Molly Scanlon
ENGL 1106
February 16, 2010
Writing Opportunity
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For 15 minutes, write about a place, a spot
that brings back sensory details—sights,
sounds, smells, textures, and tastes. Try
describing a private place—a certain tree in
your backyard, a basketball court, a relative’s
dining room, the interior of a closet, the cotton
candy stand at Busch Gardens.
List the details and sensations to get closer to
your dominant impression, a cluster of images,
or a person connected to that place. (This is
your internal landscape).
Write a few short, descriptive paragraphs and
share it with a partner.
Now, ask yourself…
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Why do I focus on this element of the
landscape and not another?
What is my reason for narrowing my gaze
to any specific place?
What spaces have I rejected as I’ve
narrowed my gaze?
Why do I use metaphors and descriptions
as I do? Are there any that I abandoned
along the way?
What memories did you have that you
decided to ignore?
“Visual Culture” Today
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Visual Arguments to:
 inform (increase awareness)
 convince (persuade)
 explore (challenge pre-conceived notions)
 make decisions (call for action)
 talk about the past, present, or future
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So how do we “talk” about them?
Everything’s An Argument, Lunsford. p.p. 9-20
Visual Arguments to Inform
Picturing Texts, Faigley et al., p.p. 51
Visual Arguments to Convince
http://www.backspace.com/notes/2008/06/mission-accomplished.php
Visual Arguments to Explore
Picturing Texts, Faigley et al., p.p. 431
Visual Arguments to Make Decisions
Picturing Texts, Faigley et al., p.p. 42
Visual Arguments about:
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The past (Did something happen? How?)
http://www.crystalinks.com/bigbang.html
Visual Arguments about:
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The present (Why do we see it that way?)
http://webpages.csus.edu/~bm884/global-warming.jpg
Visual Arguments about:
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The future (Should we do that?)
http://mkcommunists.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/afghanistan.jpg
Worldview
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Do you see the world like this?
http://www.xtremepowersports.com/world-map.jpg
Or do you see the world like this?
http://www.eurogamer.net/forum_thread_posts.php?thread_id=164758
Your assignment:
Observe one or more spaces of your
writing community for 1 (one) hour.
 As a passive observer, take notes in
your double-entry journal (you will be
expected to turn it in with your visual).
 Feel free to take pictures, walk around,
do research, etc. to better understand
how the space is used.
 Create a visual that captures the space.
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Before my example…
…think about a city you are somewhat
familiar with:
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Where are the business buildings?
Where are the residential neighborhoods?
Where are the entertainment sections?
How do people get around? Who uses
which forms of transportation?
 Does where you live indicate your
occupation, marriage status, race/ethnicity,
socioeconomic status, value in a
community?
Describe this map:
-How many tracks/train routes? How many stops per route?
-Are the track lengths all about equal? Do they each extend into/out
of Washington D.C. about
the same length?
-What regions do they provide transportation to? What regions are not served by the Metro?
-Rate the trains in order of importance (you be the judge of “importance”: # of commuting
riders, # of local riders, wealth of the riders, landmarks and certain stops along the route, etc.)
Now describe this map:
-How many tracks/train routes? How many stops per route?
-Are the track lengths all about equal? Do they each extend into/out
of Washington D.C. about
the same length?
-What regions do they provide transportation to? What regions are not served by the Metro?
-Rate the trains in order of importance (you be the judge of “importance”: # of commuting
riders, # of local riders, wealth of the riders, landmarks and certain stops along the route, etc.)
What’s different? Does it make a difference?
-How
are the affordances of this map different from the custom design by WMATA?
-What might motivate the mapmakers to depict straighter track routes, or equal track
lengths?
For Thursday:
Read Fieldworking, “Researching Place”
(175-194) & “Mapping Space” (195-208)
 Wiki response the readings (engage
with them, don’t tell me if you “liked”
them or not)
 Include an idea of a place you might
observe in your writing community
 Revise your proposal and email me by
Wednesday @ 12:00 noon
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