A Rhetorical Analysis Of Photography By Dorothea Lange

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This photograph by Dorothea Lange speaks a thousand words. It was take in February of 1963, during The Great Depression. The picture displays a family comprised of 3 young children and their 32-year old mother (Natanson). Although it is hard to distinguish the gender of the children, we still know they are a family. It is also noted that Lange had written down that this was a “mother of seven children” (By Depicting). Both of the children are looking down and away which gives the audience reason to question the family’s situation, and the mother seems to be contemplating something as she is looking off into the distance as well. The reason the photos were taken was because Lange had been put on an assignment for the Farm Security Administration, …show more content…

For example, people may think of sunshine and happiness when they see yellow. I think that the use of light is pretty uniform throughout, but if I were to pick the subject that sticks out the most to me, it would be the mother’s hand. It looks as if she has lost all sense of hope and has no idea how to provide for her family anymore. There is a slight gradation as the photo transitions from dark, to light, and back to dark. Again, the focus is on the mother who is supposed to be the provider for this family, but due to their circumstances, she is unable to do so efficiently. The juxtaposition in this photo also speaks volumes because the children are leaning on the mother because, once again, she is their support system. They may also be doing this to comfort the mother and let her know that she has their support in return, but the children may be discouraged and tired. The infant also plays an important role because it puts more pressure on the mother as she knows this infant cannot provide for itself whatsoever, so it may result in a longer period of poverty than

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