Critical Analysis of a Photograph

Student: Professor: Course title: Date: Critical Analysis of a Photograph This essay provides a detailed photo analysis. The selected photograph which is written pertains to current immigration issues unfolding in Europe particularly with regard to the Syrian refugees. The photograph that has been chosen is published and historically significant. In this essay, some of the layers of meaning contained in the photograph are explored comprehensively and revealed. Thesis: the selected image depicts a very bad and desperate situation faced by people of Syria who try to use illegal and dangerous means to reach Europe after the European countries denied them entry as they flee war at home. It shows a terrible situation which the Syrian people have to cope with owing to what is going on in their country. Chosen Photograph The image of a small young boy wearing a red T-shirt and a long short that reach below the knees depict a body that was washed away on the shores of Europe. The boy's shirt tends to hike just above his waist thus exposing his midriff. On the other hand, the boy is wearing some black sneakers without socks and is picked dead, with his head facing down the rocky surf. A police officer is seen in the photo carrying the boy away, with the officer wearing some latex gloves. The feet of this tiny boy is also seen dangling below the officer's waist, with one of his shoe straps of his sneakers dangling since they were undone. In as much as the picture does not speak what the law enforcer is thinking, the only clear thing is the body of a small child on his hands, with one thing clear, that the officer is looking away. A look at the background additionally speaks a lot. There are several litters at the floor of the beach, with the sand showing the strong tides that might have heat the costal at night. The lighting indicates the time of this event, with probability of the picture perceived to have been taken in the morning. The waves are clearly despicable, showing how the child was swept away to the beach. According to sources, Aylan, and his family, the ultimate journey was supposed to conclude in a refuge in Europe; rather, his ultimate journey ended his life and draw attention to the plight of desperate individuals who are caught in the gravest refugee crisis since the Second World War. The child's photo has reverberated globally thus stirring public outrage and embarrassed political leaders as far away as Canada, in which leaders had declined an asylum application from the relatives of this child. The image of the lifeless body of this young boy made international headlines and prompted responses from around the globe. The photograph was found in The Guardian newspaper online version. The photo would make a good subject for an essay on Syrian refugee crisis as it will show the reality of the desperate situation that faces very many refugees from the war torn nation of Syria as they try to flee to the West. Compositional Qualities of the Photograph Title of photograph: A Turkish police officer carries a young boy who drowned in a failed attempt to sail to the Greek island of Kos (Smith 2). Composition: when composing this photograph, the photographer sought a balanc...