Body Position

Children really don’t
understand what’s going on. At least
this is what comes to my mind when I see this photo. This picture is of Palestine
and was taken in light of the conflict continuing between Gaza, the West bank,
and Jerusalem. A writer, Mustafa Barghouti used this picture in an article at
the International Herald Tribune to visually assist him in his theory of the “oppressed
and dispossessing” Palestinians; however I have a different view of the picture.
Here are very small Palestinian children
captured in this snapshot of a cultural conflict. Their body position is something
to pay close attention to; it says a lot about their situation. Now you cannot
visibly see their faces because they are standing sideways, in between looking backwards
and continuing forward, but you can come to the realization from the picture
that the child to the left is a boy and older than the child to the left which
is a younger girl because of the dress she is wearing. They aren’t in the
safest situation at the moment. Look to
see how they are holding each other’s hand. This happens to be the center of
the picture and where it’s most focused on. In our culture, in unsafe
situations we are told to hold hands, for more safety. Example such as these
can include crossing the street, or when your e in an uncertain area and don’t want
to lose someone. Now children this age
are way too young to understand what’s going on but they know they aren’t safe.
They see a huge tank and military cars with soldiers on it carrying weapons. Their
mother or fathers are not around to guide them so they have to stick together.
When comparing the picture to Robins, it isn’t as severe. There isn’t any fire
in the background nor are their busted cars to show what damage has already
been done. This still shouldn’t be underestimation at the potential damage there
could be. There are soldiers in tanks
with guns which could result in serious casualty.