AP Seminar: Analyzing Visual Texts Using the OPTIC Strategy

Vocabulary flashcards defining the components and purpose of the OPTIC strategy used for analyzing visual texts in AP Seminar.

OPTIC Strategy

An analytical strategy used to help construct meaning when analyzing visual texts, standing for Overview, Parts, Title/Text, Interrelationship, and Connection.

Visual Texts

Visual media analyzed to construct meaning, which includes paintings, photographs, advertisements, maps, charts, or graphs.

Overview (O in OPTIC)

A brief summary of the image written in one complete sentence describing what the image was about.

Parts (P in OPTIC)

The specific details noted within a visual text, which might include color, figures, textures, scenery, groupings, shadings, patterns, numbers, etc.

Title/Text (T in OPTIC)

The element used to clarify the subject of an image, examining what the title suggests or what caption/words inside the image mean, considering both connotation and denotation.

Interrelationship (I in OPTIC)

The way the parts of a visual text connect to each other and to the image as a whole to create a mood or convey an idea or argument.

Connection / Conclusion (C in OPTIC)

A concluding paragraph about the image as a whole that addresses what the artist, photographer, creator, or designer is trying to capture and convey, along with the ideas, arguments, or implications presented.