Visual RhetoricBy: Carter Young

Background InformationThis is a picture of Father Mychal Judge being pulled from the wreckage on September 11, 2001. It was taken by Shannon Stapleton. When Judge heard of the 9/11 attacks he rushed into the north tower and started helping and praying with victims. When the south tower collapsed debris flew through the north Tower and Judge was killed. The people carrying him are first responders. Judge did die because of the 9/11 attacks. Every year on the Sunday before 9/11 there is a Mychal Judge Walk of Remembrance.

Who was the intended audience?

The intended audience is all Americans to show that while 9/11 was a horrific tragedy that it brought Americans closer together.

What was the author’s purpose?

I thought the author’s purpose was once again to shed light on the fact that while Americans are may be mean to one another, in the face of hard times people will step up and come together as a family.

Do you think the meaning of the image changes if all the men were police officers or fire fighters?

I believe it would definitely change the meaning of the picture. The men, if all fire fighters or police men, would be doing their job and their duty. These are people from all walks of life helping one another in a time of desperation. It is not these men’s jobs to carry a injured man out of a building, but they did it because it’s what needed to be done.

What logical appeal does the image have?

The logical appeal is that in the face of adversity to keep moving forward someone has to step up, and that’s what a lot of Americans did that day.

What is the emotional appeal in the image?

The viewers would have sympathy for the victim of the attacks, as well as the rescuers for having to go into the building. The image also evokes a curiosity in the viewers mind of what happened to the victim.

What is the ethical appeal of the image?

The ethical appeal of the image is that it was taken by Shannon Stapleton. Her pictures have been used in a lot of books such as Watching the World Change by David Friend

Sources

Novozinsky, Bruce. Www.novozinsky.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Nov. 2012.