Vuong 1 Alan Vuong Dr.

Erin Dietel-McLaughlin Multimedia Writing & Rhetoric, Section 9 3 October 2013 Give Me a Shot to Fight Commenting on his photography, Charles Moore states, I dont wanna fight with my fists, I wanna fight with my camera (Love, Charles Moore: I Fight with my Camera). A white, Southern Journalist, Moore sought to fight discrimination through his flash and shutters, instead of lashing out through violence. Some of Moores work, featured in Life Magazine, in hopes to elicit supporters for the Civil Rights Movement, include a picture of three demonstrators being hosed by water propelled at a force of 100 pounds per square inch, police dogs attacking a demonstrator during a protest, as well as a young girl being hosed down during a demonstration. Moore is able to incorporate many rhetorical strategies such as ambiguity and vantage point in his photography. Rhetoric, as Herrick defines is the systematic study and intentional practice of effective symbolic expression (7). Through the use of these rhetorical strategies, Charles Moore is able to effectively highlight the cruelty done to African Americans by vividly portraying physical oppression, thereby invoking feelings of sympathy to successfully garner more support for the Civil Rights Movement. Charles Moore incorporates the use of ambiguity for the victims faces, in attempts to create curiosity for the readers. In the hosing photograph as well as the police dog photograph, the picture is taken with the three demonstrators turning their heads away from the camera. In the picture of the girl being hosed down, her face is very hard to discern. In doing so, he creates a sense of mystery and the unknown for the viewers who are then forced to fill in the blanks of the

Vuong 2 faces for the victims. As the viewers imagine the horrible, cruel acts that have been committed against the African Americans, they can feel a sense of pain within them, which is followed by a sense of pity. The hosing pictures of the three demonstrators and the girl are also framed in a way that does not show who is hosing them. In this form of ambiguity, viewers are made to infer who is on the other end of the hose. We are likely to assume it is a firefighter who is most likely white. Rhetorical analysis of visual texts, according to Tom Benson, must include features in which the ways the text position the spectator as an active participant in the making of the meaning (197). The readers make up various scenarios in their minds that stick with them, along with a feeling of sorrow to see what the African Americans have to experience. This allows viewers to connect with the photography personally and allows them to truly feel the hardships the African Americans faced. Additionally, Moore chooses to display the faces of the policemen and dogs in order to instill a sense of fear for the audience. Moores vantage point allows him to shoot the policeman with such an angle as if we were looking up at them. This displays the dominance of the officers in regards to the African Americans. One dog also appears to stare into the camera, making the viewers feel threatened and afraid. The combination of these effects makes the audience place themselves in the shoes of the African Americans, helping them envision what they have suffered through. We also contemplate about how the firefighters and policemen are supposed to be our heroes and carry out justice, but are instead hurting those they are supposed to defend. Their acts, in conjunction with Moores photographs of them, allow the public to truly see the abuse the African Americans receive, thus gaining more advocates for the Civil Rights Movement.

Vuong 3 Another aspect of Moores photography includes the fact that he is able to make us feel as if we are at the actual scene. According to Bolter and Grusin, in order to create a sense of presence, virtual reality should come as close as possible to our daily visual experience (22). This same principle can be applied to Moores photography. The camera truly acts as our second eyes. Moore is able to incorporate close-up distances in his photographs, allowing the audience to truly get a grasp of the things happening in the picture. This allows us to see a lot of fine detail that we would normally notice in real life due to his close up shots. For example, the hosing picture of the demonstrators clearly depict a strong pressurized hose, given the fact that water ricochets off the mans body very dispersedly. The hosing picture of the girl also shows her very wet and about to fall. This allows the audience to see the pain that demonstrators struggled with throughout the movement. In the police dog picture, the man is shown with holes in his pants. He also seems to be waving his hands in a way that shows he is not here to fight. Many bystanders are also depicted staring at him with sympathetic faces as well. It can be inferred that they are afraid of being attacked. The audience envisions a poor innocent man being tortured and attacked, with no one to come to his rescue. Many of these details can be hard to discern or misinterpreted without the very close distance or zoom of a camera. Although some may argue that the African Americans may have provoked the officials to defend themselves, this would be far from true. The African Americans were trained not to fight back no matter what the circumstances were and only carried out a peaceful protest. Moore is truly able to make the viewers feel as if they were witnessing the action simply by capturing the picture in the middle of the action. Not only is camera and lens position important in a picture, but also when it was shot. Moore takes each picture during important

Vuong 4 times of an event. Instead of shooting a picture of the aftermath of the demonstrators being hosed, he is very selective when to shoot a picture. For example, he chooses to shoot during the event of the man being bit by dogs during the dogs attack. You can especially see the ferocious eyes and teeth of the dog wanting to bite the man. Because of this technique, many viewers are able to see much of the detail during these events, allowing them to truly grasp the terror of the victims. The viewers are then inclined to create their own conclusions of the aftermath. Because we often associate victims as powerless, Moore is able to solicit feelings of compassion for these demonstrators. Some would contend that Moores photographs are simply one sided because of his selectiveness. He may come off as too sympathetic to the African Americans. However, these government officials are supposed to carry out justice and equality for all. Instead, they attack innocent victims who they know will not physically fight them back. Moores use of contrast also emphasizes the focal points of his photography. Contrast is the use of dark and light in order to direct the viewers attention at a point. In both the photos of the demonstrators being hosed, the eyes of viewers are drawn towards the demonstrators because the profiles of the demonstrators are remarkably darker than the water around them. In the picture of the police dog attack, the man who is being attacked is wearing darker colors, while everyone else around him is wearing white. The demonstrators are able to stand out and bring attention to their eyes. Thus feelings of sympathy rise in the hearts of viewers who see the tough times that the African Americans must endure. Through the use of these rhetorical strategies, Moore is able to make the viewers truly comprehend what the African Americans had to go through, therefore establishing a feeling of pity for the African Americans during the Civil Rights Movement. As Herrick states, rhetoric gives our private ideas a public voice, thus directing attention to them (17). With this in mind,

Vuong 5 he is able to gain supporters for anti-segregation through the use of his photography. Moore sought to peacefully campaign for the Civil Rights Movement. In a documentary, he mentioned, my camera is my tool and I would rather have that be my weapon than my fists any day" (Love, Charles Moore: I Fight with my Camera). Charles Moore truly exemplifies that rhetoric can be a powerful tool in regards to persuasion, spurring several movements that have impacted the lives of many for the better.

Vuong 6 Works Cited Benson, Thomas J. Respecting the Reader. Rev. of A Certain Tendency of the Hollywood Cinema, by Rovert B. Ray; Cinema and Sentiment by Charles Afron; Speaking of Soap Operas, by Robert C. Allen. Quarterly Journal of Speech 72 (1986): 197-204 Bolter, Jay David, and Richard Grusin. Remediation: Understanding New Media. The MIT Press, 2000. Charles Moore: I Fight with My Camera. Dir. Daniel Love. Perf. Charles Moore.Charles Moore:I Fight with My Camera. Daniel Love, Sept. 2005. Web. 5 Oct. 2013. Herrick, James A. "Chapter 1: An Overview of Rhetoric." The History and Theory of Rhetoric: An Introduction. Boston: Pearson, 2013. N. pag. Print. Moore, Charles. Dog attacks demonstrator. 1963. Photograph. Snite Museum, Notre Dame. Moore, Charles. Three demonstrators hosed. 1963. Photograph. Snite Museum, Notre Dame. Moore, Charles. Girl hosed. 1963. Photograph. Snite Museum, Notre Dame.