Choosing option 2 eliminated some of the frustrations of writing an essay but also introduced some unique challenges. My goal was to create a comic strip that portrayed a relevant argument via unorthodox comic strip conventions. Although humor is a major element of comics, I wanted to make sure there was a concrete message readers could glean from my creation.
I chose to address a topic I feel very passionate about, Taco Bell. The founder of my favorite restaurant passed away a few months ago so I figured I could implement this into an argument dealing with fast food. In my Statement of Purpose I stated that I wanted my audience to realize the impact that fast food and the celebrities that endorse their products have on American lifestyle. Having a world class athlete like Lance Armstrong advertising tacos full of processed meat and cheese is fairly contradictory isn’t it?
Many alterations to my comic were made throughout the process to perfect my argument. At first I envisioned a seventeen panel comic that contained interviews with three high profile celebrities. After teacher feedback I realized that it would be difficult to produce that many high quality panels in such a short time period. Therefore, I cut out panels depicting Mr. Bell rapping, T.I. and Lil Wayne in jail, and the entire Robert de Niro interview. Additionally, I combined two panels, one portraying the funeral and another close up of the reporter, into what is now the second panel of the comic.
I tried to differ from traditional comic conventions as much as I could. One example is drawing speech bubbles that extended outside the specified boundaries of the panel (panels 2 and 9). With panels 3, 4, and 5 I tried to create a sense of continuity via curved lines connecting the three panels. All these panels deal with Lance and it made sense to connect them in some fashion. Also the panoramic panel of Lance on the bike breaks up the monotony of square panels. Creating a panel consisting solely of a thought bubble was another way to undermine the conventions of comics. The final structural alteration I made was a triangular shaped panel which helps to accentuate the choices 50 Cent must make. A triangular shape makes the reader feel like they are in 50’s shoes and must make a decision.
I strategically placed color within each panel to amplify part of a character or to call attention to an item in the scene. For example, in the longitudinal panel of Lance biking I colored the taco to make sure the audience would recognize it. With the increased detail in the panel I feared the taco would be missed in all the commotion.
In order to put an emphasis on the celebrities and their importance I introduced a high level of detail on these “icons”. Also, I eliminated most of the background in celebrity scenes to put an emphasis on the attire of the celebrity and what that says about their character. Scenes with celebrities and other characters consisted of a background to help create a sense of normalcy to the situation. Increased levels of abstraction on the other characters helps the audience relate with these “normal” people.
Sunday, January 17, 2010 was a sad day for America. A great man, Glen Bell Jr., the founder of Taco Bell, died. He launched Taco Bell restaurants in 1962 and eventually expanded his empire to 5800 restaurants.
A large crowd gathered to commemorate this great man. Many celebrities showed up including Lance Armstrong, 50 Cent, and Robert de Niro. Our interview team caught up with some of the bigger names there and got insight into their connection with the deceased man and his legacy.
Our first interviewee is world renowned cyclist, Lance Armstrong. "I remember riding my bicycle to Taco Bell when I was a kid...it was 50 miles away".
Lance's favorite pre-race meal was three gordita supremes with a side of nachos. "I just loved the atmosphere Glen implemented in his restaurants. It helped me focus for my races". In lieu of Glen's death, Lance has agreed to offer his latest Championship bicycle in a raffle. Forms will be available at every Taco Bell in the world. Additionally, a quality road bike will be raffled off at every Taco Bell.
Unbeknownst to the public, Mr. Bell was an avid rap fan. He never made it in the rap game, but became pals with some of hip-hop's finest after becoming a successful businessman. Rap's greatest were invited to this momentous event. However, two of Glen's favorite rappers, T.I. and Lil Wayne, couldn't make it to the funeral due to imprisionment. One rapper that was able to make it to the funeral was 50 Cent. He reminisced about his experiences with Taco Bell.
"I had a troubled youth, but Mr. Bell helped teach me values and morals".
Generosity is one value Fiddy learned from Glen. He is allowing Vitamin Water to be sold at Taco Bell with all profits going to helping troubled youth.
Glen's presence stretched into Hollywood, with him having close friendships with high end actors such as Robert de Niro. When we interviewed him about Mr. Bell he stated, "Oh, I remember Don Bell. He would help you out no matter the cost as long as you maintained the friendship by returning favors". Robert said that Glen provided inspiration for many of the roles he persued, most notably Vito Corleone in The Godfather II.
