a picture is worth a thousand words story essay

Is a Picture Worth a Thousand Words?

A picture can be worth a thousand words or even more but, as I will argue, that depends on who looks at it, why they look at it, and in what circumstances. In other words, a picture’s meaning is relative to the viewer, and changes as the viewer changes.

Once upon a time pictures had a significance greater than themselves but that was when only the most skilled artists working in a difficult medium were able to produce them. Now pictures are everywhere we look and their significance has diminished as a result.

We take them for granted, we no longer study them but give them a quick, practiced glance and move on to the next picture. Some pictures will hold our attention for a little longer because the subject is unusual or amusing but mostly we see pictures as we see cars, people, traffic lights, and buildings. They’re part of our environment and hardly register in our consciousness. In the public sphere, then, pictures are mostly background colors consisting of advertisements, posters and billboards. These pictures are not meant to do more than direct our attention to the brand name.

In some countries, public pictures include portraits of dictators that are designed to unify people or make them accept the dictator as their rightful leader or make them more obedient to the leader. Propaganda posters may also brighten those streets, along with social realist depictions of model citizens. Such pictures are easily recognized as having a message and are thus negated, canceled out by people who have been bombarded with too many pictures like them.

Private pictures, such as a drawing made by a child or photos of our loved ones fascinate us because they bring back memories or mark an occasion or may even fill us with the love and tenderness we feel for those persons. However, that is a highly subjective response, one that certainly does not hold true everywhere and at all times. In these pictures, only the subject speaks to us, and if we know the subject well, if we are emotionally involved with him or her, then that is what we think about or why we feel the way we do. In those pictures, it is the subject that communicates, not the picture itself.

We go to a museum to look at paintings but there it is the making of the picture that most interests the viewer. A painter does not just point and click. He or she must first learn the techniques required to paint a picture, and after that must make a thousand different decisions about the picture to be painted. The pose, the angle from which the subject is viewed, the lighting, the composition, and much more are worked out in quick sketches.

The end product is a human artifact, something created mostly by the artist’s hands with a little help from the industry. We look at the picture but also at the other aspects of the work. Students spend years copying masterpieces in order to learn the techniques employed by these artists, and as part of their studies, they interpret the paintings in the context of the artist’s time and his other works until by the end the picture speaks volumes to them. For most viewers, however, the experience of looking at Rembrandt or Vermeer is one of wonder; but are they more interested in the image or the draftsmanship?

Where photos and paintings are equal, however, is that the more the viewer brings to them, the more they will get out of them. That is not just true of pictures but also of visiting the places we have only seen in pictures. Perhaps so many tourists take pictures of the places they visit to look at them later when they are back in the comfort and safety of their own homes.

There, relaxed and with far more knowledge of those places, they can look at the pictures and get a new story from them made up equally of the subject and their experience of it; or to put it another way, they can see how their travels have changed them by looking at the pictures, and what the picture tells them will reflect those changes.

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'A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words': Definition, Meaning, Examples

a picture is worth a thousand words story essay

Have you ever tried to explain something to someone, and they just weren't getting it? Then the idiom 'A picture is worth a thousand words' might come in handy! In this article, you'll learn what it means, its origins, and how to use it.

The short version is:

'A picture is worth a thousand words' is a way of saying that showing someone a picture can be a more effective way of explaining something than using words.

What Does 'A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words' Mean?

Many people are visual learners, but even those who aren't can benefit from an illustrated version of a complex idea. Take, for example, instruction manuals; they usually come with a picture or diagram or some sort of visual support to help you figure out how to use or build the item.

That's the idea that the idiom 'A picture is worth a thousand words' conveys. It means you can tell an entire story with just one picture and impart a concept or idea much more effectively.

The dictionary defines it as follows:

used to say that it is often easier to show something in a picture than to describe it with words

Imagine, for instance, that you were putting together a presentation for your team about the organization's progress over the last quarter.

Your colleague might say to you:

You should add in some graphs and charts. A picture is worth a thousand words.

Some variants of the expression include:

A picture is worth ten thousand words.
One picture is worth ten thousand words.
One picture is worth a thousand words.

Where Does 'A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words' Come From?

This expression has been around for a long time and is used in many countries worldwide. But where does it originate from? Here's what we know.

An Advertising Tool

The idiom in this specific form is attributed to Arthur Brisbane during a Syracuse Advertising Men's Club banquet in 1911. Rumor has it they got together to discuss the best marketing techniques, and Brisbane is known to have said:

Use a picture. It's worth a thousand words.

The event and this quote were documented in the Post-Standard newspaper and advertising trade journal Printers' Ink.

Later, Fred R. Barnard used the phrase ' One picture is worth ten thousand words. ' in a Printers' Ink 1921 issue to promote the use of pictures on advertisements on streetcars (old school trams).

A Chinese Proverb

It was commonly believed for some time (and probably still is by some now) that this idiom is actually a Chinese proverb and was attributed to the famous philosopher Confucius. But there's actually a straightforward explanation.

Remember Barnard, the guy who promoted the use of pictures in ads on streetcars? Yeah, that guy. He also put out another ad in the Printer's Ink six years later, where he wrote 'One Picture Worth Ten Thousand Words' and labeled it a Chinese proverb.

It was later revealed that he lied about this so that people would take it seriously. So it's confirmed this is definitely not a Chinese proverb.

Earlier Variants

While this specific adaptation of the phrase was popularized in modern times, other versions meaning the same thing were used long before that. It's such a popular message that there are too many to list here, but I'll show you some poignant examples.

As far back as the 15th or 16th century, Leonardo also expressed this idea in one of his notebooks—possibly in his "Codex Atlanticus," a collection of his writings and drawings. The specific date of when he wrote this quote may not be available, as his notebooks were filled with various ideas, sketches, and observations over a long period. However, Leonardo da Vinci lived from 1452 to 1519, and his notebooks contain writings from throughout his life. He said something along the lines of:

A poet would be overcome by sleep and hunger before being able to describe with words what a painter is able to depict in an instant."

In 1861, Russian writer Ivan Turgenev wrote:

The drawing shows me at one glance what might be spread over ten pages in a book.

At one point, even Napoleon Bonaparte had a go at it and said (translated from French):

A good sketch is better than a long speech.

In Ivan S. Turgenev's 1862 novel Fathers and Sons, one of his characters says:

Examples in Sentences

Now we've covered the meaning and origin of the phrase, let's check out some examples where this idiom is used in sentences :

While on vacation , we saw such amazing sunsets; it really made me realize that a picture is worth a thousand words. The documentary used striking images of the wildlife to convey its message, proving that a picture is worth a thousand words. You use a lot of smart words but a picture is worth a thousand words. Her facial expression, captured in that photograph, told a story that words could never fully convey—a true example of how a picture is worth a thousand words. The artist's painting of a field of flowers was so evocative that it demonstrated the age-old adage that a picture is worth a thousand words. Instead of describing the scene in detail, I showed them the picture, as I knew a picture is worth a thousand words. You can tell many tales with words but a picture is worth a thousand words. The infographic in the presentation summarized the data beautifully, proving that sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words. The marketing team decided to proceed with using a captivating image in their ad campaign, knowing that a picture is worth a thousand words in grabbing people's attention. As a travel blogger, she always relied on stunning photos to illustrate her adventures, believing that a picture is worth a thousand words.

Other Ways to Say 'A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words'

There are other ways to express the fact that a picture explains something better than words.

Here are some of them :

A picture paints a thousand words.
Every picture tells a story.
It's better to see something once than to hear about it a thousand times.
Seeing once is better than hearing twice.
Show, don't tell.

Concluding Thoughts

That concludes this article about this famous saying. To summarize, to say that a picture is worth a thousand words is to say that a picture is often a more effective way of conveying a message than using words.

Are you ready to learn more English phrases and expand your vocabulary? Check out our idioms blog for idioms, expressions, sayings, and more!

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Napoleon Bonaparte: 'A picture is worth a thousand words.'

A picture is worth a thousand words.

"A picture is worth a thousand words." This famous quote by Napoleon Bonaparte encapsulates the idea that visual imagery has the power to convey a profound message or story more effectively than a mere description could ever achieve. It speaks to the inherent ability of images to evoke emotions, provoke thought, and inspire imagination. In a straightforward manner, this quote highlights the importance of visual communication and its impact on human understanding.When we encounter a picture, we are instantly drawn into a realm of visual storytelling. Our minds engage with the image, deciphering its composition, colors, and details to form our own narrative. This process of visual interpretation taps into our subconscious, where emotions and associations reside, enabling a deeper connection with the subject matter presented in the picture.The human brain possesses a remarkable ability to process visual information effortlessly. Research suggests that the brain can interpret and comprehend images 60,000 times faster than words. This astounding capability allows visual communication to transcend language barriers, making it a universal language that can be understood by individuals from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds.Pictures have been used throughout history to preserve memories, document events, and convey messages across generations. Consider the iconic "Tank Man" photograph from the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989. This single image captured the bravery and resilience of an individual standing against a line of tanks, encapsulating a powerful message of resistance and defiance against oppression. The impact of this photograph is immeasurable, as it has become an enduring symbol of courage and the human quest for freedom.However, while the quote by Napoleon emphasizes the tremendous value of visual representation, it is interesting to explore the philosophical concept of the limitations of pictures. Despite their ability to convey powerful emotions, pictures often fall short in providing a comprehensive understanding of complex ideas or abstract concepts. They offer a snapshot of a moment frozen in time, unable to capture the multidimensionality and nuances that words can express.For instance, imagine trying to convey the intricacies of love, with all its joys and pains, solely through a picture. The richness of human emotions and the complexity of relationships require a more expansive medium for expression. Words have the unique power to delve into the depths of human experiences, unveil the subtleties of our emotions, and articulate the abstract in ways that visuals alone cannot.In essence, while there is undeniable truth in Napoleon's quote, it is important to recognize that the value of a picture extends beyond the surface level. Pictures possess the ability to spark curiosity, ignite imagination, and invoke emotions, but they should not be seen as a substitute for the richness and depth of language. Instead, they should be considered complementary tools in our quest for understanding and expressing the complexities of the human experience.In conclusion, Napoleon Bonaparte's quote "A picture is worth a thousand words" encapsulates the significance of visual imagery as a powerful means of communication. Pictures have the ability to convey messages, evoke emotions, and spark our imagination in ways that words alone often cannot. However, it is crucial to acknowledge that the limitations of pictures lie in their inability to fully capture the entirety of human experiences and complex ideas. For this reason, words remain an essential complement to visual communication, allowing us to explore the depths and intricacies of our world. Together, these mediums form a dynamic duo, enabling us to connect, learn, and express ourselves in a multifaceted manner.

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Conrad hall: 'there is a kind of beauty in imperfection.'.

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words - Meaning, Origin and Usage

Are you looking for a way to tell someone to send you a picture of what they are trying to explain? You could always use the phrase, " a picture is worth a thousand words ." This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this saying.

" A picture is worth a thousand words " means that images tell a better story than words. By using images, you can convey your message in a visual representation that impacts others.

Example Usage

"Sandra spent an hour telling me about her vacation. I didn't realize how beautiful the place was until I saw her pictures. It's true what they say; a picture is worth a thousand words."

" A picture is worth a thousand words , and that picture has nothing good to say for itself."

"Don't you know that a picture is worth a thousand words ? There's no way you can deny involvement after they caught you on camera like that."

The origin of the proverbial saying " a picture is worth a thousand words " comes from a reinterpretation of previous expressions in the early 1800s. The Works of Mr. James Thomson, published in 1802 has the earliest rendition of the phrase as the following.

" One timely deed is worth ten thousand words "

The phrase also appears in the play, " The Trust: A Comedy, in Five Acts," published in 1808, where it reads.

" That tear, good girl, is worth ten thousand words ."

The American Journal of Education also published an earlier rendition of the saying in 1858.

" One fact well understood by observation and well-guided development is worth a thousand times more than a thousand words ."

However, the saying gained prominence in its modern form in America in the early 20th century.

Frederick R. Barnard published a column titled "One look is worth a thousand words" in the industry magazine " Printer's Ink " in December 1921. Barnard claims the saying has Japanese origins, and Printers ink would later publish the phrase as the following.

" Chinese proverb. One picture is worth ten thousand words ."

Phrases Similar to A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

Stop talking and send me a picture.
Pics, or it didn't happen.

Phrases Opposite to A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

Words mean nothing.
Images are easy to falsify.

What is the Correct Saying?

A picture is worth a thousand words.
A picture says a thousand words.

Ways People May Say It Incorrectly

The phrase " a picture is worth a thousand words " doesn't mean that a picture contains a thousand words of information. It means that images are more valuable than words when explaining concepts of events. So, you wouldn't use the phrase when you're referring to the video or other media formats, only images.

Acceptable Ways to Phrase It

You can use " a picture is worth a thousand words " in several social and professional situations. For instance, you could request someone to send you a picture of an item you're thinking about buying. You can also use the phrase to tell someone that a lot is going on in a specific image.

The phrase suits social and professional use. You could use it at work when you're telling a supplier to stop talking about a product and send you a picture so you can get a visual image. You could use it at home to tell someone to send you a picture of their vacation so you can get an idea of their trip.

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What Does a Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words Mean?

Ever tried to describe a place you visited to someone, and gone on and on about how wonderful it was, only to end up saying something to the effect of, “I guess you’d have to see it to believe it”? It makes sense. After all, “a picture is worth a thousand words,” as they say. Let’s explore the meaning and history of this popular idiomatic and proverbial expression.

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As illustrated above, this phrase is used to express that it can be easier to show something in a picture than to describe it by speaking words or using the written word. More specifically, it’s saying that often one single picture can more effectively convey something, or can depict something more vividly and clearly, than a lot of words—and can certainly do so faster. That’s why you may also hear or see the phrase as one picture is worth a thousand words . (It is also often written with a conjunction as a picture’s worth a thousand words .)

