Pre-Writing Assignment 2

Striding Girl illustrates the story of a typical child in Rwanda two years after the massive genocide between the Hutu and Tutsi tribes, even though the violence continued several years after the prominent event took place. Traumatic stress disorder and AIDS plagued the remaining survivors of the genocide burdening and eventually killing a majority of the adults in Rwanda, leaving thousands of children to fend for themselves in the failing economy of Rwanda. The children of Rwanda were forced to drop out of school and take up real jobs due to a lack of adults to provide and care for these children. This photo exemplifies the angst and tragedy surrounding Rwanda after the genocide of millions.

Colorful clothes of the girl attracts the eye of the audience as the first noticeable vector of attention being the most vibrant color within the entire composition. The extreme saturation of the photo increases the tone of poverty, strife, and misfortune in the country and the color of the garment pleases the eye more than the muted neutral colors of the surroundings. The package on top of her head blends into the bright lighting that dominates the top of the picture, taking focus away from the task that she is performing and concentrating on where the girl is going. The vector of attention takes veers away from the girl and in the direction of her gaze, up the road upon which she travels. The vantage point that the girl is meant to be viewed at emphasizes the journey, emphasized by cropping, shows more road that the girl has yet to walk than if she were in the center of the photo. The debris and black stains in the middle of the road articulate the destitute condition of Rwanda, adding to the photographers image of a destroyed country. The foreground of the picture is well lit compared to the shadow cast by the trees, hiding the white buildings nestled within the forest. The foreground focuses the attention on the journey of the girl rather than the task, leaving the audience to question where she is going.

The background is more subtle and serves as a frame to the front with its darker hues and tones of black and green. The coloration of the background serves to conceal and reveal the white tips of the village in the background, giving a possible answer as to where the girl is going. The village is not apparent at first glance, but it serves as another vector of attention. The cropping the photo allows the background more scenery on purpose, revealing a village that appears to hidden for a reason but also has to be found by the residents. Again, the lighting shows through the particular part of the forest in the background that shows the lighter corners of the buildings revealing that there are buildings. The background is also blurrier, pointing more attention toward the foreground and its subject. The elements of the photo come together to illustrate the forsaken, dangerous, and lonely time for Rwandan people, especially children who have lost either one or both of their parents.