This picture was taken by the Syrian television station Aleppo Media Center, and shows a young boy, who sources say was around the age of five, moments after a bomb from an airstrike went off destroying his home and severely injuring everybody in his family. At this moment, the boy does not know if any members of his family are alive. All he knows is that tragedy has struck his family before help could arrive. Due to a civil war currently taking place in Syria, this young boy’s town, Aleppo, has seen numerous airstrikes and battles. As many as 4,500 children alone have been killed in this town since the start of the war, and more are destined to die (Narayan). This image portrays the belief that more can be done to help the Syrian citizens, but not enough is, and that they have lost the hope that they can be saved. This simple image taken by a Syrian television news station is one of the most powerful images to show how desperate people still living in Syrian are for help. Through the use of color, contrast, angle that the picture is taken at, and the scale of the boy to his surroundings, the overall message of this picture becomes more clear. Even though this image is taken in Syria, right after tragedy struck this boy, there are still some limitations to this image. For example, not every person living in Syria feels helpless, and many more most likely would not like the aid of foreign nations, feeling as though they are the reason for the civil war. None the less, this picture still provokes some of the most powerful emotions in its viewers.

The emotional weight of the image is enhanced through the use of color of and around the boy. The color of the boy is significant because compared to his surroundings, he appears dull, as if all life has been sucked out of him. You also can see the red of the blood on his face. The color red usually suggests danger, which clearly this little boy is facing. The color around him is mostly orange and white. Orange is usually used to represent happiness and safety, which is appropriate considering that it is in an ambulance. These colors relate to what the picture’s meaning by showing how absolutely devastated the boy is, and appears to come across as if all hope is lost. He looks dead inside, and the dull, grey colors really exemplify that. Clearly, he was stuck in the thick of war, and yet, the help that he so desperately needed came too late. His family was already destroyed by the war, and now he is the only one that remains. The color of the ambulance shows that not all hope is lost. However, this brings up the question, if the civilians are being helped, but the help arrives after the damage of the war is already done, is it actually helpful, or just a waste of resources? This images seems to hint that unfortunately it is just becoming more and more a waste of resources.

Contrast is another aspect of this image that helps increase its emotional weight. The look of the boy and the ambulance greatly contrast one another. This stark contrast between the boy and the ambulance fully embodies the feelings that many Syrians have towards the people trying to help. Rescue efforts right now are not enough to save them, and the refugees know it. The contrast also shows the separation between these civilians and the rest of the world. On one side there is the civilians, who are worn down and dirty. Then there is the clean, formal, very systematic rest of the world, as portrayed by the ambulance. The difference between the beaten, bloodied boy is night and day compared to the clean, prepared ambulance. The contrast in the look of the boy and the ambulance shows that even though help has arrived for this boy, all hope is still lost for the civilians unable to escape, which is truly what this picture is trying to say, that all hope is lost. The use of contrast helps the viewer of the image understand the feelings of those effected by the Syrian Civil War. This is an extremely effective way to motivate the audience to fight for change. Another way that this image is able to move the audience is through the angle at which the photograph was taken at.

The angle that this images was shot at adds a lot of weight to the photograph. Because it is taken at eye level, it makes the viewer feel almost as if they are right there with the boy, living every second with him in that situation. This could have been shot at a higher angle, or even a lower one, to give different effects on the image, making it feel as if the viewer is above the boy, unable to help, perhaps in a completely different world, which metaphorically they are. However, the eye level shot is the most effective, because it makes the viewer feel for the child. In this moment, the audience can feel what he has gone through. They know his suffering, and for a moment, hope is lost for them too. Without this angle, the feeling of emotion that the viewer gets from this child could not be achieved. Another reason as to why the picture being taken at eye level is that it allows the child to look right at the camera, or as it appears to the viewer, look at the audience. It is as if he is looking right into the viewer’s soul and asking, if not begging for help, because clearly, he cannot do it himself. The help that is being given to him is not enough. This glare serves as a call to action in a sense. He is challenging the reader to actually do something, like to donate money to the cause or to volunteer, because to him, it does not matter what they do as long as the situation in Syria improves for  him, his friends, and his remaining family, so they can live a happier life in the future, and hope can finally be restored. This is where the most emotional weight comes from. He is crying for help without saying a single word, here, it is just shown through the angle of the camera. The angle of the camera is clearly very important to the way that the image conveys its message. Another aspect of how the image was taken is the distance at which it was shot from. This causes a very similar affect to the angle of the camera on how the image is viewed.

It is also important to look at the fact that this is not a close up shot, which is usually used to boost the emotional weight in an image. The impact of the zoom of this shot is very significant, because the emotion that this child portrays is not just in his face, it is in his entire body. The zoom allows the viewer to see the emotion in every single part of the boy. The way that he is slumped makes him look exhausted, devastated, and void of all hope. His face is straight, and almost gives off an annoyed expression. As if he has seen the events he witnessed before. Like it is not the last time that he will see them again. This again suggests that the meaning of this picture is simply to show that all hope is lost for Syrian citizens.

Another important aspect of this image is the scale of the boy to the ambulance surrounding him. He appears so small in his chair. Everything around him is as big as, if not larger than him. Thing that the audience is used to being small such as cabinets, and even a first aid box is just as large as him. This image would not have been as effective if it was an adult sitting in the ambulance. Sure, everybody would like to think that it would be, but naturally, in most cases it is easier to have compassion for small children than for an adult. This is especially true if it is a child who is presented in an awful situation, such as this boy is. He can do nothing to escape the nightmare that he is living in, where as an adult would at least have a shot to escape. In a way, this child embodies how many people still living in Syria feel. To many, there is no way to escape, and many of their issues seem larger than life, kind of like they are all children. 

Through the use of color, contrast, the angle that the photograph was shot at, and the size of the boy to his surroundings, the audience is emotionally moved, and is put in a place right alongside the boy for a brief moment. This image shows that something needs to be done in Syria, because right now, what is getting done is clearly not working. This boy, much like many other civilians, is desperate for help, and only when the viewers of the picture collectively work together to solve this problem can it be fixed. That is really what the purpose of this picture is. It uses the problem of this child, shows how poor is life is, and uses it as a grounds to try to get the audience to try to stop and change the events currently going on in Syria.
