Visual Rhetoric Thesis Statement

http://pulitzerprize.org/photography/kevin-carter-1994/

This photograph won the Pulitzer Prize in 1994 for photographer Kevin Carter.  Three months after publishing the photograph, Carter committed suicide. The event not captured by the photography is that which is called to question.  There is a very fine line drawn between professionalism and morality.  At what point does an individual move away from simply doing their job and tap into an emotional pull in order to do the "right thing"?  Kevin Carter consciously made the decision to play on objectivity and leave the setting without so much as calling for assistance for the child shown.  Kevin Carter chose professionalism.  Kevin Carter committed suicide three months later, undoubtedly due to his inability to move past the regret and grief he felt in knowing that he allowed a child to die such a torturous death.  Kevin Carter ended his life with morality.  The two traits conflict mankind on a day to day basis, as exemplified by the last three or so months of Carter's life.  Ultimately, there is no "right" decision when choosing between a professional stance and a moral stance.  To each is his, or her, own choice.






Reasoning behind image choice:

The first time I viewed this photograph was sometime during my high school career.  My first reaction, and lasting impression, was how disturbed I quickly became.  The photograph itself is quite breathtaking, but what startled me most was the caption listed.  It reads, "Kevin Carter’s Pulitzer Prize winning photo taken in 1994 during the Sudane famine. The picture depicts a famine stricken child being stalked by a vulture. The child is moving towards a United Nations food camp, located a kilometer away.  Three months later, and only weeks after being bestowed with the Pulitzer prize, Kevin Carter committed suicide."  Immediately, I was left to wonder if Carter made the correct decision.  After quite a bit of contemplation, I was left to conclude that there really can be no correct decision.  Had he helped the child, there is no guarantee that it would have survived that much longer.  There is no guarantee that the child had not already contracted some life-threatening disease that would have led to a much more detrimental death than that which was captured in the photograph.  Carter allowed nature to take its course. The child's fate played out as was intended had Carter not been present.  On the other hand, the photographer could (and I assume was) scorned forever with the decision to abandon the child.  He viewed the suffering first-hand and walked away.  He dismissed every bit of goodness he could have offered this creature.  But does that make him wrong in leaving?  Does that make him right?

The power of choice took a toll on Kevin Carter.  He chose to photograph the child.  He chose to leave it.  He chose to publish the image.  And eventually, he chose to take his own life.  But what in that series of events may be constituted as being "right" or being "wrong"?  In an act of professionalism, one's morals may be put into question.  Then again, in an act of strong ethical code, one's professional career may be at stake. It is my belief that "right" and "wrong" are left to that of the individual.  Granted, many individuals follow the guidelines put forth by mass culture.  But even still, how are those standards judged and confirmed?

Kevin Carter, just as all human beings, makes decisions daily.  He, just as the rest of the world, must learn to live with whatever consequences and repercussions may follow.  There is no one way to be certain of which decisions are right or good and which are wrong or bad.

Photograph Narrative

 It took me quite a while to search through my photos in order to find one that I found suitable to upload to this blog.  The assignment was, well is, quite simple.  All that is required of the students is to upload a photograph of choice and write about it.  Well, as it is pretty obvious that I could not choose just one, I have uploaded three.  As stated, it became almost impossible for me to choose just one.
These three photos are all from the same event, my debutante ball.  The ball occurred in December of 2011, so it was quite recent.  This debutante ball (deb ball for short) was a once-in-a-lifetime experience that I am thankful to have been a part of.  For those unaware of this custom, debutantes come from a deeply rooted southern tradition.  The ball was held to sort of "introduce" the young women into society.  Generally, this practice led to finding proper suitors or a marriage proposal.  After the debutante "came out" into society, she was then allowed to attend and take part in the social functions of the area.

 Despite the change in tradition throughout the years, some Cotillion Clubs and social societies still take part in the formal ceremony of presenting their daughters when they come of age.  These photos to the right were snapped during different times in the evening.  The top right is of one of my best friends, Sally, and myself.  We are dressed in white gowns, as this is part of the old tradition.  Sally and I have been best of friends since about middle school.  We attend different schools, but have been able to remain just as close as always.  The second photograph is of my brother and myself.  He is two years older than I am, but the age difference is not substantial enough to matter to either of us.  After the formal introduction ceremony where the debutante is announced, presented, and escorted through the crowd, she dances with her father, escort, and marshal.  My brother assumed the role of my marshal, per my mother's request.  At the point the photo was taken, we were cutting up on the dance floor.  Note that this was still supposed to be more formal...but we prefer to mix it up a little.

