WP2: First Draft

The stereotypical idea of a supermodel is a tall, beautiful, really thin woman. This is not off base from the average supermodel, which does not at all represent the average woman. The fact is that supermodels today weigh 23% less than average women and often would be hospitalized for this weight if they were to see a doctor (from Our Health, Our Futures). They minimum height to be a supermodel is usually five feet and eight inches versus the five feet and three or four feet which is the average according to soyouwanna.com. On top of already be out of the usual, they are airbrushed and edited a lot, to appear even more “perfect” and extraordinary.

Children see images of supermodels on billboards, on television, and in magazines starting at a young age. They are innocent and naïve so they do not understand the absurdity of the idea of a supermodel and often admire them and their looks. They accidentally can get the thought in their heads that these looks are achievable and what they should strive for. In other words, they may think that it will be successful for them to look like the supermodels do when they grow up. This leads to what is called media internalization. “This internalization refers to the extent to which an individual invests in societal ideals of size and appearance (thin ideal for girls and muscular for boys) to the point that they become rigid guiding principles” says a study done by Thompson et al. in 2004.

In the media supermodels have become fantasy, extraordinary women. Children, who are naïve to the facts, believe that they should admire these supermodels and strive to look like they do. As a result of that, it is argued that these supermodels have a negative effect on adolescents today. Media internalization is believed to cause body dissatisfaction leading to dieting, often by means of fad diets, leaving the child with a negative attitude, such as depression, and increases in eating disorders. The comic “Soup to Nutz” by Rick Stromoski uses similar points to argue for the negative effects the supermodels portrayed in the media have on adolescents. Through appeals to logos and pathos, the comic uses wordplay, typography, juxtaposition and abstraction to provide and support the argument.









The use of wordplay in this comic is the most prominent appeal to pathos, provoking humor. The wordplay is the connection of super in supermodel and superhero, which is why they boy is asking what powers it has. By making this play on the word super the comic compares superheroes and supermodels. Superheroes are fantasy characters with powers giving them the ability to do things that normal, or average, people cannot. Supermodels on the other hand are real; they are people. However because of their astonishing body measurements, they are not like average people. Also, due to the editing and airbrushing done of their photographs, they are able to look as normal, or average, people cannot. In this way, they become fantasy just like a superhero.

The comic uses a typography that reflects the innocence and naivety of children. The type is rounded and is meant to look like it is handwritten. This makes it look like it could be the handwriting of a child. This matches the idea that the kids shown in the comic are the ones speaking these words, and it is a reminder of their inexperienced mind states. Due to the idea of children possessing this innocence and naivety, the comic makes another appeal to pathos evoking humor. This is done by the error the young boy makes by putting supermodel and superhero into the same category. His conflation is humorous because he is young and just making an honest mistake, in which the viewers can see the mistake, but also can understand why it could be made.

When the little girl is shown to say supermodels are women who “can live for three weeks on just half an apple”, it is an appeal to logos because it uses juxtaposition. It is showing her idea of a supermodel versus the stereotypical way models are described, such as really thin, tall, beautiful women. The act of a supermodel starving themselves, which is a typical idea of a supermodel, is then linked to a power, or an ability to do something that normal people cannot. This is done through the wordplay of superhero and supermodel.

In the comic the boy replies to the “power” supermodels posses by saying “wow” showing the vulnerability of children to see these supermodels in the media, such as the magazine it is scene in the comic, and look up to them as someone you strive to be, just as they would look up to a superhero and dream of being one of them. In the case of the superhero, they eventually learn that the powers they possess are just fantasy and not something one can actually obtain. Opposite of this unfortunately, they learn that supermodels are real people and some of them may continue to be wowed by them, just like the adolescents in the comic.

