Composition 2

Professor Hodges

Visual Rhetoric Essay

High School Equivalency https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32iWz3lEX4g 

There is an african american male who seems to be looking away. It seems like he is looking at a window. If so, then we can tell that there is still light outside. It’s possible that the man is probably staring at something outside. Maybe something is going on. The man looks down at his phone. He has an iphone but it’s hard to identify what type of iphone it is. The phone is currently open on the instagram app. It appears to be that the man is viewing a post of him and somebody else. They are both holding diplomas in their hands. The instagram post didn’t get that much attention as it only has 37 likes. The man is wearing jewelry on his left hand and he seems to have some writing on his right hand. He may have a tattoo. 

The video then goes through a series of photos. Each photo has the man and some other person in it. We see that one of the photos has a female. The female looks young so it’s probably the man’s relative or someone whom he has a relationship with judging by the smiles they are both putting on. Their relationship seems to be genuine. We then see more photos of the girl again. It’s obvious that this girl plays a role in this man’s life. Otherwise, we wouldn’t see multiple pictures of her.

The man is now smiling. He is happy about something. We now see a better image of the man. He looks like he’s in his late 20s or early 30s. The man has been to the gym before. He looks to be in shape. The screen seems to be in an instagram post template with the words “Finally getting my HS diploma!” Now we know that the man did not receive his high school diploma during high school. I’m unsure of the reason why. Maybe he dropped out of high school or maybe he never went to high school. It’s clear that he made the effort to complete his education. By the way that the man is smiling, this is a very big deal to him. 

It turns out that the girl in the pictures is the man’s daughter. We see a picture of her going down the playground slide in reverse. She’s looking at the camera. Judging by the background of the picture, it is clear that they are outside. The weather seems to be very warm as the daughter is wearing a short sleeves shirt. Judging by the positioning of the daughter’s shadow, it is probably close to afternoon. 

The man had his hands rubbing on his face and his eyes had a gleam in them. The man is probably emotional from achieving this accomplishment in his life. Receiving a high school diploma is a big milestone as high school is not all that easy. The man seems to be in a quiet room or a study room where he is seen to be doing some school work. The man is probably taking some notes since he is writing inside of a notebook. The time of day in the video had changed a few times. The man has probably been studying and taking notes for a while. He seems to be very studious. 

The man is now seen with his son. His son looks young. He is probably between ages 6 and 12. The man looks like he is helping his son out with some work, or the son probably joined his father during his time of studying. There is a cat in the background, so it’s safe to assume that this man’s household welcomes pets. We see that the background has also changed. They are in the living room. The man is now carrying his son. They seem to be playing around or the father is escorting his son out of the area. It’s hard to tell since the camera is zoomed in. There is a picture of the man and his daughter but it’s an old picture. The man’s beard isn’t there anymore. They are both pointing at the camera. The man probably lives in the suburbs judging by the way that neighborhood looks. It seems like it’s a peaceful area to live in. 

The man is seen again with his child. Now it is clear to assume that the man cares about his children very much. Maybe he went back to get his high school diploma for the sake of his children. Probably the man didn’t want his kids growing to find out that their father never completed high school. The man wants to set a good example for his children. He wants them to complete their education as well. Now we see that the father is on his phone going instagram stories. We see an ad on the plone with the link “FinishYourDiploma.org.” The man probably used it to help go back to school and achieve his high school diploma. 

The reason for the man dropping out of school is still unknown. Maybe he dropped out because he had children to take care of. The father going back to complete his education just shows that he won’t let anything stop him to achieve his goals. Obstacles will come along the way, but it’s about how people handle them. Will they overcome it? Or will they succumb to defeat at the hands of the obstacle?