VISUAL REFLECTION
English 30-2
The visual reflection assignment is similar to any other written work in that you state
your idea and then you defend your idea with details from the visual text.
The assignment will be worded as follows:
What ideas and impressions does the visual text suggest to you? Consider
the context and develop your response by referring to the visual text.
In your writing, you may response personally, critically, and/or creatively.
You must


Select a prose form that is appropriate to the ideas you wish to express and that
will enable you to communicate effectively to the reader
Consider how you can create a strong unifying effect
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On the diploma exam, you will be given a visual text – it could be a
photograph, a print advertisement, a poster, etc. Your task is to
communicate to the reader the ideas and impressions you get when you look
at and analyse the visual.
*** So, when you sit down and see the visual, just look at it and
THINK…take in all the details and THINK of a “BIG PICTURE IDEA”
that the visual represents. Then, base your writing and use of detail on this
“BIG IDEA” or THEME***
The nice thing about this assignment is that there are multiple ways to
interpret a visual. There is no “one right answer”. So, as long as you
develop an appropriate, clear idea and are able to support it with and relate it
to details from the visual, you will get credit for your ideas.
FORMAT CHOICE
Note that you are given the choice as how to respond. You can respond in a personal,
critical, or creative format.
Personal: connect the “big idea” and details in the visual to your own life – this could be
your friends, your family, your job, your school, your hobbies, your country, sports,
places you’ve travelled to, etc.
Critical: this format is like a mini-essay. Analyse the details of the visual (colours,
symbols, words (if any), facial expressions, body language, objects) and discuss how they
prove the “big idea”.
Creative: this format is fairly wide-open. Here, you can choose a creative style to
communicate the “big idea”. Some options are a script, a letter, a diary/journal entry, a
short story, a news article. This format will require you to create some details – you
could write as if you are one of the people/objects in the visual, or create your own
character(s). Although you do have a lot of freedom with this format, it is essential that
your writing still connect to the details of the visual and the “big idea” it communicates.
The only rule is: NO POEMS!
PERSPECTIVE AND VOICE
Things like spelling, punctuation, and sentence structure are not “marked” in this
assignment. What DOES COUNT is the VOICE you create in your writing. Voice
comes from vocabulary and word choice.
You want your “voice” to match your prose form. So, if you write a critical format,
your voice would be more formal and analytical. If you were to write a creative letter,
the voice would suit and fit the character of the person who is writing the letter.
PLANNING YOUR IDEAS
Before you begin to write, take some time to THINK of the following:
1.
2.
3.
4.
What is the “big idea”/theme of this visual?
What details in the visual support and create this big idea?
What prose form/format will I use in writing my response?
What voice do I need to create to suit this format?
Once you know the answers to these questions, get writing! This assignment should take
30-40 minutes to complete. It is worth 10% of the total diploma exam mark.
Sample responses to show:
June 2006 Masai E personal
Jan 2007 S Critical – everyone’s drinking coke, coke will make you happy
PF Critical – health issues of pop/coke
E Critical – builds off of first two, discusses media manipulation and health
Balloon/building visual ideas: In-class on Friday, April 25
-
the effects of war – connect to Afghanistan (?) – people in visual look to be arabic
children finding hope (balloons) in times of adversity – children’s ability to focus on
positive in life despite being surrounded by negatives - resiliency
contrast between the destroyed building and brightness of the balloons/kids – human
ability to find happiness and hope in hard times
connect/compare visual to places they have travelled where they have seen local
people/kids rise above poverty/harsh lifestyles
contrast life in Canada with the life these people lead
English 30-2 Visual Response
April 25, 2008
In the background of this photo there is a crumbling, run-down building. It is
cement grey, with black areas where the cement is crumbling. There is no glass on
the window openings. It is vacant inside. The ground around the building is bare
dirt, covered in places by cement debris. To the left of the building, there sits a
demolished car. The sky behind the building is blue.
In the foreground there are four children, gathered around an adult. The adult is
holding a large bunch of coloured balloons – blue, pink, orange, yellow, and green.
The adult wears a small round cap on his head and a scarf around his neck. The
children are wearing brightly coloured jackets. One child is holding a large white
bag, over his shoulder. The three children and the adult are looking at the balloons.
The smallest of the three children is reaching out to touch the balloons.