For example, it’s often easier to understand how to put a piece of furniture together by looking at pictures or illustrations, or even watching a video, of the necessary steps than it is to read paragraphs of instructions in a manual. Likewise, it’s typically much simpler and quicker to figure out how to get from point A to point B by looking at a map than it is listening to someone tell you or reading about all the turns to make and landmarks to be on the lookout for on your drive.

The History of the Expression

Ironically, it’s going to take quite a few words to explain the etymology of the common phrase. As is often the case with both idioms and proverbs in general, the exact origin of this expression isn’t known.

Similar expressions have been in use since at least the 1700s. In particular, it appears phrases using is worth a thousand words or is worth ten thousand words were common in the 18th and 19th century. For example, the similar phrase one timely deed is worth ten thousand words appeared in The Works of Mr. James Thomson , which is thought to have been originally published some time in the 1760s. (The playwright Henrick Ibsen is credited as saying something very similar in the late 19th century: “A thousand words leave not the same deep impression as does a single deed.”) Other phrases that can be traced to the 1800s convey that a tear is worth ten thousand words and that a well-understood fact is worth more than a thousand words. The specific idea that a picture is worth a thousand, or ten thousand, words is thought by some researchers to have first appeared in print in 1862, in the novel Fathers and Sons by Ivan Turgenev. A character in the book says: “The drawing shows me at one glance what might be spread over ten pages in a book.” However, there’s evidence that others expressed this earlier, and even much earlier. Napoleon Bonaparte said, “A good sketch is better than a long speech,” while Leonardo da Vinci wrote that a poet would be “overcome by sleep and hunger before [being able to] describe with words what a painter is able to [depict] in an instant.”

Fast forward to the early 20th century, to 1911 exactly, when the Syracuse Advertising Men’s Club held a journalism banquet. In an article in the Syracuse, New York, newspaper The Post-Standard about the event, the journalist quotes a speaker, Tess Flanders, as saying, “Use a picture. It’s worth a thousand words.” Others credit the quote to that event but to newspaper editor Arthur Brisbane. Whoever said it, their words were clearly very similar to the expression we know and use today, although not exactly the same. Shortly after, in 1913, an advertisement for the Piqua Auto Supply House of Piqua, Ohio, used the phrase one look is worth a thousand words .

It’s possible that the exact expression a picture is worth a thousand words first appeared in print in 1918: A newspaper advertisement for the San Antonio Light said:

“One of the Nation’s Greatest Editors Says:

One Picture is Worth a Thousand Words The San Antonio Light’s Pictorial Magazine of the War Exemplifies the truth of the above statement—judging from the warm reception it has received at the hands of the Sunday Light readers.”

Still, credit for modern use of the phrase is usually given to Frederick R. Barnard (or Fred R. Barnard), who wrote the phrase in the advertising trade journal Printers’ Ink (sometimes incorrectly written as Printer’s Ink ) to promote the use of images in advertisements on the sides of streetcars. In one ad, Barnard called the phrase a Chinese proverb (he later wrote that it was said by a Japanese philosopher), though he didn’t have proof of such an origin. Because of this, sometimes the expression is incorrectly attributed to Confucius. In the same publication, around the same time period, the phrase one look is worth a thousand words can be found.

What Are Idioms and Proverbs?

A picture is worth a thousand words is considered both an idiom and a proverb. An idiom is an expression with an intended meaning that typically can’t fully be understood just by looking at the individual words that comprise it. Idioms have figurative rather than literal meanings. Even if you’ve never heard the term idiom , you have most likely heard many idiomatic expressions. Here are just a few of the most common idioms used today:

You’re in hot water. His boss gave him the ax. It’s time to face the music. You’ve hit the nail on the head. If you took the first example literally, you’d think it was describing a person standing in a bathtub full of hot water, perhaps. But the expression is actually used to describe a person who’s in trouble. Likewise, rather than literally being handed a tool for chopping wood, if you get the ax from your boss, it means you’re getting fired. It’s time to face the music means that it’s time to come to terms with the consequences of your actions. And when someone has hit the nail on the head, they’ve gotten an answer exactly right or done something exactly as it should have been done. Although you might be able to understand the expression a picture is worth a thousand words just by looking at the words that comprise it, if you were to take it purely literally, you’d understand it to mean that a picture is worth or is the same as/equivalent to exactly one thousand words. Of course, now you know that like other idioms, the phrase is used more figuratively, to convey the notion that an image can often more effectively and more succinctly say something than lots of words can (with lots not being defined as a specific number). Proverbs are short, common phrases or sayings that impart advice or share a universal truth. Interestingly, some people debate the truth of the above statement, with many arguing that the use of both images and words is the best way to get something across. Proverbs are also called adages, aphorisms, and maxims . Here are some additional examples of well-known proverbs: Absence makes the heart grow fonder. Blood is thicker than water . A picture is worth a thousand words. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder . Discover many more idioms and proverbs here . <H2>Summary<H2> The idiomatic and proverbial expression a picture is worth a thousand words is used to convey that a picture, or image, or graphic illustration may better convey or describe something than many written or spoken words—that it may be easier, and much faster, to just show someone something than to tell them about it. Although its exact origins are unknown, the phrase and the idea it conveys have been around, and remained popular, for quite some time.

Maggie Cramer

For the past 15 years, I've dedicated my career to words and language, as a writer, editor, and communications specialist and as a language arts educator. I'm excited to explore all things English with you and The Word Counter!

I currently reside in Asheville, North Carolina. I have a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Writing, Literature, and Publishing from Emerson College and a Master of Education (MEd) in Secondary English Education from the University of Florida.

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Unlocking the Power of Visualization: ‘A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words’

by Danny Ballan | Dec 12, 2023 | Word Power

Episode Audio

A picture is worth a thousand words, episode script, literal meaning (visual imagery over verbal description):, metaphorical meaning (effectiveness of visual communication):, expressive meaning (conveying complex ideas simply):, emotional impact (capturing emotions and atmosphere):, “a picture is worth a thousand words” in advertising:, “a picture is worth a thousand words” in journalism:, “a picture is worth a thousand words” in education:, “a picture is worth a thousand words” in presentations:, origin of “a picture is worth a thousand words”.

Join Danny on English Plus Express as we delve into the timeless expression, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” This episode explores the depth and versatility of this phrase, demonstrating the power of visual communication. Through engaging examples and real-life applications, we uncover the beauty of this expression and how it enhances our understanding of language and imagery. Whether you’re a language enthusiast or simply curious about the nuances of English expressions, this episode offers insights that will enrich your appreciation of language. Tune in and discover how a single picture can speak volumes!

Hey everyone! Welcome to English Plus Express. I’m Danny, your linguistic tour guide, ready to dive into the colorful world of expressions. Today’s journey takes us to a well-known saying that’s as vivid as it is profound: “A picture is worth a thousand words.”

Now, this isn’t just about photographs or paintings. It’s about the immense power of visualization. Ever tried explaining the sunset to someone? No matter how poetic your words, sometimes, only a picture can capture that fiery sky, right? That’s the essence of our expression today.

This saying dates back to the early 20th century, a time when advertising was just beginning to understand the impact of images. But let’s bring it to the present. Think about emojis. Yes, those tiny, colorful symbols. A single emoji can convey what might take a whole sentence. A smiling face with heart-eyes? That’s like saying, “I love this so much!” without typing a word. That’s our expression in action in the digital age.

But it’s not just about brevity. It’s about the depth of expression. Consider a photograph from a historical event, like the moon landing. That single image encapsulates excitement, achievement, and human endeavor, telling a story far beyond what words alone could.

Let’s turn to advertising. Ever seen a billboard with just a powerful image and a brand logo? That’s this expression at work. Advertisers know that an impactful image can convey a lifestyle, a feeling, or an aspiration more effectively than a paragraph of persuasive text.

Now, think about how you can use this in your life. Maybe you’re giving a presentation. Instead of crowding your slides with bullet points, why not use a striking image to make your point? It’s not only more effective but also more memorable.

In storytelling, too, this expression holds power. A good writer knows when to describe a scene in detail and when to let a metaphorical ‘picture’ do the talking. It’s about striking that perfect balance between words and imagery.

So, as you go about your day, think about how you can apply this expression. Maybe it’s in how you communicate with friends, in a creative project, or even in understanding the world around you.

Thank you for tuning into English Plus Express. If you’ve enjoyed exploring the vibrant world of expressions with me, don’t forget to follow, share, and maybe consider supporting us on Patreon for more enriching content. Your support helps us continue unraveling the fascinating aspects of language and communication. Until next time, keep appreciating the power of words and pictures in your everyday life!

Meanings of “A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words”

Example: In a photography class, the instructor might say, “Remember, a picture is worth a thousand words,” emphasizing the importance of conveying a story or emotion through imagery rather than lengthy explanations.

Example: A marketing professional explaining the concept of brand logos might say, “A picture is worth a thousand words; our logo needs to instantly communicate our brand’s values and appeal.”

Example: An architect might use this expression when showing a 3D model of a building design, suggesting that the model explains the concept more effectively than a verbal description: “As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words.”

Example: Viewing a powerful historical photograph, one might reflect, “This really proves that a picture is worth a thousand words,” acknowledging the deep emotional impact that the image holds.

Collocations with “A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words”

Example: “In our latest campaign, we’ve focused on the principle that a picture is worth a thousand words, using impactful imagery to connect with our audience.”

Example: “In photojournalism, we often say a picture is worth a thousand words because a single photo can tell a story more powerfully than a written article.”

Example: “To help students understand complex concepts, I use visual aids because a picture is worth a thousand words.”

Example: “I’ve limited the text in my slides, adhering to the principle that a picture is worth a thousand words, to make the presentation more engaging.”

The origin of the phrase “A picture is worth a thousand words” is often attributed to Frederick R. Barnard, who used it in the advertising trade journal “Printers’ Ink” in 1921 to promote the effectiveness of graphics in advertising. However, the phrase was labeled as a Chinese proverb to give it more credibility. There is no direct evidence that it originated from a Chinese proverb. The essence of the phrase likely predates this attribution, as the idea that visual representation can communicate complex ideas effectively is a longstanding concept in many cultures. The exact etymological origin remains uncertain, but its widespread usage in the 20th century, particularly in advertising and journalism, solidified its place in the English language.

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The meaning and origin of the expression: A picture is worth a thousand words

A picture is worth a thousand words

American origin

What's the meaning of the phrase 'A picture is worth a thousand words'?

A picture tells a story just as well as, if not better than, a lot of written words.

What's the origin of the phrase 'A picture is worth a thousand words'?

Printer's Ink printed another form of the phrase in March 1927, this time suggesting a Chinese origin:

"Chinese proverb. One picture is worth ten thousand words."

The arbitrary escalation from 'one thousand' to 'ten thousand' and the switching from Japan to China as the source leads us to smell a rat with this derivation. In fact, Barnard didn't introduce the phrase - his only contribution was the incorrect suggestion that the country of origin was Japan or China. This has led to another popular belief about the phrase, that is, that it was coined by Confucius. It might fit the Chinese-sounding 'Confucius he say' style, but the Chinese derivation was pure invention.

Many things had been thought to be 'worth ten thousand words' well before pictures got in on the act; for example:

"One timely deed is worth ten thousand words" - The Works of Mr. James Thomson , 1802. "That tear, good girl, is worth, ten thousand words" - The Trust: A Comedy, in Five Acts , 1808. "One fact well understood by observation, and well guided development, is worth a thousand times more than a thousand words" - The American Journal of Education , 1858.

The idea that a picture can convey what might take many words to express was voiced by a character in Ivan S. Turgenev's novel Fathers and Sons, 1862:

"The drawing shows me at one glance what might be spread over ten pages in a book."

Neither of the above led directly to 'a picture is worth a thousand words'. Who it was that married 'worth ten thousand words' with 'picture' isn't known, but we do know that the phrase is American in origin. It began to be used quite frequently in the US press from around the 1920s onward. The earliest example I can find is from the text of an instructional talk given by the newspaper editor Arthur Brisbane to the Syracuse Advertising Men's Club , in March 1911:

"Use a picture. It's worth a thousand words."

This little essay clocks in at 471 words. Perhaps I should have drawn half a picture instead?

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

Meaning of “a picture is worth a thousand words”.

The proverbial sentence “A picture is worth a thousand words” is one of the famous and common proverbs. It means an artwork or an image can convey meanings more effectively than descriptions. This phrase is usually used in newspaper advertisements. It shows that graphic illustrations are more useful to express the clear thoughts hidden behind a notion rather than words. Most artists, especially in the modern arts, share their message through their art piece. These artworks bring various interpretations and are also hard to get it right. However, an image can undoubtedly give an important message or tell a story using colors, designs , themes , and more.

Origin of “A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words”

This proverb seems to have witnessed a long evolution before reaching its present shape and showing its current meanings. It is derived from the philosophy of a Chinese philosopher, Confucius. However, the modern use of this phrase is attributed to Frederick R. Barnard.

In the early 20th century, this current phrase emerged in the United States introduced by Frederick R. Barnard. He published an article on December 1921 under the title, “One Look is Worth a Thousand Words” in Printer’s Ink . Barnard claims that the phrase has Japanese origin. He also has attributed it to a Japanese in his article.

Another version of this phrase was printed in Printer’s Ink in its March 1927 publication. This time the catalog suggested this phrase having Chinese origin as it says, “Chinese proverb. One picture is worth ten thousand words.”

The current version of this phrase has been traced from an advertisement of, the San Antonio Light , newspaper in one of its publications of 1918 which appears as: “One Picture is Worth a Thousand Words.”

