The Great Depression was a time that stained the fabric of American history with dirt and mud and tears. Many did not understand, or care to understand the impact and consequences that came from the depression. In this particular photo, it utilizes emphasis and balance to get others, and more importantly, government agencies to understand the hopelessness that hung over thousands of American’s heads like a broken umbrella.
From the moment the picture is seen, the eye is drawn to the first woman sitting in the foreground with a stove top behind her, it’s top cluttered with makeshift pots and and pans, most likely filled with scraps rather than whole foods. It is the first thing one sees, therefore creating the most impact. The viewer is drawn to her sullen face as she talks with other family members, possibly about where their next meal will come from, The image of the woman’s face elicits this feeling of sorrow and empathy because it
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The photographer’s use of balance is somewhat backwards because it is ironically the use of unbalance that is the most effective. On the left side of the photo, there are two people, (three if the boy in the box is included), a tent, and the aforementioned cluttered stove. On the right, there is one woman, a truck, and two chairs, one which holds newly washed laundry. The mess of unbalance shows both the state and federal government that the migrant camps have no positive effect on the state of those who live there. Campers are clumped together, squeezing all of what little belongings they had into their small designated area as to not take away from another family’s spot. This tool pushes the viewer to realize that these migrant American citizens should not be holed up in designated areas like sheep being herded in a field or lepers forced outside the city. This photo lets the government know this is not acceptable and better efforts must be made to uphold their duty to the