The drawings of “Soup to Nutz” use abstraction of the objects in the drawings. The kids look quite goofy, having a weird nose, mouth, and just one tooth, a contrast with the stereotypical supermodel they are speaking about. They do not look human-like, but they are accepted as humans because that has been normalized in comics. By using abstraction, the characters do not look like any person too specific. Due to not being too specific, the characters in the drawings can be universalized to any young, white kids. By having them universalized it shows the effect supermodels in the media can affect any young, white kid.

The kids are drawn with a specific style of abstraction, making them charactures. When a person is drawn as a characture it highlights the flaw, in this comic that would be the kids having very prominent overbites. Although, their flaw has been highlighted, and literally blown up, the children are still viewed as universalized. This is because everyone has flaws. Having a flaw is universal, and something everyone can relate to. The stereotypical idea of a supermodel is not thought of having flaws, because they edit out their flaws. By showing that having flaws is a universal characteristic, contrasting with the “perfect” supermodel, it calls to mind how the media affects adolescents. Because they are naïve and “wow” the fantasy of a supermodel, when they see flaws in themselves it sometimes can lead to have the negative effects of body dissatisfaction.

The comic uses wordplay on supermodel and superhero, childlike typography, juxtaposition of a starving supermodel and the stereotypical thoughts of a beautiful supermodel, and character abstraction to bring attention to the effects of supermodels in the media on to adolescents. It points out that the naivety of children allows them to believe and even admire the fantasy of a supermodel, leaving the possibility of media internalization and body dissatisfaction. However, making the argument in a comic strip it demonstrates the argument in a new light. Although the effects of that the media can possible have on youth is very concerning and troublesome, through this comic it is shown through humor. Because people know that comics are humorous they are more likely to read them and not avoid them. This makes a great source for making an argument because it is relaxed and does not feel forced. The universality of the characters allows a mass amount of viewers to relate to it, and see the possibility of the supermodels in the media affecting a child they know and care about. This is more likely to cause a reaction then an argument presented that the audience does not relate with. So, thanks to the comic the argument of the possible effects of supermodels in the media reaches more people, in a different way.

Works Cited

Gerber, Charolette, and Debbie Vasen. "The Effects Media Has on Teenage Body Image." Lovetoknow.com. LoveToKnow Corp., 13 Oct. 2008. Web. 21 Mar. 2010.

Margit, and Anika. "Media and Body Image." Our Health Our Futures. Smith College. Web. 21 Mar. 2010.

Raimondo, Marcella. "About-Face Facts about MEDIA." About-Face. About-Face. Web. 22 Mar. 2010.

"SoYouWanna Be a Model?" SoYouWanna. Demand Entertainment, Inc. Web. 27 Mar. 2010. .

WP2: Statement of Purpose

The main purpose of writing project two is to "rhetorically analyze a comic or comic strip". This means, in my final draft I will be showing my audience what the comic strip I have chosen is making an argument for and the rhetorical strategies it is using to make this argument. I will also need to make it clear to my audience why my project is important and what the comic strip accomplishes. On top of this, I would like to show what effect it has on the argument by using a comic strip as its media.

This project will be posted online as well. This is beneficial to obtaining a larger audience but also to enhancing the argument of the paper. By choosing relevant and important hyperlinks, I can make extra information available if the reader is interested, but can keep those extra details out of my actual writing. This allows me to cover the basic details that are important in supporting my argument, but to still provide the in depth details if the reader cares to understand it more fully.

Likewise, I can incorporate corresponding multimedia which also provides more support to my argument. Many people are visual learners and the photographs or videos I insert can enhance their interest and therefore what they take away from my paper. Even if a person is not a visual learner, having the visuals can help direct their thoughts about what I am saying or clarify in a new way what I am meaning.

My primary audience member is my teacher. On top of reading all the other students second projects at the same time he encounters mine, he has just seen all our first projects. Because of this, I need to be sure to make this project vary from the last one. This is a worry because the structure last time was very basic and this project could be set up similarly. But, if I keep this in mind and explore other arrangements such as comparisons or juxtapositions, hopefully I can avoid writing the same paper over a different topic.

