When one looks at a photograph or a visual representation of an object, their eye goes straight to one place, and then gradually notices other elements in the piece of work. In a photograph of an African boy's hand resting on a white male's hand with the caption, "A starving boy and a missionary" (World Press Photo) the audiences' eye goes straight towards the hand noticing multiple differences in the color, size, and details of the hand and starts to feel for the little boy who is obviously malnourished and struggling. Taking a less literal approach to the photograph, the audience notices that the whole photograph is about contrast, the contrast between black and white, boy and man, small and large, unhealthy and healthy, and starvation and excess. These different elements of contrast in this photograph lead to the conclusion that the white culture is superior to the African culture.

One of the major points of contrasts in this photograph is the drastic difference in the size of the hands. The little African boy's hand looks as if his arm would snap in half at the slightest touch giving off that the boy is very small, weak and fragile. On the other hand, the white male's hand looks as if it could withstand the weight of ten boys, looking plump, strong, and sturdy. Because the boy's hand looks small, weak, and fragile, the audience concludes that his whole culture or race cannot support themselves without the help of the white culture. The drastic difference in the size of the hands implies that the population is not only larger than that of the African boy, but that it is also better given that they have enough resources to provide for their citizens, and in excess too because of the plumpness of the white male's hand. Also, in the photograph, there are the legs of another African child in the corner, portraying that the problem with starvation and malnutrition is larger than just this child. The audience is able to imply that this problem affects a large amount of the population making them see the entire African culture as weak. The physical differences in the size of the hands portray the message that the white culture is superior to the African culture.

At a first glance, the audiences' eye goes straight toward the difference in color between the two hands, after looking at the photograph for a while the audience notices the difference in the wrinkles of the two hands. The wrinkles on the African boys portray that the boy is starving and unhealthy; by the looks of the wrinkles, one would guess that the hand belongs to a eighty year-old instead of an eight year-old. They show that not only the boy is malnourished, but that the entire country is malnourished both physically and economically, unable to provide for the citizens of its country. In contrast, the wrinkles on the man's hand are healthy and nourished, allowing the audience to conclude that the man comes from a country where food and other resources are in excess and there is little to no stress in obtaining the proper resources. The differences in the wrinkles show the drastic differences between the cultures of the African boy and the white male. This comparison shows that even in today's society, after many years of oppression of the African culture, they are still having difficulty supporting their citizens and without the help from the white culture they would perish.

The age gap between the two people in this photograph is a very unique aspect that may seem irrelevant when one first looks at the photograph, but when one starts to think about the underlying message, it becomes very important. The fact that a man is holding the child's hand instead of two kids or a woman holding the child's hand shows the dominance that the man has over the child. The man is fully-grown and has the wisdom from his life experiences while the child is very immature and would not survive in the real world by himself. When one puts this in context with the comparison between the two cultures, the white culture is made out to seem more stable, mature, and reliable while the African culture seems to be very young, immature, and dependable on others for the continuing of its people. 

While one might look at the photograph and only see a generous missionary basically saving the life of a poor African child they would feel empathy towards the poor African boy because of the focused details of his hand. This perspective only skims the surface of what the photo is really communicating to the world. There is an underlying comparison between the superiority of the two cultures; the analysis and deep thought about the details of this photography are key in understanding the perspective that the white culture still has on the African culture. 

In conclusion, the photograph taken by Mike Wells portrays the theme of white supremacy over the African culture through multiple characteristics of the photograph. The physical difference in the size of the hands allows the audience to conclude that the white culture is physically and economically larger than the African culture. The contrast between the two wrinkles in the hands shows a healthy environment versus an unhealthy environment, and the age gap between the man and boy show the difference in the maturity of the two cultures. All of these different components point back to the overlying theme of the photograph and make a powerful impact on the audience, causing them to question how much racism still exists. 
