Chuck Kennedy Visual Rhetoric

Visual Rhetoric
This picture was taken by Chuck Kennedy, the official White House photographer during the Obama administration. The picture was taken on September 11, 2014, the thirteenth anniversary of the terror attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City. It shows the President, Barack Obama, along with First Lady, Michelle Obama, and Vice President, Joe Biden, on the South Lawn of the White House partaking in a moment of silence with the entire White House staff. The photographer is very well known among the Obama family as well as those who worked closely with them, for capturing many important moments and events throughout his terms. Kennedy strengthens the power of this picture using the pathos rhetorical appeal. He uses several techniques to convey the emotion in the photograph such as the camera angle, symbolism, and color choice.

Kennedy took this picture from a high and wide angle, allowing the viewer to see all the people attending the service. The angle also serves to make the people in the photo look much smaller than they actually are, while making many symbols in the photo, such as the white house and the flags in the background, look significantly larger. One effect this has on the
Almost everyone shown in the photo is wearing black, a classic color used to illustrate emotions such as sadness, grief, and mourning. All of which can be clearly seen on the faces of the service’s attendees. The pain of loss is vividly shown throughout the picture, illuminated by the black clothing items. In addition to the overwhelming black shades, notes of red, white, and blue are worn by many of the people; perhaps as an ode to the American lives lost. The hurt shown through this picture hardly need to be explained. While the photograph isn’t shadowy, the overall color scheme is very bleak, almost as if trying to further convey the negative emotion of the