Coen 1

Killian Coen
ENGL 419-001
Paczynski
12/04/2015

Reflective Essay

Before I came into this course, my understanding of rhetoric, especially as it applies to

imagery, was non-existent. However, after having gone through it, I can now say that I am able
to discuss the rhetorical arguments made by images with some degree of authority. I can say
without hesitation that the projects that we did in class are the reason that I now feel as confidant
as I do in this subject area.
Concerning our first project that constituted a visual audit of a certain space, I believe this
project taught me much about how to look at a space and analyze the images and artifacts within
it to determine what the space is trying to convince the viewer of. 1 I discovered that, as Joe
Dickenson discusses, most spaces that are designed to sell goods of any kind are visually
designed in order to communicate authenticity to its customers, and thus appear as trust-worthy
and deserving of the viewers hard-earned money. This was also the assignment that began to
teach me how to engage in rhetorical analysis of visual images and artifacts.2 For instance, as I
began to consider the idea of kairos, I was struck by the fact that everything, including simple
things like which colors to use where in the store and which fonts to use, all have their time and

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place; using a font like Helvetica may have seemed lazy years ago, but is now considered a
streamlined design choice.
As for learning how various design elements work within various types of documents, the
project involving our logo design and designing with text helped me understand this very well.3
Pertaining to the logo, I learned here how to keep a design clean looking in order to assure that
no theres no visual noise to distract the viewer. Using the bit of red color that I sued in the
logo draws the viewer further into the image, while this same color would be out of place in
other kinds of documents, like my design with text piece. Here, the red color would have only
distracted the viewer. Instead, I chose to use different fonts to separate the two sides of the
image, and each had a specific point; an Old English font to appeal to authenticity, and a Modern
English font to assure comprehensibility. As a result, this project also taught me how to use
different sorts of design choices in order to make different arguments.4
Before this class, I had almost zero vocabulary for understanding visual culture, but that
changed after the rhetorical analysis project.5 For this project, I chose to examine the One World
Trade Center, and I had to use the terms exigence and kairos in order to understand why the
building was made when it was, as well as its purpose. I discovered that it was finished after the
wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were over it order to show America a return to normalcy, and that
the building was designed to be visually identical regardless of which angle its viewed from in
order to reinforce the same message. This also helped me to understand the rhetorical strategies
used in visual communication, specifically in buildings, monuments, and public spaces.6

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As far as design decisions that concern the images audience, purpose, and context, the
visual argument assignment greatly helped my understanding.7 Here, I was forced to choose
between a plain image that could be accessed by anyone or an ornate image that would alienate
some viewers. As my audience was religious people and my purpose was to try and convince
them of religious unity, I opted for the plain, accessible image. The context could be as wideranging as appearing on a bumper sticker to being used in a tattoo, so the plainness of the image
works here as well, as it can be changed to fit any context in which its used. This was also the
project that gave the biggest chance to work with design principles in order to accomplish make
our own argument.8 Here, I was able to blend color, lines crafted into an image, and text into a
cohesive image that conveys my argument well; all within a program (Microsoft Word) that I
thought would be incapable of handling such a task.
The multimodal essay was the project that taught me the most regarding the ethical and
cultural implications of rhetorical choices.9 Though none of the rhetorical devices used in Nazi
propaganda could not be considered ethical by any means, the propaganda itself was firmly
rooted in German culture, and thus showed me that images can be rooted in culture, flagrantly
violate ethics, and yet still be effective in their goals. Though this rhetoric was not
interconnected between cultures, it did pertain to various social discourses, specifically the
discourse between the working class and the upper class.10 If viewed in this way, the rhetorical
devices used in Nazi propaganda can be seen not just in Germany and in the 1930s-40s, but in
any culture throughout history that has tried to convince its citizens of the supremacy and
rightful authority of the ruling class.

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In summation, I cannot overstate how much I have learned from this class. The rhetorical
lenses and design techniques that I have worked with here have provided me a firm foundation in
practicing visual analysis, and as a student pursuing a career in technical writing, these skills will
undoubtedly prove useful not just in my academic life, but in my professional life as well. I look
forward to seeing just how wide-ranging and applicable this knowledge will be in the future.