Another concern I have for all my potential audience members is making my argument interesting. By using logos, pathos, and ethos, in my own argument this can be accomplished. On top of that, I need to make my writing style broad enough that most people can understand the points I am making and are not excluded by my choice of words or strategies. The peer-reviews should help me with this, because their feedback shows me how someone outside of my brain reads the points I am trying to make.

The best possible outcome of this writing project would show how the terms and points made in "Compose, Design, Advocate" and Scout McCloud's excerpt in "The Vocabulary of Comics" are reflected in the comic I have chosen. I can do this only if I use the terms provided in these two sources when speaking of the strategies used in my comic.
Also, if I can show my audience how the argument the comic makes is strengthened by using a comic strip as it's media, it could change the way they view or read comics in the future. It is always the goal of a writer to change how it's reader views or at least thinks about something, and that is what I would like to do too.

WP2: Prewrite 2

The context of the "Soup to Nutz" comic I have chosen reflects the worry some people have about the effects of the media, and the images of women in the media, on the youth in America. This comic is talking about supermodels and how little they eat, giving them their extremely thing bodies. The girl is holding up a picture in a magazine, which is one of the media types people, such as Charolette Gerber and Debbie Vasen from lovetoknow.com, believe have a negative effect on the youth of America.

"90% of American girls ages 3-11 own barbie dolls" according to Margit and Anika from the "Our Health, Our Futures" website. This begins the idea of the "perfect image" for women with a tiny waist and slim legs. The supermodels are a "real version" of these barbie dolls. Although, supermodels weigh 23% less than the average women today and could possibly be hospitalized for their weight, this is the ideal image for women. When youth see these women and begin to idolize them, it is called media internalization. This refers to the extent to which the viewer of the media bases their guiding principles off of the ideals they see in the media.

This media internalization can cause body dissatisfaction. The effects of that can be very bad, such as dieting, negative affect, and eating disorders. Sometimes teens try fad diets, which promise fast weight loss. These fad diets can cause stunted growth and weakened immune systems because they usually do not provide for enough nutrients. Worse than the fad diets are the eating disorders body dissatisfaction can lead to. Anorexia and bulimia are believed to be the result of the media images sometimes. These eating disorders are very unhealthy, and can cause death.

The modeling industry is beginning to adjust to the effects they may be causing. Some runway models have to pass certain weight standards in order to walk the runway in Europe. Unfortunately, the media often relies on the individual to recognize the unlikelihood of the models' weight on their own. Charolette Gerber and Debbie Vasen urge parents to help their children acknowledge that models are not what they should base their goals on. They should focus on being healthy in their own body, rather than strive to look like someone else. Gerber and Vasen also promote creating a positive self-image, or to accept and embrace who they are now.

By presenting an argument for this cause in the form of a comic, the author is making a very serious statement in a less serious form. It makes the viewers laugh, but also puts the thought into their heads. Often times when presented with arguments, people tend to put up a wall quick and do not actually think about what is being said because their mind is made up. By using a comic strip, the reader views it as comedy first. The argument is not forced on the reader, but could come to their mind when they realize it is fun, but it is also concerning.

By the characters not looking too precisely like human, just containing the general features, this could be helpful or hurtful to the argument. This could cause the viewer to relate the argument to someone they know and care about, because the figures are general enough that it could be anyone. Opposite of that however, it could make the viewer think that it does not affect the person they know and care about, because it is not specific enough that the person must fall in that category.

Works Cited

Gerber, Charolette, and Debbie Vasen. "The Effects Media Has on Teenage Body Image." Lovetoknow.com. LoveToKnow Corp., 13 Oct. 2008. Web. 21 Mar. 2010. .

Margit, and Anika. "Media and Body Image." Our Health Our Futures. Smith College. Web. 21 Mar. 2010. .

Raimondo, Marcella. "About-Face Facts about MEDIA." About-Face. About-Face. Web. 22 Mar. 2010. .

WP2: Prewrite

The siblings in this comic are talking about a stereotypical supermodel. The two kids are sitting at the same table, facing mainly towards each other. They are drawn with similar characteristics such as the shape of their faces, noses, ears, eyes, freckles, and single tooth. These characteristics are presented to show that they are brother and sister. Although they are not shaped like the normal idea of a human, they contain the normal body parts of humans, and therefore are perceived as humans. One has a few lines coming of his head to represent short hair, which viewers understand to be a boy. The other has drawn on pigtails representing a girl. The girl is slightly bigger, making her appear taller and older. She is also explaining her idea of a supermodel to the boy, again showing her to be older.

The three panels are tied together by the similar background. Their setting remains the same, but is drawn to show different cropping in the second frame. This frame only focuses on the boy, to show his reaction and excitement to what the girl has said. The setting is very vague and does not contain too much detail, except for the painting, which also is not shown in the second frame. The painting in the photograph changes slightly from the first to the third frame. This is not something that is initially noticed, and could be missed all together. Most likely, it is just an addition to the comedy of the piece. None of the three frames contain any colors besides black, white, and gray. There is minimal shading in the comic. This puts more focus on the words on the comic, because the drawing is not very detailed or exciting, it simply gives an idea for a possible setting.

The typography used for the picture is all one size, but varying from uppercase to lowercase. This variation makes it appear childish. This is important because the subjects are children, so the childish typography represents that this is supposedly what the cartoons are "saying". The shape of the typography seems to be relaxed. Although the diet and lifestyle of supermodels, and their possible effects on children, can be a heated topic, the relaxed typography keeps the comic from being too serious. It is touching at a serious topic but focusing on the comedy in it. This aligns with the general usage of comic strips to make arguments, versus other media that may be taken more serious. The weight of the type is slightly heavier than the other lines in the comic. This contrast is very small, but makes the words of the comic stand out more than the background.

You would not get anything out of the drawing if it did not have any words, it would just show some kids sitting at a table. However, you would be able to understand what the words were about without the drawing. But, the drawing helps to establish that these are ideas children are having. In this comic, the words and the drawing are working together to create a stronger meaning. The viewer is first drawn to the kids but then immediately to the words to discover how they are interacting with each other.

WP1 Final

Author's Statement

The biggest revision was between my initial and second draft. I completely erased the first the paragraphs, which was my introduction, and the last two paragraphs, my conclusion. I had initially focused my context on the Rwandan genocide and decided to change that to the poverty in Rwanda. So I did new research and wrote a new four paragraph introduction before even touching revisions in the body. This did not affect my main argument, just how the argument related to the context was changed.

Between the initial draft and the final, the ordering of the paragraphs was changed many times. I decided to make my first paragraph in the paper about the coloration of the photo because it sets the mood for the photograph, and many of the further arguments related back to that. The second paragraph's topic is lighting because it touched on some similar ideas that were in the coloration paragraph. Following this I put the paragraph about vectors of attention because the last thing I talked about in the lighting paragraph was where it put the focus, and vectors of attention cause focus as well. I left the framing paragraph for last because it makes some broad statements that I could tie to my conclusion. For instance it says "The immense amount of gray in the unending sky mirrors the boys’ lives, including the grim circumstances in their past that also haunt their future" and "The child just walking in to the picture creates an idea that the number of children the situation in Rwanda affects is increasing".

Deciding which paragraphs flowed from one to another was a struggle while writing this paper. It was difficult picking the topic that made the best sense to follow the previous paragraph. On top of that, I needed to work on making the transitions smoother. To do this I tried to tie my introduction sentence in a paragraph to the concluding sentence in the following paragraph. For example, the concluding sentence of the natural lighting paragraph is "In this sense, the natural lighting enhances the gray hues, and establishes a focus on the background.", and the introduction for the following paragraph says "This focus in enhanced by the vectors of attention." I did not have these sort of transitional sentences in my first paragraph, so it did not flow as well.

