As seen in this picture, it is evident that this young child has been recruited as a child soldier to fight because of the clothing he is given to wear along with his gun. The teddy bear is symbolizing his childhood and is his only hope for what is left of it. Through his emotion he express’ , it is apparent that this young boy is upset and has lost his adolescence due to the commanders recruiting him as a child soldier. Not only does this image show the fighting child soldiers endure, but it displays the poor living conditions and environment these children experience. It is significant that this image is on a beach as is shows children should be playing with their toys on the beach rather than holding a gun in a dangerous area. In the back ground, an army tank is visible which further suggests this boy is in war and enduring life threatening situations. From this picture, it is proved that children living in captivity lose their innocent childhood.What other aspects of this image lead you to believe that this child lives in captivity and has lost his childhood?
I feel as though you covered most of the basics about this picture. The child is still carrying his teddy bear which does help to show he hasn't lost all his innocence yet.
ReplyDeletei think that he has lost some of his childhood but it is not fully gone. A complete loss of childhood would mean that he would not have the bear, and his face would be more neutral like a normal soldier. But from those things it shows that he is upset with what he is doing, and trying to hold onto the life he had beforehand.
ReplyDeleteKatie this is a great analysis of this picture, I love how you really considered every aspect of the photo. I completely agree with what you have talked about in your post and I also agree with the above comments. I do think this image shows a loss of childhood but at the same time I also think this image shows a sense of hope. As mentioned in the comments above the fact that the boy still has his teddy bear at his side I think represents the hope he still clings too. I also like what Adam said about the boy showing emotion rather than being neutral, thus illustrating that this child solider hasn't given up complete hope yet.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I would like to point out is the symbolism of family. The reason I think the boy still carries the bear with him, despite clinging to hope, is as a reminder of his family. Most likely he received this teddy bear from his parents and by carrying it with him I think it allows the child to keep his family with him.
Overall, Katie I think your analysis was amazing and I think Rachel and Adam have recognized an important glimmer of remaining hope.