I’ve made my argument by utilizing compelling images of abused women, children, men, elderly, and animals. It was important to me to include these different demographics because they are all victims of abuse, although our culture focuses on women and children. I used a variety of images, most of which reflected exactly the point I wanted to make. However, I chose not to use some of the most gripping images I found during my research because they were too graphic for the argument I was making. Honestly, they made me a little uncomfortable, which means they probably would have been the most powerful in making my argument, but they seemed overkill in achieving the effect I wanted with this piece.
My argument depends primarily on pathos, although it uses logos and ethos as well. The images of abused individuals and animals clearly affect normal viewers and create feelings of sadness. The entire composition, however, does not move a viewer to action. Action was not the intent of this piece; the sole intent was to stir emotion, which the images do very well. Additionally, the piece appeals to the logos of viewers, and this is done by incorporating the text “Love isn’t always love” into the middle of the images. The text triggers viewers to question their idea of love and how they express it as well as how they receive it. Likewise, the composition appeals to the ethos of viewers because the issue of abuse is one of right and wrong—at least in American culture and many others throughout the world. Although the composition itself does not urge viewers to act upon its argument, they may eventually want to get involved in an organization that acts on behalf of abused individuals or animals.
My intention for this project was simple: I wanted to call attention to what different people consider love. As mentioned earlier, most of us consider love as a nice show of affection. Love should exist between parents and children, husbands and wives, partners, animals and owners, and so forth. However, this is not the case for some. I wanted to bring the issue to light by offering a contradiction between the word love and the images included in the composition. I accomplished this by grayscaling all the images and then coloring the larger LOVE red. Gray induces sadness or gloom, and red—in this context—represents blood shed by individuals and animals in abusive situations.
I didn’t really have any inspiration for this project. I suppose I just wanted to make an impact in a way that would cause viewers to think about an important issue beyond just the superficial idea that abuse is wrong. It is hard to ignore bruised children and malnourished animals.
The biggest challenge I faced during the creation of this project was finding the right images. I wanted very compelling images, but some images I found were even difficult for me to take in. I found some that were very accurate portrayals of abuse, but I could not bear to use them because they were so graphic. On the other hand, the greatest success I encountered was that the project turned out much like I hoped. I think this is because I have some experience using Photoshop, so that helped out a lot. I don’t think I could have done the same thing in a different program with as much success.
I see that what I have created fits into the course readings, discussions, and overall themes because this composition speaks volume with very little supporting text. I probably could have just used the images without any text, and the images themselves would have been compelling. However, I wanted to give the project a defining voice and message, so I had a little control over that. What I created was a different kind of composition, and it was more effective than had I written a five-page essay over the same topic.
The majority of my composition was created with photographs taken by other individuals. The only part of the composition that was created by me was the text, although I did have control over where each picture would be placed. So, in essence, this project is not unique on a small scale, but the overall composition is unique.
I think the effectiveness of my essay is about 4. The message is good, but it’s not original, although I like the contradiction. This isn’t just a straight-up anti-abuse campaign. Most people aren’t abusive or abused, but everyone is an audience to this. This doesn’t say, “You shouldn’t abuse,” and it doesn’t say, “Please help those who are abused because they may not be able to help themselves.” It basically just compels viewers to observe something they may not otherwise observe. I think the incorporation of images of men, elderly, and animals is pretty effective. Most of the time, you just hear about women and children being abused, but abuse happens to all creatures. And, actually, I found the pictures of the animals most difficult to take in. I think that’s because they tend to be most abused since animal rights are less prioritized than human rights.
The overall idea of this composition relies on the concept of love and how different people define that concept. It’s different for everyone, and it’s not always what we assume it to be. Many times, we are forced to believe that cruelty equals love because that’s what we experience. But, as this essay reveals, love isn’t always love.
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