Ideological analyzes

I have choosen the below photo for my ideological analyzes.

This photo was taken hours after the 7.0 Haiti earthquake in Jan 2010. It was estimated that 316,000 people were killed, and millions of people were affected by it.

This photo was published by the CSMS http://csmsmagazine.org/?p=6153  a story written with the policical purpose of determing where the money has been distrubuted since its arrival in Haiti. It is also written to show the suffering that continues on a daily basis in Haiti since the earthquake.

When evaluating this photo by using the semiotic lens I can get a grasp on what this photo is saying to me with its elements, and then I can see how it affects me.

The white brick behind the girl is endless it goes in both directions in the photograph. It is an older wall one that has had time to get worn away at the mud joints. It has some stability because it has just made it through the earthquake that took down many walls similar to it. This wall makes the impression to me that it has seen many things pass before it, and it has stood. It is also one of strength for it is holding up the child in the photo.

The green shirt that the child wears is very popular for the Haitian culture it is bright in color and gives a sense of celebration. The joy of Haiti runs through its culture, and is reflected in their bright color of clothing. The green shirt is a reminder to me that this little girl has known joy in her life just being a part of a country that celebrates all things.

The anguish shown on this little girls face speaks to me beyond any other symbol throughout the photo. It invites me in to her soul with a sense of terrifying sorrow. A loss that must have affected this child so deeply that it is in every fiber of her being and radiates out. The little girl is literally being held up by the wall and her shoulders are forward with her arm covering her eyes. You can just imagine what this child has seen.

When connecting this photo to a theory or thought it would be one of humanism for the religious side of it has disappeared, and it is only about the survival and the mending of a culture, people, and the psychological damage that images have on people as a whole. It speaks to me that earth shattering things happen, and they happen in a matter of seconds. Anguish can fill the body, and the loss or sorrow can be so deep that it is portrayed outward.