


For your second major assignment, you will write a 3-4 page essay in which you will closely read and analyze a visual text (illustration, painting, photograph, or poster). You are welcome to use either a text that we’ve looked at in class, or find your own. If you want to use something from your most recent SWA, you can, however I DO NOT want you to use the whole video. If you are choosing a music video as your visual text, you will need to pick ONE still shot to analyze.

You may choose to focus on any (or multiple) element(s) of the text. Your purpose is to show, through your close reading, how the passage you have chosen develops, illustrates, contradicts, and/or contributes to the theme, or argument, of the work as a whole. Remember that your purpose is not to summarize what the text says, but rather to make an argument about how one (or a variety) of its elements relate to its larger message.

Some questions you might want to consider as you work through your reading:

What does your visual text depict? Be specific in your description and include a lot of details.

To whom is this visual text directed? Who produced this text?

How does the written text, if any, function in the visual text?

What is the overall design? What is the effect of this design?

What is the visual text asking or demanding you to do?

What types of symbols does the visual text employ? How are these effective?

Does the image appeal to our emotions? If it does, are there particular methods used to do this?

What are the unstated assumptions and/or grounds of the argument?

How are these grounds supported?

How might this visual text function differently in a different context?

Your essay should be double-spaced and formatted in accordance with MLA guidelines. A requirement of this paper is that you provide me with a copy of your chosen image - either in the form of the image itself in your submission, or a link to where I can find it.

Note: If your image takes up one whole page, I will still expect 3-4 pages of writing.

This essay should be written for a college audience. Your language, style, and tone should reflect your audience and purpose.