Image Analysis

The following questions are suggested by Rowsell, McLean and Hamilton (2012): 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Jot down a word or phrase that comes to mind for each of the images. Write one connection emotion or mood that the image conveys or that you feel. Describe what the photo, movie, clip, et cetera represents. Think of a sound or melody that might accompany the visual. Ask probing questions: What is the intended message? How is meaning conveyed in the image (e.g. gender, ethnicity/race, setting, social class, national identity)? Who do you think is the author? What did the author choose this particular genre, mode, medium, color, spatiality?

Image Analysis
The following are questions that I have used over the years to promote an in-depth response to a single image. Below the questions are some of the answers students shared in one class. I do this in the form of ThinkWrites and train my students to use Think-Writes with different media in my first Unit for Language Arts. 1) What was your first reaction? -Its the ghetto? is it about poor people? -Hopelessness -Nifty -Confusion -Feel pain of poverty -You want you feel compassion 2) Why the mask? -The person may feel ugly and trying to hide themselves from the world. - The situation not the person is ugly. - SHAME - Looking at the words as well they feel like they cannot believe in themselves or the world so they hide 3) Guy or girl? How old?

Image Analysis
-most of the class thought that it was a guy, anywhere between 12 and 15 years old. It was interesting to hear the discussion between the group that the it was a guy and the group that thought it was a girl 4) Where do they live? -Deserted downtown area. - Slums - Brazil or Mexico - Brazil is a place of poverty - Favelas poor place in a town. - We assumed that the words were misspelled - They have no education - Maybe it doesnt have to be English - The phone number is missing a digit, which implies that we are not in Canada or the U.S.

5) Why is the person pushing a tire? What message does that send? -Maybe he is using the tire for a home. - Possibly selling it - Maybe he has a broken down car

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6) Why is it black and white? Why is it grainy. What mood does the picture set -The picture is sad. - Depression - Why are the words written like they are? - Its more real - Cant afford to type - Desperation - Maybe it was written on a side wall - They want to give up, they dont want just another day in the hood - Being homeless is hard but the hardest part is not being able to believe and giving up on yourself, or in the world that you live in.

7) What is up with the writing? -students believe that this person has lost hope -the writing is a call for help -it is written with a stressed hand -this person is starting to not care

Image Analysis