because of the expression on his face and his features. What about is body language and facial expressions makes him look already look like a victim of a war? Why would he be made to portray such a graphic image?Thursday, January 31, 2008
Child with a Toy Gernade in Central Park
This is a very striking picture of a boy holding a gernade clinched in his hand with that seem to point to a deperate future, hysterical and militarized. This picture catches your eye because of the contrast of calm nature with violent- seeming nature of such a young boy. Take notice of even the skinny tree trunks compared to the young boy's stick-like legs and the representation of two different worlds. Why would the boy look so anxious and destressed in such a calm, serene, public place? He looks as if he has already been thorough war
because of the expression on his face and his features. What about is body language and facial expressions makes him look already look like a victim of a war? Why would he be made to portray such a graphic image?
because of the expression on his face and his features. What about is body language and facial expressions makes him look already look like a victim of a war? Why would he be made to portray such a graphic image?
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The first thing that caught my eye about this picture is the title: "Child with Toy Grenade in Central Park." Something about the grenade being a toy is a little bit curious. It seems, almost, as though the manufacturers are telling the children, "its okay to play with grenades. You can even throw them at your friends." However, what I find the most frightening is the fact that this little boy in the middle of Central Park looks like he has just walked out of a horror film. It seems the photographer wanted to portray war's tragic effect on children. He appears desensitized to the grenade while also looking like a disheveled war victim. This kid who can't be older than 6 or 7 looks like he is shell shocked from fighting on the front lines. The photographer creates an image of innocence stolen through this picture.
What a striking image! So much to see in this one—the curled, claw-like hand, the delirious or demonic (how would you describe this?) expression on the face of this young boy, his emaciated looking legs, the serenity surrounding him—he seems to serve as a poster child for the effects of a war-obsessed culture. Or, perhaps, he serves to remind us of our natural tendencies to fight? To seek revenge? To play war?
His thin, waiflike body makes him look like a victim of war, but he also looks like he is ready to victimize—again, representative of the cycle that is perpetuated?
Perhaps the photograph also argues the sense of a false serenity in this country—what are we covering up? Are we fundamentally war torn?
Great choice for the blog. I would like others to respond to this one…
I think this picture represents American society and the young men in America. The boy in the picture represents America’s young men. It can be extrapolated that society is represented here as the park. This picture actually does not make me think of how this boy is a victim of war. I think this picture portrays a society where men are desensitized to violence at an extremely young age. I feel that the boy is looking to the viewer in confusion. It appears that the child is unsupervised which I think makes another strong argument. Perhaps it is suggesting that without guidance, young men turn to a life of violence in our society. His toys are play weapons and grenades. What else is he supposed to grow up thinking? The park around him is normally a peaceful place but here looks weak. The trees, like the boy, are skinny and young. Other people including other children walk through the park. The tragedy here is not what war has done to the child; it is what society has done to him.
The first thing take caught my attention was the boy’s facial expression. It seems like he is terrified of something. It seems like the little boy has seen war and death first hand. The second thing that caught my attention was the grenade in his hand. I keep asking myself questions and I can’t come up with an answer. Why does he have a grenade? Could this photo suggest that we as humans embrace fighting and war at a young age? Could also show that humans are naturally violent creatures? Also, he is in a park. What is the photographer trying to say by placing him in such a calm and quiet place? To be honest I don’t really know. However, I do feel that this image shows that the innocence of the youth is stolen through violence and war.
This picture is very striking to the eye because of the kids facial expression and abnormal body type for the most part. THe child is extremely skinny and has a somewhat terrified or eccentric look on his face and in his eyes. He is in the middle of a calm park and the expression on his face makes you wonder, what the hell did this kid go through? Maybe he is insane from all the militarized atmosphere or thoughts going through his head. The grenade in his hand shows as an example maybe for what exactly might be the reasoning for his facial expression. The grenade also might be a representation of how children can be subjected to war or as Sean made a good point about being desensitized to war(violence) at young ages.
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