Using Kantz

I think that in my essay I am goign to have to be very specific about the argument that I make because many people to not really take visual images into consideration now being that they are so popular in our culture. Everything now is shown with a picture and I am going to try and get at the feelings behind the pictures and whether or not they are strong enough to persuade people to bring about change. One thing that I think is important is going to be the idea that I have to explain and interpret my sources mainly because many of them will be visual and not necessarily be written facts, my arguement draws more on the rhetorical aspect rather than factual. I agree with Kantz that the typical student can do all of the things she mentions on the first page, and I think that I have to really be ready to make connections between the information I have, the purpose and thesis I have, and my audience. I think that I will be able to do this effectivly because I plan on drawing on people's pathos and personal experience as a member of this modern day world. With my topic I will be able to find many disagreements because it is not very typical to think about how much weight a picture has in a social movement and I will have to analyze them carefully.

3 annotations

Kantz, Margaret. Helping Students Use Textual Sources Persuasively

I think that the most important thing about this article is that she emphasizes that "students need to read source texts as arguments and to think about the rhetorical contexts in which they were written rather than to read them merely as a set of facts to be learned"(40), and this allows them to think creatively about how they can interpret what the author and facts mean. I will be able to use this as i look at many different pictures and interpret them in many different ways. 

Another thing that I find important is her definition of "rhetorical reading", and this is good to do when looking at all of the sources because it makes them more easy to understand and use effectively. It is the who, what and why. 

The last idea that I find interesting is understanding that "both facts and opinions are essentially the same kind of statement: they are claims", but understanding this you are able to place some sort of value of importance of your materials. 

5 points from Curious Researcher

1. Page 182 = " By now, you know I don't agree with the view that all research writing should be objective ( as if such a thing were possible). And in the research essay that you are about to draft this week, I certainly invite you to consider using the first person, presenting your own observations and experiences as evidence (if they're relevant) and yes, even talking about yourself."

2. Page 183 = Sometimes writing in first person is not appropriate for the subject you are tlaking about, especially if you are not there. 

3. Page 190 = "Most important, though, remember that, fundamentally, your writing voice is a reflection of who you are." It is important to put some personality into your essay. 

4. Page 191 = Depending on what type of essay you are writing, and for whom you are writing there are different levels of professionality. Especially if you are writing an academic paper, you hardly include your opinions on the matter, it is more about facts. 

5. Page 167 = You have to be able to evaluate the conflicting claims put forward by the different sources. 

Questions from Class on Topic

Two questions people wrote were that I might want to explore the affects of celebrity endorsements on visual propaganda, and are there any particular images parallel to the Brooke’s ship diagram today?. I think that I can use this because it might be aparallel to Brook’s diagram, him being the “celebrity” endorser, or the abolitionists being the celebrities at that time. I think that I would try and find an image, maybe the vote or die slogan related to Sean Combs, or the Fight Against Global AIDS campaign and see if there are any diagrams or pictures that capture the eye and emotions to a similar extent that the slave ship diagram does.

 Did the images that Hochschild mentions really affect the antislavery movement as much as he proposed, implying a picture really can do as much as change someone’s entire view on the subjects?

2 Sources

Wood, Marcus. Blind Memory : Visual Representations of Slavery in England and America 1780-1865. New York: Routledge Inc, 2000. 

This book is about the visual images that are related to the times during slavery. It give many, many pictures and examples of how they affected the publics views on slavery and on abolition. It looks at pictures, diaries, woodcuttings, diagrams, and even sculptures. I will try and use this to find certain images that made the most impact, and see why and how they were so special. 

Sandage, Scott A. A Marble House Divided: The Lincoln Memorial, the Civil Rights Movement, and the Politics of Memory, 1939-1963. The Journal of American History, Vol. 80, No. 1 June 1993. (135-167). 

The article discusses how memory is affected mostly by images. This is important in gaining support from the public, and making them remember what is important. Visual images can relate to everyone, and I want to try and find out to what extent and how much people rely on these images to support their views on civil rights movements. 

NOTES

Wood, Marcus. Blind Memory: Visual Representations of Slavery in England and America 1780-1865. New York: Routledge Inc, 2000. 21-24.

21-22 Has the slave ship diagram, and  Who is Gates? I can use this to show 

kneeling slave coin. "was reproduced as the  that propaganda was just as import-

heading to a great number of anti-slavery ant if not more, if it is visual. 

publications appearing as stationary...what this image

shares with abolition propaganda... is its central focus

is a rhetoric which conforms, to a frightening extent, 

to Gates's description of erasure."

24 "Meynell's drawing has an ungainly power perhaps EYEWITNESS account as a picture. 

all the more empathetic in view of the fact that no  There is no white liberating presence

visual eyewitness account of an English slave cargo shown in the picture. It is shown 

has survived from the period before 1807." that sometimes the slaves must take  care all by themselves. 

