



The few images of the protestors all share a common theme of civil unrest. This theme can be seen through all the subjects in the images holding their hands up in the air. Hands in the air is a general sign for surrender, so it appears that these citizens are surrendering to whomever or whatever is coming at them. The elements in the images, such as the citizens holding their hands in the air, and what perspective the image is taken from relate to and prove the overall theme of civil unrest. 

To be specific, the first four images from 9/21 share the theme of civil unrest. In three of the four pictures, the citizens are facing away from us as the viewers with their hands in the air. In the first image, we are looking at the situation from behind the subject. We can see what he sees, but we cannot see what the men with the guns can see. We assume that the men with guns are pointing at the only subject we can see, but since we do not see the whole scene because of the perspective the image is taken from, that assumption may be incorrect. There may be other people with guns or more dangerous people behind the subject and the men with guns are pointing beyond him. We can only assume so much based on perspective. Since the subject is showing the element and has his hands in the air, we can assume that he is surrendering. From our perspective and his hands in the air, the theme of civil unrest is proven. In the second image, we see a woman that seems to be blocking traffic with her hands in the air. Since her silhouette is blocking most of the image, viewers are unclear as to what she is looking at and what is going on in front of her. It looks like it is Christmas time in the winter based on the lights and her hat and gloves. We can see police cars and other emergency vehicles, but are unsure of what they are doing and what could be behind her based on the perspective of the image. Going along with the theme of civil unrest, from the perspective the picture is taken from, we can see that she is demonstrating the element of holding her hands in the air. We can assume that she is surrendering, as hands in the air is the universal sign of surrender. Skipping to the fourth image, the subject is kneeling in the middle of the road with their hands in the air. This image was taken with a broader lens than the others, so we can actually see what the subject is looking at from their perspective. The subject appears to be surrendering with their hands in the air during the explosion and fire. As viewers, we cannot see what is behind the subject or why this is happening because of the perspective the image is taken from. It is safe to assume that the theme of civil unrest is present here because of the elements of hands in the air and perspective. Going back to the third image, there is a group of people with their hands in the air. This one is different than the others because there are multiple subjects, and as viewers, we can see their faces. There still is the theme of civil unrest as seen through the element of hands in the air, but the perspective is different. We can see what their facial expressions are and what is going on behind them, but we do not know what they are looking at. In all the other images, we saw the scene from behind the subjects. This made it easier to see what they saw, but not their facial expressions and reactions. In this image, we know there is still civil unrest because of the subjects’ hands up, but we do not know the extent of the issue. 

In all of these images, it is unclear what is happening or what they are looking at because of the perspective the image is taken from. As viewers, it is natural to assume and create our own situation out of what we are given. Everyone may see something different based on personal experiences, opinions, or bias. These assumptions will inevitably come from the element of the subjects’ hands raised in the air, which is the universal sign of surrender. Because of the elements, we can connect these images to the overall theme of civil unrest. 