On August 4th, 2015, photographer, Cristiano Xavier captured the fine line between the calm and the storm through the lenses of a camera. This image uses visual persuasiveness in order to convince its viewers of an argument. By inspecting the elements and functions involved in the image, viewers can see how this argument is created. Then, by evaluating the image, viewers see how well-supports this argument is. The message being; there is always a calm before the storm.
Elements
Foss (2005) describes that the key to the “application of a rhetorical perspective is explication of the distinguishing features of the visual image.” Describing the nature of an image involves attention to two elements; both presented and suggested (Foss, 2005). These
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There are two kinds a movement that can be included in an image – graphic and implied (physical) movement. The former, graphic movement, describes the movement of the eyes through the layout of an image (Hamilton. 2017). The first part that your eyes would travel to in Xavier’s (2015) photograph is the tornado, because it is the focus, or at the center, of the image. Then, your eyes would focus in on what takes up the most space, which would be the dark clouds in the sky. This would then lead you to take in the space the that the storm is invading, which would be the hills and the land. Lastly, your eyes would see the small details – like the house on the right and the road cutting through the …show more content…
The function of emotion may impact the argument of the Xavier’s (2015) image, because the fear response evoked by the image depends on the viewers culture and/or experience. The emotional response might by stronger for viewers that have seen or experienced a tornado. Regardless, fear can be evoked by this image from any viewer that knows that tornados are dangers and can cause a lot of destruction. Also, the emotional response to this image may be largely affected by culture. For example, viewers who are from the “tornado valley” of America are more likely to be used to the dangers of tornados, so are therefore less likely to have a large fear response to the image. Maybe even emotions of wonder and excitement. However, a viewer who is from somewhere that never gets tornados are more likely to have a larger fear response in comparison to the