Period 6 -- Critical Analysis #15

3/1/2018

Today you will be writing about this image made by artist and photojournalist Gordon Parks. This image is from a series Parks completed for Life Magazine. Life sent Parks to Alabama in 1956 to document 3 black families during one of the most turbulent times in American history. The project was meant to show how ordinary black families truly lived in the Deep South during 1956, and the images would serve to counter the misinformation spread that a racially segregated society was good for everyone.

Write 4 paragraphs, 5 sentences minimum per paragraph. Remember to post your analysis as a comment to the blog post that corresponds to your class. If you post your analysis to the wrong class's post, it will not be graded.

Remember, refer to your "How to See" handout for analyzing a photograph--

Describe specifics.
Describe form.
Describe the content.
Evaluate the image.

Your analyses will be graded on:

meeting minimum length requirements
depth of organization
evaluation of the content
grammar/punctuation

Payton Down

3/1/2018 12:21:04 pm

This image is of a group of children looking at a playground. The kids are African American and are looking through a fence trying to look at something. There is a lot of green because of the plants and grass but the kids are wearing light pastel colors. Bright sunlight is being used as the light source. There are no faces included in the photo just the backs of the children's heads. The children are looking through the fence at the park maybe wanting to go in.

It is interesting to look at makes you wonder what is happening in the park or why the children are looking in that direction. The rule of thirds is not being used in this photo. The photographer took the photo at a human eye level. Deep depth of field is being used because everything is in focus. The focal point is these children. There are many lines around the children but even the trees growing off of the fence are point towards the children. The image is balanced but it isn't perfectly symmetrical.Yes there is extra space but its just grass and such.

The theme is or could possibly be about the segregation in 1956. The idea that the viewer should get is how these children longed to be apart of normal society and play in this park. Yes, there is always a story to be told in a photo. The artist could be trying to spread awareness about it and how it affected these kids lives. This doesn't remind me anything off the top of my head. I think this photo is a statement for equality and justice. It shows the viewer that it was truly a cruel thing to not even allow these kids play in this park. I think the image is noteworthy and brave.

I do like the photo it expresses a different side to a story, a different point of view. I think this photo is successful because it is a symbol of expressing himself and how they saw the world in a different view. I think these kids were upset and wanted to play in the playground but the photographer captured the emotion that the kids have. I really liked it.

Brandon

3/1/2018 12:35:46 pm

The image is of six children staring at what looks like a small scale carnival, they are behind a fence. It is using bright colors my guess is to show what year there in looks like it could be in a time around 1950s. The sunlight looks like midday with a little cloudy, there are shadows but they are not dark. The objects in the image is clean cut grass, a seesaw, a telephone pole, weeds, a spinning play thing, a fence, a ferris wheel, six kids outside the fence, and some people inside the fence. The six kids are African American and if my guess was right about it being in the 50s then the people inside near the ferris wheel are white. The six kids are outside the fence staring at the white people having fun at the carnival.
It is kind of pleasing to look at because the subjects are in focus while more of a story is being told about it in the unfocused background. The rule of thirds is being used because the subjects are not right in the middle making it unpleasing to look at they are at the bottom. In the eyes of the subjects the camera is third person.The depth of field is somewhat shallow. Most of the lines are on the fence if you follow it it leads to the six children. The edges of the photo is mostly weeds at the bottom and the top has leaves.
The idea of the image is of discrimination the six kids are possibly a little jealous.The white people have fun while there not allowed to go in. The artist is trying to show people the way African Americans were treated as less than humans. This image reminds me of pretty much all racial segregation movies. The image is noteworthy because it still shows a part of America that a lot of people don't recognize a lot any more.
Seeing racism is sicking. It is not shocking to think that maybe some of our relatives had slaves. But with the mindset a lot of this generation has they see it as bad , and it really was bad. There are some people that have their parents pass down their beliefs on racism so it cant be abolished, but it has been decreased. This image was successful because it probably enlightened a lot of people.

Matthew Weiss

3/1/2018 12:39:41 pm

The image was made in 1956, by Gordon Parks. It was taken to capture and show the unfairness and truth behind racial segregation. In the image, six, young African American children are shown, looking past a fence, into a park that they can’t go to because of the segregation that exists. The lighting in the photo is very bright even harsh due to the sunlight.

In the photo, the children are in the foreground of the photo, with the park in the background. In this photo, the fence between the children and the park, is a clear example of racial segregation working to prevent African Americans from equal treatment and opportunities. In the photo, bright blue and a vibrant greens are seen in the plants and sky. In regards to positive space, it can be seen where the children are, and behind the fence in the park. The rest of the image is only trees, grass and sky and so this is where the negative space exists.

In the image, there is a clear theme in the wrongs of segregation. This image depicts that in the clear disregard for equality as the children are denied access to simple things, like the park that whites at the time took for granted. The story told is about the children's desire to go to the park but their inability to do so. Gordon Parks made this image in order to show the flaws with racial segregation. I think that this image is quite noteworthy, based on its abilities to challenge the unfairness of society.