In order to pay his debt to Don Bell, Robert de Niro is producing a movie based on Glen's life. De Niro will play the great Mr. Bell Jr., it's predicted to be his most astounding role since Don Corleone in The Godfather II. Mr. Bell was a motivaiton to many. He led by example and is a wonderful case of the American Dream come true. He preached kindness through tasty food. Many big names in popular culture wouldn't be where they are now if it wasn't for Mr. Bell. Hopefully after hearing this kids will add Mr. Bell to their list of role models, right after Spongebob.
There are a variety of mediums to choose from when creating an argument. This decision leads to a specific audience, purpose and context. One more abstract medium that can be used to portray an argument is a comic strip. Normally denoted as children’s entertainment, comics can relay powerful messages that may not be accepted or as successful in more common formats. I am constructing a comic based on the death of Glen Bell Jr., founder of Taco Bell, and the repercussions of this momentous event. Below is a storyboard for my creation. By creating my own comic I need to take into account which audience I’m aiming for, the context in which I’m writing, framing, and cropping when constructing my sense of purpose.
Once again my audience for this project could be considered global since anyone with Internet access could stumble upon my post. My direct audience would be my teacher and student peers. Some more obscure audiences could be comic enthusiasts, people who enjoy fast food (especially Taco Bell), people interested in Glen Bell Jr., and other teachers fascinated with student work. With an audience range as wide as this it is necessary that I make this comic as universal as possible. One method of achieving this is through levels of abstraction. The more abstract something is the greater sense of familiarity it creates and ultimately resonates with a greater amount of people. Since I am including some big name celebrities I don’t want to abstract them so much that they are indistinguishable from one another. Finding the right balance of abstraction is crucial to appealing to a large audience range. Another important element I need to apply in my essay is context. A majority of my comic centers on popular culture and it implements a few stereotypes. In order for this to be effective in conveying my argument I need to pick celebrities that anyone with Internet access would be familiar with. The beauty of comics is that I can accentuate features of a character that I want and diminish features I don’t want: all while maintaining a recognizable image. For example, I could make 50 Cent’s arms extremely muscular and massive in comparison with the rest of his body. The character is still recognizable but presents an argument via the massive muscle mass. Another example would be to greatly enlarge the mole on Robert de Niro’s face. This is an identifying characteristic that the audience can relate with. It raises the question: How have these defining characteristics contributed the careers of these men?
There are a number of concepts that the public has come to accept in comics. For instance, it is common knowledge that bubble with text in it represents spoken dialogue. I can manipulate items such as typography between characters to contribute to my argument. It is also normal to have square boxes containing each panel of the comic. Altering this regulation could have major impacts on how audiences react to my comic. What is the effect of circular panels, triangular panels, panels without borders, or colored panels?
Conglomerating my multiple audiences, context, and framing decisions I am able to conjure up a sense of purpose for my comic. My purpose is for the audience to realize how much of an impact fast food has on our nation. Every day we are bombarded by fast food commercials which are usually endorsed by a well known celebrity. Advertising for fast food has exploded in recent years by expanding into diverse realms of popular culture. This has a major impact on how Americans live their lives and their perceptions of both fast food restaurants and celebrities.
After researching the author and her background, I have greatly altered my view of this comic. The author, Natalie Dee, lives with her husband of the same age in their Colombus, Ohio home with their two dogs and baby. She seems like a normal American; however her occupation is far from the norm. By selling merchandise based off her comics she gains income. Both she and her husband have created books filled with their comics. By perusing her comics I found that she pokes fun at cultural norms and stereotypes. She addresses such topics as education, perfectionism and popular culture. Although some of her comics are purely comical, political statements are sprinkled within the mix. By using the medium of comics she is able to reach a variety of audiences and convey a message in an unconventional way. Also by using the internet, her audience increases exponentially. By putting comics in books and on T-shirts, she is spreading her name and messages.
With this background knowledge, I am able to delve deeper into the comic’s argument. Natalie uses stereotypes like the fact that the boss/drug dealer is wearing a beanie or toque. According to Bill Casselman, the word toque originated in Canada when sailors used socks to cover their heads and protect themselves from the cold. Nowadays, it refers to a knitted wool cap also known as a beanie. This popular cap is worn by people from all walks of life during the winter time. Natalie included this is in the comic because drug dealers are usually portrayed wearing toques since they work year round including the harsh winters. Without this item in the comic, the viewer would have no idea who the blue glob was. By using both the visual and textual context clues, a viewer can decipher that Mr. Blue is a drug dealer or at least involved with drugs somehow.
