Analyzing Visual Argument
The issue of decreasing carbon emissions and using alternative sources of energy are actively discussed in modern American society. “Wind Power Fills Our Sails” is a poster designed for the Climate Victory Campaign which is developed by a group of activists promoting the advantages of using renewable energy (“Climate Victory”). The poster is designed to attract the wide public including governors, businessmen, manufacturers, farmers, and energy consumers. The main argument of the visual is that wind power is a source of a lot of energy for millions of Americans, and a result of using wind power is limitless access to the energy source, a possibility to use clean energy, decrease carbon emissions, and create green jobs. The poster can be discussed as an effective visual argument because the use of the text and images is balanced, the textual message is clear and motivational, and the images provoke associations with developing the best future while using wind power.
Looking at the poster, a person can see a large wind turbine and two people in the foreground as well as several other wind turbines near the skyline. The rising sun is presented as the background of the image. “Wind Power Fills Our Sails!” is the main textual message presented in the poster, and it is supported with such texts as “Clean energy! Green jobs! Abundant supply!” (“Wind Power Fills Our Sails”). It is mentioned in the poster that it is sponsored by 350.org and the Climate Victory Campaign.
The reference to the Climate Victory Campaign can be discussed as the main ethical appeal used in the poster because the activists of the Climate Victory are known for their projects in the sphere of preventing climate change (“Climate Victory”). To persuade the audience that the use of wind power is an effective decision to solve the energy and climate change problems, the authors appeal to the emotions while using an image of a large wind turbine and an image of a rising sun as metaphors for developing the best future (Ramage, Bean, and Johnson 180). The pathos is also observed with references to the message “Wind Power Fills Our Sails!” where the word ‘sail’ is used metaphorically to provoke associations with powerful windmills’ sails and to emphasize the successful journey under sail to the better future while using wind power. The visual persuades the audience to refer to using wind power because of presenting such textual reasons as “Clean energy! Green jobs! Abundant supply!” (“Wind Power Fills Our Sails”). Paying attention to the kairos, it is necessary to state that the poster is presented at the right time because the question of renewable energy is actively discussed today to cope with climate change.
The poster is designed in red, blue, and green colors to provoke associations with unlimited power and clean energy. The textual message and the image are effectively balanced because the main focus is on the visual component, and the text is presented at the top of the image as typical for posters. Much attention is paid to the distance in the poster because putting the wind turbines in the forefront and the rising sun in the background, the authors draw the audience’s attention to the idea of the growth associated with the dawn of the new future with green energy (Ramage, Bean, and Johnson 179). The figures of two workers looking at the rising sun add to understanding the idea of using wind power as a perspective. The whole image is made in a colorful style of comics, and it accentuates ideas about the people’s victory over climate change.
The discussed poster is an effective visual argument because it uses effective colorful schemes based on mainly green, red, and blue colors, efficient images of wind turbines, and concise textual messages. As a result, the audience is expected to think about the effectiveness of using wind power to develop the future with a lot of green energy and jobs.
Works Cited
Climate Victory. 2014. Web.
Ramage, John, John Bean, and June Johnson. Writing Arguments: A Rhetoric with Readings. New York, NY: Longman, 2011. Print.
Wind Power Fills Our Sails. 2014. Web.