I like this image. It was meant to challenge beliefs on racial segregation and expose its flaws. This photo did this well. It showed how the children are denied access to certain things, for this, it was quite successful. It displayed blatant unfairness and inequality and conveyed a strong message.

Naty Orquin

3/1/2018 12:40:53 pm

Specifics
The image consists of African American children onlooking into a gated children’s park. The physical language the children portray shows them wanting to go in by grabbing onto the wired gate and seeing the old kids comfort the younger ones by putting their arm on her shoulder. The clothes these children are wearing are very bright colors to show color and personality. The lighting is very bright, but there is some shadowing surrounding the children. There’s a seesaw, ferris wheel, and lots of green plants.

2. Form
This image is not pleasing to look at because it is very disheartening to look at these children knowing they wished they could be a part or it. The point of view is from a outside 3rd person point of view. The image is in a deep depth of field showing details throughout the entire image. The focal point of the image were the children. The image seems to be a bit unbalanced with more kids leaning to the right side of the image. These children fill up the bottom half of the image.

3. Content
The theme of the image has to do with the segregation in the Us during the 1000’s. These children wanted to be able to join in on the carnival fun, but due to the color of their skin were not allowed to join. These were very hard times for people of color. This artist made this image to portray life in segregated Alabama. It questions my beliefs on why the color of someone’s skin should affect their daily lives. Like not being able to drink from the same water fountain. We are all the same, all human.

4. Evaluate
I love this image because it shows so much character. It has a true meaning behind the photo. This is part of history that we can capture through the eye of the lense. This image was successful in portraying it’s purpose. It was easy to understand and was shown through a different perspective. Through the perspective of the children looking into what they couldnt have.

Lucas Prado

3/1/2018 08:15:36 pm

This image is of a group of black kids (maybe family) standing outside of a playground behind a fence. They are standing on ground mostly overgrown with weeds and plants, yet the playground lawn is neatly mown. The group consists of four girls and one little boy. Each girl is wearing a colored dress, and the little boy is wearing brown overalls. The playground consists of small Ferris wheel, a merry-go-round, and a couple of see-saws. Most prominently, the playground has a bunch of white families playing in the park.

The main point of view for the photograph is first person, with the camera at eye level. It has a deep depth of field, as the viewer can see the playground equipment clearly and can even make out faces from far away. The subject, the group, still has plenty of space around them for the viewer to see the playground and even the sky. With all the clutter in the image, it’s fairly asymmetrical.

The main theme behind the image is about the prominence of segregation in the 1950s. The artist took this photo to show people that segregation was not only still prominent but also, in his opinion, wrong. The main story is the story of segregation still living in America at the time. It doesn’t really question any beliefs that I have, since it happened so long ago. But for the time, it was most certainly made to bring into question people’s social beliefs.

For bringing evidence against the idea that segregation was necessary, this photo seems to be successful. I like looking at photos of how things were, so naturally I like this photo for its historical value. It is also successful in showing people the ‘other side’ of life in the 1950s. It was made for showing people that segregation wasn’t the ideal way for society to get along as some had argued. It let people see what was happening to other actual people at the time, which was important before the information age.

Gilly Thompson

3/2/2018 09:18:09 am

This image was taken at a time when segregation was still around and was supposed to show through the images how segregation affected people and how it was not beneficial for really anyone. Through these images you can see the unjust things that people were choosing to do just because of the color of someone's skin. In this image you can’t see the childrens faces but you can assume that they are either sad about having to look at something from the outside or confused as to why they were treated differently.

The children are all standing near a grassy fence that is covered with vines on the left side of the fence. They are all looking in the direction of what's beyond the fence, where a carnival appears to be going on along with playground equipment nearby. They are all wearing dresses except for a young boy who is wearing overalls . The girl on the far right seems to be comforting a younger girl and his holding her shoulder. The two girls more in the middle of the image are holding on to the gate , almost in a longing way.

This image uses very natural lighting from the sun , which seems to be shining from the left side based on the way the people’s shadows are going. The colors used in this image is mainly environmental colors especially different varieties of green. A theme of this image could be that the children in a way feel trapped from being able to do normal things that others around them are able to do. It can show that they get to watch others be happy living while they are stuck on the outside.

This image is successful because it shows through the image exactly what was trying to be said and shown to people. The image however, is not pleasing to look at because it is an example of racial things, and shows the viewer the awful treatment people received.This image helped show people how racial segregation affected people then and now and in this image , specifically children. The fact that the image is specifically children also contributes to the image not being satisfying to look at because children are often naive and happy so the children are confused as to why they are treated this way.

Kylie Bruehler

3/2/2018 10:43:31 am

This an image done by Gordon Parks. With the first glance at this image, it is obvious what the message is being told by the image. This image appears to be older as if were taken in an earlier time. The quality of the image and the composition of the image reveals this. The children in the image also reveal the time in which this picture was taken. The children are all dressed as they might have been during this time. All of the children in the image are of the same race and during the time period that this image appears to have been taken in, people of this race were facing many difficulties, including segregation.

