This is an image of a young black boy standing in front of a sign. In the background you can see that on the sign it says "American." The frame cuts off the top of the sign so that you really focus just on the word American. The young boy is smiling and the sun is shining on his face, there are very few shadows in this picture. The first thing I noticed was the little boy and the large grin on his face, the looks so happy and he has a nice outfit on, he looks well taken care of. The little boy is placed under the word American but the photo is taken in such a way that it gives the illusion that we are looking up to him, like he is above us. This symbolizes that he is rising and the higher view, us looking up to him, symbolizes him having power. To me this is showing that blacks are rising up and are becoming equal to the white people. Since this boy is young it is showing that maybe the black people aren't equal to the white people at that point but in this young boys lifetime they will be. Also the detail of this boy being dressed well points to him having power in the future. He does not have raggedy clothes on, he is wearing a nice new coat and a clean shirt and hat. But at the same time the sign that he is standing in front of is a little run down and the word America has scratches on it and the paint is chipping in the right of the picture. This shows that America is a little run down at the time the picture is taken, with the segregation of blacks and whites, but the little boy dressed up foreshadows that this isn't the way is has to be, America can change. In this photo the photographer wants you to see that change is coming and that it is going to be bright.
Ashleigh, I can definitely sense the theme of “rising freedom” and blacks becoming equal with whites. I enjoyed reading your point about how nicely dressed as well as happy the young boy is, I think that this does really show that the future of American was changing. Other than that, I like how you incorporated the condition of the sign behind him, that it was scratched and beat up. I like that you didn’t just focus on the young African-American that is the focus of the photograph. America was definitely beat up at this time and you can see it in this photograph.
ReplyDeleteI think you make a great point concerning the state of the sign behind the boy. Just like the country itself at this time, the sign is imperfect and damaged. It is possible that the stark contrast of the bright lettering of the word “American” against the darker colored sign could represent the idea of the American dream shining through all the damage that the country has suffered. On the other hand, the apparently white lettering could represent the ideals held at this time that to be American means being white. I would side more with the former interpretation as it better fits the overall optimistic mood of this photo.
ReplyDeleteWhen I initially viewed this photograph, I considered the young subject positioned in front of the "Journal and American" sign as Parks manifesting his younger self as having a dream of success. This photo allows his viewers inspiration that dreams can come true. Furthermore, the audience for this particular photo is geared towards African Americans to inspire them to strive towards goals and ideals of self, just as he did for himself. Naturally, the angle of the picture influences the interpretation, allowing the subject to be elevated above the viewer which is in connection with being 'above' or in the realm of ideals. So without much interpretation, just merely viewing the photograph one feels a sense of hope to strive
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