Visual Rhetoric and “Reading” the Body

Just like written texts, visual images are used to communicate messages

In fact, even before written texts, humans used images to communicate.

We see visual rhetoric in art:

In politics:

In advertising:

Let’s take a simple advertising image and break it down:

• To decode this image, we need to break down both the symbolic and literal messages.

• Literal = denoted• Symbolic =

connoted

Denoted Images• What are the literal

messages in this image?

• Tomato, Onions, Mushroom, Pepper

• Pasta, cheese, sauce

• Market bag

Connoted Images• What are the symbolic messages in

this image?• The half-open bag signifies return

from market• The produce – tomatoes,

mushroom, onions, and pepper signify freshness and Italianicity (authenticity)

• The composition of the image recalls the composition of a still life painting, which in turn signifies wealth and plenty.

• The text in this image has a symbolic message too!

• What do “A L’Italienne de luxe” and the Italian words on packaging symbolize for the “reader” of this image?

Rhetorical Situation• Purpose• Genre• Audience• Tone

Rhetorical Strategies• Ethos• Pathos • Logos

Using what you’ve learned about denoted and connoted images, the rhetorical situation, and rhetorical strategies, compare and contrast the previous painting by Norman Rockwell to this one.

Reading Bodies

Just like objects, bodies are used in images to convey messages.

What we do with our bodies also contributes to the “text” that is our body.

Let’s look at the characters from Glee to see what this means:

• Clothing• Makeup• Accessories• Body Art/Tattoos• Hair• Facial expressions• Posture• Movement• What do these things

communicate about a person?

Jocks and Cheerleaders

Rachel

Kurt

Tina

Quinn

Quinn v.2

Our bodies as texts

• Just as written texts are written and then read, our bodies are also “written” and then “read.”

• Our bodies are read by others – they are decoded, interpreted, and given meaning.

• Our bodies have denoted and connoted meanings.

• The connoted meanings of our bodies are influenced not just by how we “write”/manipulate/create/adorn our bodies, but also by how culture/society interprets bodies like ours.

Bodies are used in images to express cultural norms and expectations.

What does this image say about the female body?

In contrast, what does this one say?