As the adage goes, that a picture is worth a thousand words, and so does the image. The image presents and depicts many themes that range from poverty and torture among woman and children as a result of natural or manmade disasters such as war and violence. The image makes it easy to explain and analyze how war, poverty and suffering are related and dependent on each other especially to the most vulnerable in the community that include women and children (Rwomire 14). The image is of a young woman with her kid of Asian origin cooking in an open place using firewood. Behind them is a structure similar to a tent that is mostly observed among the refugees or displaced persons especially during a crisis such as wars and disasters. This image attempts to influence its audience to know the negative impacts and torture that women and children undergo during the crisis about the domestic impacts of wars and violence by analyzing the elements in the image visual and non- visual to tell the story.
The tent that shelters the woman and the kid in the picture tells of a story that depicts them as the most affected in the society as a result of war. The house in the form of a tent that shelters them does not meet even the minimum standards that are agreed upon internationally that can be considered as habitable. Nikolić-Ristanović (2000) in his piece Women, Violence and War: Wartime Victimization of Refugees in the Balkans emphasized that spending the night under such a shelter and worsening in the case so as to do so with a young child makes the situation worse (32). It is hard to imagine the cold and the dangers that they expose themselves to as a result of staying in such shelters. This only increases the suffering that women and children go through as a result of war and violence among other disasters and crisis. From the image, using firewood to prepare meals is another indicator that shows the suffering that they endured and emerged successfully. It creates the picture, in human minds, of poverty and torture among women and children that result them to resort to alternative means to survive such as creating makeshift shark for their poor families.
The purpose of such an image is to tell the story as it is that is poverty and suffering those women and children have to undergo through in times of crisis both natural and human-made. The image, therefore, communicates to the world and helps us understands better how the three issues relating to poverty, war and violence, as well as suffering that women and children undergo as the most vulnerable as pointed in Carpenter (2007) article titled Born of War: Protecting Children of Sexual Violence Survivors in Conflict Zones (24).
The audiences of the image cuts across the whole world, especially corporations and communal organizations, which are concerned or are able to intervene and help alleviate the continuous suffering that women and children have to undergo resulting from such a crisis. From the image and the message that it presents, of suffering and struggle among the two mentioned groups, it can be used to convince people to intervene and contribute in whatever mean and forms possible to help those appear to be victims and more vulnerable. The conditions presented from the image that tells us of lack of clean water, electricity, good infrastructure and security among others presents a condition that can results to more problems and challenges such as disease outbreak.
The image presents a somber and sad tone because it is the innocent ones that become victims and suffer for crimes and that they have not committed at all. The child in the picture, it can be said, has no clue and idea why they are living that life and cannot even tell what war and violence are or what leads to it. Other children and kids in different parts of the worlds have their best times and moments by attending schools and having fun unlike the one in the image, therefore, presenting sad tone (Cook 8). The conditions, which the woman and the kid are going through, fail to meet even the basic standards that have been set out that humanity can survive and live in it.
The effect that the image brings out is strong to its audience and viewers at large. It presents a clear picture of what transpires in the event that such disasters and crisis happens. It allows viewers to think twice and have a different opinion about war and violence due to women and children being the most vulnerable. Such images it is said have been used to propel arguments against war and violence, and in some instances it has managed to convince people to resolve to alternative measures to address conflicts such as dialogue and negotiation (Gardner & Kobtzeff 17). It has, therefore, impacted and affected the society at large positively by resulting to a better alternative of doing things other than war add violence.
In terms of rhetorical appeals, from the set up of the picture that draws, many themes and messages that range from poverty and suffering, which affect mostly women and kids as the most vulnerable. The image manages to convince its audience and viewers due to the set up presented such as use of firewood for cooking, staying in makeshift tents and putting innocent children under conditions that are not good for their developments and growth simply resulting from war and violence.
In conclusion, the image has displayed a perfect picture in the minds of viewers and audience because all the themes and issues that arise from war are captured. The most vulnerable groups are also well presented that it tells the story even deeper because they are in the course of action in doing something, that is cooking, and this tells more about the methods add means used. The story of women and children as the most affected by war and violence is depicted from their struggle in the image, and, therefore, presenting the story even deeper making it touch people and understand the situation better.
Works Cited
Carpenter, R C. Born of War: Protecting Children of Sexual Violence Survivors in Conflict Zones. Bloomfield, CT: Kumarian Press, 2007. Print.
Cook, Bernard A. Women and War: A Historical Encyclopedia from Antiquity to the Present. Santa Barbara, Calif: ABC-CLIO, 2006. Print.
Gardner, Hall, and Oleg Kobtzeff. The Ashgate Research Companion to War: Origins and Prevention. Burlington, VT: Ashgate, 2012. Print.
Nikolić-Ristanović, Vesna. Women, Violence and War: Wartime Victimization of Refugees in the Balkans. Budapest: CEU Press, 2000. Print.
Rwomire, Apollo. African Women and Children: Crisis and Response. Westport, Conn. [u.a.: Praeger, 2001. Print.
