The Benefits of a Visual Argument- An Exploration in Words and Pictures

A visual argument is more persuasive than, say, an essay. Although I do consider myself an avid reader, I tend to be more affected by pictures than words. After all, humans are visual creatures. We might be alarmed by someone yelling at us, but we’re not truly afraid until we see the spittle spewing from the corners of their mouth and their eyes ablaze. And so, visual arguments naturally affect their viewer more than written arguments.
Pictures swiftly deliver a message. A picture can take your breath away in a glance; words must be read, processed, and then interpreted to solicit a gasp. Yes, words contain more depth and information, but if what you seek is shock value and a quick response from your audience, a visual argument is more effective than a written one. Visuals also nicely supplement written arguments. As young children, we would read books accompanied with pictures. These pictures, often displayed on the page opposite the text, would further our understanding of the text, heightening our interest in the story and helping us form mental images in our minds of the characters. Now, of course, most of us can read a book sans doodles and still enjoy the story. In fact, without pictures to guide us, we can paint our own images of the characters, limited only to the descriptions provided in the text. However, as I’m sure some of us have witnessed or experienced, young children, accustomed to their illustrated books, will express disgust when shown a book that lacks pictures. “No pictures?” they will ask. “How boring.” This, again, is because we are visual creatures. Images help us to connect with those literary characters. It can be written that a character is afraid of a witch, and we, the reader, can’t truly relate to this poor character, and so we feel no fear. That is, until we see the picture on the next page of the witch. And, man, is this witch ugly. No wonder the character is afraid! We’ve related to this character via images.
However, there is a downside to a visual argument. Visual arguments are usually implicit arguments, and implicit arguments are open to interpretation. You could interpret a picture as hinting at one message, when the creator of the picture was trying to convey an entirely different message. Ultimately, a visual argument is a persuasive argument because it quickly and concisely presents its message, although this image can be understood in ways unintended by the creator.