Comprehensive Guide to Analysing Argument and Visual Persuasion

The Foundational Importance of Background Information

Background information is a critical component of argument analysis that must never be bypassed. It serves as an essential guide for understanding the conceptual framework of a persuasive text and prevents the misinterpretation of subsequent arguments. It functions as a backup to ensure that the reader's understanding of the primary article is accurate and contextualized within a specific situation.

Effective initial reading of background information allows for the identification of five key elements:

Contextual Information: The setting, time, and circumstances surrounding the text.
Target Audience(s): The specific group or groups the author intends to influence or reach.
The Author’s Purpose (Intention): What the author hopes to achieve through the text.
The Author’s Contention: The overarching message or point of view being argued.
Stakeholders: The individuals or groups who have a vested interest in the outcome of the issue.

Case Study: Analyzing the 2020 English Exam Background Information

The background information provided for the 2020 exam provides a blueprint for effective analysis. The text describes a situation in the Regional Victorian Shire of Byways concerning the recreational use of drones.

Stakeholder Identification: The Shire depends on both farmers and tourists for prosperity. The livelihoods of farmers and the experience of tourists are at stake, as is the economic health of the entire region.
The Core Issue: Tourists are utilizing drones for recreation, which impacts local farmers. The community faces a dilemma: they must address the concern without alienating tourists, who are essential for economic prosperity.
Textual Form and Implications: The text is a 'transcript of a speech.' This classification immediately changes the audience from 'readers' to 'listeners,' necessitating an analysis of oral persuasive techniques.
Author and Setting: The speaker is Warwick Bandle, identified as a 'young farmer.' He is speaking at a 'public meeting' called by the Byways Shire Council. This setting indicates a community-focused atmosphere where the audience consists of engaged citizens who have taken the time to attend a formal council proceeding.
Visual Integration: Identifying that the speaker provided two images to be projected on a screen signals that these visuals are integral to the persuasive strategy and must be analyzed in conjunction with the spoken word.

The Six-Step Annotation Process

Systematic annotation is required to translate an initial reading into a sophisticated analysis. This process involves the following steps:

Read for Understanding: Read the full text and background info to identify context, issue, contention, audience, purpose, and visual links.
Sectioning the Text: Skim the text and divide it into three distinct components—Opening, Middle, and Closing—using square brackets or boxes.
Strategy Identification: Determine the specific approach or argument used in each section. Record this in the margin and formulate a topic sentence that references the section, the strategy, and the intended effect on the audience.
Language Selection: Highlight two or three specific language choices (evidence) that help the writer deploy their identified strategy.
Impact Analysis: Next to each highlighted example, write notes explaining why that specific language was chosen and its intended impact on the target audience.
Visual Analysis: Draw a line from the visual to the relevant text section. Analyze elements such as scale, focal point, color, symbols, written text, lighting, and composition. Notes must focus on the intended effect rather than simple description.

Strategic Structuring of Arguments

Persuasive Strategies of Openings

Outline or establish facts to provide a baseline for the discussion.
Explain how the issue arose to provide historical or situational context.
Establish the seriousness or urgency of the issue.
Pose specific problems that the argument intends to solve.
Build authorial credentials or trustworthiness to establish authority.
Create a connection or shared value system with the audience to foster rapport.
Challenge audience assumptions to prompt critical thinking.
Gain attention and identify the narrow-mindedness of opposing views.
Introduce the foundational reasoning supporting the main contention.

Persuasive Strategies of the Body

Utilize facts and statistics to build logical credibility.
Construct a path from identified problems to proposed solutions.
Balance appeals to emotion with logical reasoning.
Directly rebut opposing viewpoints to strengthen the author's position.
Sequence reasons, often building from minor points to stronger, more significant arguments.

Persuasive Strategies of the Closing

Issue a clear call to action for the audience.
Outline the final choice facing the audience.
Provide a definitive solution to the problem discussed.
Emphasize the moral or ethical responsibility of the audience.
Frame the conclusion as a logical and inevitable next step.
Increase the sense of urgency to take immediate action.
Build toward a climactic or most powerful argument.

Framework for Formulating Argumentative Statements

When identifying a particular argument, use a structured formula: Author/Contention + Active Verb + Argument Description + Positives or Negatives.

Common Active Verbs:

Contends, proposes, asserts, urges, outlines, highlights, focuses on, or emphasizes.

Argument Focus Areas:

Economic, social, environmental, public health, public safety, practical, humanitarian, cultural, moral, or ethical.
Arguments can focus on the long-term or short-term, or target impacts on communities, individuals, or families.

Outcome Identifiers:

Positives: Benefits, progress, advantages, solutions, or opportunities.
Negatives: Drawbacks, threats, difficulties, harmful consequences, or disadvantages.

Analysis of Visual Material

Visuals are not decorative; they are strategies used to position the audience. Analysis of visual material must be integrated into the most relevant body paragraph of an essay.

Considerations for Visual Elements

Context and Position: Determine where the visual is placed. An image at the start might elicit shock or empathy, while one at the end might consolidate the argument.
Colour and Character: Examine how the color palette creates a specific mood or impression (e.g., dark tones for seriousness, bright colors for optimism).
Type of Visual:
- Photographs: Analyze camera angles, focus, perspective, and foreground/background elements.
- Graphs/Charts: Identify the data being communicated and why that specific information is persuasive.
- Cartoons: Look for satire and the exaggeration of specific features to achieve a particular effect.

The Four-Step Writing Method for Visuals

Pre-Analysis: Identify which written argument or language choice is reinforced by the image.
Introduction: Formally introduce the visual as evidence (e.g., "The author further reinforces X through a photograph depicting Y").
Feature Analysis: Analyze impactful visual features (e.g., "The bold contrast highlights Z").
Audience Connection: Link the visual to the author's broader purpose and audience impact (e.g., "This encourages the audience to feel X and question Y").