In my previous writings I focused on the issue of maternal mortality rates in the US and what things were being done to fix it on a broad scale. I wanted to use my photo essay as a way to show expecting mothers what role they play in the solution to the maternal mortality issue. The reason this essay deviates slightly from my main argument is because I wanted to tell a story that would appeal to the emotions of expecting mothers. My main topic is more about me presenting the problem of the maternal death rate in America rather than making a specific argument, so I decided to make my photo essay an argument about a specific aspect of my topic.
I used photos that, by themselves, seem happy but juxtaposed them with captions that would impact the reader emotionally. In addition to pathos, I used logos by presenting the reader with devastating possibilities and then explaining a logical solution to the problems. I arranged my photos in a specific way so that it would flow somewhat like a story. I opened with my main point then I went to some worst case scenarios and then brought it back to my main point. I made the first and last pictures similar because I wanted to start the essay with my argument and then after scaring people a little, I wanted to bring the essay back to my main argument so it would have more of an impact.
The middle portion of the essay can be broken down into two sections. First is the image of the parents with their new baby and the image of the mother seeing her baby for the first time. I chose these images because when I think of the special moments right after having a baby, those types of images are what come to mind. I felt these images would contribute to my pathos because an expecting mother would typically look forward to those moments. My hope was that by using those happy images and then having such contrasting captions would make my argument more impactful to expecting mothers. The second section of the middle portion included the image of the dad holding the baby and the image of the grandfather with his granddaughter. I chose these images because I wanted to point out situations that people don’t typically think they will have to deal with after having a baby. These images pointed out that not only would a child lose their mother, but also, the other people in that child’s life are thrown into a situation they were not prepared for. I included these images to encourage people to see the logic in my argument. Because my pictures and captions were so poignant, it made my simple solution seem that much more reasonable.
I used my photo essay to make the argument that women should talk to their doctors and make plans and ask questions. By doing this simple thing, expecting mothers can contribute to the solution of my main issue which is the maternal mortality rate in America. I used pathos and logos to persuade my audience to follow my advice. I think my use of happy photos anchored by such emotional captions gave my photo essay more impact than if I had just used statistics. I didn’t want to add statistics to this essay because I already talked about them in my previous writings. I wanted this essay to focus more on the personal side of the issue rather than facts and figures. I think my photo essay presents an impactful argument and does a good job of convincing my audience to follow my recommendation.
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