Purpose and Learning Objectives In this assignment, you should practice writing using the writing process and developing a well-constructed analysis essay in formal register. The essay should show how an analysis of the visual components of an image leads to a better understanding of the image. Process for Completion  The first step      in this process will be to choose an image.  Browse the images      available through the Gordon Parks Foundation Archives.  The link is      available near the end of Unit 3.  Choose an image that you find      engaging and that you feel offers ample opportunity for analysis. Some      images are interesting, but they’re difficult to talk about.  The      image you choose will be the subject of your essay. After you have      chosen your image, you should engage in      some prewriting activities using the ideas and terms presented      in Unit 4.  First, take stock of your initial reactions to the      image.  What emotions did you feel as you first looked at the      photograph?  What aspects about the image lead viewers to react      a certain way? Before you begin      writing, you will want to perform some research. This assignment requires      at least one source (print or web). If you're choosing an image about the      Civil Rights Movement, you might want to research the movement. If you're      choosing an image about Flavio in Rio de Janeiro, you might want to      research how Gordon Parks met Flavio. You're welcome to use more than one      source, but be sure to keep track of the information you gain from your      source so that you can cite the source appropriately. Next, analyze      the image by looking closely at the content, framing, composition, focus,      color, lighting and context.  What interesting or unique features do      you notice about the image?  What is the cultural or historical      context of the image?  You should record all of these activities.      Some of them will become important pieces of your final draft. Next, it will be      time to find your focus and begin generating a working thesis      statement.  For this assignment, your thesis will make a claim about      the meaning of the image.  In other words, what      message does the image communicate?  Remember, every image tells a      story and an image may tell a different story depending on who is      looking.  Once you have decided what idea or story the image      communicates to you, you will need to explain how content, framing, focus,      color, angle and lighting come together to create that story or convey      meaning. Your thesis will be more specific if you show which visual      elements your essay discusses and what they do to create meaning. So, an      example thesis might be something like this: “Through content, framing,      and angle, the image demonstrates how segregation affected not only adults      but also the children of black families in the South.” After completing     ...

1. Purpose and Learning Objectives
In this assignment, you should practice writing using the
writing process and developing a well-constructed analysis
essay in formal register. The essay should show how an analysis
of the visual components of an image leads to a better
understanding of the image.
Process for Completion
The first step in this process will be to choose an image.
Browse the images available through the Gordon Parks
Foundation Archives. The link is available near the end of
Unit 3. Choose an image that you find engaging and that
you feel offers ample opportunity for analysis. Some images
are interesting, but they’re difficult to talk about. The
image you choose will be the subject of your essay.
After you have chosen your image, you should engage in
some prewriting activities using the ideas and terms
presented in Unit 4. First, take stock of your initial
reactions to the image. What emotions did you feel as you
first looked at the photograph? What aspects about the
image lead viewers to react a certain way?
Before you begin writing, you will want to perform some
research. This assignment requires at least one source (print
or web). If you're choosing an image about the Civil Rights
Movement, you might want to research the movement. If you're
choosing an image about Flavio in Rio de Janeiro, you might
want to research how Gordon Parks met Flavio. You're

2. welcome to use more than one source, but be sure to keep
track of the information you gain from your source so that
you can cite the source appropriately.
Next, analyze the image by looking closely at the content,
framing, composition, focus, color, lighting and context.
What interesting or unique features do you notice about the
image? What is the cultural or historical context of the
image? You should record all of these activities. Some of
them will become important pieces of your final draft.
Next, it will be time to find your focus and begin generating
a working thesis statement. For this assignment, your thesis
will make a claim about the
meaning
of the image. In other words, what message does the image
communicate? Remember, every image tells a story and an
image may tell a different story depending on who is
looking. Once you have decided what idea or story the
image communicates to you, you will need to explain how
content, framing, focus, color, angle and lighting come
together to create that story or convey meaning. Your thesis
will be more specific if you show which visual elements
your essay discusses and what they do to create meaning. So, an
example thesis might be something like this: “Through
content, framing, and angle, the image demonstrates how
segregation affected not only adults but also the children of
black families in the South.”
After completing the previous steps, it will be time to begin
drafting your essay. The following outline might help you
to structure your initial draft.

3. Introduction
:
Identify
and describe the image. It is so very important that you
identify the image very clearly. Use the name of the
photographer and the image: for example, you might say,
“In Gordon Parks’s photograph titled “American Gothic,” a
woman stands in front of a flag with a broom in her hand and a
mop in the background.” In the introduction, you might
show why the image is important or relevant or provide
some background information about it
.
Please e
mbed the image into the body of your essay somewhere so that
the readers can see it.
One way to embed the image is to put your mouse on the
image and right-click, and then select “copy.” Next, go to
your document and right-click on your document, and then
select “paste.”
Thesis:
Tell your readers what idea or story the image
communicates. Be sure the thesis shows the result of your
analysis. (See the above discussion in #4 under Process for
Completion.)
Supporting paragraphs
: Explain how the visual elements come together to create
meaning. In multiple body paragraphs, discuss the effect of
content, framing, composition, color, focus, angle, lighting
and/or context. You should not discuss
every one
of these elements, but you should discuss enough of them so
that your reader understands how the visual elements work
together to create a story and to create meaning. You may
have three or more body paragraphs dedicated to this task.

4. It would be a good idea to discuss just one or two elements
in each paragraph.
Conclusion:
At a minimum, your conclusion should remind your reader
how the visual elements convey meaning.
Minimum Requirements
The final draft of your essay should be between 600 and 900
words in length (about 2 -3 pages long).
The essay should meet the expectation of an academic
rhetorical situation. You will be expected to use formal
register English. Your audience will be a general audience
of educated adults.
The image you have chosen as the subject for your essay
should be linked to or embedded in the body of the essay.
The essay should be written in MLA format, with a proper
header, page numbers, title, and font. See the MLA
guidelines on page 404 in
EQ
.
The essay should discuss two or more visual elements from
the lessons.
The essay should cite at least one source. The source should
be cited in MLA format, so there should be an in-text
citation for the source and a works cited page. Books,
journals, magazines, and web sources are all acceptable for this

5. assignment, but you should be sure to consider the reliability
of your sources. You should not use Wikipedia.
You should also include one of your vocabulary words and
mark the word by changing the font to red for that word.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is using someone else’s words or ideas without
giving credit and is a serious academic offense. It can range
from:
• Turning in a paper any part of which you did not write,
• Cutting and pasting a paper together from various sources
without attributing the sources correctly,
• Changing a few words but basically keeping most of the
words and sentence structure of the original,
• Using the ideas of another without giving credit to the
person who originally had the idea.
• Using the exact words of the source without using quotation
marks even if you give the name of the source.
Refer to the syllabus for consequences of plagiarism in this
class. For more information, see
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/589/01/
Submission Protocol
Your assignment must be submitted as a Microsoft Word
attachment.

6. Grading
See rubric for more information about how you will be graded.