WP1: Statement of Purpose

World War II was a hectic time not only in this country, but around the world. People received information through propaganda and newspapers, which often had some bias to help persuade citizens toward a certain viewpoint. Photography was also present during this war, a trait viewed as unbiased and truthful. However, considering coloration, vectors of attention, audience, and context it is clear that photographs relay some form of argument.

My purpose for this writing assignment is to identify the prominent argument in Santa Fe R.R. freight train about to leave for the West Coast from Corwith yard, Chicago, Ill. Secondary arguments, primary and secondary audiences, and overall context will factor into my rhetorical analysis of this photograph. This is a worthy purpose because it will help reveal the photographer’s real reason for taking this photograph and altering in the way that he did. This is a worthy goal in the eyes of many audience members.

For any form of media (especially something that is online) there will be multiple audiences from a variety of backgrounds. My primary audience will be my teacher and my classmates since they will have easy access to my blog post and know that it’s there. There is no doubt that my teacher will read it and there is a high probability that at least one of my peers will stumble on my post out of curiosity. Secondary audiences include anyone who has access to the internet and happens to find my post, history buffs that are looking for information on the United States during World War II, and railroad enthusiasts such as former workers who want to acquire a photograph of a prominent locomotive during the early 1940s. When writing my rhetorical analysis I need to make sure that my writing appeals to both audiences and can be understood clearly and concisely.

With multiple audiences, I need to write in a straitlaced manner and have evidence to back up any major claims. Increasing the amount of viable primary sources I have will in turn increase the validity of my argument. I know full well that my argument will not be considered the “correct” argument by every member of my audience. My aim is only to submit a possible argument backed up with enough evidence to convince the audience that this could be an alternative argument made by the author.

Context plays a great role in the way information is presented and received. Since my blog post will be on the internet and visible by anyone in a country with internet access, I need to limit any false stereotypes or generalizations. Broadening my scope will be essential to this writing project due to the fact that it will be posted on a global scale and therefore needs to reflect that same scale. I can also look at context through a temporal lens and compare how the argument has changed over time. Is the argument specific to that time period or does it still resonate today? It’s possible that the argument only applies to wars and therefore could be used with the Iraq war.

Taking all these measures into account I feel the purpose of my photograph is to present the contrasting emotions of the citizens of the United States during World War II. The two contrasting elements are the somber attitude caused by war and the joyfulness of more job availability and a massive increase in business. The black locomotive in the center of the frame represents the tragedy of war and how it is the main idea on people’s minds. The light blue sky and the bright snow represent the uplifted spirits surrounding workers who have noticed an increase in productivity. This photo shows that these two concepts are polar opposites but are present in the same physical and temporal context.