Name:_______________________________

Photo Essay Assignment

Persecution: to oppress or harass with ill-treatment, especially because of race, religion,
gender, sexual orientation, or beliefs.

Persecution plays a large role in the fate of many individuals in Arthur Miller’s
The Crucible. Persecution, unfortunately, greatly affects our society. Historically, we
have seen many instances of persecution based on religion, race, gender, sexual
orientation and beliefs; we also witness persecution in the present day. It is your job to
visually present an instance of persecution through the form of the photo essay.

Examples of Persecution:
• The Holocaust (1938-1945)
• The Rwanda Genocide (1994)
• Armenian Genocide (1915-1918)
• Cambodian Genocide (1975-1979)
• Nanking Massacre (1937-1938)
• The Parsley Massacre (1937)
• Papa Doc Duvalier- Persecutor (1957-71)
• Tito- Persecutor (1945-1987)
• Fidel Castro- Persecutor (1959-1999)
• Canadian Residential Schools for Aboriginal Children (1840-1950s)
• The KKK
• 9/11 and its effect on perceptions of the Muslim faith
• Gay rights
 A photo essay tells a story with pictures and words in a way that words alone
cannot. It is generally understood that the shorter the photo caption required for the
picture to convey meaning to the viewer, the better the picture. The effectiveness of a
photo essay begins in the planning. What to consider while creating your photo essay:

• Your photo essay may be persuasive, narrative, comparative, or

descriptive.
• Your audience is your classmates and your teacher.
• Just like a written essay, you should brainstorm about your topic, gather
information, and use that information in your essay—your information
will primarily be what’s provided through photographs.
• Organization is important! You should organize your photo essay with an
introduction, body and conclusion.

Steps and Requirements:

1. Brainstorm a topic that relates to the idea of PERSECTUTION.
2. Write out a draft of your topic sentence (i.e. what the main
idea of your photo essay is). Present this to your teacher.
3. Create, or search for images that fit your topic. You must have a
minimum of 12 photos. Each photo must have 2-3 sentences
written about it.
4. Create a storyboard using the storyboard sheets provided. Create,
or search for images that fit your topic. Use the storyboard to
figure out what people will see as you present your photo essay.
Make brief captions. You must hand in your story board sheets
with your final product.
5. Put your final product together using PowerPoint. Make sure to
creatively assemble the PowerPoint. Requirements: Your
PowerPoint must include at least five PowerPoint animations (i.e.
picture or title movement, sound, etc.).
6. Hand-in your photo essay PowerPoint, along with a paragraph in
which you explain, as the author, your purpose in creating the
 photo-essay. This is the “Artist’s Statement” and should be around
250 words. The “Artist’s Statement” must be the final slide on
your PowerPoint.

Due:
Grade: /20