The other major character in the comic is the piggy bank. This an international symbol for a location to store spare change. Why is this so? According to the Great Idea Finder, these contraptions were first created during the 1400s. “Dishes and pots were made of an economical clay called pygg” (Did you ever wonder…). People would drop spare change in jars made of pygg to save it for later. Eventually, people forgot that “pygg” meant a type of clay and assumed it referred to the rural animal. When potters were commissioned to make piggy banks they sculpted them in the likeness of the animal. This tradition has been with us ever since.
Knowing this background knowledge, I can see how Natalie addresses popular culture with her interpretation of a piggy bank. It looks like a real life pig, but has a slit in its back to denote an entrance for loose change. Even the curly tail plays to our imaginary vision of these animals. Natalie cleverly uses iconic symbols in modern day culture to personify inanimate objects and further the progression of the scene.
Works Cited
Casselman, Bill. "Tuque: Quebec Expressions Today." Bill Casselman's Canadian Word of the Day. William Gordon Casselman, 2007. Web. 21 Mar 2010. http://www.billcasselman.com/quebec_sayings/qs_six_tuque.htm.
This comic employs some of the key elements described in CDA and the McCloud selection. First of all, that is not really a pig or a piggy bank. Just because the shape looks like a pig, there is a hole in its back, and its hue is pink our minds perceive it as a piggy bank. The author used a piggy bank because it is the stereotypical location to put spare money. This is relevant for me because I will be creating my own comic and will therefore need to pick "characters" that are easy to recognize and ones that the general public can identify with. Just like the McCloud selection said, the simpler the drawing, the more people it can relate to and the greater amplification the message can have.
This is a single panel comic and therefore needs to get its message across quickly and concisely. This message is mostly relayed through text since the images don't display any type of movement. Without the text, the reader would have no idea what is going on in this scene. After the reader analyzes the text, they can infer that the blue figure is a "human" figure or "the boss". The green hat helps to personify this figure even more. Visually and textually the blue figure is represented as a man in power. Knowing this I will make sure that I have both textual and visual clues in my comic strip.
One observation I made about this comic was that both characters are the same size. Usually a piggy bank is much smaller than its owner so to have a piggy bank the same size or bigger is an interesting rhetorical strategy. The size comparison makes it more believable that this piggy bank could stand up for itself and talk back to its master. I will employ this strategy in my comic by varying the sizes of characters based on the amount of power I want them to possess. I've learned from this comic that drawing objects out of proportion has a definite impact on the comic's argument.
Another major strategy present is the use of bright colorful hues. Through CDA and the McCloud selection I've learned that comics use bold outlines to create a sense of familiarity in order to connect with a wide range of audiences. The artist uses bold lines in this image but also contrasts that with lightly colored hues. Obviously we would expect the piggy bank to be pink, but how would the argument differ if the piggy bank was a different color, say green with purple polka dots? The other figure consists of green, blue, and pink hues that create a lighthearted aura around him. This comic is meant to be humorous and therefore has lighter hues to attract audiences.In more serious comics like "The Veil" from Persepolis, darker hues that contrast are used to augment the seriousness of the issue.By observing this comic I now know that hue selection plays a major part in the "mood" of the comic, how the audience perceives the characters, and ultimately what the argument is.
I feel this project was an investigative and educational experience that helped amplify my analysis of photography. Before this project I merely just looked at a photograph and decided whether I liked it or not. Now by using terms from the book, I can express what aspects of the photo help to portray certain arguments. It was challenging to come up with an argument for my photo. My first thesis was that “the blue-collar laborers during World War II were dealing with contrasting feelings: the somber sadness of the tragedy of war and the uplifting spirit of the economy due to the increased job availability and productivity”. Although this could be an argument, it was a little too contradictory and symbolic. I needed to analyze the actual photo more.
My second thesis was “war isolates humans from each other, taking away their individuality, and putting an emphasis on using all possible resources to attain victory”. This was a better thesis, still it wasn’t clear enough. I didn’t address the isolation of humanity in my essay and therefore took it out for the final draft. My final thesis was “war unites people of a nation and puts an emphasis on using all possible resources to attain victory”. I feel this encompasses the photo perfectly and is supported by the technical elements. One change I made in the final draft was adding that the technical elements caused an appeal to logos and pathos.
In the first draft I had my technical elements in the following order: coloration, vectors of attention, and framing. After both a peer and instructor review, I realized that framing was my strongest paragraph and moved it to the front. I also moved coloration to the back because I felt it was least significant. Also, in my first draft I only had four multimedia elements and therefore had to add one more picture for the second draft.
