Transcript Burning MONK - N. Cairox

Visual Rhetoric Project By: Nick Cairo
Burning Monk
Background Information
On June 11, 1963 a South Vietnamese Buddhist monk named
Thich Quang Duc set himself on fire in the middle of a busy Saigon
intersection in protest of the Diem Regime’s oppressive sanctions
against Buddhist followers.
 The photograph was taken by American news correspondent
Malcolm Browne.
 The shot won a Pulitzer prize and a World Press Photo of the Year
award.
 Witnesses claim that “as he burned he never moved a muscle,
never uttered a sound.”

Focal point

What is the first thing you notice when
viewing the picture?
Focal point

The first thing I noticed was the monk on
fire because that is something that you
just don’t see very often.
Background

What do you notice in the background?
Background

I see pedestrians gathered around
watching with other Buddhist protestors.
Also a car and a gas can.
Purpose

What is the purpose of the photo? What
argument is it making?
Purpose

I believe that it’s purpose is to get people’s
attention and to tell them to be aware of the
injustices of governments around the world.
Pathos

What is the emotional appeal of this
picture?
Pathos

It makes me feel sad for the Buddhists because
this is how for they had to for their message to be
heard. Also angry with the government for pushing
them to this extreme.
Logos

What is the logical appeal of the photo?
Logos

The monk is immolating himself to draw
attention to and protest the Vietnamese
government’s oppression of Buddhists.
Ethos

Why is it credible?
Ethos
It is a very famous photograph.
 It has also won numerous awards
including the Pulitzer Prize.

Bibliography
Browne, Malcolm. Burning Monk. Quarterly Journal of Speech 97.1 (2011): p.10. Academic
Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 30 Oct. 2011. Photograph.
Murray Yang, Michelle. "Still Burning: Self-Immolation as Photographic Protest." Quarterly
Journal of Speech 97.1 (2011): 1-25. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web.
30 Oct. 2011.