10 In Class Practice: Analyzing a Photo Essay’s Rhetorical Strategies
- Count off into groups of three.
- Introduce yourselves to each other!
- Each person in each group has a role. Decide who will do what:
- Scribe: types/writes the group response (make sure everyone’s name is on the response!) and emails the response to your instructor at the end of class for participation credit.
- Facilitator: keeps the group on track, leads the group through the questions, asks questions if needed.
- Reporter: speaks for the group when we reconvene as a large class for discussion.
On Canvas, in the Week One Module, “Sample Professional Photo Essays,” there are five photo essays. In your group, look through the first one, “Five in the Bed! Life with a Chinese Family in New York.” Take your time when looking through the photo essay. Study the photos and read the captions. Then, answer the following questions:
Ethos: How do the slides and captions establish the author’s credibility or ethos? Provide at least three specific examples from the photo essay as evidence.
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- What is the tone and how effective is it? Explain.
- How trustworthy, reliable, knowledgeable, and fair does the author seem? Explain.
Pathos: How do the slides and captions appeal to pathos (or the audience’s emotions)? Provide at least three specific examples from the photo essay as evidence.
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- How effectively does the author engage the audience’s interest? Explain.
- How effectively does the author anticipate the audience’s beliefs and values? Explain.
- To what extent does the author make the reader care about the topic? Explain.
Logos: How do the slides and captions appeal to logos? Provide at least three specific examples from the photo essay as evidence.
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- How effectively does the author use reasons and evidence to support his claim? Explain.
- How effectively does the author use details, particulars, examples, and other means as evidence to support points? Explain.
- How logical are the points and how clearly are they connected?
Sample Professional Photo Essays:
