Mercury, Argus, And Io Analysis

More than paint, more than canvas, art is influenced by the expression of human creativity and imagination resulting from the will and desire of the artist. As an artist carefully applies obscured devices to create their work, the writer, through the use of rhetoric, fashions their work to portray their perspective and perception. Within each intensional and maneuvered stroke of the artist, he or she further depicts their concept or purpose. The same applies to the work of the writer; each line is carefully crafted and calculated to deliver their message. The painting Mercury, Argus, and Io by Salvator Rosa demonstrates the use rhetoric creating both a sinister and dark scene while also depicting abandonment and isolation. These two descriptions

prompted the creation of two essays, portraying the dominant impressions of Brooding and Detachment. Within the essays depicting Rosa’s painting, the dominant impression Brooding was developed and supported by the use of concrete connotative diction, personification, and the use convoluted syntax, whereas the dominant impression Detachment lacked a certain amount of support due to the lack of diversity between syntax structures and the rhetorical devices not directly supporting the theme or message. The first essay Brooding describes the dark and foreboding overtones within the painting. The author depicts this mood through the use of connotative diction which, along with giving vivid descriptions of the scene, also illustrates the dark intentions with the use of select word choices. Within the essay, most physical descriptions of the foreground depict the twisted, warped impression of the painting, words such as, “crude, lanky, sunken, callous, splintered, stark, or splattered” contribute to the mood. This purposeful use of diction portrays the scene as a warped, deformed location of, what on the surface, would appear to be a gorgeous depiction of a countryside. The subtle yet prominent details depict the superficial or seemingly peaceful aspect of brooding, which is defined by the hidden characteristic of dark intentions. By describing the scene as “crude” or “splintered,” it represents the broken, harsh nature of the scene. Another use of connotative diction and it’s effect on brooding is the encompassing or controlling nature of the word choice.. Words within the essay such as, “dreamlike, enveloped, subdued, looming, hovering, ominous, or submerged” lead to the impression of being taken control of, most likely in a secretive and unsuspecting way. This use of diction furthers the idea of sinister intentions masked by a front of dreamlike tranquility, which brings more anxiousness and discomfort into the scene. Through the use of specific diction, the story of the scene becomes revealed subtlety. The word choice “dreamlike, subdued, and looming” mimick the story that is being told indirectly, in which Argus is being lulled to sleep so Mercury can slit his throat. Through the use of specific connotative diction, the essay Brooding is portrayed and developed, depicting many aspects of the word, while also describing the painting and the hidden story within it.
The use of syntax structures also contributes to developing the dominant impression for the essay Brooding.

Within the primary essay, convoluted sentences are used on numerous of occasions. Convoluted sentences allow the passage to possess importance located at the beginning and end. Convoluted syntax also provides detail towards the scene but particularly the middle portion of the sentence. An example of convoluted syntax which exercises pauses can be seen periodically, “A twisted tree trunk protrudes out of the silt like earth, covered in crude knots and lanky dead branches, hover over the small stretch of land it’s rotting roots are positioned in.” The separation causes the beginning and end to hold more importance and to be emphasised by the interruption. The repeated use of convoluted syntax gives the sentences a rhythmical and somewhat choppy feeling. The separation of clauses, combined with details, also provide a break that adds to the anticipation and obscurity of the painting, in turn portraying the dominant impression. Another use of convoluted syntax incorporating a sense of obscurity can be seen within the following phrase, “The ridge on the top of the towering stones, a vast forest of wild grass and hovering trees stretch as far as the colossal mountain range in the distance, cast a shadow over the land.” The clause is broken apart by the detailed description of the forest, therefore it provides an extensive break from the main clause. The effect this creates