Within the body paragraphs I reread it many times making various grammatical adjustments. A key idea I added with in the argument was to explain how the feeling of sympathy was evoked. In my original draft I would simply say this evokes sympathy and leave it at that. Now I have added at least a sentence after these statements to explain why it is evoking sympathy and not another feeling.

My conclusion needed a lot of work. As I said before, the first conclusion was completely scraped when I changed my topic of context. But also my original conclusion did not answer the "so what?" aspect. So when I rewrote my conclusion I made sure to cover this, so my readers have something to take away from my paper. My original restating of the thesis, was one long confusing run on sentence. It said "The overwhelming gray hues, the use of natural lighting and vectors of attention focusing on the gray sky, the boys’ activity compared to expectations, the framing and cropping, displaying a relationship with the photograph and the reality, all in “Sitting on Rail”, plus the contradiction to the expectations of photographs with children, make appeals to pathos and logos." So in my final draft I tried to restate it more clearly. Not only did I want to sum up what I had said, but also show how it was all related.

This writing process, was exhausting and intense but helped me to look at my writing from every angle. Working with it, and then leaving it for a day or so, and coming back was very helpful. Without these peer-reviews though, I would not have been inclined to come back to it. It was nice having someone else give some advice and tell you where exactly you could improve your project. I know, thanks to the proces,s I am turning in a better final draft than my original.

Second Draft
First Draft
Statement of Purpose


Ninety percent of the Rwandan population lives on less than two U.S. dollars per day. Worse than that, fifty percent of the population lives on less than just one U.S. dollar per day (Encyclopedia of the Nations). In other words, Rwanda is a poor country. According to Worldpress.org statistics, seventy percent of the population lived below the poverty line in Rwanda in 2000. To put this in perspective, according to the same site, in that year the population living below the poverty line in the United States was slightly under thirteen percent.

As a result of the economy the health is an issue as well. The biggest killers in Rwanda are malaria and respiratory diseases, which in developed countries are rarely causes of death. The life expectancy in Rwanda in the year 2000 was thirty nine years. Compared to in the United States where the life expectancy that same year was seventy seven years, this is a tragically low statistic (Worldpress.org). The economy also affects the education available. Unfortunately, many of the teachers are not qualified and are mainly using poor teaching materials, resulting in a high dropout rate and a low literacy rate, reported by Encyclopedia of the Nations.

On top of the grim economy, the country struggles with a painful history and an outstanding rivalry. There is strong division and resulting conflict between the Hutus and the Tutsis, two ethnic groups in Rwanda, which led to a tragic event in 1994. Eight hundred thousand Rwandans were killed in just one hundred days. The conflict is not ended and the wounds are fresh. They are still segregated and fighting today. This also strained the already bleak economy and left the land, needed for agriculture, damaged.

The photograph "Sitting on Rail" was taken in 2001, at a time when Rwanda did not even have a sewage system and just five years after the genocide. The economy had improved from right after the genocide, but was still at an extreme low. "Sitting on Rail" displays the despair the children of Rwanda have lived with and the resulting loss of hope. The photograph appeals to pathos and logos, by means of coloration, lighting, vectors of attention, and framing to demonstrate this argument. It is not a plea for pity, but for sympathy and help.















Children are often associated with bright and vibrant hues. However, the hues in “Sitting on Rail” consist of a lot of gray. There is gray in the sky, the railing, the cement, and in some of the boys’ clothing. Even the water, which is often shown as blue or green, is gray in this scene. This creates an appeal to pathos for sympathy, because the hue of gray is often connected with sadness or despair. The gray hue makes the viewer feel as if the boys in the photo are experiencing this sadness or despair resulting in sympathy toward them. As an effect, the gray sky provokes a sad, somber feeling that sets the mood for the photograph. There are other hues, in the children’s clothing, like red and green, which are not linked with sadness, even linked with happy, positive feelings, but these hues are not very bright, they are dark and saturated. This results in them having no affect on the viewer’s attention, or changing the effects of the overwhelming gray hues.