Examples in Literature

If – written by Gates David Ashworth and sung by Bread

If a picture paints a thousand words, then why can’t I paint you? The words will never show, to you I’ve come to know. If a face could launch a thousand ships, then where am I to go? there’s no one home but you, You’re all that’s left me too. And when, my love, for life is running dry, you come, and pour, yourself, on me. If a man could be two places at one time, I’d be with you. tomorrow and today, beside you all the way. If the world should stop revolving spinning slowly down to die, I’d spend the end with you, and when the world was through, Then one, by one, the stars would all go out and you, and I, would simply fly away

The song is about the poet’s declaration of painting his beloved through his words. Using different literary devices , the poet has shown his love, which imaginarily paints his beloved’s face like a sea. The use of this saying in the very first line points to the dexterity of the poet and the effectiveness of this saying as compared to the words he used to paint the picture of his beloved.

Worth A Thousand Words by Stacy Hawkins Adams

A journalist and an award-winning author, Stacy Hawkins Adams, wrote a book series, Jubilant Soul . Worth a Thousand Words is a sequel, which has the second half of the proverb. In spite of using the proverb partially, the title means “a picture is worth a thousand words.” The story revolves around the significant character , Indigo, a passionate young girl who wants to peruse her career as a photographer, but she is stuck in several obstacles. The marriage proposal from her long-time beloved, Brayn, is a hindrance to success and career. The protagonist keeps on challenging her strength and emotions as she tries to fight with her love life and future dreams . This proverb has been used metaphorically in the story.

Thousand Words by Forrest Hiler

This phrasing goes as follows; “A picture is worth a thousand words.” What about words? Can they be forged into, A thousand pictures. People paint a visual, Long before we know them, Who’s to know what picture, Lurks behind the eye? Are we worth thousand visuals? For we have all their pictures, All their perfect words, All their protective hugs, All their loving kisses, And all their thoughtful idea.

The poem “Thousand Words” show the use of the pictures. A picture is a crucial element of the proverb. Therefore, the whole saying has been used to interpret the effectiveness of pictures to convey a message. The comparison of words and pictures raise a new controversy whether the picture is worth words or words are worth pictures. However, we can conclude that the use of the proverb in this poem is an excellent way of writing poetry.

Examples in Sentences

Example #1: “A picture is worth a thousand words, but sometimes a word is worth a thousand pictures.”

Example #2: “Solomon stared at Mona Lisa’s portrait, feeling mesmerized, he said to himself, ‘a picture is worth a thousand words. Her smile, her eyes says it all.”

Example #3: “The manager asked the team to add more graphics for the presentation because a picture is worth a thousand words.”

Example #4: “Johnny’s reaction to their neighbor’s portrait was so weird. It is true what they say; a picture is worth a thousand words.”

Example #5: “You better draw a proper map with the directions. Your instructions are too fast to register in my mind. You know, a picture is worth a thousand words.”

A Journey of a Thousand Miles Begins with a Single Step
A Bun in The Oven
A Change is as Good as A Rest
A Penny for Your Thoughts
A Load of Cobblers
A Penny Saved is a Penny Earned
Age Before Beauty
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As Good Luck Would Have It
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Birds of a Feather Flock Together
Beware the Ides of March
Blood Is Thicker Than Water
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Blue Plate Special
Bog Standard
Bottom Drawer
Brand Spanking New
Cannot Be Overestimated
Camera Cannot Lie
Caught Red Handed
Chaise Lounge
Charity Begins At Home
Charley Horse
Cherchez La Femme
Cheek By Jowl
Chickens Come Home To Roost
Chip On Your Shoulder
Sticks And Stones May Break My Bones
Apple of My Eye
Club Sandwich
The Road Less Traveled
The Pen is Mightier Than the Sword
The Birds and the Bees
‎Clutch At A Straw
Cock a Hoop
Think Outside The Box
You Are What You Eat
The Game is Afoot
Come What May
Cold Shoulder
A Wolf In Sheep’s Clothing
There Are More Ways than One To Skin A Cat
Tit for Tat
Stranger Danger
Coin A Phrase
A Vicious Circle
Tie the Knot
The Ends of the Earth
The Best Laid Schemes of Mice and Men
Whistle Down the Wind
Cool Britannia
Cop An Attitude
Crocodile Tears
Curiosity Killed The Cat
Darby And Joan
Delusions Of Grandeur
The Great Unwashed
The More the Merrier
Strait and Narrow
A Stone’s Throw
The Devil’s Advocate
The Devil is in the Details

A Picture's Worth a Thousand Words: From Image to Detailed Narrative

Resources & Preparation
Instructional Plan
Related Resources

After looking at an image that tells a story, students brainstorm about the possible events and characters the image illustrates. Students then write from the point of view of one of the characters in the image, sharing the character's thoughts and feelings, describing the events that led up to the picture, or imagining the events that followed.

Featured Resources

Timeline Tool : Use this online tool to help students sketch out the sequence of events for their narratives. Narrative Writing Rubric : This thorough rubric can be used to assess any piece of narrative writing.

From Theory to Practice

This lesson uses artworks as inspiration for narrative writing. Why use artwork? As Rochelle I. Frei (1999) explains, art "can be used the same way as written text can to expand children's knowledge of the world, and to understand what children do when they make sense of that world. . . . Art can provide a window into how children negotiate their understandings of images and their knowledge of the world" (386). In Frei's project, students explain their understanding of pieces of art, revealing details about their literacy processes and strategies. The same kinds of revelations, likely on a more advanced level, are revealed in this lesson, where students explore background actions and other narratives related to the art they study. All students can find success "where they are" through this exploration of culture, vocabulary, voice, and characterization in the specific context of the inspiration artwork. Because of the open-ended nature of this lesson, it is particularly appropriate for multi-leveled classrooms and classrooms with special-needs students and English Language Learners.

Common Core Standards

This resource has been aligned to the Common Core State Standards for states in which they have been adopted. If a state does not appear in the drop-down, CCSS alignments are forthcoming.

State Standards

This lesson has been aligned to standards in the following states. If a state does not appear in the drop-down, standard alignments are not currently available for that state.

NCTE/IRA National Standards for the English Language Arts

3. Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word identification strategies, and their understanding of textual features (e.g., sound-letter correspondence, sentence structure, context, graphics).
6. Students apply knowledge of language structure, language conventions (e.g., spelling and punctuation), media techniques, figurative language, and genre to create, critique, and discuss print and nonprint texts.
12. Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes (e.g., for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and the exchange of information).

Materials and Technology

Board and markers or chalk
Copies of a picture that tells a story
General classroom supplies
A Picture's Worth a Thousand Words Chart Example
Rubric for a Narrative Writing Piece

Preparation

Find a "Norman Rockwell"-type picture, i.e., any picture that is telling a story with people and a clear situation. The Saturday Evening Post is one source for this kind of picture. You can also look at online art gallery resources (listed in the Resources section).
Copy the picture for each student and have the original available for fine details.

Student Objectives

Students will

demonstrate knowledge of the characteristics of narratives (e.g., sequence, storytelling).
explore connections between images and words.
use detailed vocabulary to write their text.

Instruction and Activities

Distribute the picture to the students.
Ask students to examine the picture individually for a few minutes, jotting down on a piece of scratch paper or in their writer's notebooks any features or details that they notice.
Consulting their notes as necessary, students brainstorm about the possible events and characters this picture illustrates. As students share their ideas, place the words or phrases under headings such as Character, Setting, Situation, and Vocabulary (see example ). This is especially helpful for nonnative speakers, who may need help with vocabulary and spelling. Of course, this step may be only oral for native speakers.
Ask students to write from one character's point of view. They may write about the character's feelings and thoughts, tell the story that leads up to the picture, or narrate the events that follow. Encourage students not only to describe the picture but to invent an original story related to the event illustrated. Students can sketch out the sequence of events for their narratives using the Timeline Tool .

Focuses a clear, well-defined incident or series of related events. Develops plot, character, and setting with specific detail. Orders events clearly. Uses description and dialogue as appropriate to develop setting and character. Shows events rather than just telling about them. Establishes and maintains a tone and point of view. Uses a logical and effective pattern of organization, such as chronological order, flashback, or flash-forward. Uses transitional words and phrases to maintain coherence and establish sequence within and between paragraphs.

creating a lead: Leading to Great Places in the Middle School Classroom
characterization: Using Picture Books to Teach Characterization in Writing Workshop
connotation and details: She Did What? Revising for Connotation
setting: Using Picture Books to Teach Setting Development in Writing Workshop
punctuating dialogue: Inside or Outside? A Mini-Lesson on Quotation Marks and More
paragraphing dialogue: Character Clash: A Mini-Lesson on Paragraph Breaks and Dialogue
using dialogue tags: Choosing Clear and Varied Dialogue Tags: A Mini-Lesson
If you want students to create a more formal piece of writing, allow additional class sessions for them to revise, type, and edit their papers. Alternately, you might have students do simple "first draft" writing, or write in their journals or writer's notebooks.

Student Assessment / Reflections

The results of this activity range from a restatement of the vocabulary from the brainstorming on the board or chart paper to a detailed story with fleshed-out characterizations, depending upon the student and his or her abilities; therefore, a variety of finished products may result, each reflecting individual student's efforts.

If students write their stories in their journals, you might read and simply note things that stand out as specific and well-detailed.
If students complete multiple drafts of this piece, you could use the Peer Review: Narrative lesson plan to give students the chance to do self-assessment and revise their texts. Then use similar guidelines to respond to their writing.
For more formal feedback, use the Narrative Writing Rubric .
Student Interactives
Calendar Activities
Lesson Plans

Students generate descriptive timelines and can include images in the description.

Students examine the painting that inspired Sondheim's Pulitzer-prize winning musical and then create a story of their own based on image they choose.

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Expansion of an Idea – “A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words” for Students / Teachers / Parents

Explore the famous saying “A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words”. We believe that this phrase highlights the power of visual communication and the impact it can have on conveying complex ideas. Through our insightful articles, we provide a deeper understanding of the idiom and offer practical tips on how to enhance writing skills. Join us on this journey to become better communicators and harness the power of imagery.

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

The proverb “a picture is worth a thousand words” is a well-known saying that suggests that a single image can convey more information or meaning than a lengthy description or explanation. This proverb highlights the power of visual communication and the impact that an image can have on a viewer.

The expansion of this proverb could be that “a single image can convey a complex idea or emotion more effectively than a thousand words.” This proverb is applicable to various situations where words may fail to capture the full essence of a concept or emotion.

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An Apple a Day Keeps the Doctor Away
An Empty Vessel Makes Much Noise
An Idle Mind is Devil’s Workshop
As You Sow, So Shall You Reap
Barking Dogs Seldom Bite
Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder
Beggars can’t be Choosers
Better Late than Never
Better the Devil You Know than the Devil You Don’t
Birds of a Feather Flock Together
Blood is Thicker than Water
Boys will be Boys
Charity Begins at Home
Cleanliness is Next to Godliness
Curiosity Killed the Cat
Don’t Bite Off More than You Chew
Don’t Bite the Hand that Feeds You
Don’t Blow Your Own Trumpet
Don’t Count your Chickens Before They Hatch
Don’t Cry Over Spilled Milk
Don’t Judge a Book by its Cover
Don’t Put All Your Eggs in One Basket
Don’t Put the Cart Before the Horse
Don’t Throw The Baby Out With the Bathwater
Early to Bed and Early to Rise Makes a Man Healthy, Wealthy, and Wise
Easy Come, Easy Go
Every Cloud Has a Silver Lining
Every Dog Has His Day
Fools Rush in Where Angels Fear to Tread
Fortune Favors the Bold
Give a Man a Fish, and You Feed Him for a Day; Teach a Man to Fish, and You Feed Him for a Lifetime
Give Credit Where Credit is Due
God Helps Those Who Help Themselves
Half a Loaf is Better Than None
Haste Makes Waste
Health is Wealth
Honesty is the Best Policy
If at First You Don’t Succeed, Try, Try Again
If It ain’t Broke, Don’t Fix It
If the Shoe Fits, Wear It
If you can’t Beat them, Join them
If you Want Something Done Right, Do It Yourself
Ignorance is Bliss
It ain’t Over Till the Fat Lady Sings
It Takes Two to Tango
It’s a Small World
It’s Always Darkest Before the Dawn
It’s Better to Ask Forgiveness than Permission
Its Better to Be Safe than Sorry
It’s Better to Give than to Receive
It’s Never Too Late to Mend
It’s not What you Know, it’s Who you Know
Jack of All Trades, Master of None
Keep Your Friends Close and Your Enemies Closer
Keep Your Mouth Shut and Your Eyes Open
Kill Two Birds with One Stone
Knowledge is Power
Laughter is the Best Medicine
Leave No Stone Unturned
Let Sleeping Dogs Lie
Life is a Journey, Not a Destination
Life is Like a Box of Chocolates; You Never Know What You’re Gonna Get
Like Father, Like Son
Look Before You Leap
Love Conquers All
Make Hay While The Sun Shines
Money Can’t Buy Happiness
Money Doesn’t Grow on Trees
Money Talks
Necessity is the Mother of Invention
No Man is an Island
No Pain, No Gain
Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained
One Man’s Trash is Another Man’s Treasure
Out of Sight, Out of Mind
Patience is a Virtue
Practice Makes Perfect
Prevention is Better than Cure
Rome Wasn’t Built in A Day
Slow and Steady Wins the Race
The Early Bird Catches the Worm
The Grass is Always Greener on the Other Side
The Pen is Mightier Than the Sword
The Proof of the Pudding is in the Eating
There is No Place Like Home
There’s No Time Like the Present
Time Heals All Wounds
Time is Money
Too Many Cooks Spoil the Broth
Two Heads are Better than One
When in Rome, do as the Romans do
Where There’s Smoke, There’s Fire
You Can Lead a Horse to Water, But You Can’t Make it Drink
You Can’t Have Your Cake and Eat It Too
You Can’t Make an Omelet Without Breaking Eggs
You Scratch My Back, And I’ll Scratch Yours
You’re Never Too Old to Learn
You’re Only As Strong As Your Weakest Link
Parts of Speech
Lola’s Dream
Snowy Learns to Brave the Rain
The Ant Explorer
The Blind Archer
The Brave Ant
The Disguised King
The Enchanted Blade
The Enchanted Garden of Melodies
The Endless Bag
The Faithful Companion
The Farmer’s Treasure
The Frog and the Mischievous Fishes
The Fruit Seller’s Fortune
The Generous Monkey of the Forest
The Gentle Giant
A Blessing in Disguise
A Dime a Dozen
A Piece of Cake
Apple of My Eye
As Easy as Pie
Back to the Drawing Board
Beat Around the Bush
Bite the Bullet
Break a Leg
Butterflies in My Stomach
By the Skin of Your Teeth
Caught Red-Handed
Come Rain or Shine
Cool as a Cucumber
Cry over Spilled Milk
Cut the Mustard
Devil’s Advocate
Down to the Wire
Drink Like a Fish
Eating Habits
Supermarket
Vegetable Market
College Canteen
Household Topics
Diwali Festival
Republic Day Wishes
Birthday wishes for kids
Birthday Wishes for Sister
Birthday Wishes for Brother
Birthday Wishes for Friend
Birthday Wishes for Daughter
Birthday Wishes for Son
Women’s Day Wishes
Thanks for Birthday Wishes
Thank You Messages for Friends
Thanks for Anniversary Wishes

