Eng. 658 – Week 6 Blog 1

Ehses’ handling of the posters associated with Macbeth creatively lays a foundation for artists and visual designers of all types to study rhetoric and its influence on visual design in and out of the classroom...

Hanno H.J. Ehses, in “Representing Macbeth: A Case Study in Visual Rhetoric” (1989), suggests that “The creative process of finding appropriate design solutions to visual problems would become more accessible and more probable, and could be enriched if designers were more conscious of the underlying system of concept formation” (164). Ehses supports her claim by arguing that rhetoric is the “underlying system of concept formation,” and she bolsters her declaration through examining the principles of rhetoric as they pertain to images (i.e. metaphor, metonymy, personification, synecdoche, irony, etc.). Ehses’ intent is to inform readers of the value of understanding rhetoric in order to create images with more visual impact as well as to argue that visual design and rhetoric go hand-in-hand. Ehses establishes a trusting relationship with her audience of graduate students, instructors, and scholars through her clear mastery of rhetorical practices and by using Macbeth posters that clearly show design elements of visual rhetoric.

Eng. 658 - Week 5 Blog 3

Kenney's article (a joy to read), concise and clear, with numerous visual examples, defines and clarifies not only visual rhetoric but verbal rhetoric as well...

Keith Kenney, in “Building Visual Communication Theory by Borrowing from Rhetoric" (2002), lays the groundwork for the somewhat new discipline of visual communication theory that can be used by critics and scholars to understand the impact of visual rhetoric. Kenny masterfully supports his position through numerous examples of images; for example, the Tienanmen Square tank photo, that have acted in rhetorical ways upon society. Kenney’s purpose is to argue and create a communication theory that combines elements of verbal and visual rhetoric so as we may have a foundation to study the effects of visual rhetoric upon all of us. Through his well-conceived and clear understanding of the topic, along with a personable style, Kenny establishes an informal relationship with his audience of critics, scholars, instructors, and students interested in understanding the impact of visual rhetoric.

658 Week 3 - Blog 1

This is my second attempt using Woodworth’s Rhetorical Precis... her invention is definitely a handy tool.

Craig Stoupe, in Visualizing English: Recognizing the Hybrid Literacy of Visual and Verbal Authorship (2000), asserts that composition will flourish from incorporating technology rather than being debilitated by it. Baker supports his thesis by offering contrasting examples of visual rhetoric and print that show the two modes can co-exist and prosper when used together. His intent is to persuade compositionists that to embrace digital technology and not fear it will enhance all composition pursuits. He creates a connection with his audience of graduate students and scholars who are interested in understanding the uses, positivity, and negativity of adding visual rhetoric into the composition classrooms.