert the image at the end of the paragraph
where you mention it. Try to center the image.
Fig. 1: A Disney World advertisement features a family standing on Main Street with the
castle in the background. Image retrieved from the “Orlando Family Vacations” section of
the official Disney Parks website.
General Guidelines:
• Give your audience enough information in the caption
to find the image for themselves.
• If you can’t find the name of a photographer or creator,
leave it out, but give your audience some other
information to help them find the image.
• Use google image search to see if you can find a copy of
the image accompanied by more information.
(images.google.com) Simply drag and drop the image
you want more information about into the search bar,
and it will find similar images and give you any
information google can find about it.
Do I HAVE TO have an image in
my essay?
• No, but images are incredibly powerful rhetorical
tools.
• You will want to consider whether your argument
would be strengthened by including at least an
image or two that were relevant to your main
points.
• I will not take away points if you do not have
images, but excellent use of images can help you to
earn more points in categories where I am grading
you on use of rhetorical tools.