Justin Morgan

A picture is worth a thousand words: Rediscovering biography

"All the adversity I've had in my life, all my troubles and obstacles, have strengthened me... You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you." ~Walt Disney

This will be my fourteenth year teaching at Thoreau Demonstration Academy in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Thoreau is a middle school servicing 6 th , 7 th , and 8 th grades. I teach remedial reading to all three grades. For a student to be placed in my class they had to have not passed the state assessment and have a lexile score significantly below grade level. I am not their regular language arts teacher, but I work in conjunction with the core language arts teachers. There are some general defining characteristics that are true for the majority of my students. Homework is inconsistent and often incomplete or superficial; supplies are rarely brought to class; and emotional outbursts are frequent. Sometimes to calm my students, I will read aloud to them. In my experience with children who normally have a difficult time sitting still, they will sit quietly and listen to me read to them for upwards of an hour. They love a good story. For their own work, however, they find it difficult to get past the superficial to present the deeper, fuller story that would be much more interesting. They gravitate to books with lots of pictures so the pictures can tell them parts of the story and they do not have to read as much.

Every January and February, through their core Language Arts class, the students at Thoreau choose an influential person, research that person, present their person in the form of a living history museum (referred to as Brotherhood), and write a biographical essay. During this year's research and production phase of the project, I paid attention to how my students went about gathering and processing the biographical information necessary for the project. It was not any surprise to me that of the students who had seemingly unsuccessful portrayals, the majority were my students. Once I processed the performance of my students (both in the living museum and on their biographical essay), I realized that they did not really know how to go beyond the superficial information to make their biographical project any richer. The core language arts teacher is not as able to spend one-on-one time with students as I am (they have between 40-50 students per class).

Guiding Question

How can I get my students to read long enough, research more thoroughly to extend past the superficial and uncover a richer biographical story?

My Biography Assumptions

For the nine years that I actually facilitated students' efforts during the Brotherhood project, I operated under two overarching assumptions. I taught my seventh grade students how to find biographical research, take notes, organize their notes, transfer those notes into a five paragraph essay, and then properly cite their sources using the MLA format. I am embarrassed to say that not once in those nine years did I ever think to teach the children about how a biography (and thus their essay and oral presentation), while technically non-fiction, is really a story complete with all of the elements of fiction, those juicy details, that make a story worth reading. In hindsight, through the years, some students inherently understood this distinction but a large majority did not.

The second assumption I made was that the students could and would automatically make the text-to-self connection. As Nigel Hamilton explained in How To Do Biography: A Primer , "…the intrinsic aim of biography…[is] to penetrate the moral core of a life, to interpret it – and thereby not only learn facts and information but acquire insight and lessons that could be serviceable in one's own life, either as warnings or inspiration." 1 I believed the very structure of the Brotherhood project 2 facilitated this connection. It was not until reading Hamilton's book I discovered what had been missing in the performance of my students, which harkened back to the Jack Webb "Just the Facts" days. 3 My students did not tell anecdotal stories either in their written or oral presentations that highlighted their character's trials in such a way as to be personally instructive.

The objective is to help my students analyze a piece of non-print text as a precursor to reading a piece of biographical print text. I want them to unearth anecdotal information that will go beyond the simple recitation of facts to achieve a more full-bodied understanding of a character as ultimately displayed during the Brotherhood presentations and essays.

Curricular Plan

For this unit, I will prepare them for the Brotherhood project by teaching them to use pictures to help tell the biographical story. We will begin our pictorial analysis with a young girl's kindergarten picture to establish the analytical process. 4 I will ask leading questions in an attempt to ferret out more information than hair and eye color and stimulate discussion about what is seen and not seen in the picture.

We will then progress to looking at the iconic pictures of Walt Disney and compare them to the picture on the cover of Neal Gabler's Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination. In our examination of the pictures of Disney we will continue with the analytical process but also add a research component to address our analytical questions in reference to the pictures. We will utilize the on-line data bases compiled by the district, reference books already present in our school library, and the books listed in the bibliography as our reference sources. We will employ the resources in the order of length and complexity beginning with the simplest most rudimentary text first and then scaffolding through the remaining text in order of complexity.

Next, we will analyze iconic pictures representing historic events of the 20 th century. We will apply the same analytic process but then scaffold in research on the backstory behind the iconic picture. In particular we will focus upon the picture of President Johnson found in Robert Caro's The Years of Lyndon Johnson: Means of Ascent , on Dorothea Lange's Migrant Mother and on Will Counts' picture of Elizabeth Eckford attempting to enter Little Rock High School on September 4, 1957. Lastly, each student will research iconic pictures of the 20 th century, choose one picture on which to focus, research the backstory of the picture and present their picture and story to the class. The unit will take place in November and December so that it proceeds and lays the foundation for the actual Brotherhood project in their language arts class during January and February.

I did not include the pictures in this unit due to copyright concerns; however, each of the pictures is easily accessible on the internet.

My biography reeducation

What is a biography.

For this seminar I looked at seven different sources related to what a biography actually is, of what it should consist, and how it should be written. All of the sources agree that a biography is much more than a sterile, clinical autopsy of someone's life; 5 it is a narrative composed of all the juicy bits that make the character worth studying. 6 Hamilton contends, "A biography is also expected to portray, by implication, how that individual's life connects with more universal aspects of the human condition: the common themes and preoccupations that fascinate us about life…" 7 It is not enough to say that Sally got up every morning and changed her sheets unless there was a reason behind doing so each morning such as that during her childhood she would wet the bed each night because her father was abusing her. Sally would get up and wash and change the sheets so her mother would never find out about the abuse. Then we will want to know about changing the sheets.

A biography at its core consists of a what and a how 8 that is based upon primary and secondary evidence; 9 it is a record and interpretation of real lives 10 and the conflicts and journeys those lives take. 11 What sets biography apart from other non-fiction is the why and what implication the why may have for my life.

Biography, while technically housed in the non-fiction genre, is written like fiction. I can hear myself saying, "Biography is the true story of someone's life; the key word being 'story'. Through this seminar I consciously realized that a biography has all of the elements of fiction: characters (primary and secondary), a setting, a central problem, a plot structure complete with rising action, a climax, and falling action, a resolution, and a central theme. All of these elements make up the story. The key difference is that, as the biographer, I am doing research to find the elements rather than making them up as a novelist would. According to Ira Bruce Nadel in Biography: Fiction, Fact & Form "…biography is a complex narrative as well as a record of an individual's life, a literary process as well as a[n] historical product." 12 Milton Lomask explains in The Biographer's Craft , "Gathering his material, he [the biographer] uses the quasi-scientific methods of the historical researcher; writing his book, he uses the techniques of the fiction writer." 13 In other words, the research forms the skeleton of the story, but you, the biographer, get to decide how much meat gets put where on the body and in what proportion.

Research decisions

As the biographer I have to make certain choices. There is not any way to include every single element about a person's life and still have the story be interesting and readable. Selectivity is the key in researching. Biography appears objective in nature when the opposite is actually true. 14 The selection process of sorting relevant versus irrelevant material is natural to us, a core function of our brain. We perform the selection process millions of times each day without conscious thought. It is our individual experiences, however, that that make the selection process so unique. What I select as important will be completely different from all others experiencing the same situation simply by the nature of what I consciously or subconsciously deem relevant to me.

In terms of biographical research, at first I need to cast a wide net for the types of information I think I will need; I do not yet know what thematic threads I am going to find. As I continue in the research process, the threads will begin to emerge and then I can begin to narrow down the scope of my research, always keeping an open mind to the results of the research. 15 I am the author; I decide what facts are the most significant. As a litmus test for relevant information, always ask yourself, "Does this information leave a residue? Does it leave something behind with the reader? 16 If it does, keep it; if not, toss it out.

I, then, have to decide the organization of those facts unearthed during the research phase. I can choose to organize the research in chronological order, 17 thematically, 18 or select a combination of chronological and thematic. 19 As you research keep in the back of your mind that it is not the facts themselves that determine the value of the biography but the presentation of those facts (how you choose to organize) that establishes real value. 20

Perhaps the most revelatory piece of information is that there are no rules for writing a biography. Hermoine Lee in Biography: A Very Short Introduction lays out 10 rules for writing a biography only to have the 10 th be that there are no rules, thereby disregarding the previous nine. 21 It is immaterial if you are referring to the myriad of biographical forms: biographical essay, monograph, psychoanalytic study profile, critical biography, full-length portrait, or composite portrait; 22 in its basic form, a biography is telling the story of someone's life 23 with you as the storyteller making all the decisions about what to say and how to say it.

Using pictures to tell the story

It is said a picture is worth a thousand words. The picture could be paint on canvas or other mediums or light trapped on film. Whatever the method of creating the picture, the result is the same, the picture tells a story – a story crafted by the artist. In the process of creating the picture, the artist engages in a process of crafting the story through selection – what elements of the story are important enough to be included in the picture and what are not?

LBJ Hollywood picture

Eventually a picture can take on a life of its own. It represents one brief moment in time yet as time moves on the moment in the picture takes on greater significance for what it shows and does not show. Look for example at the WWII pictures of President Lyndon Baines Johnson in Robert Caro's The Years of Lyndon Johnson: Means of Ascent . 24 Look in particular at the first picture in the picture inserts. On the surface this is a staged picture of a future President of the United States. He looks handsome. He is smoking a cigarette (this alone will stimulate discussion). But the picture looks too staged. He has a bit of a smirk as if he has a secret. What is the picture trying to hide? Upon investigation I learned that during World War II, while LBJ was touring shipyards up and down the West Coast of the United States, he engaged the services of a Hollywood photographer. With the photographs, LBJ wanted to ascertain which poses showcased him as someone to be trusted, revered, and lauded. 25

At first glance at the initial photo, I see a handsome and confident man. However, as I continue to look at the first picture, knowing what I now know, this picture takes on a greater significance than LBJ had intended. To me, this picture highlights LBJ's facade -the slight smirk provides the clue to the man who would shake your hand and slap you on the back all while picking your pocket. At the time this picture was taken, the people of Texas were being told LBJ was off fighting for their country. In fact he was attending Hollywood movie screenings and movie star parties, as well as 'entertaining' Alice Glass, the mistress of one of his biggest patrons, Charles E. Marsh while his wife, Lady Bird, stayed at a hotel in Los Angeles and ran his congressional office. 26 The picture takes on a whole new meaning once I know the backstory, the part I can not see but can intuit. With this picture, we can discuss our multiple faces – the one we wear for public and the private face. Using the picture allows us to have a much more interesting and influential discussion rather than just a superficial survey of the facts.

Migrant Mother

Next, look at Dorothea Lange's Migrant Mother . This picture is also a staged portrait. At first glance this is a picture of an old, sad, poor woman. However, upon investigation, it is so much more. Dorothea Lange had been commissioned by the Resettlement Administration to document migratory farm labor. She was in Nipomo, CA in Feb/March of 1936 at the end of a month long trip. Lange saw a woman, Florence Owens Thompson, and knew she had to photograph her. Lange took six photos 27 of Thompson and her children. These photos were submitted to the Resettlement Administration along with hundreds of others, but this one photo seemed to tell the whole story of what was happening in the nation. The struggle seen in the picture exemplified the struggle of all those who suffered during the Great Depression. We identify with the woman; her struggle is our struggle without ever knowing what the literal story is behind the photo, we 'know'. 28 With this photo we can discuss the struggle and how we all have had to struggle in our own ways.

Elizabeth Eckford – Little Rock Nine

Will Counts' picture of Elizabeth Eckford, one of the Little Rock Nine, attempting to enter Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas while being verbally taunted by a mob of whites — most notably Hazel Bryan — instantly tells the story of segregation. 29 This picture was absolutely not staged. Will Counts was a native of Little Rock at the time of desegregation. His pictures were his attempt to tell the real story of what he was witnessing. In this one picture we see the depth of the racial hatred yet the resoluteness of the African-Americans in seeking to exercise their basic constitutional rights. This picture is so provocative that it will evoke a reaction and stimulate discussion. I want my students to want to look deeper. 30

The pictures and the discussions will lay the foundation and serve to stimulate their reading and writing about the subject in a picture.

Walt Disney

Converting research into a written product is a key part of the Brotherhood project (and a Common Core key focus). The essay (like the presentation) should reflect the depth of the research. I have included here an example of a lengthy essay that I will use with the students as an example of structure and information selectivity. At the end of our research phase, I will ask the students to compare their notes with what I included in my essay.