is a sense of obscurity that vieles the ridge with detail and a feeling of empowerment over the land. Convoluted syntax providing pauses and separation of the clauses develops the foreboding and menacing aspects of the Brooding through the details they provide and the obscurity they cause.
Throughout Brooding, rhetorical devices are used in order to portray the threatening mood though personification of various objects and creatures within the painting developing brooding. The use of personification provides the essay with a context and a message. By giving inanimate objects or organisms human characteristics, their purpose within the painting is made clear and the support in which they provide is displayed. Personification allows subjects who would not normally be impactful to possess a purpose, “The upper half on the trunk splintered, as if it’s own structure and size had betrayed itself and broke the tree from it’s base.” The use of personification implies the tree had not only fractured under it’s own weight, but also the trunk had betrayed itself and broke deliberately. This sense of betrayal relates directly to the frightening and foreboding dominant impression and provides a parallel to the story within the painting. Another instance of personification can be seen in the following phrase, “Just barely visible underneath the elegant roves of Mercur hides a sliver blade catching light, hidden as to avoid the gaze of Argus.” The concept the knife is hiding as to avoid detection demonstrates the secretive nature portrayed by the sinister mood. Due to the knife being personified as hiding from view, it’s importance as the tool which will cause death within the story is shown. Personification depicts the mood and story through elaborating the nature of subjects which normally not possess crucial details; therefore it demonstrates the intentions the author is creating within Brooding.
The other dominant impression pulled from Rosa’s painting Detachment depicts the overpowered and secluded nature of the work. Within the essay many rhetorical devices are used similar to the first; however, the effectiveness of these devices are not well established and do little to provide to the dominant impression. One such device is the repetitive use of extensive cumulative sentences, existing with very little diversity amongst them. The overuse of clauses combined together can be evaluated within the excerpt, “With a mix of fear and longing it peers with big hazel eyes across the pool on the other shore at three distance bulls reach an ashen gray and each staring back at the confined cow, a look of distaste is noticeable within their gaze.” While this passage does well in describing through the use of details for the scene and portrays the desired mood in the essay Detachment, when combined with surrounding cumulative sentences it does little to invoke the dominant impression. The overuse of these long, extensive sentences not only dulls the essay but also does not reflect seclusion. Another instance of a cumulative sentence is seen the following passage from Detachment, “A still, placid pool of dark cyan water, still and abundant with a wide assortment of creatures, gradually flows from the enormous, isolating mountain range in the distance.” Again, the connotative diction provides supportive details and is effective, but it is the choice of syntax structure that weakens its effect. This individual quote is impactful to the isolation of the scene, however, the tedious use of this particular syntax weakens the effect. The use of these extensive, complex sentences surrounding short, simple sentences would do well to portray isolation through the literal isolation of these segregating sentence. The overuse of cumulative sentences does not demonstrate the dominant impression within Detachment effectively within the secondary essay due to it’s repetitious and dulling nature.
The figurative language presented in the essay also does not signify a sense of isolation and while it does not necessarily negate the dominant impression, it does not support Detachment either.

While similes within the essay are beneficial to the description of the scene, they do not depict the mood or the author's purpose. The simile “The cow's coat is as white as freshly fallen snow reflecting off the midday sun,” does not represent the feeling of abandonment or forgottenness in which the essay is portraying. While the simile can be seen as descriptive and providing a familiar basis through comparisons in which the reader can relate, it does not function properly within the text. Another example of figurative language which does not effectively portray the dominant impression is within the use of personification, “At the base of the closest towering peak sits a city, exposed by the light softly kissing the countryside.” This use of personification does not apply to the mood or any form of detachment, and while it may be effective in the sense of juxtaposing the surrounding text, the personifying of the light is not necessary. Giving the light human characteristics does not influence the reader toward the dominant impression and is not needed. Its use might confuse or obscure the desired perspective of seclusion to the reader, therefore this use of personification is not beneficial to the essay. Using figurative language is an essential aspect to create rhetoric, however,

when not used in a supportive context, it can be potentially damaging to the purpose of the author as seen within the essay Detachment.
The interpretation of any media either art or writing is dependent on the perspective of the viewer. As a viewer, we generally only interpret from a single, almost closed minded perspective. The challenge of the assignment was the interpretation of a single artwork but with two separate dominant impressions. I struggled personally within this assignment because of the difficulty to not only create but also support two independent dominant impressions. However, the importance and skills brought on by the concept of the assignment is beneficial for a great deal of situations.
The ability to view and build upon multiple interpretations is a key aspect of creating thorough explanations and descriptions. This essay had helped not only develop my skills on description and the development of describing, but also being able to possess a viewpoint from multiple perspectives not only within these particular assignments but as an individual. The skill to create more than one opinion or standpoint is a vital aspect in everyday activity, such as understanding situations with a wider perspective, the ability to understand multiple sides to eliminate bias, or to expand outlook towards most activities involving the interpretation of the individual. As a writer and as a student, the conscious effort needed to create these essays, both rhetorically and interpretation wise, is an ability that would help with on all forms of writing, not simply description. The application of techniques effectively with a purpose would improve my own writing drastically and, through the use of rhetoric, would increase the potential I have of creating a well detailed and impactful description.