Addario’s It’s What I Do has the ability to strike readers’ emotions through not only her writing but the visuals she provides her audience. Taken alongside her experiences, these images allow the reader to form a visual of the true life of an American journalist during the war in Iraq. Addario often mentions her passion for making individuals feel something. In order to do this, she sets out to capture the raw emotion of fear, grief, and even sometimes happiness. Many of the photos feature the aftermath of war, but many photos remind her audience of her time with loved ones. On page 84, “a rebel fighter consoles his comrade outside the hospital in Ras Lanuf, March 9, 2011”. This image shows the loyalty that troops have to one another in times of crises while also evoking the emotions associated with true tragedy against loved ones. Many troops died in combat leaving behind friends and family, so it is important for an audience to see how much effort troops put forth to keep their friends alive. The raw emotions engulfing this image engage Addario’s audience in a way that text cannot. On what would be page 222, a twenty-eight-year old woman by the name of Bibiane is captured in South Kivu with tears streaming down her face. What struck me most about this image was the definition and proximity to the woman’s face. At what seems to be one of the most challenging times of this woman’s life, Addario captures the despair and utter sadness radiating from her face. This woman brings every emotion to the writing that Addario is providing her audience.

My passion blog focuses on music and therefore I have been utilizing the platform’s multi-modal affordance to include music videos for my audience to get a taste of the band’s I am writing about. I believe that these videos bring my blog alive in the sense that it almost serves as evidence as to why an individual should listen to the suggested artists. Addario’s pictures served to evoke the emotions of her audience in response to war so providing my audience with music videos associated with the suggested artist would evoke the emotions that I am trying to portray. Visuals are important in this day in age because they capture the attention of more individuals. They attract all different audiences, even those who do not like to read. While I did include videos in my blog, I neglected to provide pictures of the band so that individuals could form an opinion of the band’s/ artist’s work before forming an opinion of the band’s appearance. Although appearance is crucial to the success of a band, sometimes first impressions deter the individual from pursuing a band and this can often times leave the individual missing out. The platform that is given to us to share our passions allows for the sharing of many different writings, visuals, audios, etc., and this is why it serves as the perfect outlet for a passion blog.