Visual Rhetoric

     This is a picture of an older and younger sister(my daughters) posing for their mother (me). The eldest has clearly taken the spotlight, leaving her sister to fall over, and is attempting to have the photo be entirely of her. The younger sister has been tossed to the side and forgotten about in the wake of the photo shoot. It illustrates that while there is excitement in the arrival of a new sibling, there is obviously still a strong need for personal attention.  As this photo captures, children can let their feelings be known in ways that don’t involve words, and every parent of multiple children will have to deal with teaching their kids to cope with sharing the attention of their parents.

     This photo has a mythos driven rhetoric in that any person with children or siblings can relate to it. Older siblings can reflect on when their younger siblings arrived and how they reacted and how they may have reached out for extra attention.  Those who have older siblings may know what it’s like to grow up in the shadow of an attention seeking older brother or sister.  Finally, parents of more than one child of their own can probably relate best to this photo as they’ve likely dealt with the issue most recently.  They know what it’s like to witness their kids fight for their attention, especially the older siblings at first.

     Logos is shown in this photo because after you read “sister” on the younger child’s shirt, and see that they’re dressed alike, it is implied that they are siblings.  They are wearing big sister, little sister shirts that have their names written around them.  While at a first glance you may assume they’re siblings, the appeal based on logic or reason lets us know that when we read the shirts and look closer to see that they are the same, we know that they definitely are sisters.

     This photo shows a father and his two daughters.  He is feeding one while the other looks on with admiration.  It shows an example of a good, hands-on father.  The newborn baby is looking up at her father with love and joy as he feeds her.  It is obvious that she is very comfortable as he nurtures her.  The toddler sits comfortably and patiently as her father tends to the baby, which lets the audience know that this is a comfortable setting for both children.

     Pathos is evident in this photo because it displays the emotion of parenting.  Other parents may see this photo and be reminded of the joys of nurturing their own newborn child.  The emotion of having a toddler looking up to you can also be seen and remembered. 

     Ethos is shown in this photo by the speaker is the father who is caring for his children.  The character of the father is evident in the photo, which you can tell by how calm and content the children look.  They look well taken care of and well nurtured.  The expressions on the children’s faces let you know that they look to him as a loving and caring father.