Visual argument

The most important part of visual argument included in our reading is, "when compared to written or even oral argument, [visual argument] is immediate and concrete, can appeal powerfully to the emotions, and can enhance an argumentative message by making it more convincing than words could alone" (Wood 211). When including visual images along with other rhetorical arguments, it can solidify the point that you are trying to make. The only problem with this method is that you need to pick the right visual or the intended message may be unclear or misconstrued to mean something else entirely. In that case, the point that you may have been trying to make may be misunderstood by the audience. Since the point of argument is to make the audience agree with the message you are trying to send, it would make sense for you to make sure your visuals match your intended message. A second point that caught my attention was "adding a few words to your visual argument [can] enhance or extend its meaning" (Wood 216).

From the online reading, I was taught that icons can be very important. In this case, an icon is something that symbolizes something else. McCloud asks his readers in a comic book-like setting, "would you have listened to me if I looked like this?" (207). He was referring to a drawing that makes him look more true to life; like a person talking to you rather than a comic character. He responds to his own question saying "I doubt it! You would have been far too aware of the messenger to recieve the message" (McCloud 208). He goes on to explain that as the simple character that he has drawn himself, people are more likely to listen to him because they identify themselves with him more. He could be anyone and simplifying makes him more like "a little voice inside your head" McCloud 208). He concludes, telling us "but if who I am matters less maybe what I say will matter more" (McCloud 208). From this I gather that simplicity sometimes means more because a greater number of people will be able to identify with the message more because it could have come out of their own mind. That is the most important thing that I was able to gather from this reading.