Rhetorical Analysis - Art

The art I chose to do is from the photographer James Nachtwey.  This photo was taken at a rehab center for heroin addicts in Pakistan.  The argument is what are the consequences of the addiction to drugs on feeling trapped.   He argues that being addicted to drugs intensifies the feeling of being trapped because being addicted to drugs enslaves you.  Thus, whatever enslaves you makes you feel trapped.  The audience is people who are insensitive to problems like violence, sickness, and drug addiction.  The goal is to make people more sensitive to things that really are happening in places all over the world.  He wants people to realize that there is suffering in the world and it should be stopped.  The argument is made by stimulating our emotions.  The picture of a man sitting in a dark hallway that never ends with a high skylight that very closely resembles a jail cell is a very powerful one.  It helps us to understand the feeling of being trapped in a way words can’t describe.  It helps us understand a world many of us have never seen.  I think all of the reasons used are great.  I think most important is the accuracy of the argument.  The picture was taken not only in Pakistan, but in an actual rehab center.  This image is not staged, but is a very real situation.  I think that James Nachtwey does an amazing job, and I think he makes a very effective argument.  The image is one that has a strong impact on me.