English 680V: Visual Rhetoric in a Technological Age (Purdue)

Deciding to work on visual representations of trauma is a difficult project for me to commit to.  First of all, as I learned when writing my thesis, continually exposing myself to images of trauma was both painful and exhausting.  However, I think that the pain that I felt when watching films like Memento and Identity is further evidence that my proposed project is worth exploring.  That being said, I intend to look at further visual representations of trauma to explore the rhetorical moves that create empathy.  I am convinced that much of this empathy is created through the visual experience of film, photography, etc.  Part of my argument for this depends on recent research on mirror neurons.  Since that research indicates that there is a connection between viewing an event and feeling an event, I want to argue that viewing representations of trauma will engender a greater understanding of the experience and the process of recovery.  I'm less concerned with the visual representation of the traumatizing event itself and more concerned with how the individual experience of trauma is reconstructed through visual narrative.  Since my previous research was propelled by my belief that visual representations of trauma helps those who have not experienced traumas to understand the kinds of effects that trauma has on an individual's life.  Ultimately, I hoped that such an understanding would create an environment more conducive to healing.

Currently, I'm trying to locate representations that effectively represent trauma.  Following Dave's advice, I'm planning to stick with film and so, I am looking for cinematic texts to analyze.  Crash is currently under consideration and I may also look at The Butterfly Effect.  If anyone can think of other films that might be useful in my research, I would appreciate the input.  And for now, this is about as clear as it gets.