Shawn Hart

12/10/15
Introduction to Writing Across the Curriculum
Rhetorical Analysis of Disciplinary Texts: Draft 4
Photography is something that has been around since the early 1800s and its popularity
has exploded since then. What started out as a device with tangible output and incapable of
capturing motion due to long exposure times has turned into a staple accessory in the modern
world that produces numerous digital images everyday. Cameras have become extremely
versatile and are used by a menagerie of people in so many different situations from sports
photography to simple family pictures. Some people are trying to use photography to change our
perspective on the world and bring about awareness of the struggles of others, and that is what
the two texts that will be discussed are covering. Both speak about photography and activism.
The first is the academic journal entitled Photography as Activism. It is by Ismail Ferdous and
was published in the Harvard International Review in the summer of 2014. The second is a New
York Times article entitled Turning Art Into Activism. It was written by David Gonzales and
published in 2012. In their subject matter they are similar, but the delivery of the information is
where they differ.
Right away in the academic journal, Photography as Activism, the use of ethos is very
clear. The first thing to be read immediately following the title is Ismail Ferdous is a
Bangladesh-based photojournalist and freelancer whose work focuses on human rights. His past
projects have covered climate change, health , and the garment industry, and his work has
received a host of awards, including ones from the World Bank and the WHO (Ferdous, 2014,
p. 22). By including this statement at the beginning of the journal, the author is trying to establish

trust with the reader and convince him or her that what the text says should be taken seriously.
Not only does this short biography establish credibility, but where the article is published does as
well. It was published by the Harvard International Review, which is . . . a quarterly journal and
website of international relations published by the Harvard International Relations Council at
Harvard University (Harvard International Review). The article, Turning Art Into Activism
also utilizes ethos. In this scenario the author is not talking about himself. Instead he is speaking
about the photographer that the article is focused on, Leslie Thomas. The author, David Gonzalez
mentions the things Leslie Thomas Art Works Project has done like bring attention to human
rights and put on multiple shows. This is, again, is to establish credibility, but it is not nearly as
upfront as Photography as Activism. It is published by the New York Times, which is a well
renowned newspaper, but it lacks the prestige the first article had by being published by Harvard
University.
Throughout the article Turning Art Into Activism, there is a very apparent use of
pathos. It is constantly saying things that elicit an emotional response. The author seems to be
trying to make us feel for the people in the world not being treated poorly like Afghani women
and want to rise up and make a change in the world. The article starts out with, Leslie Thomas
wants to shock you. She wants to anger you. And above all, she wants you to do something
(Gonzales, 2012). The academic journal, Photography as Activism, also places a large focus on
pathos. Ismail Ferdous says things that appear to have the purpose of making you question what
is happening in the world as well. He states, Though I had been struggling with wanting to both
photograph and physically help, the sight of these two individuals who had been caught in their
last moments of life embracing each other convinced me to keep shooting (Ferdous, 2014, p.
23), which causes us to question what the right thing to do is. Is it wrong that he is taking photos

of these bodies frozen in their last actions? Is he exploiting their unfortunate fate? We face a
moral dilemma and feel bad for the victims of this event, and the author uses this to emphasize
the importance of what he is doing.
In the journal, Photography as Activism, the information is delivered with a sense of
urgency. The text is speaking about the atrocities that are happening around the world, and how
the author quickly realizes that people arent caring and that he needs to act. Ismail Ferdous says,
The questions I asked myself, my friends and the responses I received from strangers about the
global garment industry gave me the courage and inspiration to push forward with the issues
surrounding the trade (Ferdous, 2014, p. 23). He states that this is the moment when he began
collaborating with Nathan Fitch on a project to expose the way the western world competes for
these low cost and how it relates to third world countries and the Rana Plaza collapse
(Ferdous, 2014, p. 22). The Rana Plaza was the location of a clothing factory that had shown
signs of dangerous wear. The employees were threatened in order to make them work, but their
fears were realized when the facility collapsed, killing over one thousand people.
In terms of diction and sentence structure, Photography as Activism feels more
advanced. It regularly uses terms such as provoke, uncompromising, and transcending. These
terms help to create a very professional and scholarly tone throughout the text. These words and
the sentence structure make this journal appear much more professional than the other work,
Turning Art Into Activism. This could also mean that the intended audience of Photography
as Activism is a group that wants a slightly more complex and in depth reading experience. This
isnt necessarily the only audience that this text is targeting. The topic of the article would be
appealing to activists and those that concern themselves with what is going on around the world
as well as positive change.

In order to grab the readers attention, Turning Art Into Activism starts by saying,
Shes not talking about run-of-the-mill, Hey buddy, watch your step angry or TMZ sleaze
shock. Shes talking about the great humanitarian and social crises of our time, like in Darfur,
Afghanistan or Myanmar. And yes, shes talking to you (Gonzales, 2012). It comes across as
somewhat cheesy and almost desperate. It is very demanding and straightforward like
propaganda. Also by saying you, it seems that the audience is simply the general public and
not necessarily only photographers. It is written in a way that is understandable for most people
and doesnt focus on the technical aspects of photography. The focus is mainly about trying to
make a difference in the world. Photography as Activism is very similar in that it appears to be
directed at the general public instead of just photographers. There isnt a whole lot spoken about
photography itself in either of the texts. instead, more is spoken about what is being done with
the photography and why.
The overall tones of Photography as Activism and Turning Art Into Activism are
similar in that they are both somewhat sad and dark at times; however, they differ because
Turning Art into Activism can come across as both boastful and whiney, while Photography
as Activism was much more informative. Ismail Ferdous makes it clear that he is simply giving
the facts by saying, We aim our pictures at peoples instincts, consciences and compassion, and
ultimately we leave them with the choice to either deny or accept the truth at hand (2014, p. 25).

Works Cited
Ferdous, I. (2014). Photography as Activism. Harvard International Review, 36(1), 22-25.
Gonzalez, D. (2012, February 20). Turning Art Into Activism. New York Times. Retrieved
September 17, 2015.