"Seeing the Text" Stephen A.

Bernhardt
Rhetorical Overview of the Article 1. What is the author's exigence? Why does the author feel the article/argument needs to be made? Stephen A. Bernhardt exigence is his argument that visual learning enhances ones writing. Visual learning improves the skills of a writer. In the first sentence of the article, Bernhardt states that text requires visual apprehension in order to be seen and understood. He feels the argument must be made because without visuals, information is extremely limited if just stated textually. 2a. Who is the primary audience for the article? WHY do you think that? The primary audience for Bernhardt's article is students. I believe this because he refers to his explanations to students multiple times. " student writers can gain a heightened sense of categories, divisions, and orderly progression." 2b. If you are not the intended audience for this article, what would the author need to change to make you the primary audience? I am the intended audience for this article. 3. What is the author's thesis/argument/niche for the piece? If possible, quote specifically from the text "Writing, especially when visually informative, encourages the writer to be exact about grouping related ideas, delineating beginnings and endings, and using cues to signal to the reader a graphic representation of cognitive organization."(35) Summary 1. Write a few sentences that summarizes this article in your own words; make sure to cover the main arguments AND conclusions. In Stephen A. Bernhardt's article, "Seeing the Text", he shares that there must be some kind of visual context or learning within a piece of work or else there is missing information. In order to get your point across, there needs to be some kind of visual information in order to be persuasive enough. Some examples are speeches, brochures, businesses etc. 2. Take the summary you just wrote and condense it into something tweetable, by which I mean a summary that is NO longer than 140 characters. Consider using the same conventions you would if tweeting, meaning abbreviations and informality in language. Visual presentation of text on a page, or screen is as important, if not more

important than textual information. Burkean Parlor/Intertextuality 1. In what ways does this author and/or the ideas in this article connect with, (dis)agree with, speak to or against I think you get the gist previous authors and their ideas that we have encountered in this class? Bernhardt's article reminded me of Elbow's article because both had such strong thoughts about what was important in a paper or information. Bernhardt's was visual representation and Elbow's was voice, both authors made it clear that each are extremely important when writing and getting your point across in an assignment.