1RA

My paper is going to be on photographer Danny Lyon and his series of photographs taken In Chicago, IL in the mid 60's.

1/20/2012 Image 1: "Clubhouse during the Columbus Run, Ohio" 1966 To me, this image shows the raw nature of the "outlaw" life. These people rebel from normal culture and have created their own. Their way of life is more primitive and based on their individual idea of the pursuit of happiness...this is a life is filled with "sex, drugs and rock & roll". In the time this was taken, a more conservative presence was dominant and this life style was purely shocking and subversive.

Image 2: "Crossing the Ohio River" 1966 This photograph depicts the isolated and independent lifestyle that an "outlaw" or "renegade" chooses. It invokes a sense of freedom mixed with isolation. It is as if this man is a modern day cowboy. He is chasing his future while being pursued by his past.

Image 3: "Three Young Men, Uptown Chicago" 1966 These young men are the idealistic symbol of subversive culture in the mid 1960s. The black pants and unbuttoned shirts/ undershirt portray rebellion against what society has dictated a young man should look like. Their disheveled appearance along with smoking cigarettes coupled with the background of a graffiti-ed alley shows the "backstreet" nature of their world. They are rebels against society, they have chosen a life of defiance.

Thesis: Danny Lyon's 1966 photographs taken in Chicago, Illinois serve as a message of rebellion against the societal “norms “ and political turmoil of the mid 1960s. In an era filled with civil discord there was a seething underbelly in downtown Chicago. Lyon exposed a way of life that was pushed aside by most. This subversive culture is brought to light by Lyon through the context of the time his photographs were taken. This rebellion parallels the discontent felt nationwide in both political and civil affairs.

ROUGH DRAFT OF 1RA:

Elizabeth Stone Engl340/ Dr. Archibald Visual Rhetoric: 1RA 2/29/2012

Danny Lyon: Photographer, Rebel

Danny Lyon's 1966 photographs taken in Chicago, Illinois serve as a message of rebellion against the societal “norms “ and political turmoil of the mid 1960s. In an era filled with civil discord there was a seething underbelly in downtown Chicago. Lyon exposed a way of life that was pushed aside by most. This subversive culture is brought to light by Lyon through the context of the time his photographs were taken. This rebellion parallels the discontent felt nationwide in both political and civil affairs. The first photograph from this collection that I would like to discuss is “The Crossing of the Ohio River”. This photograph encapsulates the dichotomy of emotions associated with rebellion- freedom, the pursuit of happiness, fear of the law on your back, being on the run, a soldier for a cause...etc. Firstly, Lyon accomplishes this by choosing to use black and white film. Not only does black and white film have a greater visual impact but it symbolizes the idea of the law being “black or white”. With that in mind, we see the man in the black leather jacket on the sleek black motor cycle and we know this man does not have the law on his side. Lyon goes further with his message by capturing the man looking over his shoulder in an act of fleeing. Fleeing the law, fleeing societal norms, fleeing towards freedom. The bridge symbolizes leaving behind his past and pursuing his freedom. There is fear in his mind because he is an outlaw, but there is also hope. The idea of hope is projected to the other side of the bridge, just outside of the visible frame of the photograph. {insert photo here with citation}

Next in the series of photographs from 1966 is “Three Young Men, Uptown Chicago”. Another black and white photograph, this shows the gritty back alley in which the scene is set in high contrast. The concept of right and wrong is played out in this black and white metaphor. The young men themselves are nothing out of the ordinary. They are presented to the audience as “ruffians”. Their hair is shaggy and uncombed, they are dressed in buttoned down shirts, one wearing just an under shirt. One boy is smoking a cigarette. The dirty wall behind them is graffiti-ed. This is all in clear defiance to what society demands of these young men. Yet Lyon has framed them within the visible space and the young men seem to stare right into the viewer's own eyes as if they have a story to tell. This stare draws the viewer into their world. Lyon wants his audience to feel what these young men are feeling. Youth is filled with angst and emotional squandering. These boys are looking for a place in a world where they do not seem to fit, so they rebel. This is an important message to Lyon made obvious by the way he presents these young men in his photograph using a sense of pathos. They are casually posed, yet they take center stage, eyes transfixed on the camera, sharing their struggle with the world. {insert photograph with citation}

The final photograph in the series I am discussing is “Clubhouse during the Chicago Run, Ohio”. This is a photograph taken outside a local hang out for bikers. The name of the bar is boldly displayed in black against the decaying building- “Outlaw's Territory”. This is yet another black and white photograph giving a vivid image of the dirty underground lifestyle that these people live out while also being a metaphor, again for right and wrong. There are several people in this photograph, men with their bikes, women by their side, and people in the windows of the building. Cigarette cartons and trash litter the ground. The name of the bar alone captures Lyon's central theme here- These people live outside of society, they do not belong. The black leather jackets on the men, and the women clad in all black personify the metaphor of right and wrong. The “outlaws” truly are being pursued by society for living outside the norm and this bar is their respite. Yet the bar itself is given an identity, it is a readymade with the projections of the outlaw lifestyle put upon it. The walls are crumbling, windows are broken. It tells us that a life on the road, on the run, is a hard life and it ages you quickly. it is not a life for the weak. This emboldens the characters that we see outside of the “Outlaw's Territory”. They are rugged and brave. An audience can identify with these traits and a mutual respect is formed between the viewer and the viewed. {insert photograph with citation}

Danny Lyon is a talented photographer who uses photography techniques along with symbolism, identification, pathos and the context of the era which he photographed these people in to portray a message of rebellion against the societal norms of the mid 1960s. His photographs speak to the civil discord and political turmoil of the time. They unite a nation by expressing a discontent for the state of our world.

