Essay Four: Visual Proposal Argument

English 102: Assignment Four
Visual Proposal Argument

The Assignment:
In this assignment you are asked to advocate that something be done (or not be done) about an issue, or to argue that some procedure be changed. You can argue for or against specific proposals that have actually been made, or you can propose (and argue for) one of your own. Your response must include a significant visual component.

Written Component:
Your starting point might well be something that bothers you and that you feel should be changed. Of course, you might have to convince your readers that it is a problem for them too, if that is not obvious. As you work out the rhetorical situation for this assignment, pay particular attention to the audience for your proposal. You should be able to specify an actual audience and a forum within which you would present the proposal. Consider what your purpose is—your audience should be asked either to undertake the action proposed or to support the action proposed.

Visual Component:
The visual component of this assignment could take many forms. As with written arguments, visual arguments make use of the three rhetorical appeals: ethos, logos, and pathos. A visual ethical appeal might show the picture of scientists working out the cure for cancer in a laboratory, or it might show the image of an American icon that supports your cause. A logical visual appeal might be a pie chart that shows revenue spent on education in relation to other expenditures. A visual representation of the processes that lead to global warming would also be a logical appeal. We are probably most familiar with pathetic visual appeals: the image of an emaciated child that needs our help or the crime-scene photograph from the drunk-driving accident that shows two cars reduced to scrap. The argument may also make use of any of a number of genres: pamphlets, posters, websites, flyers, advertisements (including video and print ads), or works of art.

Goals:

• Discover and incorporate credible sources in written argument
• Analyze visual arguments
• Design and develop effective visual proposal arguments
• Draft and revise effective written proposal arguments
• Appeal to specific audiences

Composition:
The audience for this essay will be the person or people who have efficacy (the ability to effect change) in relation to the issue. Audiences might include: the voting public, legislators, administrators, consumers, etc.

Here is a list of the features that usually appear in a proposal:

1. Statement and discussion of the issue, including background and causes
2. Statement and discussion of the problems related to the issue
3. Statement and discussion of the proposed solution
4. A point by point explanation of how the solution can solve the problem
5. A demonstration of the feasibility of the proposal (this often includes costs, personnel, equipment and facilities, and a timeline for implementation)
6. A response to the conditions of rebuttal
7. Description of the possible futures—scenarios describing what will happen if the proposal is accepted, and the consequences if it is not.
   

What It Should Look Like--Constraints:

• Length: The written component should be long enough to satisfactorily fulfill the assignment; most successful papers are between three and five pages, but remember: a two-page paper could hypothetically receive a passing grade and a fourteen-page paper could fail. Both scenarios seem to be anomalies. The visual component may be integrated into the written essay, or it may be a standalone piece. A standalone visual argument may include some text.
• The completed paper should utilize at least seven of the ten credible sources collected in your annotated bibliography. It should include at least one primary source.
• All sources should be documented using MLA style.
• Please type (12 point font) your paper and double space it using one inch margins; this requirement is not an arbitrary obsession with form. Studies have shown that teachers react in different ways to different formatting. By standardizing your paper format, I can guarantee us both an equitable reading of your work.
• Give your work a title.