For this unit, I was drawn to Disney as a research subject due to the students' familiarity with Walt Disney, the plethora of information available, and Disney's happy, pure Americana persona.

Using the resources available to the students and a few others, my biography of Disney helps me explain the man in the photograph on the front cover of Gabler's book. This picture stands in contrast to the hundreds of others that show Disney as a jubilant, happy-go-lucky kind of guy. Why did Gabler choose this photo? Is it that there is more to the story than the smiling man and his mouse? I tried to use all that I had learned about a biography. I have included pieces of information I found to be particularly relevant and yet omitted other pieces of information because they were not germane to my understanding of the man in the picture. 31 As I was researching I consistently asked myself if this information helps me tell the warts and all story of the man in the picture; is there residue?

Example of a Biography of Walt Disney

Walt Disney provided the soundtrack of my life. The first two albums I bought (at the ripe old age of eight) were Brer Rabbit and a collection of popular Disney songs. For Christmas that year, Santa brought me the Disney songbook so I could learn to accompany myself as I sang and lived "It's a Small World" . Every afternoon I would rush home from school so I could tune in to sing along with Annette, Darlene, Karen and Cubby and I could learn what ever life lesson they were teaching that episode. Tuesdays were always my favorite day because there was a special guest (At 44 I can still sing the song that introduced the special guest.) My first actual theater movie was Disney's The Rescuers Down Under . At dinner each night, I ate off of the Donald Duck plate and drank out of the Donald Duck glass. 32 During second grade my mother made my sister and me ponchos out of an old blanket and put Donald Duck on mine and Mickey on my sister's. The works and images created by Disney permeated my life; in a strange way, they still do.

In the Disney world the good guys always won, people were happy, and life was as it should be. A far cry from my reality. Whether it be the music, the tv show or the movies, Disney provided my escape. Through his short cartoons, feature-length animations, live-action films, comic books, records, television shows and theme parks, Disney spent a lifetime working to refashion the world in the image of his own imagination and prevent reality from eradicating the genuine innocence and purity of childhood, a feeling Walt experienced for only a brief time in his own childhood but would spend the rest of his life trying to recapture.

Disney and Mickey Mouse were definitely not an overnight success story. Walt did not just wake up one day, draw Mickey and the rest is history. Walt's success from the cartoons up to the theme parks are all a direct result of the lessons he learned from his ancestors and from his childhood.

Disneys come to America

Walter Elias Disney was born December 5, 1901 in Chicago, Illinois on the second floor of a house that his father Elias built. Walt was the fourth of five children born to Elias and Flora. It was a family story that Walt got his name from a "pastoral bargain". 33 Walt's mother Flora and the wife of the minister were pregnant at the same time. Supposedly, Elias and the minister struck a deal that if their wives both gave birth to sons that each son would be given the first name of the other man. The minister's name was Walter Parr. 34 For most of his life Walt felt as if he were a square peg in the Disney family, however Walt would prove through his inexhaustible ambition that he was a Disney through and through.

The Disney family originally hailed from England. Arundel Elias Disney (Walt's great grandpa) was opportunistic and ambitious. He consistently sought a better life for him and his family so in July of 1834, he sold his holdings and along with his brother Robert and Robert's family set sail for America. The family actually ended up settling on 149 acres in Ontario, Canada. A few years later Arundel's oldest son Kepple and his wife Mary purchased 100 acres in the Ontario area with the intent to farm, but Kepple had the Disney wanderlust. When he first heard of the oil strikes, he left Mary to live with her sister for two years while he joined a drilling crew only to never find oil. Kepple returned home only to leave again for a year to drill for salt wells. No salt was ever found. In 1877 he left again along with his two oldest sons, Ellis and Robert, to search for his fortune in California gold; he only got as far as Kansas where he was enticed to purchase 300 acres of farmland in Ellis County. 35

Life in Kansas was extremely difficult. The climate was dry and cold – seemingly inconducive to farming. Snow drifts could be as high as a man's chest. In addition, the Disneys were under constant threat of Indian massacres, so Kepple and Elias left for Florida in search of a more hospitable living environment for the family. While in Florida, Elias met Flora Call. Their marriage in 1888 merged the fearless determination of the Disney family with the soft intellectual temperament of the Call family, 36 a merging that will truly manifest itself in their youngest son, Walt.

Elias inherited the Disney wanderlust and economic adversity of his father and grandfather. While in Florida, Ellis bought an orange grove but a freeze killed all of his crop, forcing him to take a job delivering the mail. A death in the Call family encouraged Elias to move himself and Flora to Chicago where his younger brother Robert had found some success. Elias supported his growing family by being a carpenter.

The Influence of Marceline

When Walt was three, Elias became disillusioned with life in the big city so he moved the family to somewhere more idyllic, Marceline, Missouri. Marceline was incorporated as a terminal point along the Santa Fe Railroad route between Chicago and Kansas City. In its early days, the town boasted several saloons, a post office, two banks, a theater, a newspaper, a few retail shops, and seven various religious institutions. Marceline was the exact opposite of Chicago; it was a small, simple, stable community. Walt would later reminisce that Marceline appeared and behaved exactly the way a small town should and that the citizens of Marceline were kind, tolerant, and caring people who helped citizens in need. While the Disneys only lived in Marceline for three and a half years, the time Walt spent on the farm in the cramped and crudely constructed home with the white-washed siding and the green trim was to be the most vivid memories of his life and the model for how he came to believe life should be lived. 37

Interest in drawing

Walt became interested in drawing at a very early age. Every time his Aunt Maggie would come to visit she would bring him a Big Chief drawing tablet and pencils. To Walt, every gift of tablet and pencils equated to an affirmation of his talent and encouragement to continue. In addition to Aunt Maggie, Walt received encouragement from Doc Sherwood. Doc Sherwood asked Walt to sketch his horse, Rupert. In one story Walt was paid five cents for the drawing. In another Doc put the drawing up on his office wall for all to see. The barber, Bert Hudson, would offer Walt free haircuts in exchange for Walt's drawings. 38

Walt would draw on anything he could find. His first cartoons occurred on the corners of the pages in his textbooks. He would draw an animal in the corners and then quickly flip the pages so it looked as if the animal was moving. One time outside their barn, he and his sister Ruth found a bucket of some black liquid that Walt thought was paint. He reassured Ruth that it was ok to use and then painted a picture on the side of the barn. Much to his dismay, the black liquid was tar. Needless to say, Elias was less than thrilled.

Lessons from Elias and the Paper Route

Living in Marceline was a picturesque time that came to an end way too soon. Just as what had happened with the orange groves, the farm defeated Elias so he moved his family to Kansas City. Elias purchased a paper route and enlisted his children to help sell and distribute the papers. For the Disneys, the route was more than a way to make a living, it became a way of life. Every decision and activity centered around the completion of the route each day. 39

Walt was nine years old when he began the paper route. According to Walt, the carefree days of his childhood had vanished. For the first year after the move, Walt delivered the newspapers by foot and after that by bicycle. Every morning Walt would get up at 3:30am. He would go get his assigned 50 newspapers and deliver them to his customers. He would return home by 5:30 or 6:00, take a short nap and then eat breakfast before heading off to school. Every day he would leave school a half hour early so that he could make the afternoon run. On Sunday he had double the amount of papers to deliver.

In the beginning, Walt was excited about the paper route, but the excitement was short-lived. In the winter Walt would have to deliver the papers in the cold and snow, often slipping on the icy steps. Sometimes he would be so cold and so tired that he would inadvertently fall asleep on the route. He would awake with a start and have to hurry to get the route completed. Nothing got in the way of completing the route. Things got worse when his brother Roy got another job and Walt had to do both his and Roy's routes 40 . For the remainder of his life the route would serve as a touchstone in Walt's life. He knew what hard work really was.

Due to his time on the route and his father's frugal ways, Walt experienced the tenuous connection between work and compensation and he learned how to work for what he wanted. Elias was not willing to pay Walt for his efforts on the route arguing that the route was the family business and since Walt was a member of the family, it was incumbent upon him to work without monetary compensation. Walt would often take an extra stack of newspapers to sell, deliver medicine for a pharmacy while also delivering the newspapers, or work in a candy store during school recess so that he could have some spending money of his own. Later on, the desire to be properly compensated would ultimately lead Walt to create Mickey.

According to Walt, he and his father were opposites. Whereas Elias was grim, Walt was jocund, cheerful. Whereas Elias plodded along, Walt was enthusiastic. 41 Elias did not believe his children should be wasting time on frivolous endeavors such as drawing and performing which put he and Walt at odds more often than not. Due to their differences, Walt felt he often took the brunt of his father's temper, which flared often enough to make a long lasting impression. 42

Beginning of a Career in Art

Channeling the wanderlust of his ancestors, seven years after moving to Kansas City, Elias decided it was time for the family to move back to Chicago. It was there that Walt's drawing went from being a pastime to the gateway to a career. Walt dropped out of high school after a year. 43 In lieu of high school, Walt started some serious art classes at the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts. It was here that Walt realized that he would never be a fine artist, but that his talent lay in caricature. Walt would later refer to this time as the turning point in his career. 44

After Walt returned from serving in France with the Ambulance Corps at the conclusion of WWI, Walt moved to Kansas City instead of back to Chicago. He was old enough to now be out on his own and yet again, his father had refused to give Walt the money Walt had rightly earned while in the Ambulance Corps believing that Walt would just be wasting his money. 45

This second time in Kansas City, while seemingly riddled with failure, would lay the foundation for Walt's future success. He would land a series of art jobs. At each job, Walt would learn the trade and then strike out on his own to do it better. However, each time Walt would form his own business, it would fail not because of the product but because lack of a financial foundation. Walt knew how to work due to his years on the route; he did not know how to manage the financial aspects of a business. But Walt was not to be deterred. He studied every aspect of making cartoons. He was a student of the genre. He even set up a shed studio in his backyard where he experimented with, perfected, and created new animation techniques. It was the creation of the Laugh-O-Gram cartoons that set Walt on his path to Mickey. 46

In his studio shed he made a series of short, silent, slap-stick comedies called Laugh-O-Grams that were moderately successful 47 as well as a short movie, Alice's Wonderland , in which he created the technique of using a human figure (six year old Virginia Davis) in a cartoon setting. 48 Unfortunately, the movie took three years to make, resulting in Walt's bankruptcy. He needed to do something different if he was to have any success making animated cartoons and movies.

Hollywood, Alice, and Oswald the Rabbit

Walt realized that Kansas City was not the center of movie making, so he picked up stakes in true Disney fashion and struck out to find someplace more suitable, Hollywood. When Walt moved out to Hollywood he could not get a job at a studio, so he went back to what he knew, making cartoons. He made a brazen ploy to Margaret Winkler, a distributor in New York. He informed her that he was no longer connected with Laugh-O-Gram Films Inc. of Kansas City, but that he was establishing a studio in Los Angeles with the express purpose of creating more Alice cartoons. He said that some of his staff had traveled with him and that he had access to production facilities and would soon be back on track making the Alice cartoons. All of which was a complete fabrication. Walt was not above manufacturing the truth if it suited his purposes. Winkler bought the ploy and ordered six new Alice films. Walt convinced his brother Roy to be his business partner and asked his uncle Robert to lend him $500 to get the movies going. Disney Brothers Studio was born. 49

Walt procured an office and a camera and persuaded Virginia Davis and her family to come to Hollywood. At first Walt did everything: thought up the story for the Alice movies, directed the movies, drew the cartoon characters, and put the live action and animation together. But it was too much for one person, so Walt and Roy hired three men to operate the camera and help with the animation. They hired three women to ink and paint the black and white cartoon drawings. Walt convinced Ub Iwerks 50 to move to Hollywood and join the studio. Ub was talented and fast, just what they needed. 51

The Alice short movies proved to be very successful. With the increase in staff, Disney Brothers Studios were able to turn out twelve Alice shorts in 1924, 18 more in 1925 and 26 in 1926. By the end of 1926, however, in true Disney fashion, Walt was ready to move on to the next adventure. Walt negotiated with Alice Winkler's husband, Charles Mintz, for the studio to create another animated film series. What they created was a playful, funny, and energetic rabbit named Oswald. The film series soon became very popular and Walt believed that for the first time he had vocational and financial stability. 52

However, Mintz grew tired of Walt's consistent bargaining for more money and greater control of the Oswald movies. 53 Mintz came to believe that he could make the Oswald cartoons cheaper if he just had the staff from the Disney Brothers Studio. After all, they were the ones who did all of the drawing anyway (Walt was the thinker of the operation. He did very little of the day-to-day drawing on the cartoons.) So, Mintz did not renegotiate the Oswald contract with the Disney Brothers Studio and he lured away a healthy percentage of the staff at the studio. 54 Walt was crushed! He felt betrayed. Most of all he felt like he was a chip off the old block, just like his father and grandfather, having to start over time-after-time.

Despite the apparent setbacks (losing the staff and the Oswald cartoons), this was also the time when Walt met Lillian Bounds, the future Mrs. Walt Disney. Lillian was one of the original women hired to ink the black and white drawings for the Alice movies. Except for when he was performing for others, Walt was very shy and had never had a serious relationship. He liked how Lillian's short bobbed hair would bounce when she laughed, so he took advantage of driving her home from work to get to know her better. Eventually he asked her out for a date. Walt and Lillian were married July 13, 1925. 55

Mickey is Born

On the train home from New York and Walt's final meeting with Mintz, Walt's wife Lillian 56 recalled that Walt kept repeating that he would never work for anyone else again as long as he lived; he would never again allow anyone to have control over his decisions. Many have criticized Walt for his almost obsessive need later to control everything about the business (the criticism probably justified) but Walt felt he could no longer allow his work to be subjected to another's volatility. 57 On this same train home to Los Angeles, Walt sketched out the plot for a cartoon called Plane Crazy that starred a mouse who builds himself a plane to impress a lady mouse. 58 Walt was going to name the mouse Mortimer but Lillian thought the name sounded too fancy, so she suggested Mickey. 59 The original Mickey had skinny stick legs, a long tail, and a sharp face. He was not as nice as Mickey of today. He played mean tricks on the other characters.