For my final draft, I kept framing first but moved coloration up to second because I felt it was a good transition into the vectors of attention. The greatest vector of attention in this photo is the locomotive because of the contrasting hues. In my first two drafts my video was too big and covered the classmate sidebar. I couldn’t figure out how to get the dimensions right so I just found a different YouTube video of the same government PSA. I tried to cut down on the unneeded historical context in this last draft and subsequently cut out “One interesting insight that an observer at this sight had was that the soldiers didn’t care where they were or where they were going. They were just happy to be traveling around the country” because it wasn’t relevant to be argument and didn’t greatly contribute to the background knowledge necessary for analyzing this photograph.
One other critical change I made in the final draft was adding the definitions of ethos, pathos, and logos to help the reader understand my technical elements. I made some major changes to my essay between drafts and it significantly helped to create a more complete and thorough rhetorical analysis of my photograph.
Wars propose a complicated situation for every country involved because the whole dynamic of the economy must change, not to mention the emotional tribulations. The United States experienced these challenges during World War II. Although initially not trying to get involved in the conflict, the US retaliated after the Pearl Harbor attack on December 7, 1941. Sacrifices, both voluntary and involuntary, were made by citizens of the US to help the country prevail in battle. During 1943 the US government issued shoe rationing (three pairs of leather shoes per year), meat rationing (28oz per week), and standstill wages and prices to streamline the economy (A WW2 Timeline). With all the country’s resources all going to the war and people dying, the future looked bleak.
During this period, all aspects of the nation were geared toward helping progress in the war. Factories were commissioned to create clothes, food and weapons for the soldiers. Transportation of these goods was mainly through the railroad system. One station involved in this endeavor, Ogden Union Station, played a major role in transporting military goods along with regular passengers and cargo. Special “troop trains” would ferry around the soldiers from town to town. The video above is a government statement from 1943 concerning troop trains and what they are used for. At one point during the war, a train rolled through Ogden Union Station every five minutes (How Trains Helped Win a War).
The photograph, Santa Fe R.R. freight train about to leave for the West Coast from Corwith yard, Chicago, Ill, is a prime example of how important the railroad business was during this time period. It was taken by Jack Delano, an American documentary photographer, in 1943 as part of the Farm Security Administration-Office of War Information Collection. The goal of this collection of photographs was to capture American life during the heart of World War II. This specific photograph exemplifies the argument that war unites people of a nation and puts an emphasis on using all possible resources to attain victory. This is evidenced through technical elements such as framing, coloration, and vectors of attention via appeals to logos and pathos.
The framing of an image gives it the ability to focus on specific elements within the photo. In the case of this particular photo, such framing is used to accent the importance of the success of the train’s journey. The photo is taken at an angle to show both the longevity of the train and also a short stretch of track that represents the train’s future journey. It gives a sort of “before and after” snapshot of the journey. Although this is a military train that carries mostly cargo, one would expect at least a few passengers to be present. However, none can be found which leads the viewer to wonder if there are any waiting at the train station which is not visible. The fact that no passengers, train station, or other locomotives are present creates logos of isolation. According to Compose, Design, Advocate logos is when “you are building an ordered set of elements that your audience follows visually-and hence conceptually-to arrive at the points you want to make” (285). With only blue-collar laborers present in the photo, logically the viewer assumes that surrounding area is not swarming with anxious passengers. Focusing on the locomotive in turn creates an appeal to pathos because the viewer is curious about the train’s future destination and its previous location. Feelings toward this locomotive will vary between audience members because “your specific cultural background will shape your own specific response” (CDA 274). The cropping element that has the biggest impact on the argument is the fact that the train towers over the men. Size plays a major role in implementing this argument. Also, the seven men are all about the same size, creating sameness. The massiveness of the locomotive is able to contrast with this sameness and stand out in the photograph. These framing elements put an emphasis on the locomotive and not the men. The main locomotive and the subsequent rails are placed diagonally to the picture’s frame but parallel to each other. This creates a unity via repetition and also helps highlight these elements from the rest of the photograph. The men are all vertically aligned with the sides of the photo, creating a concrete base for the more drastically aligned objects to play off of. The unorthodox alignment of the locomotive evokes pathos of interest in the viewer. This causes inquiries about the contents of the train, where it’s headed, and whether or not it will have a successful journey.
