One of the things I really like about the Wysocki et al book is it includes concrete activities that you really could try out in a classroom to gain insight/understanding about this whole “multimedia” approach to writing pedagogy. After the “Continued” part is one of my favorites, and example of what Wysocki calls the “Expectations of Seeing.”
Here’s my version of the activity she has on pages 25 and 26. Instead of looking at postcards, check out one of these three pictures:
You can pick any of the above pictures– but just one– and then try to respond briefly to some of the points that Wysocki brings up on page 26 of the book. We’ll do this individually for now instead of for groups. So, for example, take about five minutes or so to write about the following points:
- What’s going on in the picture? What do you know, and what are you making guesses about? What are your guesses based on?
- Are you surprised at what you are willing to assume or guess about?
- Are you surprised about the amount of information in each of these pictures?
- And how do you see the role of photos and other images in texts you might make?
And so forth.
Oh, one more thing! If you do know what these pictures actually are (it’s possible that’s the case with the second two pictures), then don’t give away the secret yet!
Go ahead and share those comments here!
Okay because I am overwhelmed by the third one I am going do the first one. I feel like what I am seeing is an outdoor patio that is or is not set up for a party or get together. It feels like it is at a condo or apartment complex. From the trees it looks like out west somewhere like Arizona or California. But I do have to say that if it is a party why is there just one chair. I say a party because of the balls in the tree. The plant looks like a pontesita plant and so that tells me Christmas, if that is what it is. So if it is then it is decorated for the holidays. It really is a pretty picture and I like the way the tree overhangs the patio. The tree between the door and window seems to also look like one of those holiday trees I have seen other places.
I’m thinking the 2nd on is taking place in the early 40′s. Maybe the main car is a Dodge. It is a spring day because the lady in the background has a hat and coat on, but she is in the shade. However the little boy is in short sleeves but also in the sun. I am not for sure about the make of the car or really the temperature. It could be fall too. The little boy is drawing a Native American figure, because there are feathers on the head. I would like to know why they are letting the boy draw in the streets. Why not the sidewalk?
If you know about cars you could pin point the exact year. The woman’s style of clothing looks in the 40′s.
Students always look at pictures in the text to help explain the content.
Interesting! I’m glad I didn’t read yours before I wrote mine. It just proves how different people looking at the same object see different things sometimes!
Cristin and Gloria, these are both good comments and observations about these images. Now, besides wanting to encourage others to jump in here, let me ask you to go one step further here:
What information do you see contained within these images? What things are going on that you know are happening (“factual,” I guess), and what sort of things are you making guesses about? What kind of “data” is contained within these images? What kind of data are you bringing to these images based on previous experiences? In other words, how is it that you are “reading” these images?
Well there is a tree that looks like it would grow in the west somewhere. It is warm out because there is no snow, Im not saying summer but does not look like Michigan in winter. The pointsetta plant on the table and the silver bulbs in the tree are what I observe and so leads me to think it is around Chirstmas. That thought along with the fact that I see no snow led me to conclude this is some where warm. I said Arizona or California but it could also be Frlorida. Also the plants are green and alive looking in the pick, another reason why I think it is somewhere warm. Green trees + no snow + pointsetta plant = Christmas…..Okay not solid logic but it is what I am seeing and, ugh, assuming.
Pic 3: As far as “factual data” in the picture, there is very little. I can say for sure that this is a city. It is near a mountainous region. There is some water in the foreground, and green foliage, so I can almost factually say that this is not a city in the desert. Though it could still be in an arid region. Now to make some assumptions: I would definitely say that this is a European city. The architecture seems to point to somewhere in the Mediterranean. I want to say that it looks like Vatican City, although I don’t see any crosses. If I really had to guess, I think I would say this looks like Greece. The fact that the buildings are so close together and made of lighter-shaded materials, I would assume that this is somewhere outside the U.S. and with a warm climate. But, the relatively clear blue sky tends to make you see warmth rather than cold. I’m gonna guess that it’s Greece, but I wouldn’t be surprised if we’re all being tricked and it’s some town in Nebraska:-)
I will go with the first one, because it seems simpler and I am tired. I would guess that it is near Christmas time because of the poinsettias on the table. I would also guess that this is a warm climate because there is no snow, there is greenery and there are palm trees. The location most likely would be somewhere in Florida or southern California. However, topiary trees like the one in the pot would probably not live well in an extremely hot area, so maybe this is in an old town area where there are lots of trees. At first I thought the balls were lights, but they look like Christmas ornaments so that further emphasizes Christmas time. I would guess that only a couple lives here as the table is small and there are only 2 chairs. I see a flowering plant in the background (maybe a hibiscus?) and dark leafy bushes under the palm. I wonder if this could possibly be Hawaii? I am ready to go there! It is a pleasant looking place!