Mickey was not an immediate success. Initially, Walt had difficulty selling Mickey to any theaters. Ever the innovator, he realized he needed to do something different to set Mickey apart from Oswald. Walt decided to add sound to the third Mickey movie, Steamboat Willie . The manager of the Colony Theater in New York City agreed to show Steamboat Willie. 60 And the rest, they say, is history.

Mickey quickly became a huge hit. Mickey Mouse Clubs began forming all over the country, a Mickey cartoon strip began appearing in 40 newspapers throughout the country and Mickey merchandise like dolls, buttons, pencils, toothbrushes and books began flying off the shelves, metaphorically speaking. 61

Walt the Innovator

By the time Mickey came along, Disney Brothers Studios had changed their name to Walt Disney Studios. Walt was the idea man of the operation, the one who compelled the Studio to be innovative and push the technological envelope. With the creation of the Three Little Pigs cartoon, Walt added a more complex plot than previous Disney movies and he added a theme song, "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf". Much to Walt's surprise and joy, people came out of the theater singing the song. Coincidentally, the rise of animated movies coincided with the advent of color film for movies produced by a company called Technicolor. Walt created Flowers and Trees , the first cartoon in full color, for which he won an Academy Award. 62

When Walt first started making cartoons, they were short (no more than a few minutes) and were shown before the full-length feature. Walt had the idea to create a full-length animated movie. Walt knew he could not count on slapstick gags as he had previously; he needed a complete plot with drama and romance. So, Walt chose the story Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs to use as his first full-length animated feature. It took over 750,000 drawings and three years to make the 83 minute movie. Walt's goal was for each character to seem as real as a live actor. He wanted to make people laugh, cry, and hold their breath in fear and anticipation. He used a special multi-plane camera to make the background as three-dimensional as possible. The movie opened on December 21, 1937 in true Hollywood style complete with red carpet. Again, Walt won an Academy Award. This one had the golden Oscar statue surrounded by seven small Oscars 63 .

Walt was at the top of his game. No longer would he have to justify to his father whether drawing could be a viable career. No longer would he have to move from place to place to find his success; he MADE his success frame-by-frame. Due to the success of Snow White, Walt and Roy bought 51 acres in Burbank and built a new studio that would eventually house hundreds of employees. Walt continued to be a technological innovator and to push the imagination with the creation of Disneyland, fashioned much like his beloved Marceline. In order to pay for it, Walt came up with the idea of putting on a Disney television show. He could use the revenue generated by the television show to pay for the amusement park. His idea worked like a charm. ABC Studios decided to put on a show that would feature Walt Disney himself as the host, Disney cartoons and live-action skits. In 1955, Walt also created a 5 day per week Mickey Mouse Club Show which featured a group of young actors called mouseketeers. Initially, television was not looked upon favorably, as a threat to the movies, but Walt made television cool and profitable. 64

Disneyland opened on July 17, 1955 in Anaheim, CA. Walt fashioned many of the sets to be reminiscent of his idea of the idyllic place, Marceline, Missouri. Walt even had his employees go to Disney University so that they could learn how to properly work at Disneyland and treat guests as the citizens of Marceline would. 65

Walt Disney passed away on December 15, 1966 from lung cancer. In his 65 years, Walt Disney was arguably one of the most influential people in American history. The New York Times eulogized Walt as "probably the only man to have been praised by both the American Legion and the Soviet Union." 66 It is estimated that in 1966, 240 million people went to see a Disney movie, 100 million viewers tuned into a Disney television show, 80 million people read a Disney book, 50 million listened to a Disney record, 80 million bought Disney merchandise, 150 million read a Disney comic strip, and 7 million visited Disneyland. 67 All this from a little boy who just wanted to draw and to make his father proud.

So, out of the hundreds of photos of Walt Disney that Neal Gabler could have chosen for the cover of the biography of Walt Disney, he selected the picture that shows for the real Walt, the Walt that could not sit still in school yet could stay up for several days to finish a cartoon; the Walt that could not manage a successful business on his own yet was the head of one of the world's largest conglomerates; the Walt that despite his conflicted feelings towards his father, moved him to California, bought him a house and cared for him until his death. Gabler chose this picture to make his central assertion – Walt Disney is so much more than the kindly grandfather type of my youth and yet…At 44 I am still that little girl who would run home from school, grab her snack and listen raptly to all that the Mouseketeers had to teach her. I still believe that a dream is a wish your heart makes, that if I wish upon a star my wish will come true, and that it truly is a small world after all. The simple purity of Walt Disney is a key component of what makes me…me, and for that I will always whistle while I work.

Basic Structure of Class Time

My classes are arranged in an A/B block scheduling format. Every Friday I switch off between seeing A schedule one Friday and B schedule the next Friday. On Monday and Wednesday, I see group A and group B on Tuesday and Thursday for 90 – 100 minute blocks. Friday is utilized for whole group discussion and activities. On Monday through Thursday, the students are divided into groups of three to five. Each group rotates through four- twenty minute stations: whole-group, small-group, independent, and computer. The computer station is part of a prescribed reading program. This unit will be implemented during the whole group, small-group, and independent stations.

Guided Imagery

Photos evoke a sense of mood and convey meaning that penetrates deeper than conscious description can adequately convey. 68 According to Daniel Kahneman in Thinking, Fast and Slow , "The mental work that produces impressions, intuitions, and many decisions goes on in silence in our mind," 69 yet is influenced by experience. 70 This strategy is intended to fire up the subconscious and help make it conscious by using guided imagery to trigger sensory responses that can consciously add personal meaning and understanding to the image. Guided imagery is aimed at triggering visualization for students as they read. Guided imagery can be used as a pre-or post- reading activity depending upon the intended outcome of the activity. 71

Cooperative Learning

Cooperative learning is a broad term referring to the various methods of grouping students. Research has shown grouping students heterogeneously at least once a week has a positive impact upon learning. Cooperative learning promotes positive interdependence, face-to-face interaction, and interpersonal skills. In forming the groups, I need to be cognizant of not grouping strictly by ability but use other criteria as well. I will have no more than fifteen students in each class, therefore I will divide the students into three groups of no more than five. I will use a reading inventory, an attitude inventory, and personal interviews and observations as vehicles to determine the base long-term groups. I will use a variety of innocuous methods (birthday months, hair color, etc…) to form the formal and informal groups necessary in implementing the daily and weekly lesson plans. 72

Inquiry-Based Instruction

In inquiry-based instruction, the teacher acts as a facilitator of the activity versus the disseminator of information. Students seek out the knowledge and then present their knowledge for assessment in a way that best fits their learning style. The purpose of an inquiry is to enable the students to develop mental programs for applying their new-found knowledge and to wire the knowledge into their long term memory. 73

Imagination Tune Ups

To begin with I am going to divide the class in half. One half will remain in the classroom and the other half will go to the hallway. The half in the classroom will be asked to examine a unique or interesting object I have brought in. The students can handle the object and observe everything they can about it. I will ask them to view this item like a reporter – someone who can see something clearly enough to describe it to others in such a way the others think they have actually seen the item.

I will then bring in the students from the hallway and pair each one with a student from the class. Each student from the class will then describe the object to their partner. I will then reveal the object to the whole class and we will compare the descriptions that were given. Part of the conversation will center around our ability notice details.

The next phase of the activity is to practice scene recall. The groups will switch (those who were in the classroom will now be in the hall and vice versa). The group in the classroom will be treated to a scene of another teacher coming to my room and us getting into a confrontation. The rest of the activity above will be repeated.

Lastly, I will guide them towards viewing the Little Rock Nine Picture by Will Counts. I will turn off the lights and close the blinds. I have pillows in the room so I am going to ask them to lie on the pillows and close their eyes while I talk to them about the events leading up to the event in the Little Rock Nine picture. I will encourage them to use all of their senses but sight to imagine the situation. I will then ask them to open their eyes to view the picture. We will then have a popcorn style of format for their reactions. The goal for the students to see the picture through the eyes of the background story.

A Picture Is Worth 1000 Words

To begin with I am going to show the students a picture of an unknown little girl. I will ask them to brainstorm what they literally see and do not see. We will then make predictions about the little girl (i.e. what her life was like and how her life turned out). I will then show them another picture of the little girl except this time with her family. Does the new picture reinforce our predictions about the little girl or refute them? Do we need to amend our predictions based upon this new evidence. I will then tell them who the little girl is and then fill them in on the whole story about the girl in the picture.

Next, I will ask the students to take a picture of someone other than a family member or friend. The students will then use their imagination to write a short biography of the person in the picture. The goal is to practice storytelling.

For the next part of the activity, I will divide the students into small groups of 2-3 students. Each group will be assigned an iconic picture. The students will then use the laptop computers to research their picture. I will guide them on their search. The goal is to find out what is going on in the picture and why it is important. Each group will present their picture and story to the rest of the class.

Lastly, each student will choose their Brotherhood person by researching pictures and begin to conduct their research.

This activity will be part of the 1000 words activity. After looking at the pictures of the little girl, I will show the students a picture of Former President Lyndon B. Johnson during WWII. I am counting on the students not knowing who the picture is of. We will continue our brainstorming and predicting process from the 1000 words activity. I will then tell the students what was happening at the time the picture was taken and what we now know of LBJ. We will then discuss whether the new information changes how we view the picture.

Next, I will divide the students into groups of 4-5. I will hand each group a blank KWL chart. Each group will then brainstorm what they know about Walt Disney and then write a list of questions they want to know. I will then Google pictures of Walt Disney. The students will see that literally hundreds of pictures come up and nearly all of them show Walt Disney in his later years with a big smile on his face. Does this picture confirm or refute what we thought we knew about Walt Disney? Then focus on the picture that Neal Gabler used as the picture on the front cover of his biography of Disney. What is different in this picture? Why do they think Gabler chose this picture?

Using the laptop computers I will then guide the students through the process of using the district's online databases to begin looking up background information on Walt Disney. We will begin with the resource that is the simpliest and progress through each progressive resource in order of difficulty. We will be using the Pyramid Diagram strategy 74

Bibliography

Buehl, Doug. Classroom Strategies for Interactive Learning . 3 rd ed. Newark, DE.: Intl Reading Association, 2013.

Caro, Robert A.. The Years Of Lyndon Johnson the Path to Power ; Means of Ascent. . 1990 Softcover ed. New York, N.Y.: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 1990.

Durden, Mark. Dorothea Lange . 2001. Reprint, New York: Phaidon Press Limited, 2011.

Gabler, Neal. Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination . 1. ed. New York: Knopf, 2007.

Hamilton, Nigel. How to do biography a primer . Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2008.

Homberger, Eric, and John Charmley. The Troubled Face of Biography . New York: St. Martin's Press, 1988.

Kahneman, Daniel. Thinking, Fast and Slow. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2011.

Lee, Hermoine. Biography: A very short introduction . New York: Oxford University Press, 2009.

Lomask, Milton. The Biographer's Craft . New York: Harper & Row, 1986.

Mlodinow, Leonard. Subliminal: How Your Unconscious Mind Rules Your Behavior. New York: Vintage Books, 2012.

Nadel, Ira Bruce. Biography: Fiction, Fact, and Form . New York: St. Martin's Press, 1984.

Rollyson, Carl. American Biography . Lincoln, NE: iUniverse, 2006.

Rollyson, Carl E.. Biography, a user's guide . Chicago: Ivan R. Dee, 2008.

Stewart, Whitney, and Nancy Harrison. Who was Walt Disney? . New York: Grosset & Dunlap, 2009.

Tougas, Shelley. Little Rock girl 1957: how a photograph changed the fight for integration . Mankato, Minn.: Compass Point Books, 2012.

Watts, Steven. The Magic Kingdom: Walt Disney and the American way of life . Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1997.

Common Core Standards addressed

This unit will be addressing Reading Anchor Standard 7: Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse formats and media, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words. In addition this unit will address writing standard 3: Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences. Lastly, this unit will address writing anchor standard 7: Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects based on focused questions, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.

1. Hamilton, p. 11

2. The students had to choose someone that had made a positive impact upon the world.

3. Dragnet was a television series in the 50s created by Jack Webb. A key phrase of the main character, Joe Friday, was "Just the facts, ma'am." Joe Friday did not want the witnesses embellishing the story.

4. The picture will be my 1 st grade picture. In the picture, I am full of confidence. It is a month after this picture is taken that something traumatic happens in my life. The point is to brainstorm about the little girl before disclosing the trauma and see if that then affects their perceptions.

5. Lee, p. 1-2

6. Hamilton, Lee, Lomask, Nadel, Rollyson

7. Hamilton, p. 57

8. Lomask, p.4

9. Rollyson, p. 11

10. Hamilton, p. 21

11. Lomask, p. 2

12. Nadel, p. 1

13. Lomask, p. 1

14. Nadel, p. 10

15. Hamilton, p. 91

16. Lomask, p. 10

17. we are talking about a life which begins at birth and ends at death if the subject has already passed

18. by topic

19. Lomask, p. 41

20. Nadel, p.9

21. Lee, p. 6-18

22. Hamilton, p. 94

23. Rollyson

24. Caro, picture insert after page 62

25. Caro, p. 25

26. Caro, p. 25

27. Only 5 of the photos were submitted to the Library of Congress

28. At this point, Florence Owens Thompson was 32 years old and had been living on frozen vegetables from the surrounding fields and on the birds her children killed. In the few days before the photo she had had to sell the tires from her car to purchase food. Library of Congress.

