1) Intro a) During the Birmingham, Alabama protests of 1963, American photographer, Charles Moore, braced the violence and

set out to capture images that would be remembered throughout lifetimes. He took his camera straight into the action not only to show the country what was occurring, but also to make his viewers feel as though they are in the midst of the protests. One important image that I will be referring to is of two young, black men and a woman huddled into a corner in an attempt to ease the blast of a fire hose that is hitting them. The next consists of a policeman holding his dog, who is up close to the camera giving off a fearful sense that you are very close to the violence. Behind him are other policemen who are allowed their dogs to ferociously tear at the clothes of a defenseless, black protestor. In the background of this photograph, viewers can see other protestors standing on the sidewalk, simply watching everything take place. The final photograph focuses on a woman who is being knocked down by the powerful blast of a fire hose. Behind her are men who are watching her get hit and are staying in their place instead of coming to her aid. These photographs taken by Charles Moore allowed the country to see the true violence of the whites against the defenselessness of the peaceful black protestors. In doing so, the African Americans were able to win favor in the Civil Rights movement and gain support. b) Thesis i) Moore implemented a variety of techniques when capturing his Civil Rights photographs that help to highlight the suffering and oppression of the African Americans and in turn, capture the attention of the public. 2) Supporting Point 1 a) The framing of the photographs causes viewers to focus on certain aspects of the photograph while purposely excluding others to influence the viewers interpretation. i) Viewers see a lone woman being sprayed (1) Fact that she is alone makes it seem more unjust ii) Men who are spraying the hoses are not included in the photos (1) Moore wants us to focus on the blacks and their pain iii) Dog is up close and facing camera (1) A transparent interface would be one that erases itself, so that the

Civil Rights Photograph Analysis Essay Outline

user is no longer aware of confronting a medium, but instead stands in an immediate relationship to the contents of that medium (24). (2) If immediacy is promoted by removing the programmer/creator from the image, it can also be promoted by involving the viewer more intimately in the image (28).
(3) Makes viewers feels as if they are in the scene (4) Uncomfortable (5) We still have the man being torn at taking up half the photo behind it so it is still a major part

iv) Other protestors are still shown in the background (1) Most are standing there and not helping 3) Supporting Point 2 a) The brutality and injustice against the unarmed protestors is intended to provoke unsettling feelings about the whites response to the protests in viewers. i) Dogs are attacking man and tearing at his clothes ii) A woman who is alone is being hit with the hose iii) Men and a women are cowering in the corner to protect themselves from the blast of the hose iv) Body language shows fear in all the African Americans v) Police and firemen? are harming the blacks who are defenseless and werent provoking violence (1) Police are supposed to protect people not hurt them (a) Sense of confusion for viewers (b) Feels unjust 4) Supporting Point 3 a) The photographs were taken using contrast to add emphasis to more relevant objects and creating a difference between the foreground and background i) The woman is very dark while the water from the hose is a much lighter shade ii) People in background are a more medium color so focus is not drawn to them but they can still be seen iii) Men and woman being sprayed are also darker 5) Conclusion a) A work of rhetoric is pragmatic; it comes into existence for the sake of something beyond itself; it functions ultimatelyto produce action or change in the world; it performs some task (3-4). b) Exigency c) Featured in Time magazine Captions: 1) Pummeled by shaft of water hitting like a hammering ram, three demonstrators reel against a building front. Firemen used a high-velocity monitor-gun nozzle (Life magazine Birmingham 1963, pg 29). 2) Struck on her knees by hose blast as she ran forward to taunt the police, a Negro girl frantically tries to jump clear. An instant later she was knocked down (pg 29). a) Opposing viewpoint since they stated the girl was provoking police 3) The dogs attack is negroes reward a) Claims that the violence was what the protestors wanted because it helped to gain attention

4) ATTACK DOGS. With vicious guard dogs the police attacked the marchers and thus rewarded them with an outrage that would win support all over the world for Birminghams Negroes (pg 30). 5) The attention-getting jackpot(pg 30). Signal phrases before quotes Citation (Author last name 24). Define Rhetoric/Orient readers (Herrick). Social functions Bitzer Define rhetorical situation Constraints