Before diving into my reflection of this multimodal argument there are a few things I need to address first:

1. The image I used is disturbing/shocking/heartbreaking and shows the bodies of a father and daughter who drowned last week while trying to swim to America (please do not scroll to the past the 4th paragraph if you have a weak stomach).
2. This post does have a political tone to it, I felt that was unavoidable. That was not done to show bias, but rather to highlight the current political division in the US.

I created this image on my phone using an app called Light Express X., which is a photo editor and allows you to layer, blur, cutout, and retouch images. There are many features (retouching and lighting) that I am still fiddling with, but overall I would rate it a 8 out of 10 in simplicity. I found the images of the elephant associate with the Republican party with “pro life” text and the drowned migrants on Google. and, I saved the images to my photos. I wanted the migrants to be the focus of my argument so I uploaded that photo first, then I clicked on “edit” and choose “back drop” and uploaded the “pro life” image.

At first you don’t see anything other than your original image (and if you’re like me you immediately repeat the step over again thinking you did it wrong). In order to see the backdrop image you have to “erase” the front image. There are several different effects you can use to erase. If you want a ripped or torn effect click on “magic brush,” if you want blurred lines click on “brush” (which is what I choose). Once I was satisfied with the finished product I emailed the image to my gmail, saved it to my computer, and uploaded it here.

The affordances of this app are that its very easy to use and while not every student has access to a computer (outside of school) it’s reasonable to assume that most have access to a smartphone (either their own or their parents). Unlike with PowerPoint, the app adjusts the image so that anything that is uploaded does not appear grainy (see my previous post of remix to see a grainy/blurry photo). The glaring constraint with this app that I personally struggled with was that it was $3.99 to download. Ugh, that is freaking expensive for an app! This wouldn’t be something I would feel comfortable asking my students to download unless I could find a free version that worked just as well.

I told you it was heartbreaking. But in order to get the attention of the audience it needs to be shocking. That being said I am truly sorry if you (the reader) are emotionally distressed by this image. I choose it knowing that my audience are adults, this is not an image that I would use in my classroom (especially a middle school).

Stephen Toulmin was a philosopher who spent his life studying the ethics of moral reasoning. He developed a model for argumentation (aptly named the Toulmin Model) which key components are: claim, evidence, and warrant. I used each of these components to convey the meaning of my argumentation image.

1. Claim: Migrants are so desperate to flee dangerous situations they are facing in their counties that they are willing to risk death to get to America and find a better life.
2. Evidence: The bodies of a father and his small daughter that washed up onto shore.
3. Warrant: The tightened security and refusal to provide asylum to the migrants requesting it is causing people to make dangerous choices to try and make it to America.

The only words on this image are “pro life,” this is an ironic statement because the current administration that is making is so difficult for people to be granted asylum, but said administration (largely) claims to be pro life. The implicated question being: how can one be pro life but turn away those fearing for their lives?

Question: I am very sensitive when it comes to imagery (maybe I am too cautious), would anyone use a photo like the one above in their classroom?