29. Tougas, p. 38

30. Over 50% of my students are African American and Tulsa is only atwo hour drive from Little Rock, yet my students know little to nothing about this significant historical event.

32. My sister had the same plate and glass in Mickey Mouse.

33. Gabler, p. 41

34. Gabler, p. 8-9

36. Gabler, p. 6-7

37. Gabler, p. 10

38. Gabler, p. 14-15

41. Gabler, p. 23-24

42. Gabler; Watts

43. due to a lack of interest in anything that did not have to do with drawing or performing

45. Watts, p. 18

46. Gabler; Stewart

47. Stewart

48. Watts, p. 26-27

49. Gabler; Watts

50. His friend and business partner in Kansas City. Walt realized early on in their relationship that Ub was actually a better and faster drawer than he was.

51. Stewart

52. Stewart; Watts

53. Walt truly never forgot the lessons from the paper route.

55. Stewart, p. 42-43

56. Lillian was one of the original inkers Walt had hired to work on the Alice shorts. She did not go with the others to work for Mintz. Walt always said he fell in love with Lillian's bright, bouncy curls because they matched her personality.

57. Another inadvertent lesson from his father

59. Stewart

60. Stewart

61. Stewart

62. Stewart

63. Stewart

64. Stewart; Watts

65. Stewart

66. Gabler, p. xii

68. Buehl, p. 84

69. Kahneman, p. 4

70. Mlodinow, p. 16

71. Buehl, p. 90

72. Buehl, Classroom Strategies

73. Ibid, p. K.3

74. Buehl, p. 131-132

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a picture is worth a thousand words

1.1 Alternative forms
1.2 Etymology
1.3.1 Translations
1.4 References

English [ edit ]

Alternative forms [ edit ].

a picture paints a thousand words

Etymology [ edit ]

Popularized following a 1911 speech given by Arthur Brisbane where he encouraged advertisers "Use a picture. It's worth a thousand words." [1] [2] By 1915, the phrase in its modern form is attested. [1] [2] A number of other phrases expressing the same idea are are attested throughout the 1800s. [2]

Proverb [ edit ]

A visualisation is a better description than a verbal description .

Translations [ edit ]

References [ edit ].

↑ 1.0 1.1 Charles Clay Doyle, Wolfgang Mieder , Fred R. Shapiro , editors ( 2012 ), “one picture is worth a thousand words”, in The Dictionary of Modern Proverbs , New Haven: Yale University Press, →ISBN , page 196
↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Garson O’Toole [ Gregory F. Sullivan ] (2022 July 22) “ A Picture Is Worth Ten Thousand Words ”, in Quote Investigator , WordPress, retrieved 2024-01-13

English lemmas
English proverbs
English multiword terms
en:Thousand
en:Visualization
English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys
English entries with topic categories using raw markup
Mandarin terms with redundant transliterations
Japanese terms with redundant script codes
Korean terms with non-redundant manual transliterations

A picture might actually be worth more than a thousand words

We’ve all heard that a picture is worth a thousand words. Is that true though? While new research from the University of California, San Diego makes no claims on quantifying just how many words a picture is really worth, it shows that a single picture has the power to sway people — changing how they behave — while a single word does not. Even a picture that’s barely seen, flashed on a screen for only 10 milliseconds, seems able to alter behavior.

Led by Piotr Winkielman , professor of psychology in the UC San Diego Division of Social Sciences, the study is published in the open-access journal Frontiers in Psychology. Winkielman believes it is the first paper to compare the behavioral effects of pictures and words.

Winkielman has been studying the influence of emotion on behavior for more than a decade. In a related previous study , Winkielman and colleagues reported that showing brief images of happy faces to thirsty people led them to drink more of a mystery beverage immediately afterwards, while images of scowling faces led them to drink less. Remarkably, the participants were not aware of a change in their emotional state. In this new study, the researchers expanded the scope of their tests beyond faces to other images and words.

"We wanted to compare two major kinds of emotional stimuli that people encounter in their daily lives: words and pictures, including those of emotional faces and evocative images of objects," Winkielman said. "We also tested if it matters whether these stimuli are presented very briefly or for a longer period of time."

Drinking the Kool-Aid (literally)

In two different experiments, the researchers asked 50 undergraduate students to classify objects, faces or words on a computer screen. While showing a series of emotionally neutral images in quick succession, the researchers included brief flashes of faces, pictures or words that were either positive or negative. After the task, the researchers provided an unidentified beverage (really some lemon-lime Kool-Aid mixed with water and sugar) and allowed the participants to drink as much as they liked.

The first experiment compared the effect of words that were rated as emotionally positive, like “panda,” or emotionally negative, like “knife,” to the effect of happy and angry facial expressions. The second compared the effect of emotive words with images of emotionally charged objects, such as a gun or a cute dog.

As in previous studies, participants drank more after seeing happy faces than after seeing angry faces. Participants also drank more after seeing positive objects than after seeing negative objects. In contrast, positive words did not increase consumption.

"We found that emotive images of objects altered the amount that participants drank, with 'positive' objects increasing consumption and 'negative' objects decreasing it," says Winkielman. "But people were not swayed by emotional words, which were somehow powerless – even though the words were rated to be as emotive as the pictures."

Surprisingly, nearly invisible images – shown for only 10 milliseconds – had the same effect as clearly noticeable images shown for 200 milliseconds.

"In our experiment, the duration of the emotional cue did not matter for its ability to influence consumption," said Winkielman. "This echoes some previous studies, however we need stronger evidence to confidently claim that fleeting images work as well as more noticeable images in altering behavior."

Also, interestingly, people didn’t report feeling any different. They didn’t think their mood had changed, even while their behavior did.

Why images are stronger than words

Why are images more powerful than words? Further research is needed to figure that out. It’s possible, Winkielman said, that emotionally charged pictures speak more directly to us than words. Perhaps they work through an older more immediately reactive brain system, while words, which can be nuanced and ambiguous, might require more thought before they are able to affect us.

That is not to say that language doesn’t sway us. We all know it does, or we wouldn’t still be writing love letters or making political speeches.

"We know from experience and from our other research that words in sentences are emotionally impactful,” Winkielman said, “but why? Is it because they can conjure up images?"

As far as the old adage: For now, at least, it appears that a picture is worth more than a single word. More than a thousand words? That remains to be, um, seen.

Winkielman was supported by a grant from UC San Diego’s Academic Senate. Second author Yekaterina Gogolushko worked on this research as part of her undergraduate honor’s thesis at UC San Diego.

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Photo Essays: Visual Stories Unveiled

Did you know that the human brain can process images in as little as 13 milliseconds? It's a fascinating testament to our innate ability to understand and connect with visual content almost instantly. This incredible speed is a result of millions of years of evolution, where our ancestors needed to quickly distinguish between threats and opportunities in their environment. In a modern context, this means that a single image is worth a thousand words, making it a powerful tool to illustrate advertising and convey complex emotions, ideas, and stories within the blink of an eye. Learning how to do a photo essay is a remarkable cognitive ability that lies at the heart of the magic of visual storytelling. They offer a unique and compelling way to leverage our brain's rapid image-processing capabilities, enabling us to tell powerful stories and communicate intricate narratives in a format that is not only impactful but also deeply memorable.

Short Description

In this article, we delve into the captivating realm of visual narratives, uncovering their essence and evolution. Our sociology essay writing service explores the definition of a photo essay and its historical context, tracing its evolution into the modern multimedia landscape. We'll break down the essential components of visual storytelling, share inspiring examples, and guide you through the process of creating your own. Additionally, you'll find valuable tips for weaving compelling stories through visuals and a treasure trove of photo essay ideas and topics to kickstart your visual storytelling journey. Join us in this exploration of the art of narrative imagery, where a single image truly becomes a canvas for a thousand words.

What Is a Photo Essay?

A photo essay definition encompasses a captivating journey told through the lens of a camera. It's a story that unfolds in images rather than words, a visual narrative that evokes emotions, conveys messages, and sparks the imagination. Think of it as a gallery of moments, carefully curated to transport the viewer into a world where every photograph is a brushstroke in a larger painting.

At its core, this fusion of photography and storytelling creates a medium where a single picture isn't just aesthetically pleasing but also deeply meaningful. Each image plays a crucial role in advancing the plot, much like characters in a novel. But instead of flipping pages, you flip through various forms of images, and with each turn, the story deepens, broadens, or takes unexpected turns.

The magic of a visual narrative lies in its ability to transcend language barriers, making it a universal medium for communication. So, whether you're capturing the life of a bustling city, the serenity of nature, or the human spirit in all its complexity, it becomes your ticket to share the world as you see it with others. It's the art of storytelling through a visual symphony, where every image harmonizes to form a powerful, unforgettable composition while also emphasizing other aspects of your chosen narrative.

Historical Context and Evolution of Photo Essays

Now that we've explained what is a photo essay, let our nursing paper writing service experts walk you through its journey through time, a testament to the evolution of both photography and storytelling.

The roots of the visual narrative can be traced back to the mid-19th century, with the advent of photography. Early photographers like Mathew Brady used their craft to document the American Civil War, providing people with a visual window into the brutal realities of conflict. These pioneering photographers recognized the potential of images to convey powerful narratives, setting the stage for what would become the modern photo essay.

In the 20th century, the photo essay gained prominence, especially through publications like Life Magazine. Photographers such as Dorothea Lange and Margaret Bourke-White captured the struggles and triumphs of the Great Depression and World War II, bringing these stories into the homes of millions of Americans. The photo essay became a critical tool for photojournalists to tell in-depth, impactful stories.

As time progressed, the boundaries of the visual narrative continued to expand. It moved beyond traditional journalism and started embracing various themes and styles. Documentary photographers like Ansel Adams used photo essays to advocate for environmental conservation, while others delved into personal narratives, exploring themes of identity and culture.

With the digital age came new opportunities and challenges. Online platforms and social media have made it easier than ever for aspiring photographers and storytellers to share their work with a global audience. The historical context and evolution of photo essays remind us that they are not just a form of art but a vital tool for communication and understanding in an ever-changing world.

Components of a Photo Essay

A photo essay is more than just a collection of striking images; it's a carefully crafted narrative told through pictures. To understand the inner workings of visual storytelling, you must delve into its essential components.

1. Theme and Concept: Every photo essay template starts with a clear theme or concept. This serves as the backbone of your narrative, guiding your image selection and sequencing. Whether you're exploring social issues, nature's beauty, or personal stories, a well-defined theme ensures cohesiveness and resonance.

2. Image Selection: Curating the right images is an art in itself. Each photograph should contribute to the narrative, evoking emotions or conveying information. The selection process requires a critical eye and a deep understanding of the story you want to tell.

3. Image Sequencing: The order in which you present your images is crucial. Think of it as a visual timeline. The sequence should flow logically, carrying the viewer through the story, building anticipation, and leading to a satisfying conclusion.

4. Captions and Text: While a visual narrative relies primarily on visuals, captions, and accompanying text can provide valuable context. They offer insights, details, or quotes that enhance the narrative. Well-crafted captions can deepen the viewer's connection to the story.

5. Unifying Elements: Consider using unifying elements or motifs that thread through the entire essay. This might be a recurring color, shape, or symbol that adds a layer of coherence to your work.

6. Emotion and Message: Every photo essay should aim to evoke emotions or convey a message. The most compelling essays resonate with the viewer, leaving a lasting impact. Whether it's empathy, inspiration, or a call to action, your images should speak with intention.

Photo Essay Examples

The best way to grasp the essence of visual storytelling is to explore exemplars that have made a lasting impact. These examples serve as beacons of inspiration, shedding light on the myriad possibilities and the profound reach of this medium. Let's delve into a few notable photo essay examples:

1. 'Migrant Mother' by Dorothea Lange: This iconic photograph from the Great Depression era is a prime example of the emotional power of a single image. It's not just a portrait of a woman; it's a glimpse into the hardships faced during one of the most challenging times in American history.

2. 'The Americans' by Robert Frank: Robert Frank's groundbreaking narrative photo essay reshaped the landscape of documentary photography. His cross-country journey resulted in a collection of images that painted a complex and unfiltered portrait of American life in the mid-20th century.

3. 'The Family of Man' Exhibition: Curated by Edward Steichen, this exhibition featured a diverse array of photographs from around the world. It aimed to demonstrate the universality of human experiences, showcasing themes like love, work, and play.

4. 'The Whale's Way' by Paul Nicklen: This modern example of a photo essay captures the breathtaking beauty of the Arctic and the fragile ecosystems endangered by climate change. It's a powerful call to action, employing awe-inspiring images to raise environmental awareness.

5. 'Country Doctor' by W. Eugene Smith: This classic photo essay example documented the life of a dedicated general practitioner, Dr. Ernest Ceriani, in a small Colorado town. It provides a window into the challenges, joys, and sacrifices of a rural medical practitioner.

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How to Make a Photo Essay

Learning how to make a photo essay effectively is a dynamic process that combines photography and storytelling. Here are seven major steps from our authors who write a paper for you professionally to guide you along the way, along with examples for each step:

1. Choose Your Theme: Start by selecting photo essay topics that resonate with you. For instance, if you're passionate about environmental conservation, your theme could be 'Plastic Pollution in Our Oceans.'

2. Plan and Research: Research your chosen theme thoroughly to gain a deep understanding. In the case of the plastic pollution theme, learn about its impact on marine life, ecosystems, and the broader environmental context.

3. Storyboard Your Shots: Outline the narrative you want to convey in your photo essay format. Consider the story's structure, such as introducing the issue, showing its consequences, and highlighting solutions. For your plastic pollution essay, you might start with images of pristine beaches and progress to photos of plastic waste, culminating in images of clean-up efforts.

4. Start Shooting: Begin capturing images that align with your narrative. For your plastic pollution visual narrative, this could include shots of polluted beaches, marine animals entangled in plastic, and activists working to combat the issue.

