Select One Of The Images (#1-4) That Appears In The Perspect ✓ Solved

Select one of the images (#1-4) that appears in the Perspect

Select one of the images (#1-4) that appears in the Perspectives on Argument text. For the image you select, assign one of the claim categories below and answer the corresponding questions.

a. This visual primarily establishes a fact. What is the fact? How convinced are you by the image?

b. This visual shows cause and effect. What is the cause? What is the effect? Do you accept the cause–effect relationship depicted? Why or why not?

c. This visual is mainly about establishing value. What is being evaluated? Is the value assigned to it positive or negative? Do you agree or disagree? Why or why not?

d. This visual provides a possible solution for a problem. What is the problem and what is the solution?

Images:

• Image 1: War Casualties — Opening of a new rehabilitation center in San Antonio, Texas designed to treat the growing number of severely wounded veterans of the Iraq war, some of whom attended the ceremony.
• Image 2: U.S. Border Control — A U.S. Border Control agent contains people after crossing the Rio Grande River into the United States near McAllen, Texas; appeared with an article titled “U.S. Border Patrol Launches New Push to Stop Illegal Immigrants from Mexico.”
• Image 3: The Rhone Glacier Retreat — A drawing on an 1870 postcard shows the Rhone Glacier sweeping into Gletsch, Switzerland; in 2005 the glacier could hardly be seen.
• Image 4: Corn Power — Two words accompany this image ("Corn Power").

Paper For Above Instructions

Assigned Category: Cause and Effect (Image 3 — The Rhone Glacier Retreat)

Selected image: Image 3, which juxtaposes an 1870 postcard drawing of the Rhone Glacier extending into Gletsch, Switzerland, with a 2005 photograph showing the glacier greatly diminished.

Overview of the Visual Argument

The visual pairing of historical and contemporary images is a common rhetorical device used to communicate environmental change succinctly. In Image 3, the contrast between the 1870 depiction and the 2005 photograph delivers a clear visual claim: the Rhone Glacier has retreated substantially over the intervening century-plus. This juxtaposition functions as a cause–effect argument—implicitly attributing glacier retreat (effect) to human-driven climate change and broader warming trends (cause), or at least to long-term climatic factors (cause) that have altered the glacier’s mass and extent (effect) (IPCC, 2014; NOAA, 2019).

What is the Cause?

The image implies that climatic change—principally rising temperatures over the past century—is the primary cause of the Rhone Glacier’s retreat. Scientific monitoring of alpine glaciers shows that increasing mean temperatures, reduced snow accumulation in some seasons, and changing precipitation patterns drive negative mass balance in glaciers, causing thinning and terminus retreat (Zemp et al., 2015; IPCC, 2014). While the image itself does not list greenhouse gas emissions or anthropogenic forcing, the widely accepted scientific narrative links twentieth- and twenty-first-century warming to human activities (fossil fuel combustion, land-use change) that increase atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations (IPCC, 2014; NASA, 2016).

What is the Effect?

The immediate effect depicted is the visible retreat and diminishment of the Rhone Glacier: the ice that once flowed into Gletsch in 1870 is substantially reduced by 2005. The broader effects—implied rather than shown—include impacts on freshwater resources, alpine ecosystems, landscape aesthetics, and downstream hydrology (Beniston, 2003; IPCC, 2014). Glacier retreat also serves as an indicator of regional and global climate trends, and it contributes to sea-level rise in aggregate when polar and mountain glaciers lose mass (IPCC, 2019).

Do I Accept the Cause–Effect Relationship Depicted? Why or Why Not?

Yes, I accept the basic cause–effect relationship suggested by the image: that long-term climatic warming is the dominant driver of the documented retreat of the Rhone Glacier. This acceptance rests on multiple lines of corroborating evidence beyond the two pictures: instrumental temperature records showing warming in the Swiss Alps, glaciological mass-balance studies documenting net ice loss, and consistent modeling that attributes recent alpine glacier decline in large part to anthropogenic forcing (Huss & Hock, 2018; Zemp et al., 2015; IPCC, 2014). The image is persuasive as an illustrative prompt, but a rigorous causal claim requires more data—temperature series, mass-balance measurements, and attribution studies—to move from plausible visual rhetoric to scientifically established causation (Hock et al., 2019).

Strengths and Limitations of the Visual Evidence

Strengths: The temporal juxtaposition creates immediate cognitive impact and a compelling narrative of change; visuals are accessible to broad audiences and can motivate concern and action where raw data might not (Kress & van Leeuwen, 2006; Foss, 2004). The Rhone example is also well-documented historically, which lends weight to the visual comparison.

Limitations: The image alone cannot establish the mechanics of causation or quantify the rate of change. Postcards and early drawings may vary in perspective, scale, and artistic interpretation; photographic technique differences and seasonal variations can influence apparent glacier extent (Lepers et al., 2012). Thus while the visual indicates a substantial change, it should be corroborated with instrumental and scientific records to support precise causal attribution (IPCC, 2014).

Alternative Interpretations and Rhetorical Effects

The image could also be framed as an appeal to value (loss of natural heritage) or as factual documentation. Some viewers might interpret the comparison as an argument for immediate policy responses (mitigation and adaptation), converting a cause–effect claim into a problem-solution frame: the problem is anthropogenic climate change; the solution entails emissions reductions and adaptive water management (IPCC, 2014; EIA, 2020). The rhetorical potency lies in the image’s ability to compress complex scientific information into an emotionally resonant narrative (Lester, 2014).

Conclusion and Evaluation

Image 3 effectively communicates a cause–effect argument about glacier retreat. On its own the image is a persuasive visual sign of change, and when read alongside established climate science it supports the conclusion that warming is a primary driver of the Rhone Glacier’s decline (IPCC, 2014; NOAA, 2019). For academic or policy uses, the image should be paired with empirical glacier mass-balance data and attribution studies; for public communication, it functions as a powerful and defensible exemplar of environmental transformation wrought by climate change.

References

• Beniston, M. (2003). Climatic change in mountain regions: A review of possible impacts. Climatic Change, 59(1-2), 5–31.
• Foss, S. K. (2004). Rhetorical Criticism: Exploration and Practice. Waveland Press.
• Hock, R., Rasul, G., Adler, C., et al. (2019). High Mountain Areas. In IPCC Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
• Huss, M., & Hock, R. (2018). Global-scale hydrological response to future glacier mass loss. Nature Climate Change, 8(2), 135–140.
• Kress, G., & van Leeuwen, T. (2006). Reading Images: The Grammar of Visual Design. Routledge.
• Lester, P. M. (2014). Visual Communication: Images with Messages. Cengage Learning.
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). (2019). Glacier Monitoring and Climate Indicators. https://www.noaa.gov
• NASA Global Climate Change. (2016). Vital Signs: Global Temperature. https://climate.nasa.gov
• Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). (2014). Climate Change 2014: Synthesis Report. https://www.ipcc.ch
• Zemp, M., Frey, H., Gärtner-Roer, I., et al. (2015). Historically unprecedented global glacier decline in the early 21st century. Journal of Glaciology, 61(228), 745–762.