Assignment: Analysis of Tone and Rhetoric in 'The Perfect Picture'

This assignment analyzes James A. Thom's short story, 'The Perfect Picture,' focusing on the narrative perspective of a young police reporter faced with a tragic scene. The analysis examines the reporter's internal conflict between his professional duty to capture a compelling photograph and his moral conscience, which prevents him from exploiting the grandfather's grief. The essay explores the story's themes of empathy, the ethics of journalism, and the impact of media on human suffering. The analysis highlights the use of first-person narration to create a strong rhetorical appeal and evoke emotions in the reader. It also discusses the reporter's commentary on the media's tendency to sensationalize human tragedy. The analysis demonstrates the reporter's persuasive attempts to justify his decision to not take the picture.

Surname 1
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The Perfect picture
“The Perfect picture” is the narration of a tragic scene told from the viewpoint of a young
reporter. A grandfather has run over his granddaughter accidentally, and the reporter goes to the
house to get a ’perfect picture’ of the situation.
“The house was quiet. A clock ticked. As I watched, the grandfather slowly leaned forward,
curved his arms like parentheses around the little form, and then pressed his face to the shroud
and remained motionless.” (Thom 1).
The reporter wants the audience to empathize with him and understand the scenario. He
wants them to feel the pain and grief of the grandfather. As he offers a first-person point here, he
creates a stronger rhetoric appeal by helping the readers to visualize the scene and what is going
on through his mind. By describing the clock ticking in the quiet house, and how the grandfather
presses his face to the shroud covering his grandchild, the narrator successfully evokes emotions
within his readers.
“I was keenly aware of the powerful storytelling value that photo would have, and my
professional conscience told me to take it. Yet I couldn't make my hand fire that flashbulb and
include on the poor man's island of grief.” (Thom 2).
The reporter is aware that he can get a perfect shot but explains that he is still not able to
fire that flashbulb. He feels like if he took that perfect picture, he would be showcasing the
grandfather’s grief to the world. The reporter conveys to his readers that although he is getting a
big-time moment in his profession, he could not click the picture. Although his professional
conscience was aware that he is letting go of a big opportunity, his moral conscience stops him
from capturing an extreme personal grief in his camera.

Surname 2
“Every day, on the newscasts and in the papers, we see pictures of people in extreme conditions
of grief and despair. Human suffering has become a spectator sport.” (Thom 2).
The reporter tries to convince the reader that what he has done is right and persuades
them to agree with his decision not to take the "perfect picture". He shares his personal
experience here and comments as to how the media is just more about showcasing human
suffering without empathizing with it. He convinces his readers that he did not want to use
someone’s personal grief as a public show. Through his action, he tries to persuade the readers
opinion towards his perception and forces them to agree with him.

Surname 3
Works Cited
Thom, James A. " The Perfect Picture." learning.hccs, vol. 1, no. 1, 1976, pp. 1-1.