When walking the streets of a big city, such as Chicago or Los Angeles, one might happen to see some of the wealthiest and most successful people in the world. At the same time, one might also see some of the poorest and most helpless people in the world. One person has it all, all the money and success that a person could ask for. And on the other hand, a person of poverty can not afford to eat breakfast in the morning. These two completely different sides of the American economy coexist and coincide with each other. It is a strange idea that such a contrast of wealth can be so prevalent and so obvious in our world today. These two different types of people walk next to each other daily, right under the country’s nose. This photo is the epitome of America’s ignorance and neglect towards those people living on the streets and living in poverty. The media negatively portrays the poor as an inconvenience and a burden to the rest of the public. Those people living in poverty are rarely shown in a positive manner on the news, seldom offered opportunities to better themselves. This picture perfectly illustrates the obliviousness and neglect of Americans today regarding the increasingly problematic wealth gap. 

This first thing that comes to mind when looking at this picture is the distinct contrast of color from the ladies on the right and the homeless man sitting on the steps on the left. The ladies are dressed in bright, extravagant clothing. Color has throughout time resembled wealth and superiority. Kings would wear the most luxurious and flamboyant colors to show the people who was the richest and who was the king. Bright color historically has meant royalty and power. The colors of the luxurious wardrobe of the females are nearly impossible for the eye to dodge. The flowery patterns that they wear symbolize life, birth, and happiness. These joyous emotions and events do not, however, characterize the entirety of the photograph. The man on the steps does not wear bright colors or extravagant, lively patterns. His side of the picture is dull and lifeless. Symbols for life and lifelessness are side by side in this photograph. This contrast of color in the photo resembles the contrast of wealth in America, and how oblivious this issue is to many Americans. 

Contrast is one of the main tactics that a photographer will use when creating an image. Lighting is a way to show the person of importance or the person of power in a photograph. The natural light in the background of this photo puts all the attention and focus on the ladies, as they are posing for their picture. The sunlight and the glare from the building and the cars nearby create a perfect beam for the photographer to snap an ideal photo of the ladies. The homeless man, on the other hand, sits on the steps in the darker side of the photo. He is all beat up, covered in dirt, and in dull colored, worn out clothes. There are no streetlights, no glare, no sunlight at all on the poor man. He has none of the attention that the light brings, just like how the homeless people in today’s society are overlooked and not taken care of properly. The carefree attitude regarding the inequality of wealth is terrifying, especially when people who possess tremendous wealth just walk by the homeless and do not even stop to think about how they could make a difference. 

These two completely different life styles are literally two feet apart from each other, yet no one is concerned. What makes this picture so intriguing is that the ladies and the man on the steps are so close, yet they don’t look at each other directly, almost as if they are avoiding each other. It looks as if the ladies can not see the man because of the railing, however I think that the man is avoiding the ladies because he is embarrassed of his economic standing compared to the ladies. Society has taught the man on the steps that he is not worthy to talk to them, to even look at those of much higher economic status then he is. A person of poverty living on the streets should never talk to the people of wealth that aimlessly walk across town on a daily basis, pretending to ignore the poverty that cruelly plagues the nation. Society subconsciously teaches American viewers that this is the way to treat those in our country who are far less fortunate. However, the man and the ladies are so close to each other, almost as if they could reach out their hands and touch each other. This lack of spacing or the closeness of these two completely different types of people is ironic because it shows that the nation is aware of what is happening regarding the wealth gap in our society, however constantly chooses to sweep it under the rug. 

Americans are attracted to the young and the beautiful. Pop culture today focuses on appearance far more than personality. The ladies in the focal point of the picture are young and attractive women, and the people in the background, or out of the spotlight, are the older adults and the poor man sitting on the steps. The photograph forces the idea into the viewer’s head the level of importance that each economic category of American should receive. This strategy of the photographer illustrates that American society values the younger, wealthier, and more attractive population than its other population of Americans. This younger population gets all the spotlight, all the publicity in the magazines and on television. The media and America as a whole somewhat ignore the other Americans, especially those of poverty. The people in the background however, symbolize the American middle class. They are not in the focal point of the picture and do not get a lot of the attention, such as the rich young women or the poor old man on the step, however they are there and it is hard to look at this picture without noticing them. Society tends to solely focus on the extremely successful people, however rarely on the American middle class, even though the middle class is the backbone of the American economy and the country as a whole. The people in the background are not wearing anything extravagant to make them stand out, however they are not wearing anything old or beat up to cast them as poor. This photo perfectly shows the level of attention given to each class of Americans in society today. The upper class, front and center with the brightest clothes, right in the middle taking the picture. The middle class, in the background, wearing nice clothes, nothing bright, flashy, nor extravagant, however nothing raggedy. They are not the focus of the picture, however the picture would not be the same without them. This is a direct representation of American society. The rich and the glamourous receive all the attention, however it is the American middle class that drives this economy and this country forward. And then the poor, a very prominent part of the picture, however in the bottom of the photo with no lighting. The poor person is in the dark, not even standing up, to show that he is weaker and lesser than the others. These three classes of Americans interact with one another daily, however the gap between them is unnoticed and not cared for.    

There are many reasons as to why the inequality of wealth should trouble Americans today. Wealth inequality gives those at the top of the ladder a sense of power and control over the lives of other Americans. The share of household wealth owned by the top .1% has increased up to twenty two percent. The top .1% has a say tremendous say in the lives of people in poverty in our country. They are the ones deciding where these homeless people can work and what they can eat and do. The top .1% of people are the people in power, the people who make the decisions regarding our nation, therefore their opinions and beliefs can control the lives of the homeless and poor, as they are helpless and have no say in their own lives. This photo makes the wealth gap prominent and obvious to everyone who glances upon it. 

Unfortunately, America is quite negligent to our poor and sometimes even our middle class, the rock of the American economy. The way color, light, and spacing are used in this photo make that brutally clear. The bright color, or lack of color in the case of the poor man, clearly illustrate to the viewer who deserves the attention. This picture tells the story of what the American economy is today, and how the different economic classes and categorization of peoples are portrayed to the rest of the public through the media. The media, knowingly or unknowingly, paints an unfair and predisposed picture to American viewers that this is how we should view society, this is how people should be treated. This is not true and should not be the case at all. The people living in poverty deserve to be treated better. Their unfortunate circumstances have left them on their own and they do not deserve to be neglected and disrespected by the media and by far too many Americans across the country. There will always be poor people, that will never change. However, what needs to change is the way we view poor people and the way we treat and portray these people living in poverty to the rest of our country.  