Contrasting hues play a major role in contributing to the argument in this photograph. The eye is first drawn to the black locomotive because it contrasts so drastically with the white surroundings. These two hues are exact opposites, forcing juxtaposition into the photograph. Also, the lightly saturated blue hues in the sky help make the steam from the locomotive stand out and not be immersed in the sky line. The front of the locomotive is highly saturated because it is facing away from the sun. This high saturation continues in the shadow the locomotive casts on the car on the adjacent track. This creates an overall darker feel in the right portion of the photograph, while the left (especially the upper left) is bright and has a more open feel to it. Such contrasting elements help the viewer to focus on the locomotive with no work involved at all. The photograph is designed to highlight the importance of using resources such as transportation to gain advantages in war. Therefore, a jet black locomotive surrounded by light hues creates the perfect contrast to support this argument.
The unique coloration of this photograph creates prominent vectors of attention that help to further the argument. One obvious vector of attention that is noticeable immediately is the locomotive. . Since the locomotive is so gargantuan, it diminishes the significance of the conductor and the other men by drawing attention to itself. With its front end pointing toward its destination, it creates a vector of attention that is aimed at something outside the photo. Since the front of the train is not positioned directly toward the audience, distance is created. The audience is an onlooker of this scene and therefore not significantly emotionally attached to the photo.
From the title we know that this train is about to the leave the station. Logically, we believe these men were loading the train and preparing it for departure. Three of these men’s vectors of attention are directed toward the right bottom corner of the photo (the tracks leading to the next destination). This presents an ethos of expectation or accomplishment since they have finished their job. Ethos is defined by CDA as “‘the face you put on’ for the audience” (192). The man furthest from the camera has a vector of attention aimed at the group of men gathered around the locomotive, especially the man on the far left. Concerning ethos, he seems distant and lagging creating pathos of loneliness and isolation. The man on the far left is staring at the locomotive with his whole body pointed toward it. It seems he has a connection with the locomotive; he knows how crucial it is that the train makes it to its destination and delivers the helpful cargo to the soldiers. Finally, the last and most intriguing man is addressing his attention to the window of the locomotive where the conductor’s torso is visible! From this observation one can infer that these two men have a deeper connection than the others do.
Through these vectors of attention one realizes that all these men have a bond with this train and what it represents. The train is more important than any of these men and represents a conglomeration of efforts from masses of people to aid soldiers in need. A wartime photograph aims to show that everyone was working for the greater good and this photograph exemplifies that through the men's vectors of attention.
Santa Fe R.R. freight train about to leave for the West Coast from Corwith yard, Chicago, Ill uses varying vectors of attention, coloration via contrasting hues, and isolating framing to signify the importance of using resources during war and unifying a nation to lead it to victory. All these technical elements center on the locomotive and not the men. This is a monumental decision since many photographs have humans as the main subject. A machine having more importance than men is congruent with war because the success of the group as a whole is more significant than the success of individuals. The take-home message that viewers should get from this photograph is that it is sometimes necessary to express humility and use all of our resources to surmount obstacles.
Works Cited
"A WW2 Timeline." World War 2 Timelines 1939-1945. 2006. www.worldwar-2.net, Web. 17 Feb 2010.
Sunday, January 17, 2010 was a sad day for America. A great man, Glen Bell Jr., the founder of Taco Bell, died. He launched Taco Bell restaurants in 1962 and eventually expanded his empire to 5800 restaurants.
Lance's favorite pre-race meal was three gordita supremes with a side of nachos. "I just loved the atmosphere Glen implemented in his restaurants. It helped me focus for my races". In lieu of Glen's death, Lance has agreed to offer his latest Championship bicycle in a raffle. Forms will be available at every Taco Bell in the world. Additionally, a quality road bike will be raffled off at every Taco Bell.
Unbeknownst to the public, Mr. Bell was an avid rap fan. He never made it in the rap game, but became pals with some of hip-hop's finest after becoming a successful businessman. Rap's greatest were invited to this momentous event. However, two of Glen's favorite rappers, T.I. and Lil Wayne, couldn't make it to the funeral due to imprisionment. One rapper that was able to make it to the funeral was 50 Cent. He reminisced about his experiences with Taco Bell.
"I had a troubled youth, but Mr. Bell helped teach me values and morals".
Generosity is one value Fiddy learned from Glen. He is allowing Vitamin Water to be sold at Taco Bell with all profits going to helping troubled youth.
In order to pay his debt to Don Bell, Robert de Niro is producing a movie based on Glen's life. De Niro will play the great Mr. Bell Jr., it's predicted to be his most astounding role since Don Corleone in The Godfather II. Mr. Bell was a motivaiton to many. He led by example and is a wonderful case of the American Dream come true. He preached kindness through tasty food. Many big names in popular culture wouldn't be where they are now if it wasn't for Mr. Bell. Hopefully after hearing this kids will add Mr. Bell to their list of role models, right after Spongebob.