Engl 340 1st Paper: Peer Review Questions

** Note ** : please address "why or why not" for each question below Hi Elizabeth Stone, your paper was delightful to read. I hope that you find my suggestions helpful and informative. ~ Jason Frey I believe that the writer does understand the concept of a rhetorical analysis and the paper demonstrates its application. There is a logical approach when doing a rhetorical analysis of each photo. Each analysis starts out with a “visual” or denotative description of the photo, then moves into a deeper connotative descriptions consisting of relations to society, deeper meanings, and metaphors one could gleam from such photos. I think that more could be added about the background information or the original audience that the photo was intended for. This will help the writer formulate the true meaning of each photo more clearly. The purpose of the photos was summed in this statement, “ Lyon exposed a way of life that was pushed aside by most. This subversive culture is brought to light by Lyon through the context of the time his photographs were taken. This rebellion parallels the discontent felt nationwide in both political and civil affairs.” I think that this argument is appropriate and effectively presented for the context that the photos were taken in. I believe this because throughout the paper most of the commentaries about the photos point towards this main idea. As I have stated in the first questions’ answer, it would be good to know more about life at the time that the photos were taken and the place that they were taken. What was happening then? Why was this life style //pushed aside by most//? What makes a person decide that this lifestyle is not valid or worthy? I could not find a definite argument claim put forward for the photographs under analysis in the paper beside the claim that was already mentioned in the previous question. Maybe the writer could put in a paragraph or two at the end tying all three photographs together—a soap box or rant about how these photos do or do not fulfill their “purpose”. In the description of the third photograph, “Clubhouse during the Chicago Run, Ohio” the writer uses Ramage’s idea of readymades. The dirty, rundown bar is a readymade projection of an outlaw’s lifestyle. I think that this idea of readymade could be used with the other two photographs as well. The biker on the bridge could be a readymade, he is riding a motorcycle, has dark clothing, a jacket with a skull and crossbones, and chains—this guy is the ideal outlaw (not to mention he’s looking back—to see if someone is folling?). The writer does a great job at describing the denotative items in the photos. More could be said about the context of each photo and the relationship between the viewer and the viewed. Maybe the writer could talked about the Ramage’s other two dimensions of identity, such as the given and constructed identity.
 * 1) Does the writer understand the concept of a rhetorical analysis and does the paper demonstrate its application? Why or why not. Give suggestions.
 * 1) What argument / communicative purpose does the paper describe for the photographs it uses. Is it appropriate? Effectively presented? Why or why not. Give suggestions.
 * 1) What is the argument claim put forward for the photograph(s) under analysis in the paper? Is it appropriate? Effectively presented? Why or why not. Give suggestions.
 * 1) What did you like about how the various visual/rhetorical theorists (Berger/Faigley/Ramage/Blakesly&Brooke/Barthes) were used in the paper? What could be improved about how the paper uses these theorists? What suggestions do you have for the writer? Be as specific as possible by discussing each theorist one at a time and how the paper uses them. Also, give suggestions of theorists that the writer does not use but might be useful in his/her rhetorical analysis.

Review: Justin Taylor
 * 1)  ** Does the writer understand the concept of a rhetorical analysis and does the paper demonstrate its application? Why or why not. Give suggestions. **

The paper is well organized in a way that clearly shows the concepts of rhetorical analysis displayed. Because of this setup, it is easy for the reader to locate and understand how different concepts come into play both with themselves, and in regards to the other images.


 * 1)  ** What argument / communicative purpose does the paper describe for the photographs it uses. Is it appropriate? Effectively presented? Why or why not. Give suggestions. **

I interpreted the purpose of the paper as being an example of how one particular photographer successfully manged to bring to light something that was all too commonly swept under the carpet. Its as appropriate and compelling a concept today as it likely was then.


 * 1)  ** What is the argument claim put forward for the photograph(s) under analysis in the paper? Is it appropriate? Effectively presented? Why or why not. Give suggestions. **

I belive the claim of the analysis is that the images "... unite a nation by expressing a discontent for the state of our world." I think this can be made into a powerful and stable argument with a great deal more support, both from common knowledge and the readings.


 * 1)  ** What did you like about how the various visual/rhetorical theorists (Berger/Faigley/Ramage/Blakesly&Brooke/Barthes) were used in the paper? What could be improved about how the paper uses these theorists? What suggestions do you have for the writer? Be as specific as possible by discussing each theorist one at a time and how the paper uses them. Also, give suggestions of theorists that the writer does not use but might be useful in his/her rhetorical analysis. **

I think the theorists were utilized well in this paper. Some statments seem, at first glance to be a little inaccurate in my eyes at least however, such as cigarettes being portrayed as a symbol against society (especially in the 60's), and the motorcycle being a "sleek black", when it looks like the main hub is white.