Essays Module

Returning again to the actual assignment, it asks for:

• Body paragraphs containing supporting evidence for your thesis. The supporting evidence should be clear and detailed to accurately prove your point. Also, these paragraphs should start with topic sentences that set the tone for what information will be included in the remainder of the paragraph.

Ok, got it. So now that I’m ready to start on my body paragraphs, it’s time I made a more detailed outline of what this paragraph needs to look like.

To reiterate the main point of the essay: the image uses the man and the atmosphere, burying the religious aspect of the show, to draw in non-religious students.

For this paragraph, then, let’s focus on just the man. How does the image use him to draw us in?

My points earlier were his confident expression, and his being young and attractive. I’ll also want to make the point that there’s nothing that marks him as Christian. This, of course, is the rhetorical appeal of ethos, making the viewer trust in the man and therefore want to attend the show to see him.

I’ll begin with a topic sentence, then:

A strong ethos appeal is made by the main subject of this image, the man whose face takes up most of the space, whose expression exudes a confidence in his ability to put on a good show and whose youthful attractiveness appeals to the target demographic of college students.

This covers my main point (the man’s ethos appeal), relates the point to my thesis (drawing students to the show), and my main pieces of evidence (confidence and attractiveness), and thus sets the stage for this whole paragraph.

Now for each piece of evidence, I’ll be including the evidence itself—a detailed description of the image—and the analysis, where I explain how the evidence supports my point. Let’s begin with the confidence point:

EVIDENCE The man’s expression, particularly his raised eyebrow, tells the viewers that he believes he knows what he’s doing. It’s almost a challenge, as though he’s goading doubters, telling them that it doesn’t matter what they think because he knows he can prove them wrong. He’s dressed sharply, in a clean black suit that represents success and self-confidence. [ANALYSIS] And his belief in himself is contagious; the viewer can’t help but be swept along by him, believing that a man with that much confidence in himself must have the skills to back it up. Looking at this flyer, whether we’re interested in magic shows or not, we can’t help but believe that his will be a good one—and this draws us in. The image’s ethos appeal spikes our interest in the man; we want to see him in action.

And I’ll do the same thing for the attractiveness point:

[EVIDENCE]In the same way, the simple fact that the man is young and attractive draws in the audience, inviting us to attend the show. [ANALYSIS] Although it may be a simple rhetorical tactic, the fact that an attractive face on an advertisement is effective is undeniable. Who he is helps build up his ethos—a young, apparently healthy, attractive man who exudes strength and confidence. We can’t help but feel drawn to him.

All right, those points are made based on evidence that is in the image. But I still want to make a point on what isn’t there.

[EVIDENCE] Of course, important to note here is the fact that the image gives absolutely no indication that the man or his show are religious. An article written by a student who attended the show states that “the advertisements simply described the show as something that would make one wonder, ‘How can I know what is really true?’ There was nothing that would suggest that the show’s answer to this question was Jesus” (Atteberry). [ANALYSIS] This, again, helps the image appeal to non-religious students, relying on the ethos of the man to draw in a broader demographic than just the Christian student population.

I think I’ve made my point well enough. Now what I have left to do is wrap up the paragraph in a way that’ll encompass all the information I’ve gone into detail about, as well as relating it all back to my thesis again, to remind my reader of the main point they should be getting out of this: a concluding sentence.

If the image’s purpose is to engender interest in this show in order to draw in non-religious students in the hope of proselytizing to them, then one of the main strategies used is the ethos appeal of the man depicted, his confidence and attractiveness appealing to all students without any indication of religion to alert non-religious students of the Christian nature of the show.

Looks good for now. Let’s do the same thing for my second body paragraph:

[TOPIC SENTENCE] The other main strategy this image employs to draw in its audience is making a pathos appeal using dramatic coloration and atmosphere. [EVIDENCE] The stark blue of the man’s eyes being the only color in the black and white photo of his face creates a remarkably strong focal point right at his eyes, having the emotional effect of unsettling the viewer. It’s an uncanny blue, much brighter than any natural eyes, which makes the image dramatic and piques the interest of the viewer. [ANALYSIS] This also fits with the magical theme of the show, contributing to the viewer’s impression that the magic show will be worth our while; in the flyer, he already looks a bit like a savvy magic trick, himself. Without necessarily knowing why, the viewer has the emotional reaction of believing that his magic show will be uncanny, interesting, and well-executed. [EVIDENCE] Likewise, the tape over the man’s mouth makes a strong pathos appeal by creating drama. In the same way that the bright blue eyes are uncanny and a bit magical, the taped mouth feels like a magic trick—like the man is trapped and intends to do a Houdini style escape. [ANALYSIS] Coupled with the starkly contrasting confidence in his expression, this helps convince the viewer that the show is going to be a good one. We get the emotional impression of danger and the excitement of seeing him overcome the danger, and so we want to watch the show. [EVIDENCE] More directly, of course, the words “Magic Redefined” themselves create this sense of drama and intrigue. [ANALYSIS] Not only does the show claim to execute awesome magic, but it suggests that it’ll change what magic even means. This draws the audience in all the more, since it promises not only something great, but something new—something never before seen. The audience’s curiosity and excitement are piqued, a very emotional response to the pathos of the image. [EVIDENCE] Once again, what makes this such a strong appeal is that it doesn’t hint at the religious nature of this “magic” show. [ANALYSIS] The words refer to a redefining of what magic and faith mean by relating illusion to Christian beliefs, but the strength of the rhetoric lies in the omission of the latter aspect. When there’s no indication that the redefinition of magic is religious, it makes it seem as though the redefinition will be something more magical, mystical, and intriguing. The image doesn’t lie, it simply leaves out strategic information to let the viewers come to their own, more emotionally enticing conclusion. This image’s appeal is in part a pathos of omission, creating mystery and therefore intrigue. [CONCLUDING SENTENCE] Thus the image’s ethos appeal, which makes us trust that the depicted man will put on a good show, is intensified by the pathos appeal that makes the show appear dramatic and intriguing, and therefore enticing.

These are some long paragraphs! But they definitely cover just one main point apiece, and that’s what matters most to me. I’ve used a lot of evidence and done a lot of analysis, and I believe I’ve made my argument strongly, always keeping in mind my thesis and the central point that I’m trying to get across to my reader.

Now, something I haven’t done yet is put in my citations properly. Since I’m using MLA and I only have two sources (the image and the article), let’s go ahead and create my Works Cited entries so I can use them to create my in-text citations.

So my in-text citations will be (Atteberry) and (“Illusionist”).