The Death Penalty- Visual Rhetoric

                “No Seconds” and “The Last Meal Project” are websites that look at the different side of the death penalty, the last meals. What is very interesting about these websites is how the creators decided to post mainly pictures. Then again, it is much more understandable to show images of their meals, rather than write it all down. Firstly, words are much more boring to look at when going on a website. Secondly, pictures are worth a thousand words.

            Unlike other commentators, I actually felt more compelled with “No Seconds.” Henry Hargreaves creatively uses what he knows to create images that make the audience feel as if they are in the same position as those who have faced the death penalty. If one really focuses on the picture, they can relate their emotions to those who were in the position in which they know that this is the last meal they are going to eat. Each picture included a description of the person and what crime they did to deserve being put in the position. Though many have been murderers, you could imagine how they show their soft side. The layout for each picture was different, which made this website more interesting than “The Last Meal Project.”

            “The Last Meal Project” was different from “No Seconds” in which we see a picture of the person with the food lined up in the bottom of the picture. Though I like the fact that they showed pictures of the people who had their last meal, I think the portrayal of the food was not very appealing. The website, however, gave background information about the project and the death penalty. You can see in this website how simple their meals were; the food did not seem as fancy as the ones displayed in “No Seconds.” Some of them made me curious as to why did they prefer having that certain thing as their last meal. There is a contrast in color; the picture of the people were mostly black and white while the food was colored. The layout was interesting with the red text written in crumpled paper, which fits with the mood and topic.

            What is interesting is that both websites used similar text for descriptions, however "The Last Meal" uses red text probably to portray death. The purposes of “No Seconds” and “The Last Meal Project” are exactly the same: to inform, to elicit an emotional response, and to persuade people to look at the death penalty from a different point of view.