With Rose’s theory in mind, I have chosen to look at the above image. We can see that this image depicts three figures undergoing some kind of interaction. The larger figure on the far right, likely male based on size and height in comparison to the much smaller adult female in the center, appears to have the authority. The female character in the center is submitting to being pat down, with her back to the larger figure, while her hands are placed against a vehicle marked with a word beginning with the letters “US.” It could be assumed that this vehicle, as well as the authoritative figure, belong to the U.S. government. The third figure is a small female child. She is focal point that demands attention in this image. Her face is the only one that is actually visible, as the other figures are cut off of the hip.
The photographer of this image clearly wanted the viewer to see this image through the perspective of the child, whose facial expression is one of extreme fear, terror, or sadness. The child stands closest to the vehicle, beneath the arms of the woman which are extended to the vehicle. The little girl is facing toward the adult female in the center, who is likely her mother, but the mother who is being frisked is unable to console her. The expression on the young girls face emphasizes how helpless she is, but the arrangement of the figure suggests that the mother is trying to keep her body between the authoritative figure and the girl, so as to protect her. The photographer strategically managed to arrange the photo so that the brightest light in the image provided a focal point right in the center of the image where the young girl is. The only light in the image appears to be coming from a vehicle as the quality of light is white like a headlight. It is clearly night time and the dirt on the ground suggests that whatever road they are on is not highly traveled or trafficked.
The composition of this image makes us feel as though we are on the level of the child. We can clearly see and understand her emotion, even with a lack of other clues in the image.
-Sarah Bergin 01/24/19
Thinking Rhetorically at GCSU 