Using Material

I think that I could use a lot of the material from the text. My essay focuses on the impact of images on arguments and movements. I think that I will use the coin image of the kneeling slave, and also the slave ship diagram. I can use all of the facts/story from the book and also the references that Hochschild used for the information. I can also compare it with how much effect the newspapers had on the public opinion at that time. 

Pages 324-354/365/366

In these parts of Bury the Chains, the impatience of the public was brought up. They wanted an end to slavery "NOW", and did not want there to be a gradual ending. This was the only logical way of emancipating slaves though, so they were given freedom in shifts. Many people did not agree with this, one such figure was Heyrick, a woman writing about immediate emancipation, and with this giving women the courage now to speak up and voice their opinions on the issue. Women's groups, societies, boycotts, and writings now started growing in popularity and intensity, they reached out across Britain.

Later on Hochschild discusses how the British people were getting aggitated and concerned about the undemocratic way Parliament is selected, and the long process they were taking to abolish slavery. Many people were starting to believe that if there was no reform soon there would be civil unrest, maybe even a revolution. There were more revolts in the Caribbean, and more uncertainty. These helped to strengthen the movement, making people scared that there was no immediate action. In 1833 the emancipation bill finally passed in both houses of Parliament. Although the bill was passed, there was inherently still slavery. 

Chapter 21

In chapter 21 of Bury the Chains, Hochschild discusses the irony of the ending of slavery. He talks about the relationship between France and Britain and how there was now a fight to restore slavery, not that there was the end of the Revolutionary War, ironic. Wilberforce, Clarkson, Sharp and Stephen are given compliments on being very important men in the anti-slavery movement, and they are praised for their continuing support through all of the hardships and stalls they have in getting Parliament to pass their bills. Sharp went about finding a way to end slavery in a innovative style, he looked to use the the trade and economic clauses to end slavery. He wrote War in Disguise, or, The Frauds of Neutral Flags and this touched on the wartime "prize" system which was really mostly money made off of slaves. This brought about the calling of a "bill that banned British subject, shipyards, outfitters, and insurers from participating in the slave trade to the colonies of France and its allies"(302), and a lot of argument. Tarleton, the opposition gave Stephen a run for his money, and challenged him and his bill, but surprisingly the Foreign Slave Trade Act, as it was called, passed without much challenge. 

Chapter 18

In Chapter 18 of Bury the Chains, Hochschild explores the other aspect of the anti slavery movement, not the publications but the violent revolts. He writes about the French colonies in the Caribbean and the violence that broke out there on August 22; slaves, both free and not, attacked plantations, crops, cities, families, and everything they could. He writes how the "white refugees" fled to the north and tried to seek sanction from the French soldiers, ironic because of the French Revolution occurring simultaneously, virtually perpetuating the slaves thoughts of freedom. St. Domingue had the largest and harshest slavery institutions of that time, sending much of it's wealth back to France and Louis XVI. After the revolt, news spread rapidly back to Europe and to Britain, causing tension and anxieties of what could happen in their new world colonies. They soon sent troops to the French colonies to relieve them, but they were once again met by opposition. Toussaint L'Ouverture, the leader of the revolts was once again ready for action. After a while the British began to realize that their fighting was doing little to help and finally in 1798 they gave up. 

Introduction / Scenario Lead

What if one day you woke up and on every newspaper cover, every magazine, every T.V. station and every billboard you saw a picture of starving children working in a sweatshop with the words "STOP SLAVERY" accompanying that terrifying picture? Would you feel anything; any type of empathy, support, or outrage? My guess is that you and I would be ready to send money, get the government involved and protest that this be ended immediatly. When people see pictures they automatically relate on their ethos level, there has to be no convincing something is bad when you see with your own eyes another human being hurt. An iconic symbol, or picture can be a catalyst for change because it relates to so many people on such a personal level. It does not matter if you are rich or poor, male or female, white or black, it will touch everyone. 

One of the most significant human rights movements was the British anti-slavery, abolitionist movement. The British used many different and innovative styles of propaganda to get people to support the movement and the use of icons, and pictures was one of the most effective. The major player was the Brooks slave ship diagram, that did get produced in newspapers, ads, posters, cards and any other means to make people see how horrible this trade was. Another symbol that stuck out greatly and changed many peoples views was Josiah Wedgwood's design of the kneeling slave that was reproduced as an emblem of the movement. If these symbols could create so much tension and support at that time, I believe that it is still possible now and images can be as powerful today in human rights change. 

Chapter 15

In chapter 15 the mail was discussed. Hochschild goes into detail of how the people traveled from town to town. Because there were obviously no cars, they all travelled by horse back and buggies. With this came the highway boom and it linked all the major cities together. The mail travelled in this way, the news travelled in this way, and this was the new service that changed how petitions and ideas got passed along. These coaches also carried newspapers, vital to the antislavery movement. Throughout time there came to be libraries and more and more opportunities for the British people to read new things. All of these publications were free from censoring. This was amazing and a great way for the people to voice their opinions without getting in trouble with the government. Later on in the chapter it talks about the white Britons becoming slaves and how this was thought to be unthinkable. In 1766, they protested to more money, better conditions and did not get very far because most people did not have the right to vote. 