Ok, where is it?
I’m looking at photo 2, which is freaking me out a little bit since it looks like the little kid is going to get run over (I think the woman in the background shares my concerns). I’m guessing that the photo is old 1) because it’s black and white 2) because the cars are old and 3) because the kid’s clothes are old fashioned. I’m guessing this is the 40′s/50′s. I also thought that somehow their was a previous murder involved because of the image of the chalk figure on the road, which is kind of strange for me to assume.
I’m not really surprised at my guesses about the time-period of the photo because they seem pretty logical to me. But I am a little surprised at my thought regarding the murder. I’m guessing that comes from working in the prosecutor’s office too long! Or maybe that’s what the photo is meant to make people think…either that a murder took place, or that someone will hit the kid and then a murder WILL take place. This is getting morbid; I know.
Obviously there’s a whole lot that can be said or implied through a photo – proving the old adage true “a picture is worth a thousand words.” Maybe more with photo #2.
Image #1:
This photo appears to have been taken somewhere in the tropics or subtropics. The palm tree gives the climate away. The house looks as if it is made of a stucco-like material–not one known for keeping in heat. My guess is that this is the backyard of a wealthy person’s house. In addition to the swanky topiary, the tightly-laid, weed-free brick patio and well-tended gardens seem to support this. Also, the palm itself appears quite old, as evidenced by the abundance of dead shoots around the trunk, so the house itself is also probably quite old, since palms are slow-growing plants. Older homes in the tropics tend to be built in prime areas (or that’s my experience, anyway). Also, this place appears to be one where they celebrate Christmas: the plant on the table resembles a poinsettia, and the balls hanging from the tree and house look like Christmas ornaments. This is not a familiar combination, as Christmas is commonly associated with snow and coniferous trees, not warm weather and palms. The photo becomes interestingly complicated as a result of these unusual pairings.
The more I look at the image, the more I seem to learn (or am able to deduce from context clues) and the more complex it becomes. This doesn’t exactly surprise me, but it’s very interesting. It’s a fun exercise.
Images can support/juxtapose texts in intriguing ways, depending on the goals of the project at hand. Images can tell stories on their own, so I think it’s important not to overwhelm the reader with too much visual and textual stimuli. A few well-chosen, well-placed images can add depth to a piece and enrich the reading experience.
Examining pic #3. Looks warm. Mountains. Trees up close. There is a canal between the trees and the city. The dome on top of one of the buildings certainly looks like a Catholic church. Based on these facts I’d say, if I were put on the spot and had to answer, this is somewhere in Italy. I’m reading into this based on the limited knowledge of architecture I got in Art History classes. You know, this might be Naboo!
All of my observations that I bring with me as I study this picture is from prior knowledge or experiences. I was a kid that wrote on sidewalks with chalk. The car reminds me of pictures that my mom and dad had cars and family gatherings outdoors. I guess I don’t bring a blank slate with me as I look at any of these pictures. Is that good or bad?
I’m picking the second picture and what I’m seeing is a young boy, in maybe the 1940′s or 50′s. The young boy in the picture is drawing with sidewalk chalk. It seems like he’s either racist or watches a lot of cowboy and Indian movies on TV. The Indian has a large nose, headdress and appears to be holding the head of someone he “scalped”? His parents either don’t care what he’s doing or don’t think it’s dangerous for him to be drawing in the road rather than on an actual sidewalk. I’m not surprised by my answer, I was just trying to make hypothesis based on things I was seeing. And I don’t think any of them are too outrageous. The picture did offer a lot to be gathered. I mean, I guess I did go so far as to talk about the kids’ parents when they weren’t even in the frame, so maybe I was stretching a bit. i think photos serve to enhance a text and back up the words on a page or demonstrate the words on a page. When taken out of their original context, so much can be guessed and assumed that the original meaning is lost in translation.
