The photographer sits across from the girl as the large vulture sits waiting for her death. The photo “Struggling Girl” was taken Kevin Carter, in Sudan during a time of war and famine. In the photo a small extremely malnourished girl is crouched over between her knees in the dirt. So malnourished her rib cage is completely showing, and her collar bone and shoulders protrude from under her skin. Not far behind her looms a large vulture, eyes locked right on the girl.  The picture creates a theme of fear, for the girl’s life, and wonder, if she survived or was lost to the elements. It opened an imagine into the chaos and life in Sudan which the world may have not seen. Through close examination of the photo the vulture staring down the girl waiting on her death contributes to the theme of hopelessness.

Stuck in the middle of what it looks to be like a large dead farm field lies a malnourished girl, motionless, who looks to have given up. The child looks to be in the position of giving up, head between her legs. The location she was heading, a UN Feeding center not far away but the girl collapsed. Not long after sitting the vulture appears. Vultures are a sign of death, and loss all around the world. Vultures sit and wait for their food to take its last breath when its prey is about to die. For this girl the vulture is the messenger of death, waiting for it to happen. It is as if the world is telling her it is her time, and time for her to give up.

The girl looks to have given up as if there is no hope, no will to try and keep going. This photo was used to show the helplessness with the whole country of Sudan, which was in a civil war where opposing sides would starve the locals into surrender. This photo was directed to the general public of 1st world countries that have power and the ability to help. The simple image of a helpless girl close to death caused enough uproar to help a nation. The image attacks the viewer’s emotions; they see an innocent girl with a shadow of death sitting several feet from her. The person who looks at this picture starts asking questions: Who is thing girl? Did she survive? Where was she going that she risked her life?. The girl dying bunched up in a ball depicted the feeling of hopelessness for the whole country of Sudan, starving its self before death (the vulture) moves in and sweeps across the nation.

Such a simple picture symbolizes so much more around her, telling others stories and even relating to everyday life. Starting with the young girl. Depending on how you look at her, her can symbolize many things. However, relating to the image and the reason she is even in the state that she is in, she symbolizes the civilians of Sudan and their will to live and survive during the war. She is tired and worn down on the brink of death, it looks like she has taken on a lot in her short life, but barely surviving. The dark looming vulture behind her symbolizes death, and depression. Death is there with the girl (symbolizing Sudan) waiting for it to give up. Its waiting for “Sudan” to stop reaching for hope, to give up on life so it can move in and devour what is left of the broken and starved. Creating these symbols can make the photo more relatable, for a topic most of the world has never seen. Any person can relate to the girl, almost where they want to go, struggling and taking a break so close to the end goal. The vulture can be anything that is dragging the viewer down, stress, a bad relationship, debt, or personal issues. Relating to the picture is important, it causes the person to remember it, remembering why it was important.

Through the close examination of “Struggling Girl” her appearance of hopelessness pulls at emotions and heart strings. The little girl also is more than just sitting waiting for death. The little girl is a martyr for her people. This image is more than just her, the whole world saw the picture and people were up in arms looking for change. If this image was a narrative telling you what you were seeing, it would be different. The visual effect of having an image make the view feel what the girl is feeling. Having it written out allows you to sense what is there, but looking at the vulture waiting for the girl to die still has a different effect. A simple image has more than one meaning, this small girl carried the life of her people on her back.  