Question

I am wondering how much of an impact images have on arguments and movements. I think that they are more important than words, so I want to compare images and their impact then, and now. 

It would be interesting to see the impact of slavery now in a picture, and slavery then as a diagram, then compare them. 

Pages 167-174 and 192-198

Hochschild continues his story of Equiano. The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus the African became a best seller due to the promotion of the author. Equiano went on a book tour through all parts of Britian, all over Europe, the West Indies and the Americas. His book showed his life, the aspects of slavery many did not know about and he used this to aid in the abolitionist movement. He wrote and edited the entire book alone, and becasue of this he was able to write whatever he wanted. Many book stores stocked the book, many individuals bought it for their friends and family, and he also used abolition groups to help spread the book throughout the countries. It was very well known and very important to the movement at that time. Later on, the discussion of the sugar boycott is shown. Many people, mostly women, participated in the abolitionist movement by not buying or using any product that contained sugar, becasue it was made by slave labor. Of course there were more products they could have stopped using, but sugar was the most convenient and symbolic. This was a way in which all citizens could participate, unlike voting. After a short period of time the Abstract was published which included evidence of slavery, pure evidence, no Biblical references making it the strongest piece of writing the abolitionists had. 

Chapter 11

In chapter 11 of Bury the Chains, the debates in Parliament started. There were already ongoing hearings on abolition underway and the debates started to really apply pressure to the situation. Proslavery advocates were taking a harsh toll and they were relieved when a very prominent supporter, Hawkesbury, joined their fight. He was a very persuasive defender and looked to the facts to support his arguments. The abolitionists knew that they needed to use more resources and had to bring this debate to an international level so the slave owners could not use the economic aspect argument. Clarkson continued his work, lining up witnesses, traveling over thousands of miles to gain more signatures and testimonies. He found some difficulty with this and had to come up with a new way in which to gain supporters. This is where the diagram of Brooks's slave ship was first introduced. It was such a shocking picture that people were horrified and surprised to see the actual measurements of the boats. MANY MANY copies were produced and hung everywhere you could think of. It was the most important piece of propoganda the abolitionist had, and it worked. Later on in the chapter Wilberforce comes back, trying to come up with an argument against slavery based on the Privy Councils report. He made a very moving speech, but it was shot down by the pro-slavery economic merchants, and their claim that the British will suffer. The abolitionist were so close to giving up until they got word that Lafayette, an abolitionist, had been appointed major in Paris. This is where Clarkson was headed next. 

Chapter 9

Chapter 9 of Bury the Chains starts off with William Wilberforce. He was the key factor in the movement's success. They already had support, and a petition but they needed a voice in the House of Commons to campaign for their movement. By recruiting Wilberforce they now were able to bring passion and eloquence to speeches that would gain even more Briton support. The movement began to spread across boarders, reaching out to the Kings of Sweden, Spain, and the governments of France, Portugal and across the ocean to the United States. In a short period of time it grew to include 39 countries. Later on in the chapter Hochschild went on to describe John Newton's actions in the abolitionist movement. He wrote Thoughts Upon the African Slave Trade which was a confession and apology of  his trade. After talking a little bit about how Newton contributed, he goes on to note that free blacks, such as Cugoano, began to speak out around London also. Telling their stories and voicing their opinions about abolition and freedom. To conclude Hochschild gives the reader the facts about why it took so long to pass the bill in Parliament, because of King George III's illness. 

The chapter didn't strike me as very interesting, but it was good to see how the movement actually became so large and gained so much support. The author went through the time line very efficiently and linked all of the people and information together well. It was easy to follow and interesting to see the growth of the movement. 

Chapter 8

In chapter 8 of Bury the Chains, it begins with the mobilization of the Quakers. They wanted to abolish slavery and worked with Thomas Clarkson and Granville Sharp in order to get their opinions and voices heard. The Quakers wrote letter, petitions, and articles against slavery, and in order for it to be accepted by the British. Hochschild talks about the trip that Clarkson went on, through many, many cities trying to rally the people together and get them to sign the letter he would later bring to Parliament. In order to make his argument meaningful and appropriate Clarkson kept a journal of facts and observations of his travels. He wrote of the factories, slave ships, cities he passed through, stories of sailors, and interviews with people who wanted a change. "Experiences like this only increased Clarkson's rage against the trade, and his desire to act on it" (116). When Clarkson arrived in Manchester he gained very important alliances including merchants with a lot of money and power making it easier to get his petition off to Parliament and start the abolitionist movement. 

It is interesting to see that there was only one record of one person trying to fight against slavery. When Clarkson was the only person to start the movement, it is a good thing that he came from a community that supported him, and also was articulate enough to gain the support of many people in powerful places. I find in interesting that in the modern day world there is no such support. Or if there is it is not enough to start a movement. Petitions now don't seem to work, and all the people in power usually have the same views, therefore no change.