Visual Argument
Visual arguments are the quintessential form of conversing with the general masses with the claims, evidences and the assumptions and thus engage the people seeing the visual to the utmost degree. This picture in context was taken by a photographer named Kevin Carter and it depicts a child and a vulture in the land of Sudan. The photograph was taken as a document of the colossal calamity in the nation during a famine which left the world shocked by the extent of brutality of the nature and fate.
The photograph goes on to persuade the viewers to accept the idea that the famine is destructive for the masses in the nation and the people were suffering to the utmost degree. The picture of the hungry child who hardly seems to have any energy to drag oneself anywhere touches the hearts of the viewers and makes them cringe at the haplessness of the child.
There is an ominous vulture in the background of the picture which looks on at the nearly dead child as if it is waiting for the poor soul to meet his untimely demise so that it can feed on its flesh. These two figures in unison render metaphorical attribute to the photograph.
The photograph documents the societal condition of Sudan at the time of the horrific famine and establishes its claim as the proof to the real picture of the land during that time. The socio-economic situation can be understood very well through the photograph by Carter.
The dying child who is starving is a shock to the world of comforts and materialistic pleasures. The ribs of the child vividly depict that he has not had much to eat in days and is exhausted to even move a bit. There is no sign of his parents in the picture which makes one think that they might have already been dead as a child of this age would not be left alone on the ground otherwise.
The vulture waiting in the background is metaphor for the cruel laws of nature which is not at all sympathetic toward the helpless folk of the world. The vulture signifies the impending death of the child and the clutches of inhumanity which looks upon the people of Sudan who are left to die owing to their ill-fate.
One can only wonder if the child would eventually die and the vulture would feed on the deceased body. There remains hope in the heart of the optimist that the child will somehow survive by some help and would thus escape the baleful death which waits for him in the background.
The photograph is thus a quintessential example of visual argument as it involves the viewer in the situation which it portrays. The depiction moves the viewer and makes him or her think of the situation of the child. It makes one comprehend the economic disparity which prevails in the world where people die of starvation while the rest live lives of comfort and grandeur.
Works Cited
Birdsell, David, & Leo Groarke. “Toward a Theory of Visual Argument.” Argumentation and
Advocacy (1996): 1-10. Web. 15 March 2014.
“Visual Argument Analysis.” Wordpress. n.p., n.d. Web. 15 March 2014.
