For my rhetorical analysis essay I have chosen this image from the recent protests in Hong Kong that have been occurring over the past few months. This immediate purpose of taking this picture is to no doubt create a following of the protests from people online. The protestors want the eyes of the world to watch them, and for the people to rally behind their cause to persuade their government to comply with their . This image argues for one thing: a call to action for the government of Hong Kong to make changes at the people’s desires, not at their own.
This artifact drew me in when I first saw it, much like the other images from the protests. I wondered what was going on in Hong Kong because at the time I had not heard of anything regarding the topic on news or media. From the size of the group, I knew it had to be something substantial, which intrigued me. I saw the simple message on the banner, but I knew there was more to it than these four words. There are a lot of questions I had from this image when I first saw it a while ago. From what do they need freedom? What event could spark such a massive group of protestors to fill the streets of one of the most densely populated areas in the world? Why are they calling for democracy now? I also thought that there could be a connection with these protests and those of Beijing in 1989 since I found out about the Hong Kong events when the Tiananmen Square’s 30th anniversary happened. There is a story behind this image and the people within it. I chose this event because I wanted to explore the causes of this protest, which are no doubt connected to a call to action that inspired these people. In the photos from Hong Kong, there have been children, students, and elderly people participating in these protests. There is such a large civic engagement by the community there that every single age is called to act for the common goal amongst the people. I think this is a beautiful example of civic engagement in today’s world.
This is obviously very similar to the Tiananmen Square protest. The people in both are fighting against a government that is trying to become more authoritarian and controlling of the people. Both of these events include non-violent protests that escalate to the government coming in and “peacefully ending” them. The governments of both 1989 China and current day Hong Kong paint the protestors as violent rioters or rebels. Also, the protestors of Tiananmen Square were treated much more hostile by the military, while the Hong Kong police seem to only be riot control. There was actually killings of citizens and protestors during Tiananmen Square, and to explore the differences in the oppressor’s reactions to both acts of civic engagement intrigues me. A difference is that this event is way more televised, which I think is due to how most news in the modern day news does not go unnoticed and how much of a global hub Hong Kong is compared to how Beijing was very restrictive on the press and coverage of the event. The further suppression of the event by the media goes with structures of attention. The government is drawing attention away from the event to prevent civic engagement. This would be an interesting topic to further explore since we don’t see that kind of media suppression on events or protests today. The restrictions in Beijing made it much harder from the other parts of China to find out about the events, which could’ve led to a huge uprising if it happened. Looking at the reactions of Hong Kong by Chinese citizens today who participated in Tiananmen Square would be interesting as well. There are many similarities, but also many differences and I want to explore what the view is on Hong Kong. The Beijing protests started out much like this one, so I wonder if Hong Kong is heading down the same path.
I like the image you chose to focus on in your essay. I remember being intrigued by the image you are choosing to give your speech on and the second image presents a different and compelling medium for comparison and contrast. The curiosity upon originally seeing the image you wrote about and desire to do deeper research shows that it is something you are passionate about, making it a topic you will likely give a good speech on. I also though the inclusion of rhetorical questions was a good way to go about looking at the image and giving yourself points to work towards answering in the final draft of the essay.
I see that you’ve found a lot of similarities between your images and the historical context behind each of them. Without explicitly stating it, you’ve found the kairotic appeal that each image has. Good job! I would suggest starting to look for the use of other appeals in the images, and considering where the image came from. You touch on why the image is created at all (protesters want the world to see their struggle), but there might be more to discover. Why was the image taken at all? Who took the image and what are they trying to say? Also, you include a lot of the background behind the image, but I don’t know how you would connect that to the image rhetorically. I think this is all important information (I didn’t know a lot of it until I read this), but there might be a more effective to present the information so that you are truly comparing the two images for their rhetorical qualities.
One thing to think about: the essay doesn’t talk about civic engagement at all. It’s all rhetorical analysis. You mentioned civic engagement more than you did rhetorical analysis and appeals. Try and see if you can mold the qualities that you believe are an example of civic engagement into a rhetorical appeal that the image is conveying.
At this point you are presenting topics that you plan on discussing. I think you know where you are going, which is a great place to be in. Not sure if we’ll peer review together for the essay… but if we do, I look forward to reading a bit deeper into the image and its rhetorical argument. Consider how you will expand on claims that you have made (i.e. “there is a story behind this image and the people within it). What is that story? Who are the people? Why do we need to hear this story?
Good work.
This image was a very interesting choice. As I read your draft, I saw how passionate you were about this issue, and it also reminded me of something that I’ve personally experienced when I was younger. It wasn’t in Hong Kong, nor was it to this magnitude, but seeing how people express and are civically engaged, regardless of gender, age, etc., is quite a sight to behold. It’s a shame that governments such as Hong Kong’s attempt to cover up for fear of ruining their image, it seems– all to maintain this image of progress.