This last photograph is of my lovely roommate, Morgan, and myself.  She and I have known each other for about two years now.  We first met at a leadership camp the summer after our junior year of high school.  We clicked instantly and kind of decided then that we should room together.  A little odd? Maybe, but that's just fine with us.  I invited her to attend this ball because I wanted to have my best friend there with me while I paraded around and danced in my white comforter.  If you haven't already noticed, the dress was HUGE.  Seeing as how I enjoy cutting up as it is, having her there to entertain me simply made the experience that much more enjoyable.
This debutante ball was an event that's appearing to become less and less common in today's world.  I feel so lucky to have had the opportunity to participate and will cherish the photos and my memories for years to come.

Visual Rhetoric

It is interesting to me how much advertising is subconsciously noticed during my day to day routine.  After taking an hour to open my eyes and realize how many ad campaigns are thrown into the faces of the public, I have come to understand that the human mind blatantly ignores the immense amount.  The marketing industry produces and distributes an insane amount of messages.  Some advertisements have bold, blatant messages while others are much more subtle and interpretive.

The hour I took notice of the visual rhetoric around me I spent my time eating lunch in my dorm room, watching TV and surfing the internet.  Obviously, the television channel played more commercials than it did actual programs.  But this is something that I have come to expect.  The commercials ranged from product promotion to supporting a message to displaying hints of what viewers should tune into.  These commercials are annoying to me, personally, because the interrupt whatever I am trying to view.  Also, it was not challenging for me to conclude how easily TV commercials are disregarded.  They require little thought to understand, normally, and are not generally remembered after a short period of time.  I believe this is why they are replayed so often.

The TV commercials are not what got me wondering about visual rhetoric, though.  It was in fact all the advertisements pushed onto the defenseless public checking their email or updating their status on Facebook.  The internet is FULL of visual rhetoric intended to not only grasp the attention of the viewer, but also lead him or her to wherever the ad's link might arrive.  As I stated previously, these are a little more difficult to shrug off.

It concerns me that just sitting in my dorm room for an hour can not hide me from the attempted persuasion of today's advertising industry.  Visual rhetoric has become virtually unavoidable.  It is one of the most substantial ways to attract a viewer and reel him or her into analyzing the message being portrayed.  Whether realizing it or not, the public is influenced by visual rhetoric on a daily basis.

First Week of Classes

Moving back into my lovely cubicle of a dorm was not exactly on the top of my priority list right after bringing in the new year.  I love Clemson, I do.  My first semester here was better than I ever could have imagined.  It was just hard to comprehend that my wonderful winter break had come to an end.  And that I would soon be back in a desk in a classroom in a building that was very far away from my comfortable bed at home.  After accepting the blatant fact of life standing before me, that regardless of my emotional state classes would be starting up Jan 11, I began to get very excited for this new semester in this new year.
I arrived on campus the Monday prior to classes, in order to get myself moved in and adjusted to being back in Clemson.  I picked up my books, sorted all that mess out, and got what I needed organized for my classes that were rapidly upon me.  My schedule is a bit intimidating this semester, with the 18 hours worth of courses I have little background in.  I am hoping, though, that I will become much more studious than I was my first semester here.  It is not that I was not a good student, I just realize now that I got by with minimal effort.  I ended last semester, as well as the year 2011, with all A's.  It is my goal to continue that strong academic standing and achieve the same this spring semester.
So, now that I am moved into my dorm, I have began attending classes, and am currently working on homework, I can only believe that I am on the right track to achieving what I have planned.  It is a rather odd sensation, knowing that I have begun the second and final semester of my freshman year.  I keep hearing that college is the most stressful, exhilarating, and influential time period of my young life.  This has become very obvious to me in just a matter of months.  It is a bit frightening to know that there are only (hopefully) six semesters left in my college career.  Time moves more rapidly than I expected.
As long as this wacky weather cooperates, I foresee nothing that could make this semester terrible.  I am excited and terrified to get into my courses more diligently.  And I can only imagine the stress that comes along with that! :)