Neal Schutt and C.J. Von Bargen Dr.

Erin Dietel-McLaughlin WR 13300 5 December 2011 Asian Carp: Defending the Great Lakes from Invasion Our interest in the topic of the invasive species Asian carp comes from this issue, which not many people know about, being so close to home. There are so many issues that command our attention globally, but the issue at hand in particular is one that is definitely not getting the attention that it deserves, despite its local significance. We felt that because all Notre Dame students are essentially Midwest citizens nine months out of the year, the topic is especially relevant because if nothing is done to prevent the spread of the carp into Lake Michigan and the other Great Lakes, it is almost guaranteed to impact every one of us. Although our essay brings no overwhelmingly new arguments to light in the subject area, the topic is so unknown and under discussed that most people have never heard of it to begin with, making the content fresh to the audience anyway. We introduced the topic to the viewer by providing a brief background of invasive species damage and its history in the Great Lakes ecosystem, using zebra mussels as an example. The introduction of another species that has already caused damage in the same setting validated the potential damage that the Asian Carp could do. We then moved on to introduce the Asian Carp and how it was brought to the U.S. and escaped, now terrorizing the whole of the Illinois Riverbed. We felt that this section was crucial to our argument because the audience would otherwise have no idea what the Asian Carp are or understand why they are unnatural in our ecosystems. Then we moved on to detail what is currently being done to stop the spread of the

pest to the Great Lakes, using interviews from relevant politicians and news sources. By showing the current actions, we showed the controversy of the issue of whether enough has already been done, but also set the stage for our own points that refute the counterargument. We showed that the current legislation and infrastructure set in place is not enough to stop the spread of the fish, by providing evidence that the species has already made it past the barriers put in place. This is a convincing point because it is easy to see that the current systems are flawed, and that the carp still pose a very serious threat, especially if no additional action is taken. In the video, we then went on to show how much of a threat the species pose by citing biological research and evidence used in the House of Representatives. We took this biological and political perspective because they are our target audience; the common citizen will not be able to contribute nearly as much as the political or biological sectors. In conclusion, we called these empowered individuals to make a difference on this issue with an emphasis on the closure of the locks. As the concept of a visual essay was new to both of us, the process that we used to create it was naturally much different than the process we were used to in a written assignment. The greatest difference that we found between the creative process for a visual essay and that of a textual essay is that shorter, more powerful evidence must be used in place of the longer, more developed points/ideas found in written essays. In order to accomplish this, we had to find very specific video clips, quotes and photographs that highlighted the major challenges and solutions to the Asian Carp issue. Organization and flow were especially important because of the relatively short length of the video. We used a storyboard to organize the order in which our arguments would appear and what media we would use to present them. After peer review and looking at examples from previous years we decided to use more still screens with text representing our analysis in order to give the viewer a better sense of direction. One thing that we

struggled with later in the process was finding music that would tie the piece together without distracting the viewer from the content or tone that we wished to communicate. We eventually settled on a neutral music clip that delivered a sense of urgency but did not play too prominent of a role in the overall message delivered to the audience. Overall, the use of video as the media for our essay worked very well because it allows the audience to easily see a problem that they are most likely unfamiliar with. We also used credible quotes and scholarly research in the form of text, graphs and maps to provide a factual basis, which complement the more visual aspects of the video. The credible factual aspects provide the ethos and logos of our argument, while the film appeals more to the viewers emotions. An example of the film causing an emotional response is the clip of the Asian Carp jumping around the boat as it travels through an infested river. After including and organizing all of the previously mentioned aspects of our visual essay, we then polished up our argument using the tools provided in iMovie in order to create a more professional piece. We used specific transitions, still-screen background, and font that all complimented our topic in the most effective way possible. The vast majority of transitions that we used were the ripple transitions that are included in iMovie; this tied our clips, photos, and text together and kept all points of our argument in the aquatic realm. For the still-screens that were implemented to provide the viewer a sense of direction, we used the underwater background in order to keep our analysis relevant to the discussion of the fish. Lastly, we used fonts and colors that are aesthetically pleasing to maintain the quality of our project, while also being sure to maintain the credibility of our essay in light of our desired audience.