The issue of racial inequality among countries all over the world for many centuries and is an issue that still persists in society today. 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" 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 (Wells). Taking a less literal approach to the photograph, the viewer 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 imply 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 (Wells). The way that the hands are placed emphasizes how small and malnourished the black hand is. 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 amount of detail that the photograph provides shows that the countries of the African culture do not have the correct methods to deliver the right amount of food and water, therefore labeling them as weak. The viewer is able to infer that this problem affects a large amount of the population making them see the entire African culture as weak. Not only physically, but economically and socially weak because they do not have enough economic resources or social capital to provide for the people. The physical differences in the size of the hands portray the message that the white culture is superior to the African culture.

One aspect that is unique to the World Press Photo is the amount of detail and the concept of contrasting two elements that are universal to all humans, wrinkles. From the time one is born they automatically have wrinkles on their hands and feet, but it is the differences in the wrinkles in this photo that make an impact on the viewer. 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 an eighty year-old instead of an eight year-old (Wells). Also, the set of legs and shadows of another individual provide evidence for the viewer to come to the conclusion that not only the boy is malnourished, but rather large masses of people. Because the legs and hand are so small, the statement that the citizens of the country are not only malnourished physically, but economically as well can be made valid. The country has proven to be malnourished economically by the physical attributes of its citizens implying that there are little to no resources coming into or out of the country. In contrast, the wrinkles on the man's hand are healthy and nourished, allowing the viewer 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 inequality of the African culture, the concept that the African culture is dependent is still alive, as seen in the difference in the meaning of the wrinkles.

The age gap between the two people in this photograph is a very unique aspect that has an underlying message, which is imperative in understanding the entire idea of the photograph. The fact that the two people in the photograph are a man and child create the idea of maturity versus immaturity and how that relates to the dominance that the man has over the child (Wells). 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. Even though only individuals are being compared, they give the view insight to what the majority of this population is like. The individuals in this photograph are examples of how the majority lives their lives, which allows the two cultures to be compared. 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 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 about the African culture. 

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 viewer 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 viewer, causing them to question how much racism still exists.