5. Capture Emotion: Seek moments that evoke emotions. In your plastic pollution essay, capture the anguish of a sea turtle tangled in plastic or the determination of volunteers cleaning up a beach.

6. Edit and Curate: Review your images and select the most compelling ones that fit your narrative. Ensure they flow naturally from one to the next, guiding the viewer through the story.

7. Add Captions and Text: Complement your images with informative captions and text that provide context, facts, and your personal perspective on the issue. Explain the importance of addressing plastic pollution and suggest ways to make a positive impact.

Tips for Storytelling Through Images

Mastering how to do a photo essay involves more than just taking pictures; it requires the art of storytelling through visuals. Here are some essential tips to enhance your storytelling ability from our experts who can also assist you with requests like ‘ write my term paper for me .’

1. Embrace Variety: Include a diverse range of shots, such as wide-angle, close-up, and detail shots. This variety adds depth and keeps your audience engaged. For instance, if your essay is about a bustling city, capture wide cityscapes, close-ups of street vendors, and the small details that define urban life.

2. Use the Rule of Thirds: The rule of thirds is a classic photography technique. Divide your frame into thirds, both horizontally and vertically, and place key elements along these lines or their intersections. This creates a visually pleasing composition and draws the viewer's eye to important subjects.

3. Focus on Composition: Composition is essential. Pay attention to lines, shapes, and patterns within your frame. Leading lines, like a winding road or a river, can guide the viewer's gaze. Symmetry, asymmetry, and framing can all be used to create visually appealing compositions.

4. Capture Emotion: The most impactful photos convey emotion. Seek out moments that express feelings such as joy, sorrow, surprise, or determination. For example, if your photo essay is about a community project, photograph the excitement of participants or the sense of accomplishment on their faces.

5. Storytelling Details: Don't overlook small but significant elements in your photos. Sometimes, it's the subtle details that carry immense narrative weight. In a visual narrative about a family, focus on personal belongings, heirlooms, or the wear and tear of a cherished family photograph.

6. Experiment with Perspective : Similar to the approach used in literary analysis essays , delve into various angles and perspectives to infuse depth and intrigue into your images. Try shooting from high above or at ground level to change the viewer's point of view. For example, if you're creating a photo essay about a skyscraper's construction, take shots from both the top floor and the ground to illustrate the entire process.

7. Think About Lighting: Lighting plays a pivotal role in photography. Pay attention to the quality of light – whether it's natural or artificial – and how it interacts with your subjects. For a visual narrative of a musician's performance, capturing the play of stage lights and shadows can add drama and atmosphere to your shots.

Photo Essay Ideas and Topics

The world is filled with compelling stories waiting to be told through the lens of your camera. Here are some photo essay ideas and topics to inspire your visual storytelling journey:

Faces of a City: Document the diverse individuals who make a city come to life, from street vendors and artists to commuters and activists.
Cultural Celebrations: Immortalize the vibrant colors, traditions, and rituals of festivals and cultural events.
Endangered Species: Raise awareness about endangered animals and their struggle for survival.
The Art of Craftsmanship: Showcase the skills and dedication of artisans and craftsmen who keep traditional trades alive.
Community Gardens: Highlight the growth and togetherness found in community gardens and urban agriculture projects.
Climate Change Impact: This can be a compelling photo essay about nature, documenting the consequences of climate change, from melting glaciers to rising sea levels and extreme weather events.
Generational Differences: Compare and contrast the lives and experiences of different generations within a family.
Portraits of Resilience: Tell stories of people who have overcome adversity and found strength in challenging circumstances.
A Journey Along a River: Follow a river's course from its source to the sea, capturing the people, wildlife, and landscapes it sustains.
The Beauty of Decay: Find the art in abandoned places, crumbling structures, and reclaimed nature.
Hidden Worlds: Explore subcultures, hobbies, or professions that exist beneath the surface of mainstream society.
Healthcare Heroes: Shine a spotlight on the dedication and sacrifices of healthcare workers, especially in times of crisis.
Street Art and Graffiti: Showcase the vibrant world of urban art and the stories behind the murals and tags.
A Year in Seasons: Capture the changing seasons in one location, revealing the beauty and challenges each one brings.
Environmental Activism: Join the efforts of individuals and organizations working to protect our planet and its ecosystems.

Wrapping Up

In the realm of visual storytelling, both drawn and photographic images serve as powerful tools to communicate emotions, messages, and narratives, complementing the impact of the written word. They transcend language, connecting people across diverse backgrounds. Armed with the knowledge and inspiration from this guide, you're now well-prepared to embark on your own visual storytelling journey. Your camera is your voice, and every image is a unique story waiting to be told, offering deeper meaning with every click of the shutter. You have the power to engage, inform, and inspire through the fusion of images and the written word.

A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words

NASA's Mars Perseverance rover acquired this image using its Right Mastcam-Z camera. Mastcam-Z is a pair of cameras located high on the rover's mast.

From the image Perseverance recently took at Yori Pass , we can see that there are gray rocks scattered on top of a tan colored rock surface below. What do these different colors tell us? As planetary geologists, our job is to figure out through physical and chemical observations the story that these rocks tell us about Yori Pass and its place within the delta in Jezero Crater. Color is one of the first clues we can use that might hint at how the rocks formed.

When we see different colors like in this case, we might suspect that the two types of rocks had different origins. Other physical characteristics include size, angularity, texture, and context, which we can all use to piece together how the rocks got to be the way they are today. For example, the gray, more angular (sharper-edged) rocks sitting on top appear similar in appearance to an outcrop the rover has passed in another area called Boston Knob. The geologic term for this kind of rock at Yori Pass that sits on top is a “float rock” because it looks like it was transported here rather than forming in place. A few mechanisms by which this might happen include ejecta from crater impacts, entrainment in glaciers, or transport by wind or water. Considering the color of the underlying rock, the rock below appears more consistent with the type of terrain seen at other outcrops of the delta that might be fine-grained and likely to contain clay minerals. Clay minerals formed in the delta are exciting for potential preservation of biosignatures . Both types of rocks seen here at Yori Pass are interesting, though for different reasons because they may each point to different conditions and times within the history of the delta.

We have just started studying this new area at Yori Pass. On sol 614 (November 11, 2022), we performed proximity science using the PIXL and SHERLOC instruments on an abraded surface of the tan colored rocks, so we are looking forward to using the results to better constrain the chemical composition to determine whether we should sample here!

Written by An Li, Student Collaborator on PIXL at University of Washington

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The Perseverance Rover is parked among the tracks it made in the soil of Mars.

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NASA's Mars Perseverance rover acquired this image using its SHERLOC WATSON camera, located on the turret at the end of the rover's robotic arm.

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Water carved channels and transported sediments form fans and deltas within lake basins in this image of Mars' Jezero crater.

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Is a Picture Worth a Thousand Words?
Words: 706 Pages: 2. A picture can be worth a thousand words or even more but, as I will argue, that depends on who looks at it, why they look at it, and in what circumstances. In other words, a picture's meaning is relative to the viewer, and changes as the viewer changes. Once upon a time pictures had a significance greater than themselves ...
'A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words': Definition, Meaning, Examples
Take, for example, instruction manuals; they usually come with a picture or diagram or some sort of visual support to help you figure out how to use or build the item. That's the idea that the idiom 'A picture is worth a thousand words' conveys. It means you can tell an entire story with just one picture and impart a concept or idea much more ...
A picture is worth a thousand words
A pic with thousands words. Meaning. Seeing something is better for learning than having it described. Original form. "A thousand words leave not the same deep impression as does a single deed." Coined by. Henrik Ibsen. " A picture is worth a thousand words " is an adage in multiple languages meaning that complex and sometimes multiple ideas [1 ...
Napoleon Bonaparte: 'A picture is worth a thousand words.'
A picture is worth a thousand words. "A picture is worth a thousand words." This famous quote by Napoleon Bonaparte encapsulates the idea that visual imagery has the power to convey a profound message or story more effectively than a mere description could ever achieve. It speaks to the inherent ability of images to evoke emotions, provoke ...
A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words
The origin of the proverbial saying " a picture is worth a thousand words " comes from a reinterpretation of previous expressions in the early 1800s. The Works of Mr. James Thomson, published in 1802 has the earliest rendition of the phrase as the following. " One timely deed is worth ten thousand words ".
What Does a Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words Mean?
A picture is worth a thousand words. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. The idiomatic and proverbial expression a picture is worth a thousand words is used to convey that a picture, or image, or graphic illustration may better convey or describe something than many written or spoken words—that it may be easier, and much faster, to just ...
Unlocking the Power of Visualization: 'A Picture is Worth a Thousand
The origin of the phrase "A picture is worth a thousand words" is often attributed to Frederick R. Barnard, who used it in the advertising trade journal "Printers' Ink" in 1921 to promote the effectiveness of graphics in advertising. However, the phrase was labeled as a Chinese proverb to give it more credibility.
A picture is worth a thousand words
Its introduction is widely attributed to Frederick R. Barnard, who published a piece commending the effectiveness of graphics in advertising with the title " One look is worth a thousand words ", in Printer's Ink, December 1921. Barnard claimed the phrase's source to be oriental by adding "so said a famous Japanese philosopher, and he was right".
A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words
Example #1: "A picture is worth a thousand words, but sometimes a word is worth a thousand pictures.". Example #2: "Solomon stared at Mona Lisa's portrait, feeling mesmerized, he said to himself, 'a picture is worth a thousand words.Her smile, her eyes says it all." Example #3: "The manager asked the team to add more graphics for the presentation because a picture is worth a ...
A Picture's Worth a Thousand Words: From Image to Detailed Narrative
As Rochelle I. Frei (1999) explains, art "can be used the same way as written text can to expand children's knowledge of the world, and to understand what children do when they make sense of that world. . . . Art can provide a window into how children negotiate their understandings of images and their knowledge of the world" (386).
A picture is worth a thousand words
A picture is worth a thousand words. "A picture is worth a thousand words" suggests that a picture contains far more in its colors and content than 1,000 words ever could. E.g. The photograph captured the emotion of the moment perfectly; a picture is worth a thousand words. Related terms: Imagery, symbolism, metaphor.
Expansion of an Idea
The proverb "a picture is worth a thousand words" is a well-known saying that suggests that a single image can convey more information or meaning than a lengthy description or explanation. This proverb highlights the power of visual communication and the impact that an image can have on a viewer. The expansion of this proverb could be that ...
A picture is worth a thousand words
The phrase a picture is worth a thousand words means a picture may convey an idea more quickly and effectively than the written word. Writers of texts that describe concepts involving imagery or abstract thoughts need many words to get their points across. A photograph, artwork, drawing or graphics can often demonstrate an idea with one look ...
A picture is worth a thousand words: Rediscovering biography
It is said a picture is worth a thousand words. The picture could be paint on canvas or other mediums or light trapped on film. Whatever the method of creating the picture, the result is the same, the picture tells a story - a story crafted by the artist. In the process of creating the picture, the artist engages in a process of crafting the ...
a picture is worth a thousand words
The meaning of A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS is —used to say that it is often easier to show something in a picture than to describe it with words. ... 11 Mar. 2024 And if a picture is worth a thousand words, that one tells a very clear story of what a difference such a foundation can make for young creatives.
a picture is worth a thousand words
a picture paints a thousand words; Etymology [edit] Popularized following a 1911 speech given by Arthur Brisbane where he encouraged advertisers "Use a picture. It's worth a thousand words." By 1915, the phrase in its modern form is attested. A number of other phrases expressing the same idea are are attested throughout the 1800s.
A picture might actually be worth more than a thousand words
A picture might actually be worth more than a thousand words A picture might actually be worth more than a thousand words . February 8, 2018 Inga Kiderra, UC San Diego. Credit: iStock/annaia ... San Diego makes no claims on quantifying just how many words a picture is really worth, it shows that a single picture has the power to sway people ...
A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words Essay
9/11: A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words. minutes after the pentagon attack a catastrophe turn for the worst was made in New York when one of the towers collapsed in a cloud of dust. 30 minutes later another tower collapsed in a mountain of smoke. 3000 people where killed during these attacks out of these causalities firefighters and medical ...
Photo Essays: A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words
In a modern context, this means that a single image is worth a thousand words, making it a powerful tool to illustrate advertising and convey complex emotions, ideas, and stories within the blink of an eye. Learning how to do a photo essay is a remarkable cognitive ability that lies at the heart of the magic of visual storytelling.
A Picture is Worth 1,000 Words
A Picture is Worth 1,000 Words Image-driven story prompts and exercises for writers by Phillip Sexton Writer's Digest Books, 2008 ISBN 978-1-58297-472-1 $9.99 paperback, 256 pages. The old saying is true. And if you're a writer in need of inspiration, it's also the key to creating an endless number of stories while honing your craft.
Is a Picture Worth a Thousand Words? An Empirical Study of Image
The old idiom "A picture is worth a thousand words" has become the new maxim among social media marketers. ... Users visit Instagram primarily for high-quality photos rather than breaking news or stories. Text is also shown in smaller fonts and in a less significant position on Instagram. Therefore, users pay less attention to the text ...
A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words
Make a photo essay! This fun photography activity makes writing come to life by turning words into pictures. This activity is perfect for your middle school child who has trouble understanding parts of a story or thinks that writing can be boring. Download free activity. Add to collection.
A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words
From the image Perseverance recently took at Yori Pass, we can see that there are gray rocks scattered on top of a tanner rock surface below. What do these different colors tell us?
gemma marie
3,095 likes, 114 comments - gemmamarrie01 on April 20, 2024: "They say a picture is worth a thousand words, soo are you following the plot of my story here??".

Is a Picture Worth a Thousand Words?

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Napoleon Bonaparte: 'A picture is worth a thousand words.'

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The meaning and origin of the expression: A picture is worth a thousand words

A picture is worth a thousand words

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