February 12

Today, we responded to a Danielle DeVoss quote for writing into the day.  Then, we discussed the Visual Analysis assignment (Workshop draft due February 26; Second draft due March 5).  We then began discussing visual analysis by reading pages 53-55 of Practical Argument and analyzed the first comic on the "Comics" handout on Blackboard.  We analyzed the comic in the following ways:

What was your first reaction to this comic?

• It's funny.
• It makes a valid point.
• It's unfair; it over dramatizes the issue.  We have more similarities than the animals do.
• No, we all have different abilities so the comic makes sense.
• It's the over dramatization that makes the comic funny.

What do you notice about each of the characters?

• Some of the animals can perform the task.
• The monkey is smiling.  He is happy about the task.
• The rest of the animals are in shock.
• The human stereotypical. He is a man, white and older.  His body language is very formal.
• Is the man hunched over? If so, is he depressed about this job he needs to perform?
• His hands suggest that he doesn't really care.  He thinks they should just do the task because that's the way it is.
• The bird is tiny.  It might suggest that he can't really succeed.
• Or he represents the ones who can get to the top but don't understand what it takes for others to get there.
• Monkey is sitting back like he faces no challenge.

Why didn't the illustrator include other animals that could climb the tree, like a cat?

• The animals represent the school systems.  The systems are all very different.
• It emphasizes the variety of students

Why use animals instead of people?

• It makes more sense.  It take the argument outside of the realm of people.
• The fish is screwed.

Why is the person behind the desk a person rather than another animal?

• It shows that WE (humans) are the ones doing this to ourselves.
• He is not unique.  He is trying to make everyone else think and be like him.
• His face is pointed upward like he is smiling.
• He isn't modeling.  He is just telling them what to do.
• The suit suggests upper white class.

Who is most important in this comic?

• They are all important because they all set the stage for the argument.
• The elephant and the fish are center and they are the least capable.
• The monkey is important because, without him, all the animals would be equally unlikely to complete the task.
• The animals are more important than the man because you could remove the man and you'd still get the point.

Is the background important?

• They are in the middle of nowhere.  It fabricates a "neutral" ground, like testing does.  No one has the advantage of their natural environment.
• The environment they are in is not like the environment they need to be prepared for (like us with testing).
• The background keeps going.  It has no end, like testing.

Is distance important?

• There is a distance between the man and the animals.  He is impersonal.
• There is a gap between the bird and monkey and the rest of the animals.  They are the two that could complete the task.  They are also closer so they catch your eye first.
• The elephant is the biggest but he is also one of the least capable.
• The monkey looks like he'd be bigger than even the elephant if he stood up.

Why did the illustrator draw the tree the way he did?

• It's a big tree. It cannot be jumped.  The elephant might not even be able to knock it over.
• The higher you climb the better you succeed on the test.
• The branches are like the different specialities.
• The limbs represent testing complications.
• The limbs represent opportunities, but you only get the opportunities once you reach the top.
• The limbs show there is an opportunity that the animals can see but most of them cannot reach it.
• There is not top to the tree, which suggest the education can take you anywhere.

What is important about the words in the comic?

• The word "fair" - it's not fair
• The word "same" - not everyone has the same chance even if it's the same test
• The word "please" - he is being nice about it
• It's "the" tree, not "a" tree - there is only one option
• It's "our" educational system - human's system, not anyone (anything) else's
• "Fair selection" - like natural selection
• The bottom caption is important because it gives context.  If we hadn't been in this class, we might have thought it was about a job, athletics or some kind of other training.

What appeals do you see?

• Pathos - The animal's faces
• Logos - Same words they use for standardized testing in real life.  The animals suggest a testing statistic (one 2 out of 7 will succeed)
• Ethos - The man in the chair has authority.  He had to get up the tree (pass the test) to get into the position he now has. Or he found another way up, like the bird.

Homework:

1. On your blog, post:
• Your second draft of the Exploratory Proposal
• Answers to the "Self Assessment" handout
2. On Blackboard, post a Word document of your second draft in the Discussion board.