Elizabeth Eckford Visual Analysis

Abigail Watson
Professor Anne Dobbs
English 101
November 21, 2017
Surrounded by Anger and Ignorance
It is commonly said that a photo is worth a thousand words. This is where visual analysis comes in. Visual analysis is the consideration of the features in the photo to find its central message. The purpose of visual analysis is to understand why the artist of the photo chooses certain elements to convey the central message. A photo taken in 1957, during the Civil Rights Movement, of Elizabeth Eckford, an African American student, arriving to a previous all whites school after segregation laws were removed includes many significant elements that convey a central message. In the photo, she is surrounded by white students. Some are yelling at the

Altogether, the elements of historical context, facial features and body language of the subjects in the photo, and the relevancy of this issue continuing in today’s society conveys that the anger and resistance of the white students is the issue, not the young African American student now legally attending an integrated school. The historical context conveys why the students in this time were treating Eckford this way.
First, Elizabeth Eckford arrived to Central High, a previously all whites school in Little Rock, Arkansas , in the fall of 1957. According to Facing History.org, she and other eight students were told to report to Central High after integration of black and white students in public schools was passed. The other eight were told by Arkansas National Association for the Advancement of Colored People President Daisy Bates to come as a group. Eckford did not hear

After this photo was taken and the Civil Rights Movement, the harsh treatment of blacks slowed down, but never stopped. Even though United States has improved by prohibiting segregated public facilities and schools, there is still an issue with blacks receiving unfair, harsh treatment from police. Blacks still continue to face police brutality in fatal shootings. According to Snopes.com, the breakdown of fatal shootings conclude that “white people make up roughly 62 percent of the U.S. population but only about 49 percent of those who are killed by police officers. African Americans, however, account for 24 percent of those fatally shot and killed by the police despite being just 13 percent of the U.S. population.” For blacks being a minority, they are shot and killed by police almost as much as whites, who make up the majority of the U.S. population. Since the photo of Eckford was taken in 1957, United States has erased some anger and resistance of whites by prohibiting segregated public facilities and schools, and giving blacks civil rights. However, police brutality of blacks has not stopped. Therefore, anger and resistance of whites in treating blacks has not completely dissolved. There are individuals who still hold the same views that blacks are inferior to them like the angry student Helen Bryan Murray had when the 1957 photo was