Rhetorical Analysis Snite Museum

8/13/2019 Rhetorical Analysis Snite Museum

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Rolon1Santiago Rolon

Dr. Erin Dietel-Mclaughlin

Multimedia Writing and Rhetoric

11 October 2013

As George Kennedy puts it, Rhetoric has to do with the practical and adequate

application of a system of symbols in order to persuade and influence the actions of others,

therefore acting as a social function that tests common values and challenges assumptions and

ideas (Herrick 5). As a result rhetoric uses a series of claims and premises designated to support

the rhetors central argument. Rhetoric is, as Bitzer argues, the creation of discourse which

changes reality through the mediation of thought and action (Bitzer 4). Rhetoric in photography

therefore has to do with the practical application of imagery to provoke a change of thought and

action in the viewer. It is a graphic response to a rhetorical situation that invites discourse

capable of participating with situation and thereby altering its reality (Bitzer6). The exigence

of a situation invites for a rhetorical response in which the application of effective symbolic

expression (Herrick 7) is used to make a change.

In the same way, the photographical works of Terry Evans are used to transmit a negative

criticism towards North Dakotas Oil Boom. The exhibit displayed various images of landscapes

but it is important to make emphasis on the exhibitions four portraits, as they convey a much

deeper and personal message. As a result, Terry Evans answers to the rhetorical situation by

shedding light on the moral injustice of North Dakotas oil boom, in which she adequately

depicts the individuality of each portrait, which en masse, advocates for change. The

photographer uses camera techniques as rhetorical strategies to successfully establish the ethos


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Rolon2and depict the moral and ethical aspects of the situation, asking the viewers to engage and make

a change. Camera positioning is used to compare and contrast each individual in order to convey

a larger message. Scale and compactness is purposely used to make an emphasis on the

characters themselves, which as a result, reveals specific characteristics of each individual. The

use of lightning is carefully and subtly applied in order to set a mood for each portrait and invite

a fitting response (Bitzer 10). As a result, Terry Evans purposely uses rhetorical strategies to

collectively transmit a sharp criticism against North Dakotas Oil Boom while contrasting the

individual characteristics of each character.

Terry Evans makes use of camera angles to rhetorically convey a message that goes

beyond the portrait itself. The exhibition displayed four portraits: 1. Scott Davis, a local Rancher

2. Nelson Bird 3. Edyth Pladson 4.Harley. Camera angles are used to contrast the facial

expressions between each portrait and to reintroduce the humane aspects of the situation which

were not present in other photographs. The camera is placed in such manner that all individuals

in the portrait are directly facing the camera, except for that of Scott. It is evident that Scotts

portrait was captured differently in order to contrast the frame to the rest. As Scott looks away

from the camera, the portrait becomes almost impersonal. It seems as if Scotts attention wanders

off into the distance, as if to tell the viewer that there is something preoccupying the individual.

Since this portrait was taken in context with North Dakotas oil boom, Scotts unawareness

suggests that the negative consequences of the oil boom have caused the individual to feel

frustrated and even disheartened. It is important to notice that in relation to the other portraits,

Scotts frame has been taken from a farther distance. The difference in space between the camera

and the individual suggests further contrast, implying thatNorth Dakotas increase in oil

production may have had greater negative effects on ranchers like Scott.


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Rolon3Camera angles and shooting distance is also used rhetorically to achieve a clear

illustration of each characters facial expressions. Edyths facial expression, for example, depicts

an elderly woman who lived in what once was a rural area that is now subject to the expansion of

oil industries. As a result, the photograph purposely calls attention to the womans wrinkles in

order to transmit a sense of tiredness and wariness.Nelsons portrait depicts an elderly man

looking down on the camera where both the shape of his mouth and the rigidness of his face

suggest tension and stress. Harley causes the viewer to feel almost compassionate as his facial

expression transmits a sense of melancholy and suffering. Terry Evans use of camera angles, as

Tom Benson puts it, positions the spectator as an active participant in the making of the

meaning (Lancioni 106). As a result, it is clear that the rhetor uses camera angles as a rhetorical

strategy that conveys a message implicit in each portrait. According to Lancioni, the close-ups

achievedenable the viewers to experience the past on the intimate terms they have been

conditioned to regard as reality (Lancioni 107).

In the same manner the photographer uses camera positioning to emphasize on the eyes

of each individual. Harleys portrait, for example, portrays the eyes of the individual in a somber

manner. Its as if the eyes speak to the viewer, causing one to realize about Harleys hardships.

Scotts eyes on the other hand, due to the positioning of the camera and the Scotts sunglasses,

are not clearly seen and seem rather distant. Scotts eyes wander off into the distance and seem to

pay no attention to the camera. Since there is a contrast between the eyes of each individual, the

use of this rhetorical strategy proposes that individuals are affected by the oil industry in

different ways. Since the positioning of the camera in all four portraits helps transmit a sense of

sadness, it is plausible to argue that inhabitants of North Dakota, in different ways, are subject to


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Rolon4the negative effects of the oil industry. Such negative effects may affect individuals differently,

which is shown through the purposeful use of scale and compactness.

