In the reading they explain the many ways one can construct an essay to make it more persuasive and entertaining. Although our multimodal assignment is more focused on videos and pictures, constructing an essay is very similar to presentations in general. The first topic that is discussed in Chapter 8 is what characteristics should be seen in a paper after just glancing at it, which include an introduction, transition paragraphs, a clear argument, and a substantial conclusion. These formal structures are not restricted to just essays but are found in any good speech or presentation. Our group will start off with a brief introduction where we will state our argument supporting it with transition slides and finally recapping our argument towards the end. Writing essays seem very tedious and pointless sometimes but the skills used in the process are important because of how many other situations they can be used.
Later on in the Chapter it explains the usefulness of pictures and words being used together in a text. A writer can only be as persuasive as his words are but when a provocative picture supporting their argument in included in the text the reader the argument can be much more effective. In a chart 8.3 it illustrates how audiences notice a visual 70% of the time while reading the title 30% and body 5%. (175) These trends are not only for essays but for almost everything that is put in front of people. If our group put up slides for our project that only had writing on them, many would not finish reading it and others would not even attempt reading at all.
Formatting is another main topic discussed in chapter 8 and the importance it plays in writing. Because there are many different styles to format your paper in, I always find it very annoying writing my essays in a different way each year as my English teachers change. After reading it I realized that it is not how big margins are or what size font but whether a person will pick up the paper and think this is a credible author just by how the layout is. My group’s multimedia assignment has to look professional and catch the attention of the audience. Having impressive pictures and texts will draw the audience’s attention and will make our argument more persuading.
