Sunday, October 18, 2009

WP1: Final Draft

- Statement of Purpose

- Rough Draft 1

- Rough Draft 2

Author's Note

When choosing what picture I wanted to use for my project, I stumbled upon this image by accident. Upon seeing it, I immediately felt an emotional connection to the girl who is battling cancer. I looked into her eyes and could understand where she was coming from. I think this is because my own life has been greatly affected by cancer. I have lost two grandparents to it and have several friends who are fighting for their lives today.

When I first began writing the paper however, I got lost. I had two directions I really wanted to go. The first was strictly emotional. I wanted to convey in this project why cancer awareness was so important to me, and the emotional effect I felt towards the topic and the photograph. However, I also wanted to incorporate common sense and logical information. I wanted to make it obvious how dangerous cancer is and why people should be aware of it.

What resulted in Rough Draft 1 was a messy jumble of various information, life stories and emotional appeals that didn’t add up. So in my second draft, I worked really hard to clean things up and tightenthe focus of my project. I deleted information that detracted from the main ideas, and incorporated more themes from the book to support my argument. I found ways to use vector lines, pathos, logos, body language and contrast to show how the photograph was making an argument.

For my final draft, I felt it was important to cite my information to add credibility, and to incorporate photographs that did more than just make my project look pretty. I looked for pictures that would help connect my readers with the argument. A picture of a grandpa with his grandchildren for example uses pathos. Another photograph of a cancer victim being lovingly held by her husband demonstrates body language. I wanted these pictures to make my audience feel something, just like the initial photograph.

Overall I am satisfied with how my project turned out. The message is not to take life for granted, and to feel empathy towards the people in the photograph, and to others in the world who dealing with difficult problems.

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I don't know the girl in the photograph. And I probably never will.

But she and I share a connection. Both of our lives have been affected by cancer.

My Grandpa died of lung cancer before I was born. I never had a chance to meet him. To play sports, celebrate holidays or enjoy his handpicked Christmas presents. He was taken from me by a terrible disease, and left me in this world without a grandparent.

And like me, it's possible that this mother could also lose someone that she loves. Her beautiful little girl could die from cancer.

Cancer contributes to 23.1% of all human deaths in the United States (American Cancer Society). To put that number in perspective, that's more than the number of people who die from diabetes, influenza, alzheimers and all other unintentional accidents combined.

And unfortunately, thousands of these deaths could have been prevented through preventive care. Movements like the pink ribbon campaign to raise awareness for breast cancer are working to change that, but it's just a start. Too many people don't know or underestimate the danger of cancer.

Instead of getting into the doctor's office for simple tests that could save their lives, they only make an appointment when symptoms begin to appear. And by then, it is usually too late. They are lost to those around them, just like my grandpa. And that is a tragedy.

But let's be honest. It's hard to connect with raw information and statistics. Sometimes you need something more to get through to people. That is why this photograph of a young girl fighting cancer, with her mother by her side is so important. Unlike a statistic, this image puts a face on cancer and its effect on the world.

There is no color in this photograph, which shows you the seriousness of the situation. The picture is cropped to focus completely on a loving mother and her sick little girl. At first glance, you probably notice that this girl has no hair and that she has IV's coming out of her arms. Hair loss is a common side effect of chemotherapy, a costly treatment used to fight cancer (American Cancer Institute).

But the vector lines in this picture lead you beyond her initial appearance and force you to gaze into her eyes. It's like she's staring back at you. You begin to feel a human connection, because you realize this girl could be your daughter or younger sister. And all of a sudden, you begin to care.

This is classic pathos, appealing to our emotions and making us feel something. We feel compassion and empathy for the girl and her mother. Many of us probably are probably reminded of our own families. And when we can relate to the characters in an image, the argument being made is much stronger.

Do Glyconutrients Help Fight Cancer

This photograph also argues its point through logos and it’s arrangement of the photograph. The daughter laying her head on the mom's shoulder, with her mother's hand pressed against her back is a classic demonstration of love. They look happy in this picture. Happy simply to be together. Happy just because they are alive. They don't have to say this with words, because we can see it in their body language.

Body language often communicates our deepest feelings. Anyone can vocalize the words "I love you." But the affection shown in this picture can't be replicated or faked. The human smile is also a universal symbol for happiness, and in this case a picture is worth a thousand words.

Through happiness and love, this photograph reminds us of the good that can be found even in a difficult situation. We see contrast between the two brave people we see brightly lit in the foreground, somehow making it through another day with a positive attitude; and the dark, uncertain world around them.

It’s classic good versus evil, hope over despair. By refusing to be defined by the difficult circumstances around them, they are an inspiration to anyone looking at the picture.

If the mother and daughter in the photograph could say anything, I think they would remind us not to take life for granted. And the world certainly needs more reminders like that. Statistics show that millions of people will have cancer in their lifetime (American Cancer Society).

Yet the warning often goes unheard or boldly ignored, especially by young people. To understand why this happens, we have to look at the context at which the average young person is coming from.

When you’re healthy, care free and disinterested in the future, it’s hard to really think about something like cancer. Instead, it's all about today and what's happening over the weekend.

But a picture like this can bring you back down to Earth. Connecting with this image and feeling compassion to their situation makes us think. What if this happened to me? What if cancer took away someone that I care about? This is another appeal to our emotions through pathos.

Many of us take our lives for granted. We waste precious moments that we will never get back. But this picture really puts things in perspective. For this mother and her daughter, life isn’t about the little things. It’s about surviving, and keeping close to you the only things that really matter.

This picture reminds us that life is short. It uses pathos to connect with our emotions, and to get through to people who otherwise might not listen. It communicates without using words through logos and body language. And it forces us to contrast our own lives and values with the cancer stricken world that we see in the photograph.

So maybe it’s time to stop and think about where your life is going. Maybe it’s time to make some changes, and head in a new direction. And don’t worry, if you get lost along the way, maybe this picture can help you find the light.

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Works Cited

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