For Picture #3: The picture is of an old– even ancient– city. The architecture lends itself to this fact. Also, the amount of buildings, so closely constructed, lets me know that the city is/was highly populated. The large structure with a dome in the center of the photograph looks to be a church of some kind. This leads me to believe that it is in a region where Christianity is/was practiced. In addition, there appears to be another large public building a little ways opposite from it with a bell tower– another church or meeting center? I know that the city is near mountains with foliage and near water. This leads me to the information that it is not part of a desert region. But, the overall look does not lend itself to being in an arctic region. I would place it in southern Europe– the Mediterranean?– or somewhere nearby.
I am surprised at how much information previously learned that I pull from to make assumptions or conclusions about an image. For instance, I had to know about architecture and religion and climate just to make some of my observations. And, yes, when you scrutinize a picture it definitely holds a lot of information. Very often we simply glance over pictures, but if you take time to look you can really see some interesting things and gain from it. Lastly, I believe that images and their relevance to a piece are important to texts. We are a visual people and often rely heavily on seeing things/examples. They should be used to help illustrate points, but they must be used properly.
The first picture looks like it is Christmas time in a warmer climate type place. The patio is to a house or a condo (probably) because of the structure and more fanciful windows and doors, blinds. Maybe there is a single owner, who enjoys Christmas or plants. The spheres could be symbolic to the owner. The owner or renter has neighbors.
The poinsetta plant kinda makes it seems like it is christmas.
Okay, a couple more points and then I’ll give some “answers” here:
* I think you hopefully are seeing the point that Wysocki is trying to make with a seeing exercise like this. We “read” images in ways that are similar to the ways that we “read” words in a row texts. We make guesses/assumptions based on things that we see and how the sync with knowledge we bring to the pictures. For example, with the first image, people talk about that being somehow about Christmas (the poinsettia, the ornaments), but also the idea that it was set in the tropics. What Carrie said is a good example of what I mean: “Also, the palm itself appears quite old, as evidenced by the abundance of dead shoots around the trunk, so the house itself is also probably quite old, since palms are slow-growing plants. Older homes in the tropics tend to be built in prime areas (or that’s my experience, anyway).” She even mentions her experiences directly here! Ashlee says similar things about picture #3, drawing from knowledge she brought to the image about climate, architecture, religion, etc.
So, the images contain clues/cues that help viewers (readers) reference stuff they know to make meaning. That’s pretty much the way reading words on a page works too.
* Images have lots of information in them and it’s kinda silly not to use them in writing. I suppose we all have heard that “a picture is worth 1000 words” thing, and that may or may not be true. But two things are definitely true and perhaps less obvious. First, an image with a few words can provide A TON of information. Second, as writing teachers, we ought to encourage and/or find ways to add images of different sorts to writing projects. Again, not a hugely important observation perhaps, but generally, including pictures/images is not part of your typical first year writing class assignment.
* Last and before I tell you “the truth” about these images: there is a certain element of “truth” to them. For example, the second image is a modestly famous art photograph: that is, if you were an art historian who studied photography, you would know what this was. The third picture is a well-known view of a very famous city– it’s one of those things where I am quite sure that if you’ve been there, you would know what it is. In fact, I’ve used this picture before for this exercise and I’ve had students say “That’s ‘x.’” Which, in a weird way, sort of ruins the whole exercise….
Anyway, I’ll tell what these pictures “really” are tomorrow.
Steve I agree about using images in writing, incorporating. For students they see it all the time but when I have them do image texts they don’t know how to navigate it. This is becasue they need to practice it just like we practice writing.
Yes. The reason I brought up using them properly in my comment was because in ENGL 585 we recently looked at a student’s writing. She had used images in the piece– which would normally really add to the overall content– except that the images were kind of random and didn’t seem to fit what was being discussed. Images are powerful and can help illustrate, introduce, or enhance a point. But, we need to teach students how to filter images and choose good ones (not to mention how to cite, reference, and place them within their writing).
Very good point, Ashlee– all the more reason that we figure out as writing teachers how to teach students to “read” images and incorporate them into their projects smartly.