The photograph uses natural lighting, which makes the photo look realistic, like it is ordinary and not posed, and reminds the viewer this is a reality for these children. It is another example of an appeal to pathos, to move the viewers to feel sympathy. It evokes sympathy because it demonstrates that the sadness and despair the gray hue relates to, is in fact the emotions that the boys are feeling. If it appeared to be staged at all it would not suggest a strong sense of sympathy in the viewer. The natural lighting also makes the boys and the pathway in the foreground look much darker than the sky and the water in the background, which develops the attention on the gray hues even more. In this sense, the natural lighting enhances the gray hues, and establishes a focus on the background.

This focus in enhanced by the vectors of attention. All the boys are facing away from the camera, making the vectors of attention toward the background. The vectors of attention also make an appeal to pathos, causing the viewer feel as if they are just an onlooker looking at the scene in the photo, not as if they are involved with it. It does not show the boys' faces or expressions, so the audience does not get to feel as if they understand the children or what they are thinking. This provokes sympathy instead of empathy. The sympathy is a result of the boys' posture. They are slumped on to the railing, or on their arms. Especially in modernized civilizations, people are accustomed to seeing photographs of children at play, interacting with friends, or with a smile on their face. This photograph appeals to logos, using a strong contradiction to the expected. The boys in the pictures are not even interacting with each other. The children in this photograph are just staring; gazing off into the horizon, thinking or reflecting. This adds to the compassion the viewer feels for these kids and sorrow for the thoughts that burden their minds. Sad children are especially heart wrenching, because children are known for their innocence and the joy they can find in the smallest things. It is often a quality that others are envious of. When that quality is missing, one cannot help but to feel for its loss. This attitude mirrors the sad, somber mood of their surroundings.

Their surroundings are not only gray but vast. Due to the framing of the picture, the sky and the railing look as if they go on for miles. This is because it is taken at an angle. The immense amount of gray in the unending sky mirrors the boys’ lives, including the grim circumstances in their past that also haunt their future. It is cropped to include multiple children who have all had the same experience. The child just walking in to the picture creates an idea that the number of children the situation in Rwanda affects is increasing. The framing of the picture, creating this idea and the unending sky, shows the lack of hope of the people experiencing the economic trouble in Rwanda.

Natural lighting and the vectors of attention in “Sitting on Rail” put the focus on the background. With its overwhelming gray hues and framing, it sets the mood and context for the photograph. This is reflected in the children’s actions contrasting with the normal expectations. Through this appeal to logos, the photo makes many appeals to pathos to evoke sympathy in its audience. By feeling sympathy toward the children, or even generalizing to anyone in need of help, the viewers are moved to provide aid for these communities. It inspires charity towards any area containing poverty. In this situation, even a small impact can lead to a much larger one.

A second, more positive, accomplishment of sympathy towards the children in this photograph is to make the viewer feel appreciative. Viewing the troubles someone else faces in their life often inspires one to feel grateful for the things they have. These two feelings are not separate from each other, often the work in tandem. The act of charity, leads to grateful, which inspires more charity, etc. This photograph has a sad, somber mood, yet it can move its viewers to sponsor a generous, positive world.

Work Cited

Bugingo, Immaculate. "Poverty Alleviation Programs in Rwanda." Rwanda Development Gateway. Web. 2 Mar. 2010.

"Rural Poverty in Rwanda." Rural Poverty Portal. Internation Fund for Agricultural Development. Web. 02 Mar. 2010.

"Rwanda - Poverty and Wealth." Encylopedia of the Nations. Avameg, Inc. Web. 2 Mar. 2010.

"Rwanda: How the Genocide Happened." BBC News. BBC MMX, 18 Dec. 2008. Web. 17 Feb. 2010.

"Rwanda Profile." Worldpress.org. Web. 2 Mar. 2010.

"Rwanda Weather and Climate." Travel Guides - World Travel Guide. Columbia Travel Media Ltd. Web. 02 Mar. 2010.