Matthew Rivera
English 103
Ember Smith
February 23, 2009
India's State of Emergency
Never Giving Up Hope
Visual Rhetoric is a technique used to emotionally move and convince an audience by way of photography or videos. In this photograph, the picture portrays a small village fighting for their lives after a fatal natural disaster. The inhabitants of the village are trying to continue their way of life without giving up faith. This photo was taken from an aerial view in a helicopter revealing the citizens of India struggling to try to build makeshift huts on a tiny strip of land with a huge mass of water surrounding them. Taken in Bihar, India after the Kosi River flooded during monsoon season, over one million Indians were stranded from their original homes and as a result, the flood submerged all major paths of transportation under water. Some of the feelings and thoughts that cross my mind when I look at this picture is the idea of hopelessness, due to a huge mass of water surrounding a tiny strip of land, and the passion of determination of the people trying to build makeshift huts on the land. Despite the adversity it is apparent that the people have not given up hope and are still trying to survive.
Often photographers use visual rhetoric to exploit logos, ethos, or pathos as ways to grab the audience’s attention. Logos, the use of words in order to convey a meaningful message, is a rational argument that uses statistics, facts and definitions as a means of capturing the audience’s attention. Logos, in this particular photograph, is used to illustrate how many Indians are stranded on the island and for how long they have had to live in these conditions. Ethos, an appeal to authority or character, is the deliberate use of a speaker’s character as a mode of persuasion. In the photograph, ethos is used to appeal to authority. This picture should appeal to other nations that could help this village in a time of need. It appeals to anyone willing to help or make contributions in order to make these people’s lives better. Pathos is also portrayed, which appeals to emotions and inflammatory language in order to better suit the circumstance. Even though the picture looks sad and hopeless, the Indians have not given up hope and are still trying to build more shelters in order to survive.
When looking at this picture, it does not look like there is any end of flooding in sight. The tiny strip of land that supports the people’s makeshift huts seem to only go for a short distance, whereas the water seems to go on forever. There is not much that the people can do except wait for the water to lower. If one examines the picture, it looks as though the people are not trying to go anywhere nor trying to figure out any means of transportation to escape the body of water. It is not evident that they are trying to build a boat or swim to other dry areas of land as a means to escape the situation. Instead, they are all in the same location, which makes one wonder if the Indians know that the water will eventually go down due to their location or if they will just have to wait to be rescued from the flood. The fact that none of the Indians are signaling for help suggests that this has happened to them before, as they show no evidence of escaping their water locked huts.
Although the viewers are given a piece of information regarding the picture, one is left to wonder if there is more to the picture and the story than the audience is told. Perhaps the water is very deep, which could be a reason the Indians are not trying to go anywhere. On the other hand, there is possibly something in the water that is holding them back from swimming to another body of land. The point being made is that, although the reader is told what they are looking at, there are many different ways that one could analyze this picture. For instance, it is possible that some viewers would never be able figure out what is the most definite reason for these people to be staying on the island. One could present a large group of people with the exact same picture, yet, when all of these people look at the picture everyone can walk away with something different. This implies that many different interpretations can be formed. However, the one common theme throughout the picture is that the Indians have not given up hope and they will continue to survive.
One of the most influential characteristics of this picture is the lack of color contrast, which is a direct result of the destroyed Indian village. All the different shades of brown cause this picture to be dull and dreary. When one typically thinks of brown, they regard murkiness as unpleasant and unappealing to the eye. With the hint of green trees in the picture and the assorted colors on the huts, it allows the observer to regard the setting as a little brighter and more appealing. Such simple details can alter the ethos, pathos and logos of such a picture drastically. One of the most important factors in this picture is that the sun is shining, conveying that the monsoon is over and a hopeful future could be coming for these deserted people. The sun and the array of color brighten the mood, giving us a sense that the Indians have not lost their faith.
All of the elements in this picture demonstrate the elements of ethos, logos and pathos. The color contrast, as well as the details and statistical information, help us to analyze this picture in a more keen manner. Each visual element gives us a different idea regarding picture that one could argue in a multitude of directions. In my opinion, the picture serves to accurately portray the state in which the Indians are in after such a catastrophe. However, they have not given up hope and they are still trying to survive the elements. I believe that this has probably happened to them before and they know that the water will come down eventually, although it will just take some time. With all the hardships that they are facing they know in the end they will survive and pull through another day on the Kosi River banks.
Works Cited Page
Adhikary, Piyal. "India's State of Emergency." India's State of Emergency. Sept-Oct. 2008. http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1837842_1759157,00.html
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Visual Rhetoric- Citation
Adhikary, Piyal. "India's State of Emergency." India's State of Emergency. Sept-Oct. 2008. http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1837842_1759157,00.html
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
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