Visual Rhetoric in the Real World

Visual rhetoric is the language of images. It speaks for the images and converses with them, digging deeper into what exactly the image is trying to say.

This week we analyzed visual images associated with The Scarlet Letter.

We discussed how Dimmesdale was looking towards the light, how he was placed on the scaffold with Hester, how he held his heart, how he looked with fright. We analyzed the light and the darkness effect. We commented on how there was an A in the light of the heavens, and how it symbolized judgement from higher power - how Dimmesdale fears that judgement. We analyzed how the main color was scarlet, which represented the letter and its vividness.

Sad to say, I did not fully understand this concept. Until two days ago.

Gravity is a movie that follows the various measures taken to escape the writhing darkness of space. Without giving too much away, the story follows Sandra Bullock on her journey home to Earth. During the movie, one vivid scene stood out. I might have missed it, if I had not remembered the visual rhetoric. However, at a peaceful moment, I saw a picture that finally let me understand visual rhetoric. An image of a baby.


Her eyes are closed; she is floating peacefully; her arms are in fetal position; she is peaceful, maybe even sleeping. The light in the background indicates a peaceful tomorrow, where she will not be scared anymore. The only letters are Russian script, symbolizing a new beginning as the letters have the number one after them. She seems at stage one of her process. Her clothing is sparse and emphasizes her form, representing tightness as one would find in her mother's arms. This image symbolizes and conveys a message of safety and peace. She is out of danger in this one place. This capsule refers to the mother's womb where humans feel the safest. She is able to rest comfortably. The fetal position shows she is at her most vulnerable and needs the safety of a mothers' womb.

This image has let me understand how to interpret the language of images.

After the movie, a fellow classmate and I remarked about how we actually understood this. The movie was narrating a didactic story about being reborn.

Visual rhetoric helped me fully understand the underlying story under this one movie. Now I have to apply it to everything else I see and watch. Imagine the underlying stories of everything!