On page 119, Kress states, "The question of rhetoric-and how to make my communication most effective in relation to this audience, here and now-has moved newly, urgently into the center. Rhetoric has become a major issue for design." I think this is the important point Kress is trying to make as he examines how different modes can work, perhaps more efficiently, in conveying meaning. He traces both speech and writing as modes that work linearly. Audiences get little bits of information in succession. In these cases, the author or speaker has more power. In visual design, audiences can look at an image and take in meaning in whatever order they want, or as Kress writes, "design the order of the text for themselves (114). This changes the role of the designer. They are not the authority as a writer or speaker would be, they have to be aware of audience expectations and/or previous knowledge. It opens the rhetorical process.
I think this is going to a really interesting text that will work with both my computers and writing question and my technical communication question. Now onto, Writing New Media Theory and Applications for Expanding the Teaching of Composition. Hope to have it finished over the weekend. Have a long list of books that are commonly cited in articles that should provide some good context. The library doesn't have many of them. Although I am not opposed to buying the books for myself (because they can be used later), but if I buy every book, that is going to add up. Is it ok to ask committee members to borrow those (as I am sure they have these texts) or should I suck it up and buy them myself? Any advice?
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