Vocabulary for Unit 4

These are the vocabulary words for this unit.  Remember to incorporate them into your Discussion Board in this unit.

Inconsequential      Superficial         Tenuous      Trivial

Compelling             Obstinate         Tenacity       Consensus

Derived                   Acquired

For this Writer’s Notebook, you should watch the video “In Reverse” and respond to the following prompt with a minimum of 300 words:

What effect do the creators of this video wish to have on the viewer? In other words, what is the video’s purpose?   Who do you think is the intended audience? Why?  How do the creators of this video use the elements of visual rhetoric discussed in this unit to convey their message? You may also consider how elements not discussed in this unit, such as sound or special effects, engage and persuade the viewer. 

Note:  This video contains imagery that some viewers may find unsettling.

(direct link to the video:  https://vimeo.com/106588553)

For this discussion board, first choose an image from the “images” folder to respond to.  In your discussion board post, begin by describing the image you have chosen and explaining your initial reactions to the image.  From there, provide your reader with an analysis of the image, using terms introduced earlier in this unit: composition, context, content, framing, lighting, angle, intertextuality, focus,  etc.  Be sure to begin your response by identifying which image you have chosen.

Complete this discussion board with one initial response of at least 300 words and two replies of at least 100 words each.

As always,  be sure to use two vocabulary words from the unit.

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For this Writer’s Notebook, you should construct an outline for your next assignment by following these instructions:

Take a moment to look ahead to your next assignment.  You are asked to write an extended visual analysis.  Take a little while to browse the images in the Gordon Parks Foundation Archive (link below) and choose one that will be the subject of your essay. After youve chosen an image, take some time to brainstorm and generate ideas about your topic. You may choose any of the invention strategies discussed in Unit 1 and the strategies discussed in the visual rhetoric lessons in this unit.

Once you have generated some ideas, begin thinking about ways to tie them together.  Try devising a thesis statement that makes a claim about the image you have chosen.  Next, think about how to organize your ideas into a coherent essay.  Use the outline template provided here to help guide you in constructing an outline for your essay.

When you are finished, you should have a working thesis statement and a detailed outline for your major essay.

Please use this discussion board for the peer review of the visual analysis essay. 

Questions for Peer Review

1. Read your peers essay from beginning to end just to let its ideas wash over you.  What are your initial thoughts? Did your peer satisfy the requirements of assignment?  Please explain in detail.

2. Review the essays title as well as its introduction and conclusion.  Think about the relationships among these three components. Do they match or do they disagree? Make note of strengths or weaknesses in these crucial areas.  Please explain in detail.

3. Like other essays, a visual analysis essay should have a thesis.  Find the essays thesis.  Is it clear? Does it make some claim or statement about the image? Paraphrase (put in your own words) the thesis of the essay to check your understanding. Review the assignment guidelines to ensure that your peers thesis is on target. Make note of strengths or weaknesses in this area. Please explain in detail.

4. Evaluate the quality of the visual analysis.  Does the writer use some of the vocabulary introduced in Unit 3?  Focus, Color, Framing, Context, etc.  

5. Focus on the individual paragraphs of the essay.  Does each paragraph have a topic sentence that previews the ideas of the paragraph? Observe the essays development of paragraphs.  Does each paragraph have a single main idea that relates to the thesis?  Are there any paragraphs that seem disconnected or out of place?

6. Consider the essays use of the English language.  Are sentence structures, grammar, spelling, punctuation and mechanics employed effectively, or do errors distract the reader from understanding and enjoying the writers analysis? Make note of strengths and weaknesses in this area.  Please explain in detail.

Remember: When in doubt about how to do the peer review, be honest, helpful, and constructive. Saying Great job! Dont change a word! never helped anyone to be a better writer.