The photographer uses scale and compactness to emphasize the contrast between each

characters clothing, which implies a difference in social status and as a result, suggests that the

Oil Boom in North Dakota may affect social classes differently. The photographer zooms into

each character in order to emphasize strictly on each individual. Claims could change if the

viewer were able observe each character from further out. As a result, ones assumptions and

conclusions about each character are bound strictly to the individuals physical appearance.

However, it is fundamental to closely analyze the features of each individual in order to

question the relationships between the parts of the photograph and the whole (Lancioni 108).

Scott in one part seems to be a middle class man as his clothing seems common and ordinary.

Such claim seems to be true because the photographer describes Scott as a rancher. Nelsons

portrait displays a man wearing a cap and a hoodie and as a result, the same assumptions can be

made. Harley is shown as a man belonging to the labor class. The individuals portrait depicts a

dirty man wearing old, worn out working clothes and a helmet which are characteristics of a

person who works with fracking.

Edyth Nelson, on the other hand, although described as a retired teacher, seems to be a

woman with a different social status. The portrait shows an elderly woman wearing bright colors,

a pearl necklace, and golden earrings. Although Edyth is described as a woman belonging to the

middle class, the clothes she is wearing contrast the portraits description. Even though

individuals in each portrait seem to belong to similar social classes, their features and appearance

seem to suggest otherwise. As a result, it is reasonable to state that Terry Evans purposely


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Rolon5contrasts clothing between characters of similar social status to emphasize that North Dakotas

Oil Boom may affect social classes differently.

The artist uses lighting and shadow in order to set a unique mood in each portrait,

therefore causing a different rhetorical response in each photograph. In Scotts portrait, for

example, lighting is used to give color to the background, while shadowing is applied in order to

darken the individuals face. As a result, it is necessary to realize that even though one might

perceive a happy mood while observing the portrait, the artist is really trying to contrast the light

in the background with the shadow in Scotts face in order to express a sense of sadness. In

Edyths portrait, shadow is used to darken the womans face in order to bring out specific facial

features. The darkening of the individuals face is used to contrast the lightness in Edyths eyes

and the wrinkles in her face, which transmits a sense of melancholy and weariness. The use of

lighting in this portrait overexposes the picture, which blends Edyths hair in the background in

order to exaggerate the womans facial features. In the same manner,Nelsons portrait is subject

to overexposure in the background in order to transmit a sense of tension and stress. In this

portrait, lighting is used to contrast the individuals clothing, while shadow is used to emphasize

on Nelsons rigid facial features, achieving a mood that exemplifies vexation.

In contrast to the other portraits, lighting is only used in Harleys face because the

photographer wants to emphasize on the individuals melancholic look, which transmits a mood

resembling suffering. The use of lighting on Harleys portrait seems to enhance the detail in the

individuals face as it is easier to see Harleys melancholic expression. As a result, the

photographer used lighting purposefully to call attention almost entirely to the individuals face.

Shadow is used to underexpose Harleys clothing and overexposure is used to erase the

background. Terry Evans, through the use of lighting, shadow, and photographical techniques, is


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Rolon6able to transmit a unique mood in each portrait. As a result, the photographer uses different

photographical techniques as rhetorical strategies that give support to the negative criticism

about North Dakotas Oil Boom.

It is important to closely analyze photographs because such works of art convey a

message that encompasses a much larger theme. They immortalize the past because they capture

a specific event in time. The use of camera positioning, scale and compactness, as well as

lighting and shadowing, is purposely applied by Terry Evans in order to convey a message much

larger than the portraits themselves. In one part, she is introducing individuals as people subject

to the negative effects of the oil industry. As a result, the photographer points towards a much

deeper theme by negatively criticizing North Dakotas Oil Boom. Such theme is a matter of

social and political concern because the energy boom is not without drawbacks harms the

environment and wastes money (Harder). Rhetorical strategies are used to successfully establish

an ethos that asks viewers to engage and make a change.


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Rolon8Works Cited

The Rhetorical Situation, in F. Bitzer Lloyd,Philosophy and Rhetoric, (University Park,

Pennsylvania: Penn State University Press, Jan., 1968), Vol.1: 1-14.

"What Does North Dakota's Oil Boom Mean for America," in Harder Amy,

NationalJournal.com. (N.p., 26 Aug. 2013. Web. 05 Oct. 2013,

http://www.nationaljournal.com/policy/insiders/energy/what-does-north-dakota-s-oil-boom-

mean-for-america-20130826).

"Chapter 1: An Overview of Rhetoric," in A. Herrick James, The History and Theory of

Rhetoric: An Introduction, (Boston: Allyn and Beacon, 2005), 1-29.

Revising Archival Photographs in The Civil War, in Lancioni Judith, The Rhetoric of the

Frame,(N.p., 1996), 105-118.

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