Deforestation Images Visual Arguments

Deforestation is the cutting down of trees. It leads to the depletion and degradation of the environment. Visual images of deforestation help readers understand the situation on the Earth and its effects. The following is an analysis of two deforestation pictures based on visual arguments (Owens, 1999).

The figure 8.1 on page 90 is a representation of aftermath of deforestation in Central Sulawesi (Harris & Kunka. 2011). The figure shows a man standing in the forest that has been destroyed. It implies that man has a duty to conserve the environment, but does not live up to this expectation. It is because he seems to take over the destroyed forest for his own selfish use. The visual argument is implied rather than directly stated. The picture creates emotional appeal for man to take up his responsibility of conserving the environment (Harris & Kunka, 2011).

The second picture on the same page, figure 8.2, represents the rate of deforestation in Western Brazil between 2000 and 2009. The use of the two photographs creates comparison. It makes use of the logical appeal, whereby one can compare the similarities and differences between two pictures. The rate of deforestation seems to have increased between 2000 and 2009 since there are more dark green areas in the photo from the year 2000, whereas there are more brown areas in the picture from 2009. Excessive rate of deforestation can be implied from the green and brown colors, which represent amount of trees and spare lands (Harris & Kunka, 2011).

From the two photos, it is evident that a viewer of the two figures will be able to make visual arguments based on the appeals that the creators of the images have implied (Spilsbury, 2012).