5b. Outlining to identify main ideas

5bOutline to identify main ideas.

Writing an outline is one way of getting started on a draft. Outlining can also be a useful tool in understanding a text that you’ve been assigned to read. When you outline a text, you identify its main idea or purpose and its major parts. One way to outline an image or a multimodal text is to try to define its main idea or purpose and sketch a list of its key elements. Because ads, Web sites, and videos may not explicitly state a purpose, you may have to puzzle it out from the details in the work.

Here is the informal outline Ren Yoshida developed as he prepared to write an analysis of the Equal Exchange advertisement in 5a. Notice that Yoshida makes an attempt to state the ad’s purpose and sum up its message.

outline of equal exchange advertisement

Purpose: To persuade consumers that they can improve the lives of organic farmers and their families by purchasing Equal Exchange coffee.

Key features:

  • The farmer’s heart-shaped hands are outstretched, offering the viewer partnership and the product of her hard work.
  • The raw coffee is surprisingly fruitlike and fresh—natural and healthy looking.
  • A variety of fonts are used for emphasis, such as the elegant font for “empowering.”
  • Consumer support leads to a higher quality of life for the farmers and for all people, since these farmers care for the environment and plan for the future.
  • The simplicity of the design reflects the simplicity of the exchange. The consumer only has to buy a cup of coffee to make a difference.

Conclusion: Equal Exchange is selling more than a product—coffee. It is selling the message that together farmers and consumers hold the future of land, environment, farms, and families in their hands.

hackerhandbooks.com/bedhandbook

  • Academic reading and writing > As you write: Reading visual texts actively