The children in the image are standing behind a fence, looking into what appears to be a park. The children are dressed in short clothing and it looks to be a summer day. The children might all be a family, siblings, or only friends. The oldest looking child out of all the children may only be around 9 or 10 years of age. This image has a certain look to it and was most likely taken by an older camera. The lighting in the image is very soft and most of the colors that appear are the same, green, with the exception of the girls’ dresses.

The children standing behind the fence are looking into the park but almost look stuck behind the fence as if they are not allowed into it. The children must want to go inside the fence, but cannot because of a certain rule against letting them in due to their race. The photographer might have wanted to capture the feelings of the children when this image was taken by placing them behind the fence. The photographer successfully tells a story through this picture. This image was taken during the time of segregation and the photographer tells the story of the children through this image.

I think that this image is very successful. This image has a very nice composition and uses good lighting. Not only is the image of a good composition, but it also successfully tells the story of the subjects of the image. There is a story successfully told through the placement of the subjects in the image. The subjects are pictured behind a fence and this helps to explain their struggle and story which is told through this image. This image and its story are both very pleasing to the eye and emotionally pleasing.

Claire Williams

3/3/2018 09:10:14 pm

This image is of 5 children standing with their backs to us looking through a fence. Behind the fence, they kids are looking at a kiddie park with a ferris wheel. There are many colors in this image because the children are each wearing brightly colored outfits, there is the green grass, and the blue sky. I think the brighter colors on the children’s clothes are there to show their colorful and bright spirits. The lighting is a little bit more exposed in the bottom half of the image than in the top half.

This is not very pleasing to look at to me. The quality does not seem very good, I don’t know if it was on purpose or not but there is some graininess and almost unfocused parts of the image that do not appeal to my eye. The rule of thirds is not being used- there is not just one main subject, rather many kids and then more objects in the background. I think a deep depth of field is being used, although it is a little harder to see the ferris wheel in the background. I think this is just because when we are looking at the ferris wheel there is a fence in between the view that might make it look like that although the whole image is actually using a deep depth of field.

The main theme in this image is segregation. This photograph was created in 1956 when Gordon Parks was sent on a project to photograph different African-American families in Birmingham during some of the rough times during segregation. The point of this project was to show the audience the true ways that these families lived. Many people started to believe misconceptions about what was really going on with people being segregated. This is a very powerful photograph because of the historical context and importance to everyone seeing this piece of art now to look back at a documentation of life back then.

I do not like the details of the image itself. However, I do like the importance of the art in this photograph. Once I learned about why this was made, it made me more intrigued. It is very important to me to have memories of the past in different forms, including photos. Although I didn’t like the literal mechanics in this image, I think that it was overall successful in putting across the message that the artist wanted to convey.

Parker Brown

3/6/2018 06:13:51 pm

The image is a picture of some girls looking through a fence. The girls in the photo are dark-skinned, and are not allowed to go past the fence. You can tell by the clothes that they are not in modern times. You can also see white people playing inside the fence on the rides. The image makes it seem like the girls want to be able to go inside.

In one way it is pleasing to look at because of its bright colors that are used. It is also not pleasing because the actual story being told in it is not a very happy one. The photographer made the photo to where the rides are just above the short kids heads. The edge of the image is just extra brush and the sky. The point of view looks like it was taken from an adult that was watching how the girls wanted to get in.

The idea in the image is that the girls are obviously not being treated right. When I look at the picture, I like to think that all of the girls are sisters. I also think they are standing by the fence to make the white people feel bad for them. It is definitely supposed to resemble what kind of lives black people had to endure back then. The image does a good job of selling that the kids are not being treated fairly.

I like and don’t like the image. I don’t like the image because it reminds me of how some people were treated back then. I also like the image because the photographer did a good job creating a believable image. The photo also reminds us to never sink as low as we did in the past. The image is successful for teaching us a valuable lesson.

elizabeth wray

3/7/2018 12:55:59 pm

This is an image of six african american children. It looks as if five are girls and one is a boy. They are looking through a fence at a ferris wheel. The girls are wearing colorful dresses and the little boy is wearing overalls. All of the children seem to be under the age of 13.
I think that the story being told is what racism was like in the sixties. The children are trying to get into the fair but because of their skin color. Because they are black, they are not allowed in the fair to play with all the white kids. To me, that is very wrong in so many ways. All people are the same whether you care white or black. Skin color doesn't change anything.

This image looks like it was taken recent, but tells the story of a time decades ago. The colors used are light. There are light blues, pinks, greens and yellows. The weather seems to be warm, not hot. Maybe it is springtime where they are.

Overall, I like this image. It shows a story that was very important to the world’s history. It was a bad time for african americans for so many different reasons. Being white, I cannot imagine what it was like for blacks to live in the world they lived in. This story should be taught more like how we have black history month in February, we should implement more into children's learning.

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Period 6 -- Critical Analysis #15

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